American rapper Macklemore has cancelled his coming Dubai show, which had been set for October 4 at Coca-Cola Arena.
The Grammy-winning artist, who released Palestine-themed single Hind's Hall in May, had originally been scheduled to perform last October at the same venue.
Ticketholders were informed on Friday of the cancellation by Platinum List, which also noted that all purchases would be refunded automatically within 21 working days. The event has also been removed from Coca-Cola Arena's website. At the time of writing, the performer had not commented on the cancellation on his social media channels.
The cancellation has left many Palestinian fans in the UAE disappointed.
"I'm saddened that he's cancelled the show. As a Palestinian, I became a fan of Macklemore because of his outspoken support for the people of Gaza, and was looking forward to seeing him perform the song live," Rita Arar, 24, who runs the TikTok channel Palestinian POV, tells The National.
Macklemore released his third studio album, Ben, last year to moderate success, but the activist single Hind's Hall won him many new fans, making him one of the most prominent figures in the music world to voice his support for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, with the death toll now surpassing 40,000.
The song is named after Hind Rajab, 6, who was killed in Gaza after waiting days for aid and the ensuing campus protests in the US. It samples Fairouz's Ana La Habibi.
In the song, Macklemore expressed solidarity with campus protesters in the US and his views on the politicians involved in the geopolitical conflict.
The song, the most prominent track calling for peace written about the ongoing war, has been streamed more than 30 million times on Spotify, according to the platform. On Instagram, the video has garnered more than 175 million views. Macklemore announced that all proceeds for the song would go to UNRWA.
He performed the song live in May at a New Zealand concert, commenting on stage: “I stand here today and every day forward for the rest of my life in solidarity with the people of Palestine, with an open heart, in the belief that our collective liberation is at stake – that we all deserve freedom in this life of ours."
While the singer first became popular for his novelty single Thrift Shop in 2012, he has a history of social justice-minded songs, including the 2016 song White Privilege II, recorded with artist Jamila Woods.
He has previously performed in the UAE, having headlined Red Fest DXB in 2019.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
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What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
