Activision, the developer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, recently revealed the game will feature a new map set in Dubai.
It is set in a fictional resort called Hadiqa 6 Star, which sits on top of a high-rise building. The map is dynamic and is surrounded by some of the city's most famous buildings, reminiscent of the views from Burj Al Arab. The company made the announcement during an event that hosted 12 content creators in the emirate.
The game is a remake of 2011’s Modern Warfare 3 and was released in November. It features different seasons in which players are given access to new maps, weapons and player skins.
However, Call of Duty is not the first game to feature Dubai as a setting. Since Tom Cruise climbed Burj Khalifa in 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, designers have tried to recapture the magic and potential of the emirate in their games.
Here are others that use the city as a backdrop.
GoldenEye 007 (2010)
The James Bond remake of the Nintendo 64 game was released a year before Cruise's stunt but featured a stage set in Dubai. GoldenEye 007 follows the events of the film closely and rarely deviates.
But for the remake, designers decided to move the location of the military auction that was originally set in Monte Carlo in the film to Dubai. The change of location reflected the emirate’s rising status in the world, making it an ideal location for a spy game.
The Dubai stage set features two locations, an exhibition centre and a yacht docked next to it. The details of the stage make it feel as though players are walking through the UAE’s International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex) with attack helicopters hanging from the ceiling and tanks out on display.
Hitman 3 (2021)
In Hitman 3, Agent 47 is sent on a mission to the Scepter, a stand-in for Burj Khalifa. The mission takes place on a high floor of the skyscraper, surrounded by clouds on the terraces.
The objective is – as it always is for Agent 47 in the Hitman games – to take out a target in the most discrete way possible. To achieve this mission, stealth and deception are required.
The stage is particularly good at recreating the feeling of being in a Dubai high-rise building, with non-playable characters even walking around in kandoras. The interior design also matches the luxury and gold-strewn accents of Dubai’s most opulent hotels.
Racing games
Several racing games have chosen the emirate as a setting in the past with some creating fictional racetracks, while others adapted Dubai Autodrome.
In 2010’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Dubai features as one of the main cities alongside Chongqing, China, and Rio de Janeiro. The stages primarily feature street races with an added element of evading the police.
Project Cars (2015) features the Dubai Autodrome as one of its stages, bringing the city’s premier racetrack to life in the game with a good amount of detail to the surrounding buildings.
Meanwhile, 2019’s Xenon Racer also has fictional locations in Dubai that bring out its modernist style. With the game set in the future, it is possible to imagine how the current landscape would evolve and build on top of the city's existing identity.
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RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Zidane's managerial achievements
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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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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
