ABU DHABI // Mohamad Abdulmuhsen is as much at home reporting on sports events as he is in a war zone.
The 48-year-old Emirati Abu Dhabi TV veteran has had a long and varied career, which started in radio in 1983.
“I liked radio since I was a child. I used to sleep with it on next to me, or when I was doing my homework,” he says.
“I was specifically interested in poetry so I excelled in the Arabic language.”
After high school Mr Abdulmuhsen enrolled in a one-year professional radio course run by Sawt Al Arab radio in Cairo, where he was trained by renowned personalities from across the Arab world.
After he finished ahead of all his male classmates, and second overall in his class of 30, it seemed his childhood passion was indeed turning into much more.
After six months in RAK radio, he moved to Abu Dhabi TV, which is owned by Abu Dhabi Media, the publisher of The National, where he hosted a six-hour programme every Friday.
That led to a chance meeting with the UAE’s most prominent figure.
“I was once chosen to be the first Emirati anchor to present daily reports on the closing festival for end of season camel races,” he recalls.
“So during one of the times when I was in Al Wathba, Sheikh Zayed arrived and I had the chance to interview him.”
During the interview he asked Sheikh Zayed if it was possible to establish a UAE camel racing federation.
“His response was clear as he always took his decisions months before announcing them,” he says.
Sheikh Zayed replied that such plans were already in place.
“Four months later, the federation was established … and I was the first to report the scoop during that interview.”
In another incident, he was doing live commentary on a boat show when heavy fog descended.
“The fog suddenly increased and we could not see the picture at all.
“So I started improvising by commenting on the history of this sport and Sheikh Zayed’s interest in it.”
The command came to “tell Mohamad that Sheikh Zayed is watching the race so he has to continue”.
And he did.
“I kept calling to find out who the top five were and would talk about them.”
Mr Abdulmuhsen went on to cover the Soviet-Afghanistan conflict in the 1980s.
“The goal was to meet Afghan leaders while in Peshawar, Pakistan,” he explains, “so when we arrived there we started asking for them.
“So one man said he would take us to them, but first he took us to the souk to buy local clothes and shoes. Then we rode with them to go meet the leaders.
“To our surprise when the journey ended we were told: ‘Congratulations you are in Afghanistan’.
“When they sensed our shock, they said: ‘Why else do you think we dressed you up? So you could take photos? It was to pass you through the checkpoints’.”
He still remembers the “horrific war sounds” as they heard the Soviet jets fly over.
Then they were invited for lunch inside a cave – which happen to house a live missile. “As we were leaving I asked to use the toilet, they laughed and told me to walk in that direction and suit myself.”
After he had walked for 400 metres, one of the men called out to him: “Do not go far, the area is filled with mines.”
“I froze in my place and walked back to them.”
After taking more than five hours of live footage in Afghanistan and Pakistan, they prepared a programme that was broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV with the title The Road to Kabul.
hdajani@thenational.ae
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
