When two of the world’s most populous countries - India and Pakistan - duel it out at a one-day international match at the Cricket World Cup, that's a hot ticket.
The match on Sunday evening at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, reportedly had more than 1.5 billion viewers. According to Manchester Evening News, tickets sold at the astronomical rate of £2,500 (Dh11,500) each with more than a million applications for a seat at the 25,000-capacity stadium.
A few Bollywood celebrities, though, managed to get the much sought-after ticket, and the most controversial appearance came from Gully Boy's Ranveer Singh.
Wearing a brown overcoat and chequered bell-bottom trousers, Singh not only made it onto the VIP stands, but also managed to step onto the playing field and take photos with cricketers such as Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag.
Singh then appeared to break the rules and protocol set by the world body International Cricket Council by coming in close contact with the Indian dressing room. He was allowed to chat with Mohammed Shami, the fast bowler who was not in playing XI, but part of the squad.
Following the growing menace of match-fixing in the early 2000s, the ICC has set up strict standard procedures in stadiums, where players and match officials are under tight wraps, and even mobile phones are not allowed.
Singh was representing official broadcaster Star Sports India. Some fans on Twitter saw no wrong because Singh appeared on TV as a commentator, and many presumed he would then have the proper access.
Even the Indian cricket board, the BCCI, posted a video of Singh announcing the start of the match, which India eventually won by 89 runs, as expert commentators would.
But not all commentators get access to all areas: for instance, only one or two commentators are pre-decided by the broadcasters and the organisers to be allowed to step onto the ground for pitch reports. Clearly, Singh was one such person given access, and some viewers did not take kindly to the dumbing down of the importance of the sporting event.
Match-fixing and protocol aside, many also wondered about the choice of Singh as the amateur commentator more generally.
But it may be because his next film is 83, a biopic of India captain and all-rounder Kapil Dev. It is currently under production and the film crew is in England shooting for scenes depicting the 1983 World Cup, which India won as underdogs. They were named Kapil's Devils.
While Dev himself was absent from the jamboree in Manchester, Singh did have company from Bollywood.
In attendance was veteran actor Saif Ali Khan, son of former India captain MK Pataudi, actress Rakul Preet Singh, whose May release De De Pyaar De did well, Pakistani heartthrob Ali Zafar, Indian singer Guru Randhawa and model-TV host Shibani Dandekar. Actress Anushka Sharma, who is the wife of Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, was also at the match.
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India v Pakistan: 19 of the best fan pictures from Manchester and around the world
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
SAUDI RESULTS
Team Team Pederson (-40), Team Kyriacou (-39), Team De Roey (-39), Team Mehmet (-37), Team Pace (-36), Team Dimmock (-33)
Individual E. Pederson (-14), S. Kyriacou (-12), A van Dam (-12), L. Galmes (-12), C. Hull (-9), E. Givens (-8),
G. Hall (-8), Ursula Wikstrom (-7), Johanna Gustavsson (-7)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
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