The Dubai Food Festival is staging an Arab Idol triple-header concert at Global Village on February 20, featuring all of the talent show’s winners so far.
Carmen Suleiman
Age: 20
Nationality: Egyptian
Winner: 2012
Carmen Suleiman was a winner long before she entered the inaugural season of Arab Idol in 2012. As a teenager she scooped a bunch of gongs for her singing in her native Egypt, the biggest of which was an award from the Supreme Council of Culture for having the best voice of anyone under the age of 16.
That kind of experience kept her calm throughout her Arab Idol journey as she wowed judges with a powerful voice that was equally at home singing complex Umm Kulthum numbers or pop covers of Sherine.
Suleiman's victory was no real surprise, so there were understandably high expectations that she would be the region's next big star. She began her post-Idol career with the debut single Kalam Kalam topping the Egyptian charts, followed by a self-titled debut album.
Despite that early burst of activity, Suleiman failed to gain traction with the public and was eclipsed by the Arab Idol season 2 winner Mohammed Assaf.
Pros: Her down-to-earth personality and easy charm on stage.
Cons: It’s been three years since she made a splash – does anyone care anymore?
Mohammed Assaf
Age: 24
Nationality: Palestinian
Winner: 2013
Arab Idol became an international talking point in 2013 thanks mainly to the humble yet confident contestant Mohammed Assaf.
His journey to winning the crown is the stuff of Hollywood movies, with the singer valiantly crossing Israeli checkpoints during an epic journey to Beirut for the auditions, and almost being excluded for arriving a few minutes late. A fellow Palestinian gave up his spot in the queue after recognising Assaf had a better shot at winning, and the rest is history.
Not only did Assaf’s victory become one of the biggest television moments of the year, it also kick-started a music career that shows no signs of abating.
Where other talent-show winners have the challenge of maintaining their profiles, Assaf faces the opposite “problem” – everyone wants a piece of him.
His tour schedule would make the most seasoned artist flinch – last year alone he completed tours of South America, North America, Europe and Australia. His Dubai show tomorrow comes on the back of his latest run of dates in Scandinavia.
Assaf’s live performance has also received a welcome revitalisation thanks to last year’s release of his self-titled debut album. Finally, he can add a bunch of his own songs to what was becoming a stale, cover-heavy set.
Pros: It’s Assaf, so you know that at the very least you will get a decent show delivered by an increasingly assured performer.
Cons: Familiarity breeds contempt – Assaf has performed in the UAE so many times that Akon’s frequent Dubai appearances pale in comparison.
Hazem Sharif
Age: 21
Nationality: Syrian
Winner: 2014
The Syrian poses the biggest threat to Assaf's dominance. The 21-year-old was this season's Arab Idol favourite from the moment he stepped on stage during the first episode last year.
Impressively, the constant attention never went to his head and Sharif displayed a welcome, old-school approach of keeping his head down and working hard on finessing his performance.
Sharif arguably has a better vocal range than Assaf and this versatility could be a key asset in his live shows.
His Arab Idol experience proved that he could sing dabkas and ballads – though his emotive croon is best showcased on evocative Syrian folk songs.
Sharif’s vocal abilities should also stand him in good stead in the studio later in the year when he records his first batch of solo tracks.
The Dubai show is one of his first major concert outings, so it will be interesting to see how he fares live with no cameras in sight. It won’t only be the fans following his progress, but perhaps Assaf’s team, too.
Pros: The excitement of seeing what could be the region’s next big singing sensation at the start of his artistic journey.
Cons: An unknown on the concert stage – will nerves get the better of him?
• Carmen Suleiman, Mohammed Assaf and Hazem Sharif perform Friday, February 20, as part of Dubai Food Festival’s free concert series at Global Village, Dubai. The show starts at 8.30pm
sasaeed@thenational.ae
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Raghida, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
