How good is Snoop Dogg at playing Fifa?
You can find out tonight as the American rapper takes on DJ and comedian Kerwin Frost in the concluding event of Gamers Without Borders by Saudi.
The face-off is slated to take place tonight (Sunday, June 7), at 11.30pm UAE time, and will bring the seven-week long charity initiative to a close.
Since it began on April 24, Gamers Without Borders has staged a major eSports charity event, uniting gamers from around the world to raise money for Covid-19 charities.
By the time the event wraps up tonight, the initiative will have donated $10 million (Dh36.7m) to charities fighting against the pandemic, including Unicef and the International Medical Corps.
More than 200,000 gamers from 72 different countries have taken part in the event so far, competing in daily and weekly community tournaments across 16 games, including Call of Duty, Fifa, Fortnite, and Mortal Kombat. The matches range from amateur-level tournaments to those geared towards professional gamers.
Winners get to pick one of the seven listed charity groups to donate to. The generated sponsorship revenue has also been donated to charity.
Gamers Without Borders by Saudi was created by the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (Safeis) in partnership with Electronic Sports League (ESL), the world’s largest eSports company. The event is streamed live across Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Huya.
The partnership with ESL will help provide a broadcast feed in seven different languages, including Arabic, English, Spanish and Mandarin, for a global experience reaching worldwide.
"After seven weeks and over $10m donated to charities on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, Gamers Without Borders has shown the role eSports and gaming can play in being a global force good," Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, president of Safeis, said in a statement to The National.
“Elite and amateur gamers from every corner in the world united to make this into the biggest charity eSports event ever held. Bringing together such a massive number of gamers and learners worldwide proves eSports is a powerful tool transcending all borders – and we are proud to be leading on this.”
A number of celebrity footballers have taken part in the event, including Tottenham Hotspur and England player Dele Alli, Juventus and Argentina’s Paulo Dybala, and Portugal’s Joao Felix and Andre Silva.
British singer Liam Payne was the latest celebrity to lend his star power to the cause, taking part in the event's celebrity-packed closing weekend.
The former One Direction star faced off on Fifa 20 with Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold on Saturday, but ultimately lost 4-1 and then 5-2 in front of a streaming audience of thousands.
Gamers Without Borders also introduced a series of free-to-all training programmes and webinars aimed at advancing game development. The programmes featured 160 digital experts – including developers, gamers, investors and entrepreneurs – and have had more than 100 hours of content and 20,000 participants from 80 different countries.
Anyone who takes part in the event – whether as a viewer or gamer – can contribute to the cause by donating to the seven charities via the Gamers Without Borders website.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
THE%C2%A0SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%20four-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starting%20from%20Dh89%2C900%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan