The connection between art, classical music and motorcycles might not be immediately obvious to the uninitiated, but according to the actor Jeremy Irons, you get an entirely different perspective from the seat of a BMW RT 100.
It's what enticed the actor to Abu Dhabi for the first time three years ago, when he was invited by his fellow motorcycling companion, Thomas Krens, to come and see plans for the new Guggenheim Museum and take a ride into the desert. Along with Irons, Krens, who is the former director of the Guggenheim Foundation, belongs to one of the world's most exclusive group of bikers, the Guggenheim Motorcycle Club, whose members include the actors Dennis Hopper, Lauren Hutton and Laurence Fishburne, the singer Bob Geldof, and Frank Gehry, the architect and designer of the Abu Dhabi Guggenheim. Their raison d'être is to visit art galleries around the world by motorbike, which according to Irons, heightens the senses.
"We parallel art and motorcycling. We launched the motorcycle exhibition in Bilbao, and we've ridden from St Petersburg to Moscow and from Munich to Monza. We try to do one journey every year. We rode down from Madrid to the new Picasso exhibition in Malaga on the principle that in order to be motorcyclists, you have to be very aware of your surroundings, the road and also be very sensitive to other people. It makes you overly conscious of everything. It's the perfect situation to be in to see art," he says.
In December 2005, several of the art-loving bikers were guests of Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
"We went over to Saadiyat Island on a car ferry, which we had to ourselves, and rode out to where the site is going to be and had a most fantastic dinner on the beach. We were here for four or five days, which allowed us to learn all about the plans for the museum."
Irons, who will be in the UAE capital tomorrow to launch the first in a yearlong series of concerts known as the Abu Dhabi Classics, is keen to develop his cultural links with the country. "What's going on here is very exciting," he says. "More and more people are realising that inspiring architecture is the most wonderful environment in which to put art. Bilbao is a fantastic example, and New York and now, Abu Dhabi."
"Approaching Bilbao from distance by bike was a marvellous experience," he says of the Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum, with its futuristic titanium-clad light-reflecting angles and curves. "At first you think, 'What is that?' Then the nearer you get, the more amazed you are. Then, you see the planting around it and you go into the foyer, and you are tingling and then you see the art. It's a brilliant way to wind up the audience into that hyper-awareness. I think the way art is shown and the building that art is in is so important."
The Abu Dhabi Classics series is "a wonderful opportunity to come back". Irons is the narrator of A Journey of Emotions at the inaugural gala in the Emirates Palace auditorium. It is a musical journey that begins in India, the birthplace of the Abu Dhabi Classics conductor-in-residence, Zubin Mehta, which follows the music of the gypsies from Hungary, represented by the violinist Roby Lakatos, through the Arab lands, with Egypt's Musicians of the Nile, returning to central Europe with the German jazz trumpeter Till Brönner and Russia, the homeland of the classical pianist Arcadi Volodos.
The musical voyage then crosses the Atlantic to the USA, the birthplace of jazz, spirituals and the Broadway musical, featuring songs by the young American soprano Indra Thomas. It ends in Andalusia, in southern Spain, with the flamenco group Arcángel.
"It is all about highlighting the artists around the world who bring emotions to life," says Irons. "The performance features music from all over the world: Spanish, Austrian, American. I'm looking forward to going back to Abu Dhabi. I had been thinking for a while of trying to get some link having had such a good time there when I went for the Guggenheim trip."
Irons was speaking at his London home, a mews cottage in Notting Hill filled with an eclectic mix of furniture and items that reflect a broad-based, international lifestyle. Comfortably distressed leather sofas, eastern weave cushions and hassocks, a cottage tweed lampshade; the house gets the leftovers from everywhere else, he says.
He and his wife, the actress Sinead Cusack, have four homes, the London mews, a wisteria-clad Georgian rectory in Oxfordshire, a townhouse in Dublin, Ireland, and a 15th century castle in West Cork, lovingly restored by Irons over a period of six years. "It's too much, but it enables one to live the life of a rabbit - or a fox, even - whereby you have burrows where you can get away and hide in when you want to and it's your own place. I don't like hotels. I love creating places and got enormous joy out of doing the castle. I tend to buy things wherever I am, like handmade furniture from India and China," he says.
