Culture Bites: Celebrating our podcast's first anniversary


  • English
  • Arabic

Culture Bites turns one this week! To celebrate the anniversary, hosts Farah Andrews, Enas Refaei and Maan Jalal look back on their favourite moments, and Farah gives the team a podcast present in the form of a big concert announcement in Abu Dhabi. Listen to catch the exciting news.

Also coming to the UAE is the much-debated Donald Trump biopic, The Apprentice, screening in cinemas from October 16. It tells the story of the former US president’s rise as a businessman in 1980s New York. The hosts discuss the trailer and their expectations for the film, especially against the backdrop of the US presidential election campaign.

Following the Primetime Emmys this week, Enas, Farah and Maan chat about bold statements made at the event by stars including actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who appeared with a red hand print painted over his mouth in protest over missing and murdered indigenous women in North America, and Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, who wore an Artists4Ceasefire pin.

Big news from the night included Shogun star Anna Sawai's win, which made her the first performer of Asian descent to be crowned best actress in a drama series. The team also chat about Laura Dern, who wore a unique Sabyasachi necklace that was exhibited in Dubai this year.

For inspiration on what to read next, Maan compiles a list of novels that spotlight the diverse experiences of Arab women. They include In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif, a flashback that tells the story of Asya’s life growing up in 1960s Cairo. Another suggestion, Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa, is about four generations of Palestinian women in Gaza who were expelled from their village, forcing the matriarch to be their breadwinner.

The podcast will be taking a break next week but will be back to its regular schedule the week after.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

Which products are to be taxed?

To be taxed:

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category

Not taxed

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules

Updated: September 20, 2024, 4:58 AM
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