As well as satisfying Saudi dance music fans with a dream musical line up, Riyadh’s MDL Beast has also been welcoming celebrities to the event.
Spotted in Riyadh over the weekend were actors Armie Hammer and Ryan Phillippe, reality television star Scott Disick and models Alessandro Ambrosio and Winnie Harlow. While these guests have been visiting various sites in Riyadh, the festival's music talent also got a chance to sample Saudi culture with DJ Steve Aoki and reggaeton star J Balvin trying on traditional Saudi kandoras.
Winnie Harlow
The Jamaican-Canadian model took to social media to express her excitement at returning to Saudi Arabia this weekend. In one post taken inside a helicopter ferrying her to the site, she said: "so grateful to be back in Saudi. The Kingdom holds a special place to me as I shot my first ever Vogue cover here in Riyadh this summer and I'm so happy to be back for Middle Beast."
Alessandra Ambrosio
The Brazilian model made an appearance on Thursday's opening night of MDL Beast. She was snapped in the VIP stage of the Under Ground Beast stage, which is focused on techno and house music.
Scott Disick
The reality TV personality experienced the full five-star treatment in Riyadh. As his Instagram post and stories reveal, he arrived at Middle Beast Fest via helicopter, sampled the set by Australian trance DJ Fisher on the VIP deck before the chopper took him back to the lavish grounds of The Ritz-Carlton.
Armie Hammer
The Wounds actor made it to Riyadh as guest of Saudi film producer Mohammed Al Turki. Hammer posted a picture on Instagram of the duo enjoying a lovely afternoon trip in the desert. Hours later Hammer came to the festival dressed in traditional Saudi attire including the thobe (traditional Saudi kandora) and ghutra (head dress).
Ryan Phillippe
The American actor also made his way to the festival to enjoy the party vibes. An Instagram post shows him wearing the Saudi headdress, the ghutra, while his Instastory show him taking off to the festival from the Ritz-Carlton in a chopper.
J Balvin
The reggaeton star is a chameleon. On stage, he is a vibrant presence with colourful stage gear and hair, however, after his MDL Beast performance he was snapped wearing also wearing traditional Saudi clothes. Like all his fashion choices, Balvin made it all look smooth.
Steve Aoki
The American DJ didn’t go ‘full Saudi’ like Balvin, but we will give him a B for effort. Aoki made a respectful pose as he was snapped wearing the Saudi ghutra over his colourful jumper.
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Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
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Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
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Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
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Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
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Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
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- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
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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.
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SPECS
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
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The biog
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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