The Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has formally accepted the position of brand ambassador of West Bengal. AFP
The Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has formally accepted the position of brand ambassador of West Bengal. AFP

Today's entertainment news: Shah Rukh Khan is now an ambassador



The Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has formally accepted the position of brand ambassador of West Bengal, reported the Indo Asian News Service yesterday.

The position was offered to him the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, after the two met last November at the Kolkata Film Festival.

Banerjee confirmed the news to reporters at the state secretariat Writers' Building in Kolkata on Monday.

Khan apparently accepted the position in the form of a personal letter addressed to Banerjee. "West Bengal is my second home," the 46-year-old actor wrote.

The Artist dog wins Golden Collar award

Uggie, the four-legged star of The Artist, was named Tinseltown's top dog at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards.

The ceremony held on Monday at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel proceeded like a traditional Hollywood-style awards show, with the likes of NCIS star Pauley Perrette and Hot in Cleveland actress Wendie Malick presenting trophies for the best dog performances in film and television.

Uggie's owner-trainer, Omar Von Muller, was on hand to accept the award. He said the Jack Russell terrier, who stole hearts in the silent film that's up for 10 Oscars, is a "great performer, but also a great family member".

Organised by dognewsdaily.com, the awards were broadcast online by The Hollywood Reporter, and are expected to be televised next year.

Martin Scorsese appeared at the ceremony by video. His Doberman in the film Hugo, Blackie, lost out to Uggie. Other winners included the French bulldog Brigitte, which plays Stella in TV's Modern Family.

* Associated Press

Madonna raffles off necklace

Madonna is giving her fans the chance to own the Swarovski Montaigne necklace she wore in the promo video for her new single Give Me All Your Luvin', reported contactmusic.com.

The pop star has teamed up with the jewellery brand to raffle off the prize on the internet. Fans need to log on to Madonna's official Facebook page to enter the giveaway, which also includes an autograph from the artist.

Entries will be accepted until Sunday, with the winner announced on March 12.

Authorities: Houston was underwater in tub

In addition to having prescription drugs in her room, Whitney Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, authorities said on Monday.

Two days after her death, Houston's body was flown from Los Angeles to New Jersey, where her family was making arrangements for a funeral at the end of the week.

An autopsy was performed on Sunday, and authorities said there were no indications of foul play or obvious signs of trauma on Houston's body. It could be weeks, however, before the coroner's office completes toxicology tests to establish her cause of death.

The 48-year-old singer had struggled for years with cocaine, marijuana and pills.

Two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren't authorised to speak for the family, said Houston's relatives raised the possibility of a wake on Thursday and a funeral on Friday at Newark's Prudential Center, an arena that can seat about 18,000 people.

* Associated Press

Ali Mostafa to endorse Britain in the UAE

The British tourism agency VisitBritain has appointed the Emirati film director Ali Mostafa as the UAE Goodwill Ambassador, endorsing Britain's tourism credentials among UAE citizens.

Mostafa, who directed the first Emirati feature film City of Life, joins a stellar group of tourism ambassadors, including Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Jamie Oliver.

Mostafa, whose father is Emirati and mother British, was born and educated in London.

'Wax museum' offers window to Iraq's past

Baghdad's version of a wax museum features figures that depict Iraq's past, rather than replicas of celebrities.

The Baghdadi Museum features sculpted works of wax and plaster that depict scenes of Iraq from about a century ago, with women standing in balconies, men in barber shops and artists hard at work.

Other exhibits show Sufi ceremonies or marriages, as well as women in Turkish baths - all carefully recreated in the museum, located inside an elegant Ottoman-era house.

Formerly an archaeological museum founded by the British adventurer Gertrude Bell, the building lies in Baghdad's old Baab Al-Muadham area near the banks of the river Tigris. The museum has more than 500 figurines.

* Agence France-Presse

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.
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
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

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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The five pillars of Islam
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Scoreline

Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')

Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')

Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director: Jon Watts

Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon 

Rating:*****

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Result

UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Surianah's top five jazz artists

Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.  

Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.

Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.

Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.

Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):

Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE

Match is on BeIN Sports

The specs: 2018 Maxus T60

Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000

Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder

Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm

Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km

Dubai World Cup Carnival card

6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m

8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m

8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m

9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m

The National selections

6.30pm: Final Song

7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo

7.40pm: Dubai Icon

8.15pm: Dubai Legacy

8.50pm: Drafted

9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
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Results:

Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.

MATCH INFO

 

Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)

Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no

Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)

Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9

Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs

Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
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