They're a young and talented group of singers who originally auditioned for The X Factor Middle East as soloists. The 5 are Ahmed Hassan from Egypt, Adel Echibi from Morocco, Kazem Chamas from Lebanon and the Algerian duo Said Karmouz and BMD. Young girls across the Arab world are already crazy about them; declarations of love abound on their YouTube videos, Instagram pictures and Facebook updates. Their selfies are shared no less than 500 times in the span of a few hours. And we've discovered five Facebook pages created by fans – two of which are closed and require a membership request – and all of which have members in the thousands.
The 5, who were one of the most popular acts on the first live episode of The X Factor that was broadcast on April 18, talk to The National about their newfound game, adding a dance element to their performance, and the inevitable comparison to One Direction.
What was your initial reaction to the news that the judges wanted you to join together as a group rather than continue as solo performers?
At first there was disappointment, it was so scary and weird. But now we are The 5.
Do you think of yourselves as the Arab version of One Direction?
We like this comparison with One Direction but we are not a copy and we are not trying to be the same. We are not fans, but we like their stories and music.
How do you choose what songs you will sing as a group?
We choose our songs that show our voices the best. And at the same time we change the subjects. And not all of us speak Arabic very well.
What's the best part about being part of The X Factor?
Becoming The 5.
How is Donia Ghanem helping you out as your mentor and coach?
She gives us new ideas and she always makes sure that the songs are perfect for us. We learnt from Donia how to be famous and down to earth.
Did you expect to have such a huge fan base going crazy over you, and so quickly?
No, we didn’t expect that. It makes us feel happy. And sure we are worried about our privacy but it is a nice feeling being a public figure.
Will you stick to singing in Arabic?
We hope to try English and French.
How well do you all get along?
We are doing very well. And it is normal to have small conflicts with your brothers.
What's your biggest wish for The 5 moving forward – other than winning The X Factor?
Winning a music award.
Who do you all agree is the best-looking one – the lady’s man – in the group?
All of us.
• The second live episode of The X Factor, which will determine whether The 5 will continue in the competition or be voted off, will air on Saturday April 25 at 10pm on MBC4
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Company%20profile
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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
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FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
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Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
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Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
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Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
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Business Insights
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
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.
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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.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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Label: Warner Records
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Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
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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
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Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
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Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
