Sting to play Meydan race track

DUBAI // Sting, the British pop artist, will rock Dubai next month, with the first concert to be held at the Meydan Racecourse, which has a capacity of 17,000, it was announced yesterday. The singer's performance on March 4 will be part of the Dubai International Racing Carnival, said a spokesman for the racecourse, which opened last week. He will play on 'Super Thursday', a precursor to the Dubai World Cup, which begins on March 27, and will also be held at the Meydan Racecourse.

Fans will welcome the news after the artist cancelled a Dubai gig in December 2008 at which he was due to swap his bass guitar to play a lute, a stringed Renaissance instrument and close relative of the Arabian oud, from which it derives its name - "al oud" becoming "lute". He was due to be the headline act, inaugurating a series of five concerts with a performance in front of 3,000 for the Season of Stars, but the organiser, Live Nation, cancelled his show without giving any reason. Sting, 58, whose main hits include Englishman in New York and I'll be Missing You, will be joined by other artists who are yet to be confirmed. The former member of the rock band The Police, has received multiple Grammy Awards and is also an actor and activist. He transcended genres with the memorable hit Desert Rose, a collaboration with the Algerian raï artist Cheb Mami.

Mohammed Khayat, the commercial director of Meydan Racecourse, said: "Sting is not only one of the best in his field, a perennial performer who has seen not only international success but also longevity in his career span. He appeals to both young and old and is a true citizen of the world who cares about the people and the environment around him." Sting is due to take to the stage at 11 pm and gates will open at 6pm for those who wish to watch horse races ahead of the concert. Ticket prices range from Dh150 and Dh275 for standing and rise to Dh555 and Dh735 dirhams for the most expensive seated areas.

Tickets are available at Virgin, Box Office and Time Out Tickets. Frank Gabriel Jr, the head of the Dubai Racing Club, said: "The concert is the perfect complement to an exciting evening at the races." asafdar@thenational.ae

Small Things Like These

Director: Tim Mielants
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson, Eileen Walsh
Rating: 4/5

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.

Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic

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Forced Deportations

While the Lebanese government has deported a number of refugees back to Syria since 2011, the latest round is the first en-mass campaign of its kind, say the Access Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization which monitors the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

“In the past, the Lebanese General Security was responsible for the forced deportation operations of refugees, after forcing them to sign papers stating that they wished to return to Syria of their own free will. Now, the Lebanese army, specifically military intelligence, is responsible for the security operation,” said Mohammad Hasan, head of ACHR.
In just the first four months of 2023 the number of forced deportations is nearly double that of the entirety of 2022.

Since the beginning of 2023, ACHR has reported 407 forced deportations – 200 of which occurred in April alone.

In comparison, just 154 people were forcfully deported in 2022.

Violence

Instances of violence against Syrian refugees are not uncommon.

Just last month, security camera footage of men violently attacking and stabbing an employee at a mini-market went viral. The store’s employees had engaged in a verbal altercation with the men who had come to enforce an order to shutter shops, following the announcement of a municipal curfew for Syrian refugees.
“They thought they were Syrian,” said the mayor of the Nahr el Bared municipality, Charbel Bou Raad, of the attackers.
It later emerged the beaten employees were Lebanese. But the video was an exemplary instance of violence at a time when anti-Syrian rhetoric is particularly heated as Lebanese politicians call for the return of Syrian refugees to Syria.

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Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel

Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk

“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”

“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”

“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”

“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”

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The specs

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Touring range: 350km (GS); 480km (GF)
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