The Drummers of Burundi at the opening night of Womad Abu Dhabi on the Corniche.
The Drummers of Burundi at the opening night of Womad Abu Dhabi on the Corniche.
The Drummers of Burundi at the opening night of Womad Abu Dhabi on the Corniche.
The Drummers of Burundi at the opening night of Womad Abu Dhabi on the Corniche.

Womad wows the crowds


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ABU DHABI AND AL AIN // Thousands flocked to the Corniche in Abu Dhabi last night for the capital's World of Music, Arts and Dance festival, which kicked off with a 10-minute fireworks display and an energetic performance by the Drummers of Burundi.

The three-day festival will end on Saturday with a show by the reggae star Damien Marley. Among the crowd were some travellers stranded in the capital because of the recent air travel disruption across Europe. "We are due to now go back this Sunday, so this is a nice way to spend our last few days here," said Jack Wall, 13, from the UK. His grandfather, Norman Bell, has worked as a construction manager in the capital for three years. "I want to see Damien Marley. I wasn't lucky enough to see his father ever perform," Mr Bell said.

Womad was the first music festival that Khadija al Kaabi and Shamma al Damakir, 20-year-old Emirati design students at Al Ain Women's College, have attended. Ms al Kaabi said around 25 women from the college came by bus. Some residents of the capital preferred to begin their Womad experience in Al Ain, where acts played last night and continue tonight at Al Jahili Fort.

Pascal Cortes, 38, a French geologist, said: "I came from Abu Dhabi and will stay in Al Ain for the two nights of Womad, and then go to Abu Dhabi for the third night of performances there. That way, I can experience it all." Organisers of the event, which is in its second year in Al Ain, faced some last-minute difficulties, including a lack of parking and the food outlet being shut down by the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.

Judie Beck, the event manager, said: "There were some issues, but we will work to fix them for Friday evening's performance." asafdar@thenational.ae ealghalib@thenational.ae

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The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

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Borussia Dortmund v PSG

Real Madrid v Manchester City

Atalanta v Valencia

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool

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Lyon v Juventus

Tottenham v Leipzig

Napoli v Barcelona

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)

Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)

Saturday

Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

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Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)

Sunday

Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)

Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)

Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)

 

 

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

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Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Lexus LX700h specs

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Best Team: Atalanta​​​​​​​
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The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

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How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed

Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.

Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.

The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.

One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.