We don’t like to do things quietly in the UAE. That is why, perhaps, the inauguration of the new Dubai Design District – known as d3 – was never going to pass with a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Instead the trailblazing design hub – which sits in the shadows in Downtown Dubai and will offer a mix of office space, boutiques, workshops and studios – is launching with Meet d3, a huge three-day community celebration of art, design, fashion, food and music.
It features an awe-inspiring bill of some of the hippest acts from across the region and beyond, kicking off tonight with John Newman and building to a crescendo of talent performing all day tomorrow and Saturday. And best of all, they are all completely free. Here is Soundcheck’s rundown of the acts you need to see.
Your Chin
This is the solo project of Raxit Tewari, frontman of the Mumbai electro/punk outfit Sky Rabbit, who gained solo momentum following a couple of strong EPs and a support slot for Gotye. Expect credible indie-electro pop sounds.
• Friday, 7pm. Also at the NJAL space at 4.30pm tomorrow
Mashrou’ Leila
This Lebanese art-rock quintet are a revelation – an edgy, inventive culture blur who meld contemporary indie and electro sounds with regional folk melodies, all thrown together with a brazen DIY ethic. A rare rock band who sing entirely in Arabic – and are not afraid whom they offend by doing so, taking on societal norms and prejudices with controversial frontman Hamed Sinno’s openly antagonistic lyrics. Having toured extensively across Europe, they rank as one the Arab world’s most successful crossover stories.
• Friday, 8.30pm
John Newman
Sharp-dressing, quiff-sporting soul-pop singer Newman blasted everywhere with omnipresent 2013 smash Love Me Again – but he proved far more than a one-hit wonder with an assured set that nearly stole the show at last year's RedFest DXB. His was also the voice that powered Rudimental's Feel the Love and Calvin Harris's Blame – both UK number ones . Newman is positioning himself smartly as a bona fide hitmaker in his own right – and he's still only 24 years old.
• Friday, 10pm
Talvin Singh
Schooled as a tabla player, Singh became a centrepiece of the 1990s UK-Asian Underground movement, blending elements of traditional Indian classical music with electronica and drum 'n' bass. He won the esteemed Mercury Prize in 1999 for his debut, OK, and has worked with the likes of Madonna, Massive Attack and Björk.
• Friday, 5.30pm.
Zahed Sultan
The Kuwaiti producer Sultan merges beats and live instruments to craft moody, atmospheric soundscapes. Arriving off the back of last year's ambitious album/multimedia concept Eye Am Sound, his distinctive mix of electronica, trip-hop, house and Arabic influences isn't always easy to digest, but offers plenty to intrigue.
• Friday, 7pm.
Bei Ru
The name and sound might make you expect a genre-bending Lebanese indie-electro band, but, really, Bei Ru is just one guy – and he's based in Los Angeles. Recent release Saturday Night at the Magic Lamp is spellbinding with its cross-pollination of Middle Eastern melodies and instrumentation with funk, hip-hop and house. Utterly compelling.
• Friday, 8.30pm
The Narcicyst
The Dubai-based and Iraqi-born Canadian MC remains a massive local draw for his politically tinged raps and forward-thinking philosophies. Which is why he commands a Friday-night headline slot, despite having the cheapest travel expenses.
• Friday, 9pm
Yarah Bravo
The Berlin-based, Latin American/Swedish, Afro-sporting Bravo brings soulful smoky vocals and smooth raps to trip-hop-tinged neo-soul grooves, bursting with funk and feeling.
• Saturday, 5pm
Autostrad
This cool Jordanian six-piece blend Arabic melodies with reggae rhythms, tribal choruses, brass blurts and sonic wackiness to create captivating and genuinely fresh-sounding guitar music. One of the region’s most promising acts, and highly likely to rank among the weekend’s highlights.
• Saturday, 6pm
Tania Saleh
A veteran of Beirut's underground scene, Saleh, 46, continues to endure, releasing three records in four years. She won worldwide acclaim for her role co-writing the soundtrack to the Lebanese cinema smash Where Do We Go Now?, while her latest single, She Doesn't Love You, showcases her offbeat, kooky blend of western, Latin and Middle Eastern approaches and is as engaging as ever.
• Saturday, 7.30pm
Qusai & Malikah
A pairing of two regional hip-hop heavyweights. The MTV Arabia presenter Qusai – said to be the first hip-hop artist from Saudi – pairs up with Lebanon’s Malikah, known as the “Queen of Arabic hip-hop”.
• Saturday, 8.45pm
Dub FX
Beatboxin’, rappin’, loop-station-packin’, the Australian street performer Benjamin Stanford aka Dub FX is known for thrilling/confounding audiences with his huge, multilayered sound grooves, constructed live on the spot entirely using his vocal cords. A sight to behold.
• Saturday, 9.45pm
• Check out www.meetd3.com for the full line-up and more details
rgarratt@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
65
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HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 1:39:46.713
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 00:00.908
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 00:12.462
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 00:12.885
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 00:13.276
6. Fernando Alonso, McLaren 01:11.223
7. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 1 lap
8. Sergio Perez, Force India 1 lap
9. Esteban Ocon, Force India 1 lap
10. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren 1 lap
11. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso 1 lap
12. Jolyon Palmer, Renault 1 lap
13. Kevin Magnussen, Haas 1 lap
14. Lance Stroll, Williams 1 lap
15. Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber 2 laps
16. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber 2 laps
17r. Nico Huelkenberg, Renault 3 laps
r. Paul Di Resta, Williams 10 laps
r. Romain Grosjean, Haas 50 laps
r. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 70 laps
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
