The first NBA Abu Dhabi Games, Disney’s The Lion King, UFC 280 and the Wireless Festival are among the events set to take place in Abu Dhabi within the next six months.
The Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi announced the line-up of events for the winter season in a talk show-style launch held at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Thursday.
The calendar includes concerts by regional and international artists, sporting and e-sports events, immersive cultural festivals and live interactive family shows, along with theatre, opera and dance performances.
“Abu Dhabi Calendar has an incredible line-up of events to thrill and excite our residents and visitors this season,” said Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, director general for tourism at DCT — Abu Dhabi.
“We’re looking forward to sharing Abu Dhabi with the world by playing host to spectacular musical acts and action-packed global sport spectacles that will attract fans and families from across the globe.”
Music, film awards and Comic Con
Some of the highlights of the musical segment of the calendar include the Wireless Festival, the popular rap and urban music festival from London, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on March 4.
Sting is also set to perform at Etihad Arena as part of his critically acclaimed My Songs tour on January 27, with tickets to go on sale on Friday.
Two-time Academy Award winner A R Rahman will be making his debut in Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena on October 29, while Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will return to the capital at Etihad Park on November 24.
The three-day Amplified Music Festival will take place from November 11 to 13 at Yas Links Abu Dhabi.
Louvre Abu Dhabi will also host a series of concerts to celebrate its fifth anniversary, including one by Iraqi-Saudi singer Majid Al Mohandis on November 11 and Egyptian composer Omar Khairat on November 13.
Recognising the best in Bollywood, the IIFA Awards Abu Dhabi will return to the capital on February 11 for a star-studded weekend at Etihad Arena.
From December 1 to 3, a series of concerts will mark this year’s National Day celebrations at various locations.
Arab stars including Nancy Ajram, George Wassouf, Melhem Zein, Mouhamad Khairy, Wael Kfoury, Ahmed Saad, DJ Aseel, BiGSaM, Aziz Maraka and Siilawy will also be performing in Abu Dhabi in a series of concerts from October 14 to December 21.
The region’s largest pop culture festival, Middle East Film and Comic Con, will kick off in March.
Sports, e-Sports and a bit of 4x4
Highlights in sport include the NBA Abu Dhabi Games. The Atlanta Hawks and the 2020-21 NBA championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks will play two pre-season games at Etihad Arena on October 6 and 8, marking the first NBA games in the Arabian Gulf.
The NBA District will take place in conjunction with the NBA Abu Dhabi Games at Manarat Al Saadiyat from October 5 to 9.
It will feature music, media and art associated with NBA culture, while fans will be able to engage with NBA personalities, watch games, enjoy hands-on basketball activities and purchase limited-edition merchandise.
Also next month, UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev will be held on October 22 at Etihad Arena. The event will headline Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, which will take place from October 17 to 23, and will feature concerts, workshops, pool parties and citywide activations, with appearances from some of UFC's biggest stars.
In Matchroom Boxing, WBA Light-Heavyweight belt holder Dmitry Bivol will defend his world title against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on November 5.
Blast, taking place on December 17 and 18, will pit eight of the world’s best e-sports organisations against each other for the coveted World Final trophy, a slice of a $1 million prize pool and a chance to claim bragging rights as the 2022 champions of Counter-Strike.
Liwa Festival will take place between November 22 to December 4 and feature Khaleeji concerts, culture and heritage activities, food stalls, an outdoor cinema and a night market.
Broadway, Blippi and Abu Dhabi Art
Disney’s famed Broadway musical The Lion King will be held over the course of a month at Etihad Arena, running from November 16 to December 10.
Disney on Ice will also return to the venue between October 12 and 16.
Mother of the Nation Festival will also offer family-friendly activities, celebrating cultural awareness. The event will return from December 9 to 18 and feature live entertainment by groups including Miami Band.
Blippi The Musical, a show by the popular children's entertainer and educator, will bring an energetic, live musical show for families from February 18 and 19 at Etihad Arena.
On the culinary side of the events calendar, Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants will feature guest dinners and discussions alongside the reveal of the organisation’s picks for the top 50 restaurants in the region.
The annual fair Abu Dhabi Art is returning from November 16 to 20, bringing together local and international galleries, featuring exhibitions, artist commissions and installations.
Earlier that month, the Traditional Handicrafts Festival, an annual event held in Al Qattara Heritage District of Al Ain, will return from November 1 to 20, inviting visitors to experience traditional crafts by UAE artisans.
More information is available at visitabudhabi.ae
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company%20Profile
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Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKim%20Seung-gyu%2C%20Jo%20Hyeon-woo%2C%20Song%20Bum-keun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDefenders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKim%20Young-gwon%2C%20Kim%20Min-jae%2C%20Jung%20Seung-hyun%2C%20Kim%20Ju-sung%2C%20Kim%20Ji-soo%2C%20Seol%20Young-woo%2C%20Kim%20Tae-hwan%2C%20Lee%20Ki-je%2C%20Kim%20Jin-su%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMidfielders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPark%20Yong-woo%2C%20Hwang%20In-beom%2C%20Hong%20Hyun-seok%2C%20Lee%20Soon-min%2C%20Lee%20Jae-sung%2C%20Lee%20Kang-in%2C%20Son%20Heung-min%20(captain)%2C%20Jeong%20Woo-yeong%2C%20Moon%20Seon-min%2C%20Park%20Jin-seob%2C%20Yang%20Hyun-jun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStrikers%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHwang%20Hee-chan%2C%20Cho%20Gue-sung%2C%20Oh%20Hyeon-gyu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
