With this year’s Eurovision streamed live on YouTube into the wee hours of Sunday morning, Saeed Saeed stayed up during the epic four-hour broadcast so you didn’t have to.
11pm: Good evening, Vienna, from Khalidiya. I got my coffee flask beside me, salted nuts and top-notch headphones to hear this year's Eurovision cheese in all its glory. Only thing is, the evening begins with an elegant strings piece from the ORF Radio Symphony followed by the celestial voices of the Vienna Boys Choir. This is making me cry for all the wrong reasons.
11.21pm: After 20 minutes of truly awful scripted banter by the three hosts, including last year's winner Conchita Wurst, the competition finally begins with Slovenia's Maraaya. Her doo-wop inspired track Here for You is enjoyable with the exception of her backing dancer: Air violin? Really?
11.26pm: Memo to the French: Eurovision is supposed to be fun. What's with the black robes and war-torn background?
11.38pm: I initially thought the British press were too harsh. But they are right, Electro Velvet's Still in Love With You is beyond awful. It's a car crash of horns, overly theatrical vocals and scatting. I am sorry Englebert Humperdinck, all is forgiven sir.
11.50pm: Yes! After nearly an hour finally some cheesy euro pop. Lithuania's Monika Linkytėand Vaidas Baumila bring some colour after this drab start. Bright outfits, some smooching, a euphoric chorus and woeful lyrics: "Im feeling love round and round in my heart"
12.01am: Neary 50 seconds in and the Swedes are in with a big chance. It's pure Eurovision: joyous, giddy and a catchy chorus any three-year-old can sing. No matter that it sounds like a rejected Aviici tune.
12.07am: Welcome Australia. Pop star Guy Sebastian easily has the best voice of the competition so far. But off course he wont win because it sounds too much like a proper tune.
12.15am: Austria, what did you do? After the edgy selection of Conchita Wurst last year to get you the gong, you choose defend it by choosing a saccharine piano ballad? Shame on you.
12.26am: And this year's I Don't Care prize goes to Montenegro's Knez. He doesn't give a hoot that his polka-esque song, Adio, only appeals to himself.
12.33am: In the Name of Love by Poland's Monika Kuszyska is ultra cheesy and the video screens portrays billowing curtains. I take this as a reminder to make myself a midnight snack and to do my laundry first thing tomorrow.
12.45am: I am so sorry Romania. I was really enjoying the native piano ballad till the shocking realisation came that the bald singer was actually crooning in what he thought was English.
12.50am: Oh no! Hungary deliver another message song, something about stopping war. This is Eurovision guys, not the UN.
12.55am: Whoa! Best outfit of the night goes to Nina Sublatti. The Georgian black feathered outfit resembles the aftermath of a fight between an ostrich and a crow.
1.03am: Lots of message songs are littering this Eurovision and Russian Polina Gagarina's A Million Voices is the best, simple reason being is the melody remained. The emotional performance seems too much for the young singer, who bursts out in tears after the song.
1.10am: A show of force from Italy. Their entry, the Il Divo copy-cats Il Volo, sing a grand pop-opera song with majestic images of Roman statues and arches.
1.20am: Finally all 27 songs have been heard and, judging by the Twitter feedback, it's a three way tussle between Sweden, Russia and Italy.
1.30am: Apparently all this voting takes time. So it's a half-hour of Eurovision history, including montages of winners and a small feature on the history of The Green Room. Must ... stay ... awake.
2.15am: The voting is underway and it is indeed neck-and-neck between Russia, Italy and Sweden. All are consistently wracking up the big 10 and 12 points from judges from the 40 participating countries, all of whom read their results from a studio in their respective capitals. The bemused Azerbaijani judge looks like the grime reaper himself.
2.34am: It's Latvia who is spoiling the party; Aminata's horribly titled Love Injected is taking valuable points away from the Russians and Italians, while the Swedes are gaining ground.
2.45am: Sweden is the winner for the seventh time, with verdicts from three countries left to go, after their lead became impossible for the second place Russians to regain.
2.55am: The final votes have come through and the Austrians, despite being generous hosts, can't hide their shell shock. They come joint last with Germany with no points.
3.00am: It's over and I already need a shave. Good night.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The%20specs
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Vikram%20Vedha
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The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
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MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
AIR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Affleck%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMatt%20Damon%2C%20Jason%20Bateman%2C%20Ben%20Affleck%2C%20Viola%20Davis%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
