Dubai
Light Show
Visit Wafi Mall and enjoy the sound and light show of the tale The Return of the Pharaohs. State-of-the-art special effects blend history, anecdotes and music every evening in an outdoor attraction. The synchronised music and images celebrate culture, spirit and diversity, with images projected across the Pyramids building in the central courtyard.
Daily, 8pm and 9.30pm, free, Wafi Mall, Dubai, www.wafi.com
Abu Dhabi
Film Screening
Cinema Space presents a screening of Scialla! (Easy!). The 2011 Italian film directed by Francesco Bruni tells the story of 15-year-old Luca, who grew up without a father and is in search of guidance, and Bruno, a childless professor who gave up teaching and has never given direction to anyone. When Bruno discovers that Luca is his son, the two are suddenly forced to live together and understand one another.
Monday, 7pm, free with registration, Cinema Space, auditorium, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, register at cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com
Abu Dhabi
Concert
Buy tickets to attend Creamfields Abu Dhabi, the electronic dance music festival featuring: headliners Canadian DJ deadmau5 (Ghosts 'n' Stuff), who plays techno with old-school influences; and, Swedish DJ duo Axwell and Ingrosso (More than You Know, Sun is Shining) with their high-energy set. Established and emerging local and regional artists will also be featured as part of the show.
December 8, from 7pm, from Dh250, 18+, du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.ticketmaster.ae
Abu Dhabi
Exhibition
See the exhibition Inventing Downtown: Artist-Run Galleries in New York City, 1952-1965, which examines the New York art scene, from the abstract expressionism of the 1950s to the pop-art and minimalism of the 1960s. The establishment of artist-run galleries expanded the art scene in Downtown Manhattan towards the industrial areas, with artists acquiring spaces that shaped the creation and exhibition of their works. Inventing Downtown has 200 works by more than 50 ground-breaking artists.
Daily until January 13, noon to 8pm (closed Sundays), NYUAD Art Gallery, NYU Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, www.nyuad-artgallery.org
Abu Dhabi
Fitness Event
Run the 884 steps of the National Stadium at Zayed Sports City at TrainZSC presented by Daman ActiveLife. The weekly vertical training sessions are a great workout that starts with a warm-up, ends with a cool-down and includes an optional fitness challenge at different stages, focusing on arms and core. Apart from stair-climbing you can also run or walk on the flat areas around the football pitch. There is a bouncy castle for children to enjoy and free BMI screenings.
Mondays, 6pm to 9pm, free with registration, ages 12+, National Stadium, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, register at www.trainzsc.com
Nationwide
New Movie
Chef is a remake of the 2014 American film of the same name and stars Saif Ali Khan as Roshan Kalra, a chef at a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in New York, who is eager to present innovative dishes to his customers. When his life start to fall apart, he travels back to India to meet his wife Radha (Padmapriya), and young son. Rethinking his life, Roshan opens a food truck so he and his son can travel India and share his gastronomic creations. Hindi film directed by Raja Krishna Menon, with English and Arabic subtitles, also starring Dhanish Karthik, Sobhita Dhulipala, Dinesh Prabhakar and Ram Gopal Bajaj.
Screening at cinemas across the UAE (PG-13)
Dubai
Live Music
The Fridge Concert Series continues with a performance by As Per Casper, a Dubai-based singer-songwriter who gave up a successful career in finance to pursue a passion for music. The show features Jawaher, an all-female instrumental band based in Dubai. The concert is a collaboration that aims to bridge western and Oriental genres in a symphonic pop celebration.
Tonight, doors open at 7.30pm, concert starts at 8pm, from Dh50, The Fridge, Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.thefridgedubai.com
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Read more:
First look: Dubai's La Perle performers take to the stage
Confirmed: Deadmau5 and AxwellΛIngrosso coming to Creamfields Abu Dhabi
Free healthy things to do this weekend
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Dubai
Exhibition
Dubai-based artist Roshanak Aminelahi presents Gordafarid, a new series of mixed-media paintings inspired by ancient mythology and featuring monumental portraits of Persian warriors alongside objects representing specific stories. The figures speak to the artist’s Iranian heritage and the culture in which she was raised, as well as the diversity of Dubai.
Daily until October 26, 10am to 6pm, Sundays to Thursdays; noon to 6pm on Saturdays (closed Fridays), Ayyam Gallery, 12 Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 323 6242, www.ayyamgallery.com
Dubai
Concert
Get tickets for the Remix 92 concert at the Irish Village, featuring nine dancefloor chart-topping performers: 5ve (Everybody Get Up); Boyzlife (No Matter What); Snap! (Rhythm Is a Dancer); Dr Alban (It's My Life); Robin S (Show Me Love); Rozalla (Everybody's Free); Sonique (It Feels So Good); N-Trance (Set You Free); C+C Music Factory (Gonna Make You Sweat); plus Nineties sets from DJs Tim Cheddar and Jon Besant.
October 20, doors open at 1pm, first act from 3.30pm, from Dh195 for early-bird, 21+, Irish Village, Al Garhoud, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net
Dubai
Performance
Book tickets to see La Perle, a live theatrical performance influenced by Dubai’s rich culture and history and produced by creative director Franco Dragone. The resident show fuses aquatic and aerial feats, imagery and technology.
Shows at 7pm and 9.30pm Tuesdays to Fridays; 4pm and 7pm on Saturdays, from Dh400, Al Habtoor City, Dubai, 800 517373, www.laperle.com
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Company%20profile
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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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
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
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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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
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
