Travis Scott will headline the inaugural Wireless Festival Middle East in Abu Dhabi.
The popular and controversial artist leads a bill of international and regional hip-hop acts in a one-day event at Etihad Park on March 11.
Also lined up at the Yas Island venue is fellow US rapper Lil Uzi Vert for his debut concert in the Middle East.
Lil Uzi Vert should get a rapturous reception in Abu Dhabi after the artist went viral in 2021 for uploading an Instagram video dancing the dabke at a Palestinian wedding.
The rapper who is arguably the Arab world’s most famous will also be making an appearance. Egypt’s Wegz will take the main stage on the back of being named last year's most-streamed artist in Egypt and Mena for the third year running on Spotify.
The accolade is predominantly down to the monster hit El Bakht, garnering more than 167 million views on YouTube alone.
Iraqi rapper Ali Gatie will also be making his way to the capital.
The artist, who lives in Toronto, is known for the 2019 hit It's You, which charted in the US Billboard Top 100 and raked in more than 100 million views on YouTube.
The burgeoning Indian hip-hop scene will be represented by Mumbai rapper Divine, whose rags-to-riches tale inspired the 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy.
He will be joined by compatriot King, who recently released the new album Champagne Talk.
Pakistani hip-hop group Young Stunners will also be at Wireless Festival Middle East.
A decade into their career, the Karachi duo are credited as pioneers of Urdu rap and featured in last year's Coke Studio Live in Dubai concert.
Black Sherif rounds off the first tranche of announced artists.
The Ghanaian singer and rapper gained online popularity in 2021’s First Sermon, a debut single blending the sounds of highlife, reggae and hip-hop and UK drill.
Ticket prices will be announced soon and go on sale on Friday from www.ticketmaster.ae.
Travis Scott returns to the big stage
Wireless Festival Middle East marks one of Scott’s biggest appearances since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021, when 10 people were killed and more than 300 injured during his headlining performance.
With 50,000 people in attendance, authorities confirmed the fatal incident occurred due to a "crowd surge", which forced organisers to stop the show.
Scott reportedly settled one of the lawsuits relating to the event in October, and the artist has been making a gradual comeback to the stage since then.
Last year, he performed a series of club shows and at the Billboard Music Awards, before playing two sold-out concerts at London's The O2 Arena.
In a three-star review of the gig, The Guardian hailed Scott's "impressive energy" and declared it "a stunning show aesthetically".
Scott finished the year with his first pair of festival performances, headlining sets at Primavera Sound in Argentina and Chile in November.
Scott's last regional concert was in Abu Dhabi as part of the 2016 Beats on the Beach festival.
What is Wireless?
First held in 2005 in London, the festival’s debut had New Order, Basement Jaxx, Keane and Kasabian headlining the four-day concert at Hyde Park.
As well as moving to London’s Finsbury Park, the festival evolved from its electronic indie-rock roots to focus on hip-hop, grime and Afrobeat genres.
Attracting close to 50,000 fans, previous headliners include Cardi B, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Kanye West and Stormzy.
Wireless 2023 returns to Finsbury Park from July 7 to 9.
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Read more about the coronavirus
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
