With Middle East Film and Comic Con's return to Abu Dhabi only days away, we now have a full list of the celebrities set to attend this year's fest.
From Sylvie of Marvel's Loki and the voice of Joel in the The Last of Us to a host of seasoned cartoon performers, some of the biggest names from pop culture will be at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for fans to meet.
And the biggest name of all has been announced – none other than Oscar Isaac himself will be back in Abu Dhabi for the first time since filming Dune. The news was revealed shortly after Guardians of the Galaxy actor Pom Klementieff pulled out of the event.
Here is a list of celebrities who have confirmed they will attend the three-day event, which begins on February 9.
Oscar Isaac
The American actor is most notable for his role as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars series. Before that though, he's had major film appearances, including as Prince John in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (2010), opposite Russell Crowe.
In 2013, Isaac played the lead role in comedy drama Inside Llewyn Davis, inspired by the life of 1960s folk musician Dave Van Ronk, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award.
His filmography also includes Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse (2022), Dune (2021) – partially shot in Abu Dhabi – and Marvel Studios' Moon Knight (2022).
Sophia Di Martino
The English actress is most well known for her role as Sylvie in Marvel’s Loki show, where she plays a female variant of the popular Norse mythological character turned MCU anti-hero. Di Martino appears in both seasons of the show and acts as both a foil and partner to the main Loki played by Tom Hiddleston.
Di Martino was also a regular on British medical drama Casualty, appearing in 83 episodes. She also appears in Danny Boyle’s film Yesterday, a film about a world without the music of The Beatles.
Inaki Godoy
Bursting on the scene with last year’s live-action Netflix adaptation of the anime One Piece, Godoy impressed fans with his faithful portrayal of the lead character Monkey D Luffy.
The actor, 20, from Mexico, also appears in TV shows The Imperfects and Who Killed Sara?
James and Oliver Phelps
Famous for portraying twins Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter films, the two actors delivered funny, and often touching, performances as the mischievous wizards.
The brothers skipped school to audition. And, on the sixth attempt, they landed the roles, going on to become fan favourites in the franchise.
Since the end of Harry Potter, the two have taken part in charity events, podcasts, TV shows and films such as Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
Troy Baker
The prolific voice actor best known for his work in video games and anime series, is set to appear at the convention. His most memorable roles are as Joel Miller in The Last of Us games, Frank Archer in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist and The Joker in the Batman: Arkham games.
Baker also voiced the character of Nathan Drake in the beloved Uncharted game series, a performance that won him a Bafta Games Award nomination in 2016.
Temuera Morrison
The Kiwi actor and star of the Star Wars show The Book of Boba Fett will also be coming to the capital. The actor first appeared in the franchise as Jango Fett, Boba’s father, in Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
He was also in Once Were Warriors, a leading film in Maori cinema, and played Tom Curry, Aquaman’s father, in the DC franchise.
Taz Skylar
The British-Spanish actor has become a favourite among One Piece fans after role as Sanji in the live-action Netflix adaptation.
He has previously appeared in films such as Boiling Point alongside Stephen Graham. The 28-year-old actor is also due to star in a new film alongside Daisy Ridley called Cleaner.
Skylar was born in Spain to an Arab father and British mother and has worked in theatre before moving into television and films.
Frank Welker
Modern audiences may know him best as the voice of Megatron in the Transformers franchise, but Welker has been voicing memorable characters since 1969. His first major role was as Fred Jones in the Scooby-Doo cartoon.
Since then, Welker has lent his voice to many characters across a multitude of television shows and films. These include Futurama, Aladdin and Dexter’s Laboratory.
Peter Cullen
Accompanying the voice of Megatron will be the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen, who has been working since the 1960s, has delivered memorable roles such as Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons.
He has also been the voice of many trailers for films and television shows.
Show Hayami
Prolific Japanese voice actor Show Hayami has been practising his trade since the early 1980s. His credits include some of the most well-known anime series including Dragon Ball Z and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Hayami has also featured in several video games including Jump Force and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. He has also contributed to dubbing western media into Japanese including the Giallo classic Suspiria and, more recently, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5.
Other stars not to miss
The convention will also feature several comic book artists including Ivan Reis, Stephen Segovia, Mark Brooks, Carlo Pagulayan, and Steve McNiven. Fans will have the opportunity to meet them, share a photograph and have something signed.
This year's convention will feature a Japanese Village for the first time. The area will allow visitors to explore areas set up to convey a traditional Japanese experience.
Visitors can also tour the Artist Alley, which will give local and regional artists a chance to sell their artwork.
Middle East Film and Comic Con will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from February 9; tickets can be purchased at www.mefcc.com
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
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.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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57%20Seconds
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
