Culture Bites: Oscars take-aways and royal Photoshop controversy



In this week’s episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews delve into the significance of Ramadan for Muslims worldwide, exploring its spiritual and communal aspects.

Enas shares her personal experience of fasting this year, and talks about Ramadan and the TV season in the Arab region, with a focus on popular soap operas and how people gather around it. Farah discusses the transformation of the UAE during the holy month, from adjusted working hours and cannon firing to late-night activities and suhoors.

The hosts talk about the Oscars earlier this week, and how some celebrities have shown their support for a ceasefire in Gaza by wearing Artists4Ceasefire pins. Farah chats about major highlights from the ceremony, from the winners to fashion statements.

Enas and Farah also talk about the fallout from Kate, Princess of Wales's Mother's Day photo with her children, which was published this week, and why international agencies took it down.

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THE BIO:

Sabri Razouk, 74

Athlete and fitness trainer 

Married, father of six

Favourite exercise: Bench press

Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn

Power drink: A glass of yoghurt

Role model: Any good man

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.

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Updated: March 15, 2024, 8:27 AM

The Arts Edit

A guide to arts and culture, from a Middle Eastern perspective

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