Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for January 21, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun.
Abu Dhabi
Film screening
Catch a screening of the 1925 Charlie Chaplin comedy film The Gold Rush at Cinema Space. The film is considered to be Chaplin's masterpiece, and follows his character the Little Tramp as a prospector in the search for fortune in the Klondike and his romance with a dancer, Georgia (Georgia Hale), complete with timeless gags. The newly-restored silent film has English title cards, and features a newly recorded orchestral score.
Today, 4pm, free with registration, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, register at cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com
Dubai
Fitness fun
Visit the newly opened Aventura Nature Adventure Park, which is set among a 35,000-square metre Ghaf tree forest and features five circuits of tree-surfing, zip-lining, rope-climbing, and obstacles for different heights and age groups. All circuits are staffed by Aventura personnel and include a safety briefing on how to use the equipment. Guests can spend up to three hours on the circuits or spend all day exploring the park on nature walks. A cafe for refreshments is set to open later this month.
Open daily, 9.30am-5pm, Sundays to Thursdays; 9.30am-6pm, Fridays and Saturdays, Dh95 special offer this month (regularly Dh150 for adults, Dh125 for children), Mushrif Park, Mirdif, Dubai, www.aventuradubai.com
Sharjah
Art workshop
Sign up to take part in a tie-dye workshop at Maraya Art Centre. Learn several tie-dye designs and choose from a variety of colours to decorate T-shirts or infinity scarves. The technique involves folding, twisting, pleating or crumpling fabric and binding it with string or rubber bands before applying the dye.
January 29, 5pm-6.30pm, Dh30, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, register at 06 556 6555, rsvp@maraya.ae
Abu Dhabi
Sustainability
The Festival at Masdar City invites you to take part in a series of fun, educational activities related to sustainability. To mark Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the festival features educational zones, exhibitors promoting sustainable living solutions, organic produce, workshops, music and food stalls. Learn how to grow your own food in The Greenhouse, make recycled ornaments in The Crafts Zone, enjoy gaming with a sustainability twist in The Arcade Alley, and enjoy other activities and sessions.
Today, 10am-8pm, free, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/masdar.ae
Nationwide
New movie
In xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Vin Diesel returns as Cage, the athlete-turned-government-operative who was thought to be long-dead after the second film in the xXx franchise, xXx: State of the Union (2005). He is back, returning from self-imposed exile to race Xiang (Donnie Yen) to find Pandora's Box, a powerful weapon that controls military satellites. Soon Cage finds himself caught up in a deadly government conspiracy. Action adventure, also starring Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Toni Collette and Samuel L Jackson.
Screening at cinemas across the UAE. (PG-15)
Abu Dhabi
Performance
The NSO Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Berryman, will present Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck's fully-staged fairy-tale opera in the musical style of Wagner. It stars mezzo-soprano Louise Merrifield as Hansel and soprano Julia Teal Kermott as Gretel, along with a cast of 80 Abu Dhabi resident children in the gingerbread chorus, witch's dance and angel ballet.
March 10-11, 7.30pm gala evening on March 10; 2.30pm matinee on March 11, from Dh75, The National Theatre, Abu Dhabi, www.ticketmaster.ae
Dubai
Art workshop
Visit the Yadawei pottery studio for market day and find handmade items created by local potters and ceramic artists, plus try the potter’s wheel and do some handbuilding sculpture for free. There will be food and drink, and pets are also welcome. Additionally, to celebrate the studio’s first anniversary, take advantage of exclusive promotions on membership and classes, including 30 days for free with standard membership and 50 per cent off trial classes.
Today, 10am-7pm, Yadawei, 8th A Street, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 379 1312, www.yadawei.net
Dubai
Art exhibition
See Daga'a, a video work by Palestinian artist Shadi Habib Allah, who embarks on a journey across the Sinai Peninsula led by Bedouin smugglers who navigate the terrain, sharing stories and anecdotes that transition into directions for the unrecognised citizens of this no man's land. The film is in Arabic with English subtitles and will run on a loop throughout the day. Pictured: a still from the film Daga'a
Daily until February 7, 10am-7pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed Fridays), Green Art Gallery, Street 8, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 346 9305, www.gagallery.com
Dubai
Art exhibition
New Chapter by Lateefa bint Maktoum, founder and director of Tashkeel, represents a transition in the use of digital media to express the journey of motherhood in its varying stages in minute detail, including the psychological and emotional effects on the artist throughout different stages of pregnancy and motherhood. Pictured: Family
Daily until February 23, 10am-10pm, Saturday to Thursdays (closed Fridays), Tashkeel, Nad Al Sheba Health Center, Dubai, 04 336 3313, www.tashkeel.org
Dubai
Sports event
Register to take part in the Zurich Corporate Touch 6 rugby tournament. Make a day of it with colleagues and friends and enjoy energetic, high-intensity sport in a fun, social environment. Children can participate in the free kids’ tournament, plus there will be entertainment, food trucks and fun for the whole family.
February 24, from 9am, free entry, Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club, Arabian Ranches, Dubai, register teams of 14 at www.zurichcorporatetouch6s.com
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company%20profile
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The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
