One of Lebanon's most enduring cultural festivals returns on July 20.
Held on the grounds of the two-century-old palace in the Chouf Mountains that it is named after, the annual Beiteddine Festival has been hosting eclectic events since launching in 1984.
Past performers have included everyone from pop stars Mariah Carey and Phil Collins to Lebanese music titans Fairouz and Majida El Roumi.
This year, the draw of the bill is Lebanese-Armenian pianist Guy Manoukian. His shows on July 22 and 23 are sold out, but here's who else is playing this year's Beiteddine Festival.
July 20: Farrah El Dibany
The opening concert will have Lebanese mezzo-soprano El Dibany perform popular arias and classic Arabic songs by artists such as Asmahan, Fairouz and Dalida.
A seasoned singer, having performed regularly at the Paris Opera as well as the Bolshoi Theatre, El Dibany also performed as part of the closing ceremony of the World Cup Qatar 2022.
She will be accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Lubnan Baalbaki of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.
Show starts at 8.30pm; tickets from $20
July 25: Donna Khalife and Arthur Satyan
Two fine jazz musicians will team up for a special concert.
Lebanese vocalist and double bassist Khalife has been performing for more than two decades with shows at home and abroad as band leader or side woman.
The festival could be the ideal place for her to showcase new works from her coming third album.
Armenian pianist and composer Satyan is the present dean of the jazz department at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music.
Having performed with jazz stars Larry Coryell and Sonny Fortune, he is renowned for his authentic approach recalling artists such as Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk.
Show starts at 8.30pm; tickets from $20
July 27: Mayssa Karaa
Berklee Abu Dhabi artistic director Karaa returns to her native Lebanon for a concert alongside colleagues from the UAE conservatory.
The singer will showcase her eclectic body of work, veering from Arabic folk and pop to rock and electronica. Last month she released Netla'a Bi Beirut (We'll meet in Beirut), a song in which she yearns for the city of her birth.
She will be accompanied by an ensemble led by Jordanian composer and violinist Yaurb Smarait, and Lebanese oud player Charbel Rouhana will make a guest appearance.
Show starts at 8.30pm; tickets from $20
August 2, 3 and 5: Chicago the Musical
An Arabic version of the much-loved musical Chicago will be performed.
Created by US theatre stalwarts John Kander and Fred Ebb, it features choreography by Bob Fosse.
A glamorous tale of love and deceit, Chicago went on to become a mainstay of New York’s Broadway and London’s West End.
A lot of its appeal comes down to its catchy tunes, such as Razzle Dazzle, Cell Block Tango and All That Jazz.
Show starts at 8.30pm; tickets from $25
More information is available at beiteddine.org
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Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
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THREE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
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New Zealand squad
Tim Southee (capt), Trent Boult (games 4 and 5), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