Clearly, Kilcoe castle, overlooking Roaring Water Bay near Macroom, has a special place in his heart. "Wherever I am, I think of as home. Home is people, really, rather than places. But I do love Kilcoe. It has an amazing magnetic drag for me. My boat is there and my horses are there."
Kilcoe has been a landmark since the 15th century, but even more so since Irons and Cusack bought it. A boatman who takes tourists from nearby Schull to Cape Clear Island delights in telling his passengers about the English actor who painted the castle with this amazing and very expensive paint containing copper nails. "But he hadn't taken into consideration the fact that it rains in Ireland, and when the nails rusted it turned pink."
Irons laughs when he hears the story. He took several years to get that paint right.
"It's an additive that you put into lime wash. It's called cuprous, which is iron oxide. When it goes on it's green, but it reacts with the air and 20 minutes later it goes a browny, terracotta colour. When we put it on, we had been through four of the wettest winters working on it." Of Kilcoe, he says, "It loves the sunset and the low light. It had been a ruin since 1963 and I spent six years in all doing it and spent much more on it than it is worth. But I never regret it. I feel a great affinity for the place, as a lot of English people have done."
A keen supporter of hunting, Irons is the master of the West Carbery Hunt and keeps four horses in Ireland, including two hunters. He also grazes sheep on the 15 acres of land around Kilcoe.
"I'm not a city man. I have always liked sports that enable me to get out in the elements. I like riding and sailing and skiing. I have an eight-metre two-masted wooden boat in Ireland; just small enough for me to sail on my own, but big enough to sleep four people if they are prepared to get on with each other."
He says he always wanted to marry an Irish wife and as a young actor was thrilled to be marrying into Irish thespian royalty. Cusack's father, Cyril, was a giant of Dublin's Abbey Theatre and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in England.
"I was 24 when I met Sinead. My father was a chartered accountant and I didn't have an artistic background, so I was delighted to become part of the Cusack family. I wanted to validate myself. I always knew I wanted an Irish wife. I knew that's what my blood needed: a bit of wildness."
The pair met when Irons was performing in Godspell at the Wyndham Theatre in London and Cusack was in London Assurance in the theatre next door. Both casts would repair to The Bunch of Grapes pub after the shows. Right from the start, theirs was a fiery relationship. "I called her Siobhan by mistake, the first time I met her and she hit me. She turned around and smacked me," he says.
He has described both himself and his feisty wife as "difficult people" and their marriage as "dysfunctional". But the fact remains that although they give each other a great deal of freedom, they have been married for 30 years and have two sons, Sam, a photographer and locations manager, and Max, who is studying acting at the Guildhall. Cusack is currently spreading her wings in a play in the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York after years of accepting work closer to home as the boys were growing up.
"She has worked pretty constantly throughout our marriage," Irons says. "But she gave up a lot for the boys, especially the travelling jobs. She did some television, some films and a lot of theatre, but worked around the family. She has never done a huge television series. Those are the things that get you known if you want to be. I mean, I'm still best known for Brideshead, which I did 30 years ago."
Their schedules are both full until well into next year. Irons may be making a film in the USA in November, although he doesn't want to talk about it until the contract is signed. In the spring of next year, he will return to Broadway to star with Joan Allen in Impressionism, a new American play by Michael Jacobs. It will be his first time on Broadway since he was in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing in 1984. He spent this summer playing the former British prime minister Harold Macmillan in Howard Brenton's Never So Good at The National Theatre on London's South Bank.
The family will be together for Christmas in Oxfordshire. "Family is very important to us. We had a big family party in the garden in Oxfordshire this summer, all the Cusacks and the Irons with their children. There were 40 of us altogether and it was fantastic. I'm a great believer in family, as you only have one. I think I am even more family orientated than Sinead, although she is a fantastic mother," he says.
Irons was born in 1948 on the Isle of Wight and his parents divorced when he was seven. He was sent to boarding school and then on to Sherborne public school. He joined the Bristol Old Vic, where he had a brief marriage to Julie Hallam, an actress. A period of odd jobbing as a gardener and builder followed before he got his break with the part of John the Baptist in Godspell with David Essex.
His reputation for playing the quintessential Englishman was established when he starred as Charles Ryder in the television adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, but his career was quickly marked by edgier roles such as that of Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar in 1990. He has managed to maintain a presence in London and New York with a successful film career, starring in movies such as The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Mission, Damage, Stealing Beauty, Lolita, The Man in the Iron Mask, Callas Forever and Appaloosa.
