Alden Ehrenreich will play young Han Solo in the forthcoming Star Wars spin off film, due in cinemas in December 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Hail Caesar star was believed to be on a shortlist that also included Kingsman: The Secret Service's Taron Egerton and Transformers: Age of Extinction's Jack Reynor. The industry publication claims that Ehreneich has won the three-way battle to take over the role from Harrison Ford and is now in final negotiations with producers having just wrapped shooting Iraqi war drama The Yellow Birds with Tye Sheridan and Jennifer Aniston. Star Wars producer Disney has so far declined to comment on the claims. — The National
Axl Rose to replace AC/DC lead singer
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will make his debut with AC/DC at a concert in Lisbon tonight, standing in for lead singer Brian Johnson on the veteran Australian rock band's world tour. AC/DC had to reschedule dates on the US leg of the Rock or Bust tour in March after Johnson, 68, was advised by doctors to stop touring "or risk total hearing loss". Rose was announced as a replacement a month later. Johnson, who has fronted the group since the 1980 death of original lead singer Bon Scott, has said he was "personally crushed" to give up the tour but vowed he was not retiring. "It's a horrible thing and the hope (is) that it gets better," Rose said in a video statement. "I'm not dancing around about this because it's not like ... OK somebody's said they're going to go do something else, it's because of an unfortunate circumstance and that's something I'm very aware of."– Reuters
Big B’s idol at Tussauds to be tweaked
Amitabh Bachchan's wax figure at Madame Tussauds will soon be tweaked and refurbished. Big B was the first Bollywood personality to enter Madame Tussauds in the form of a wax figure in 2000. The 73-year-old star took to his official blog to say: "Time spent with Madame Tussauds ... They are back with me here wanting to refurbish the statue in MT, and are taking great pains for measurement and photographs and matchings that need to be done." He added: "And yes, 'Could we please use some of your clothes that are not being used presently, shoes, shirts jackets, glasses'." – The National
Woody Allen is not a fan of technology
Woody Allen has admitted that he's something of a Luddite when it comes to modern technology. "I'm not good technically," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I have a cell phone, but it's very limited. I know this: I can make calls, and my assistant put all my jazz records on it. It used to be when I would go out of town and I'd practice the clarinet, I was always schlepping a lot of vinyl recordings from city to city." He added that he has "never emailed anybody". – IANS
Terminal anxiety took a toll on Colton Haynes
Colton Haynes says "terminal anxiety" is what prompted him to take a break from television. The 27-year-old actor told Entertainment Weekly that he asked to step away from MTV's Teen Wolf and the CW's Arrow, on which he had a recurring role, because he cared more about his "mental and physical health" than his career. He says he checked into rehab for anxiety and was frequently in the hospital over the next three months. Haynes says he's happy and healthy now and open to a return to his Arrow role. – AP
Shashi Kapoor biography released
A biography of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, unveiling details his personal and professional life, was released on Friday. The biography, Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star, was written by film journalist Aseem Chhabra, and attempts to delve into the life of the 78-year-old actor. Sharing the news, filmmaker Karan Johar took to Twitter on Friday and posted: Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, The Star, written by Aseem Chabbra ... and forward by yours truly! It's out now." Kapoor, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2015, is known for his work in films such as Waqt, Deewar, Trishul and Utsav. – The National
Kardashians spotted in Cuba
The Kardashian clan are in Cuba to shoot scenes for Keeping up with the Kardashians. Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West were spotted leaving a restaurant in Havana on Thursday. They are accompanied on the island by Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian and her friend Malika Haqq, who stars in the spin-off series Dash Dolls. Kim and Kanye's daughter, North, were pictured riding with her mother in a pink convertible. Former Cold War foes, the United States and Cuba formally agreed to restore diplomatic relations last July. – Reuters
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
