Lebanese singer Najwa Karam has released a rousing tribute to the UAE and its leaders.
Titled Zayed Majedha (Zayed is its Glory), the song praises Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, who "built a homeland with hearts not stones".
The song then bursts into an anthemic chorus, telling the country’s residents and citizens to “raise your head above the wind. Let the whole world shout: My Emirates!”
The song’s video, meanwhile, is comprised of archival footage featuring Sheikh Zayed, who died in 2004, as well as more recent clips of the country’s landmarks, such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s Museum of the Future.
A rippling mizmar melody then momentarily transports listeners to Lebanon. The clip shows the country’s lush landscape and its historic sites as Karam sings how she, along with other Lebanese nationals, have come “from the most beautiful country in the universe” to make the UAE their second home.
Karam goes on to praise the country’s leaders, including Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The music video shows footage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed as he inspects a sprawling formation of the country’s armed forces from the open back of an armoured vehicle.
“Bin Zayed, you shook the universe and became a reference of wisdom to the world,” Karam sings before addressing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid: “Bin Rashid, raise your towers to the stars. Glory kneels on your steps. Your land is the land of miracles.”
“Emirates, know that your name is in the book of history and tomorrow you’ll see you’ve raced to Mars,” Karam sings before a choir concludes the song with the chorus.
Composed by Lebanese maestro Antoine El Shaak, the song's release comes ahead of Karam's concert at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday, January 15. The Atchana singer and Arabs Got Talent judge will be performing alongside Iraqi favourite Majid Almohandis.
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
57%20Seconds
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Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
Switching%20sides
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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