The TV series Industry has been praised for its realism as well as its diversity of cast.
The popular HBO/BBC co-production returns to our screens at the weekend for a second season, following the long days, and even longer nights, of the young employees of fictional London investment bank Pierpoint & Co.
The first season, written by former London bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, introduced a world where, as long as you are making money for the bank, little else matters, leading to a toxic work culture of bullying, harassment and some very questionable morals.
When it comes to depictions of investment banking — and the industry itself — the genre has typically been populated by white men a la The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short. The trading floor of Pierpoint, however, features a refreshingly mixed bunch of aspiring Gordon Geckos. This includes Myha’la Herrold’s Harper Stern, a young black woman uprooted from her native New York, and who lied about her qualifications to try and make her fortune among the old boys network of London’s financial district. There's also Ken Leung’s Asian-American manager Eric Tao and Harry Lawtey’s Robert Spearing, who is Welsh, working-class, and an Oxford graduate.
Then there's the character of Yasmin Kara-Hanani, played by Marisa Abela. Yasmin is the British-raised child of wealthy Lebanese parents who, as well as demonstrating the ability to flit effortlessly between Western and Arabic cultural norms, is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish, German and French.
Like Yasmin, Abela was raised in the UK, but her heritage is Maltese, Libyan, Russian and Polish. So how closely does her own multicultural background mirror that of her character?
“Well, I am someone whose mum and dad come from completely different cultures — my dad is Maltese Arab, and my mum is from a family of Polish Jewish refugees,” she tells The National. “You'll see this season that Yasmin's dad is more similar to my mum’s heritage, and her mum’s is most similar to my dad’s. Like Yasmin, my parents are separated, and we both grew up and went to boarding school in England. But the thing I relate to most is that those two cultures can be quite divisive, and you can feel like you're being pulled in different directions.”
Despite the surface similarities, and the shared experience of being sometimes caught between two worlds, Abela admits that Yasmin’s polyglot nature is not one she closely relates to. “Oh no, not at all,” she says with a laugh. “I spoke Spanish at school, and that was about it. I love languages though and it's always a nice challenge when Yasmin has to speak French or Arabic.”
As part of that challenge, Abela was required to take classes for many of Yasmin’s multilingual lines, and she didn’t have to look too far from home for assistance with the Arabic dialogue. The Maltese language is the only surviving example of the Arabic dialects that were spoken in the European Mediterranean in the Middle Ages, and the only Semitic language which is written in Latin Script. About a third of Maltese words, not to mention almost all of its grammar, come directly from Arabic, while research by the Linguistics Society of Europe has found that as much as 40 per cent of Maltese can be understood by speakers of Maghrebi Arabic, and vice versa.
With most of Abela’s paternal family still living in Malta, she had a convenient place to turn to for a crash course. “Maltese has a lot of Arabic in it — counting to 10 in Maltese is exactly the same as counting to 10 in Arabic — so it wasn't something I was coming completely new to,” Abela explains. “I used my grandad to learn all of the Arabic he could teach me through Maltese, in particular, to get the sounds right, because they’re totally different. It’s not like French or Spanish, the Arabic sounds sit in a totally different part of the mouth, so I tried to get all that right first, and then when it came to the actual classes, I really took them seriously as I was determined to get it right.”
While season one of Industry was heavy on finance and light on back stories (perhaps understandably so because many characters’ identities are almost entirely defined by their work), season two promises to spend more time outside Pierpoint’s walls. We'll get to know plenty more about Yasmin’s family and background, and see if those Arabic lessons have paid off.
For Abela’s co-star Herrold, with whom she shares top billing in the show, there’s another reason to be excited. “I would say this is the only bit of television that you come to through the eyes of young women in the finance industry,” Herrold says. “I don't know of anything else that exists, and we're lucky to be two young women with these really strong storylines leading this show.
“What's exciting about these characters is that they don't fall into any of the tropes a lot of women characters do. For example, at the end of the first season, Marisa and I had a fight, but we were all committed not to make it a ‘catfight’ and fall into stereotypes. It’s been important to me to play a woman who is not what you might assume. That’s refreshing, it’s what makes the show work, and it’s important.”
Industry season 2 comes out on OSN+ on Monday, August 1
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
All Black 39-12 British & Irish Lions
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
HWJN
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
More about Middle East geopolitics
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket