enjoythe 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer Giuseppe Verdi at the Montegrappa Verdi Bicentenary Concert and Gala Dinner, held by Emirates Opera Project and the Sharq Orchestra – led by Mohamad Hamami (pictured) and conducted by Martyn Bagnall. Enjoy selections and scenes from popular Verdi operas, including Rigoletto, La Traviata, Nabucco and Aida. From 7.30pm, tickets from Dh500, Raffles Dubai, Wafi City, www.montegrappa.me/verdi, 050 928 0085
meet the popular French fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni, known for her blog The Blonde Salad, at the The Dubai Mall. Head to the boutique s*uce this evening to rub shoulders with the fashionist who has more than 1.3 million Instagram followers. From 7pm, s*uce, The Dubai Mall, Dubai
say hello to your favourite WWE superstars The Big Show and Dolph Ziggler today at Marina Mall from 2pm to 4pm – it might be your last chance to meet them up-close and personal. And don't forget to catch them live at the WWE Live smackdown today, tomorrow and Saturday, 7pm, Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium, Abu Dhabi, from Dh300, ticketmaster.com
see collections by eight emerging designers, an exhibition of the "50 most iconic covers of Vogue Italia", short films on eco-fashion projects and collections and more. From 6pm to 3am, The Grand Atrium, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, www.thedubaimall.com
get your tickets now to see Omid Djalili. The UK-born Iranian comedian with an eponymous BBC television show is back with his incisive observations on relationships and the divides between men-and-women. October 11, from 8pm to 11pm, from Dh250, Sheikh Rashid Hall, World Trade Center, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, www.ticketmaster.ae, www.platinumlist.net
* Compiled by Kalpana Ramgopal
listings@thenational.ae
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
