The London Syrian Ensemble, which comprises eight musicians and graduates from the renowned Damascus Conservatoire, is among the groups in this year's Liverpool Arabs Arts Festival line-up.
Led by composer and ney soloist Louai Alhenawi, the group will perform at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Music Room on July 15.
The event will be a showcase of their latest project, Sounds of Syria, which features new instrumental arrangements by composers from Syria and the Syrian diaspora.
It will explore how Syrian music is composed in foreign lands, touching on themes of longing and loss, hope and new beginnings.
The festival, which runs from July 7 to 17, is curated around the theme “A Point of Connection”, or “Nuqtat Wasl” in Arabic, and marks 20 years since the event was first held in the northern English city.
The festival will culminate in a “family day”, with music, traditional food and free entry for all visitors.
Other acts due to perform include TootArd, a duo of musicians who hail from the Golan Heights, and Aar Maanta, who has been described as the voice of a generation of young Somalis. The internationally renowned pop star’s latest album, Ubadkaa Mudnaanta Leh, or Children Have Priority, was recorded alongside young Somali children in the US city of Minneapolis.
Gazelleband — Palestinian oud player Reem Anbar with writer/musician Louis Brehony — will also perform, as will Yemeni band Al Awadhel Band.
The Hawiyya Dance Company and El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe will also offer entertainment. Ali Al-Jamri will recite poetry during the event and Elias Matar will perform interactive storytelling sessions for younger guests.
Hip-hop group N3rdistan will make a return this year, after appearing at the digital festival in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For a full list of performers and information about tickets, click here.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
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
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If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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The specs
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
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