• Singer Khatija Rahman performs with the all-female Firdaus Orchestra at the Jubilee Stage. All photos: Expo 2020 Dubai
    Singer Khatija Rahman performs with the all-female Firdaus Orchestra at the Jubilee Stage. All photos: Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Academy and Grammy award-winning composer AR Rahman addresses the Dubai audience before the orchestra's performance.
    Academy and Grammy award-winning composer AR Rahman addresses the Dubai audience before the orchestra's performance.
  • Conductor Yasmina Sabba on stage.
    Conductor Yasmina Sabba on stage.
  • Pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram looks like he is enjoying performing with the Firdaus Orchestra at the Jubilee Stage.
    Pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram looks like he is enjoying performing with the Firdaus Orchestra at the Jubilee Stage.
  • Firdaus Orchestra in full swing.
    Firdaus Orchestra in full swing.
  • Children enjoy the performance.
    Children enjoy the performance.

AR Rahman's daughter Khatija wows audiences at Expo 2020 Dubai


  • English
  • Arabic

Khatija Rahman, daughter of the famous composer AR Rahman, has delivered a breathtaking performance of one of her father's songs at Expo 2020 Dubai.

AR Rahman, the two-time Academy Award and double Grammy Award winner, has been in Dubai since July preparing the Firdaus Orchestra, an ensemble made up of 50 female musicians from the Middle East.

Firdaus Orchestra's shows at the world's fair have been hugely popular, with crowds queuing early to hear them play Rahman classics like Vande Mantaram.

Their most recent performance was for World Children's Day and featured Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid, with the musicians including 16-year-old pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram.

In her first live performance, Khatija, 24, wowed the audience with her performance of Farishton, a song composed by AR Rahman.

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

Pots for the Asian Qualifiers

Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Marital status: Single

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

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Poacher
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint

Greenheart Organic Farms 

This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.

www.greenheartuae.com

Modibodi  

Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.

www.modibodi.ae

The Good Karma Co

From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes. 

www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco

Re:told

One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.

www.shopretold.com

Lush

Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store. 

www.mena.lush.com

Bubble Bro 

Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.

www.bubble-bro.com

Coethical 

This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.

www.instagram.com/coethical

Eggs & Soldiers

This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.

www.eggsnsoldiers.com

Updated: November 29, 2021, 10:33 AM