It was a deliberate decision to base himself in the United Kingdom rather than America. "I looked at actors I admired, like Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole and Anthony Hopkins and the decisions that they made. I have always tried to do work that interests me with good people, so I suppose that's my game plan. I decided early on that America wasn't for me. I was going to stay over here. I haven't done many blockbusters, I have never led a film that has made a fortune, so I've never become a real box office star. I have always done interesting and good work and that has meant that interesting and good work has always turned up."
He admits that along the way, he has accepted some films simply for money. "Yes, it's true, there are some you'll see and you'll wonder, 'Why has he done that?' Sometimes, I'll do stuff to earn the money, but I don't really talk about those. I needed the money to pay for the castle. It was a very expensive job."
He says that winning the Oscar made very little difference to either his finances or his lifestyle. "It's like winning the Booker Prize, like joining a club. I don't think it alters very much. The only difference I remember was that everybody who had a script that was unreadable sent it to me hoping that I liked it and they could get it made. I must have received 20 scripts over the next six months and there was nothing that I wanted to do."
He celebrated his 60th birthday in September, but says he hardly noticed it and seldom thinks about the passing of the years. "It was a bit of a surprise. The last decade crept up on me actually. They say that the older you get, the quicker life rushes by. I have decided to sleep more in my 60s. I met someone in her 90s in Australia recently and I said, 'Come on, tell me about getting old.' She said, 'Well, I still think of myself as 23. But there are some things I can't do as fast as when I was 23. The secret about getting old is not to get cross about that.' These days, I suppose 60 isn't that old."
Despite the odd appearance in the gossip columns (he was photographed in 2001 embracing his sultry co-star Patricia Kaas outside a Soho nightclub), he says he isn't bothered by the inevitable price of fame and unwelcome attention from the media.
"I don't get bothered a lot. I think I am in a good place in that way. There are ways you can behave in order to attract that kind of attention. There are places you can go and if you don't go to those places, you don't get bothered. I live a fantastic life, but it's a very ordinary life with my own people."
pkennedy@thenational.ae
Ant-Man%20and%20the%20Wasp%3A%20Quantumania
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeyton%20Reed%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Rudd%2C%20Evangeline%20Lilly%2C%20Jonathan%20Majors%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE%C2%A0SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204-cylinder%202.5-litre%20%2F%202-litre%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20188hp%20%2F%20248hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20244Nm%20%2F%20370Nm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%207-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh110%2C000%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Baftas 2020 winners
BEST FILM
- 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae
DIRECTOR
- 1917 - Sam Mendes
- THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
- JOKER - Todd Phillips
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
- SORRY WE MISSED YOU - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
- THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
- PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur
LEADING ACTRESS
- JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
- SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
- CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
- RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy
LEADING ACTOR
- LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
- ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
- TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
- JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
- AL PACINO - The Irishman
- JOE PESCI - The Irishman
- BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
- FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
- JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
- JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
- THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
- KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
- MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho
DOCUMENTARY
- AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
- APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
- DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
- ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
ANIMATED FILM
- FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
- KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
- A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
- TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen
CASTING
- JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
- MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
- THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
- THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
- AWKWAFINA
- JACK LOWDEN
- KAITLYN DEVER
- KELVIN HARRISON JR.
- MICHEAL WARD
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1917 - Roger Deakins
- THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
- JOKER - Lawrence Sher
- LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
- THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke
EDITING
- THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
- JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
- JOKER - Jeff Groth
- LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin
COSTUME DESIGN
- THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
- JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
- JUDY - Jany Temime
- LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
- THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
- JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
- JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
SOUND
- 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
- JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
- ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
ORIGINAL SCORE
- 1917 - Thomas Newman
- JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
- JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
- LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
- AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
- THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
- THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy
MAKE UP & HAIR
- 1917 - Naomi Donne
- BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
- JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
- JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
- ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
BRITISH SHORT FILM
- AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
- GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
- KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
- LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
- THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
- GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
- IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
- THE MAGIC BOAT - Naaman Azh
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The%20Woman%20King%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gina%20Prince-Bythewood%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Thuso%20Mbedu%2C%20Sheila%20Atim%2C%20Lashana%20Lynch%2C%20John%20Boyega%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A