Celebrating its 40th anniversary this week, having debuted on August 1, 1981, three letters, MTV, have come to mean different things to different generations.
For the older crowd, Gen Xers as well as millennials born at the cusp of their generation, MTV meant Nirvana’s timeless acoustic set on MTV Unplugged, Carson Daly whipping up the TRL crowd, Beavis and Butt-Head's mumbled inanities and Mariah Carey fully clothed in her jacuzzi on Cribs. Not to mention Yo! MTV Raps.
For Gen Z, it's reality TV, fly-on-the-wall series and documentaries.
These days, it has just one hour and 10 minutes of music programming a week. With YouTube now the place to go for the music videos MTV was once famous for, and every network and streamer producing the type of reality programming MTV helped pioneer with their The Real World series, MTV has to keep up with the ever-changing, aesthetic-driven, shortened attention spans of the TikTok generation.
Out is the music and in are documentaries. MTV Documentary Films scored a recent Emmy nomination for 76 Days. Also comedy and light entertainment, with MTV Entertainment Studios receiving an Emmy nomination for the series Emily in Paris. Not to mention jumping on the nostalgia bandwagon by reviving MTV Unplugged and Behind the Music, as well as The Real World Homecoming.
As the channel turns 40 – and fun fact, the first music video shown on the fledgling channel was The Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star – here are seven pop culture moments we still talk about that we have MTV to thank for:
1. Michael Jackson debuts ‘Thriller’
The John Landis-directed video was tailor-made for the MTV generation, and the 14-minute-long music video premiered in a firestorm of publicity on the channel on December 2, 1983. Jackson’s legion of fans had already made MTV their go-to, flocking to the channel thanks to videos for Beat It! and Billie Jean.
2. President Bill Clinton’s underwear reveal
Long before Barack Obama appealed to a younger demographic with his hilarious appearance on Zach Galifianakis' Between Two Ferns talk show, President Bill Clinton was gunning for the youth vote and used MTV to do it.
In 1992, MTV launched its Choose or Lose campaign to promote voter registration, and the channel hosted a town hall with Clinton to discuss issues directly affecting young people. One of the most memorable questions posed to the President was: “Boxers or briefs?” He chose briefs.
3. Jessica Simpson asks the question: 'chicken or fish?'
Starring in MTV Newlyweds, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey documented their life as a newly married couple, later admitting the show had put a lot of pressure on their relationship.
One of the most enduring moments came from Simpson’s confusion over whether she was eating chicken or fish when she was eating tuna.
“Is this chicken what I have or is this fish?” the pop star asks her incredulous husband. “I know it’s tuna, but [the tin] says, ‘Chicken by the sea’.”
4. Nirvana on 'MTV Unplugged'
At the height of the grunge music movement, in November 1993, Nirvana stripped back their sound to appear on MTV Unplugged, performing Come As You Are, as well as a host of covers by their musical peers including Lead Belly and Meat Puppets. Entering pop culture history as one of the most era-defining gigs of all time, lead singer Cobain would take his own life only five months later. A year later, the album Nirvana Unplugged in New York debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
5. Kanye West's stage invades Taylor Swift
With Beyonce visibly embarrassed and mouthing “Oh, Kanye”, Kanye West’s stage invasion to dispute Taylor Swift winning Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards is still talked about today. Igniting a feud between West and Swift which is still going strong 12 years later, West objected to Swift winning for You Belong with Me over Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by telling the shocked singer: "I’m happy for you and imma let you finish, but Beyonce had the best music video of all time.”
6. Kiss: under the make-up
After a series of album flops in the early 1980s, glam metal band Kiss were in need of a last-ditch attempt to grab themselves some headlines. One phone call to MTV later and the band landed themselves a special in which they unmasked themselves for the first time ever. Appearing on MTV on September 18, 1983 without their signature black-and-white make-up garnered worldwide publicity and their next album, Lick It Up went platinum.
7. 'The Hills': The girl who didn’t go to Paris
MTV show The Hills ran from 2006 to 2010 and made household names out of Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, Whitney Port and Spencer Pratt. In season two, when offered the chance to live and work in Paris for the summer, Conrad famously chose her boyfriend Jason Wahler over the City of Lights, leading Conrad’s editor at Teen Vogue, Lisa Love, to deliver the Miranda Priestly-esque line: “She’s gonna always be known as the girl who didn’t go to Paris.”
Spoiler: it didn’t work out with Wahler.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The five pillars of Islam
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
