The Bachchan clan. Dave Hogan / Getty Images
The Bachchan clan. Dave Hogan / Getty Images

Abhishek Bachchan says there's no point responding to gossip



Bollywood's famed Bachchan family is under constant media scrutiny, with rumours finding their way into print almost every day, but the actor Abhishek Bachchan says it's better to keep quiet than to constantly issue clarifications. "What is the use of clarifying things? I don't think people even care what I think, that is why I don't say much," said the actor, whose comedy Bol Bachchan was a blockbuster hit last month. "The media will write what they want to. They write something and then I react. I don't see any point in that." * IANS

Sabyasachi Mukherjee to be final act at Delhi Couture Week

The designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee will close the forthcoming third edition of Delhi Couture Week. "I am privileged to be closing the event. Customarily, there is enormous pressure on most designers to go over the top during such occasions but I am going to keep my show very restrained and structured," said the 38-year-old designer, who is known for blending ethnic and modern aesthetics. For the five-day fashion extravaganza, which begins on August 8, the designer will showcase a collection titled New Moon. "The collection will be a blend of austere and architectural designs. It will be a very modern outlook on how India perceives couture, with a strong emphasis on simplicity," he said. Known for his love of Indian fabrics and ethnic designs, Mukherjee has styled some of the biggest Bollywood stars, including Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji. * IANS

Saahil Prem in search of debut film's title

The actor and director Saahil Prem has taken the social networking route to hunt for an apt title for his forthcoming dance film, tentatively called Someday. "The film was made for the youth so we thought, why not leave it to them to decide on the movie's title?" said Prem, who is also the film's leading actor. Fans can visit Someday's Facebook page to submit entries. The winner, to be announced next month, will receive a cash prize and a credit in the movie. * IANS

Neha Bhasin: solo music albums have diminished

The singer Neha Bhasin, who recently released her new single Tera Mera, says it has become harder to sell individual work at a time when Bollywood soundtracks have taken over the music industry. "Solo music albums have almost diminished now. It does not make much money nowadays. It used to at one time, but it is only Bollywood music that sells now," said the 29-year-old, who has sung popular Bollywood numbers such as Dhunki and Kuch Khaas Hai. "Even if you are a known Bollywood singer, it does not give you enough opportunity to release your own stuff. It is not easy. The medium has changed." Bhasin is currently a contestant in the celebrity dance series Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. "I'm already busy in my career and can't give much time to dancing, but Jhalak has given me an opportunity to explore the hidden and sleeping dancer inside me," she said. * IANS

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside

Spec sheet

Display: 4.7" Retina HD, 1334 x 750, 625 nits, 1400:1, True Tone, P3
Chip: Apple A15 Bionic, 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Camera: 12MP, f/1.8, 5x digital zoom, Smart HDR, Deep Fusion
Video: 4K+@ 24/30/60fps, full HD+@ 30/60fps, HD+@ 30 fps
Front camera:
7MP, f/2.2, Smart HDR, Deep Fusion; HD video+@ 30fps
Battery: Up to 15 hours video, 50 hours audio; 50% fast charge in 30 minutes with 20W charger; wireless charging
Biometrics: Touch ID
Durability: IP67, dust, water resistant up to 1m for 30 minutes
Price: From Dh1,849

'The Alchemist's Euphoria'

Artist: Kasabian
Label: Columbia
Rating: 3/5