OSN is launching a channel dedicated to women to commemorate International Women’s Day. The channel, dubbed OSN Woman, will feature a variety of lifestyle programming across topics such as fashion, health, relationships and parenting.
The line-up of content will include the hit documentary Framing Britney Spears, which charts the turbulent career of the Grammy Award-winning singer; A Perfect 14, a documentary showing how plus-sized models are fighting to reshape the fashion industry; and Royals Declassified, a three-part series that draws back the curtain on Queen Elizabeth II's relationships with her family as well as British and foreign officials.
The shows will be available to watch on the stand-alone OSN Woman channel as well as OSN's streaming app.
The driving force behind the OSN Woman project are several female programming specialists at OSN. To celebrate the launch of the channel, an all-female cast and crew created a video that showcases women of different backgrounds and professions from across the Middle East, giving them a platform to voice what they want to see on screens.
"We want to send a message to all the women of the region that we listen to them and care about bringing content that connects with them," said Rolla Karam, interim chief content officer at OSN.
“We are tapping into a wider base of modern women through a mix of strong programming that was planned entirely by women like them and made available as a channel and on demand across our digital platforms. And as one of the women who led this exciting project, I [am] very positive it will be supported across the board.”
Karam added that the next phase of the project involves producing more OSN Original content, boosting work by female creatives from the region and providing a platform for them to present their work.
Here are six not-to-be-missed films and TV shows that will be available to watch on OSN Woman:
‘Framing Britney Spears’
The 2021 documentary that reignited the #FreeBritney movement. Framing Britney Spears explores the Toxic singer's meteoric rise to fame as well as the struggles she faced across her three-decade career. The film, directed by Samantha Stark, highlights the star's treatment by the paparazzi and the events leading up to her highly publicised breakdown in 2007. It also sheds light on how Spears has been living under a court-appointed conservatorship since 2008, giving her father control over her finances as well as important life decisions.
Since the documentary’s release, at a hearing on February 11, the judge ruled that Spears's father must share power over her conservatorship, but did not entirely strip him of his role as co-conservator. The next court hearing is on Wednesday, March 17.
The film will air on OSN Woman at 8am on Wednesday
‘Project Runway: Fashion Startup’
If you want to discover what it takes to make it as a start-up in the cut-throat fashion industry, then this is the show for you. The hit 2016 reality series Project Runway: Fashion Startup shows a group of aspiring fashion entrepreneurs pitching their best ideas to investors.
The judging panel includes Katia Beauchamp, chief executive and co-founder of make-up subscription Birchbox; Christine Hunsicker, chief executive and founder of the designer wardrobe subscription service Gwynnie Bee; fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff; and Gary Wassner, chief executive of Hilldun Corporation and chairman and co-founder of Interluxe Holdings, both of which have financed some of the world's most renowned designer labels.
The show will air on OSN Woman at 10am on Monday
‘Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester’
A TV series that lets us see the inner workings of Missguided, one of the UK’s biggest fast-fashion brands. The show is witty, fun and full of insightful moments on the fast-fashion business model, which replicates catwalk trends and high fashion designs at an attainable cost. The series also celebrates female empowerment, introducing viewers to the creative and industrious women behind the Missguided fashion brand.
The show will air on OSN Woman from 9am on Tuesday
‘Royals Declassified’
While Netflix's critically acclaimed, but governmentally disdained series The Crown does much to show us what goes on within Buckingham Palace, many historical events seen in the show have been dramatised for storytelling purpose. Royals Declassified takes no such liberties.
Based on declassified documents, including letters, diary entries, testimonies and voice recordings, the series – comprised of three one-hour episodes – reveals what Queen Elizabeth II really thought of those around her.
The first episode of the series explores the tensions between her and her prime ministers, including her disagreements with Margaret Thatcher that nearly sparked a constitutional crisis. The series then goes on to examine Queen Elizabeth II's relationship with her husband, Prince Philip, and her family. The final chapter shows how a spy was stationed in the Queen's inner circle and managed to pass information to the Soviet authorities even after he was ousted.
The series will air on OSN Woman from 1pm on Monday
'A Perfect 14'
A documentary that takes us into the world of plus-sized modelling. A Perfect 14 celebrates the journey of three women as they struggle to subvert the warped notions of beauty that have become the norm. A heartfelt perception on what it takes to reshape the fashion industry, A Perfect 14 is an eye-opening watch, prompting viewers to rethink how they define beauty.
The film will air on OSN Woman at 9am on Wednesday, March 17
‘Public Figure’
This 2019 documentary dives into the lives of influencers while exploring the psychological effects of daily social media use. Directed by Brian Corso, the film features appearances by several influencers and celebrities active on social media including Donterio Hundon, Rose McGowan and Bonang Matheba. The hour-long documentary comes as a warning of the addictive nature of social media and highlights some of the grimmer effects the technology has on society.
The film will air on OSN Woman at 9am on Wednesday, March 24
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000