What is jazz? There's a fine tradition of facetiousness where the problem of definition is concerned. "If you have to ask," Louis Armstrong is reported to have said, "you'll never know."
You won't necessarily be any the wiser if you go to the Dubai Jazz Festival this week. Among the headline acts are the husky voiced British pop-rock singers James Morrison and David Gray, the bleating American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen, a few R&B outfits and a clutch of bloodless 1990s funk acts, most notably the Brand New Heavies. Jazz, where detectable at all, appears in its degenerate smooth, lounge or acid strains. I suppose the name "Dubai Adult Contemporary Festival" didn't have the right snap to it, but that is what's on offer. Well, each to their own, and let them call it what they like. That said, perhaps it's time for a rival event - is the name Mellow Melodies taken? - to fill the gap. Let's see if Ornette Coleman fancies a trip to the Gulf.
The Prix Pictet photography award has acquired enormous prestige in the two years since it was set up. The former UN general secretary Kofi Annan is its honorary president. The 2009 jury included the architect Zaha Hadid, the UK's former chief scientific adviser Professor David King and half the Financial Times's culture desk. A second tier of auditors included Abbas Kiarostami, Michael Nyman and Princess Marianne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The prize's mission is to use the medium of photography to highlight issues of global importance, which might explain why so many of these worthies chose to append their names to it. Well, it's right-on in a nebulous way, undemanding and helps to gild a reputation for discernment. What grandee could refuse?
Yet, in less predictable style, it also succeeded in picking out some terrific photos. Last year's theme was "Earth" and the shortlist included the likes of Andreas Gursky, Edward Burtynsky and Ed Kashi - some of the most feted names in the medium. The main prize went to Nadav Kander for a series taken around the Yangtse River. His work was astonishing for its coldness, its architectural sense of space and scale, and for the elemental human dramas it revealed. When I spoke to Kander he seemed flattered and slightly embarrassed about the prize. He was nominated for it without his knowledge. It wasn't why he took the pictures. That much is obvious by looking at them: they're motivated by an inner necessity that's at least as much poetic as it is documentary. They're well worth seeing, and see them you can, along with the rest of the work shortlisted for the Pictet, at the Empty Quarter gallery this week.
Finally, the latest in Ductac's barrage of visiting theatrical productions encourages us to lift our thoughts to the final frontier. One Small Step is a two-man show tested in the fire of the Oxford Playhouse and the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe. It picked up very warm reviews and so the British Council selected it for a touring showcase. In any event, the play tells the story of the US-Soviet space race using little more than the contents of a British pensioner's attic for props. Out of Dansette record players, beach balls and discarded cruet sets we get the history of rocketry, the murky politics of the Cold War and a recreation of the Moon landing. An old filing cabinet plays Apollo 11. A giant leap? Not if the actors are good.
Specs
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances