The director Anurag Basu's Barfi! failed to qualify for the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 85th Academy Awards, according to the latest Oscars shortlist. The film, featuring Ranbir Kapoor as a deaf and mute boy and Priyanka Chopra as an autistic girl, earned rave reviews and enjoyed box office success. Of the 71 films that qualified for the Oscars from across the world, nine have been shortlisted, which will be winnowed to a final list of five, to be announced on January 10. The nine selected films are Amour (Austria), War Witch (Canada), No (Chile), A Royal Affair (Denmark), The Intouchables (France), The Deep (Iceland), Kon-Tiki (Norway), Beyond the Hills (Romania) and Sister (Switzerland). * IANS
Anil Kapoor enjoys a quiet birthday with family
The Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor is known for extravagant birthday bashes, but he celebrated his 53rd birthday quietly on Christmas Eve with his family in Goa. The actor also toned down the celebrations last year after the death of his father. "Yes, there's no party happening because I will be with my family," he said. "Actually, 2013 is going to be a very busy year for me thanks to the shooting of my TV series, 24. I will have no time to even breathe. So, the idea is to spend as much time as possible with my family." * IANS
Kareena Kapoor just loves to dance
Kareena Kapoor is excited about her latest toe-tapper Fevicol Se. The singer describes her latest song as an ode to the boogie. "I love dancing, although I am not as good as my sister Karisma," she told Bollyspice. "But there is something so energetic about dancing and the kind of positivity it oozes out is one of the reasons I love to dance." Asked which of her songs is her favourite, Kapoor shrugged. "Chammak Challo is one classy number, while Fevicol is rustic and Halkat Jawani is totally different. I cannot choose between songs that are so different from each other."
Salman Khan looks forward to a big birthday
Salman Khan is set for big birthday celebrations after a stellar year at the box office. The actor, who celebrates his 47th birthday tomorrow, cemented his household name status earlier this year with his blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger and the recently released Dabbang 2. Industry sources say the crime thriller could be the biggest hit of Khan's career. A source close to Khan's family told The Times of India a big party is planned, "on a scale never seen before in Salman's family". Released last week, Dabbang 2 finds Khan returning as the cop Chulbul Pandey with his own unethical methods of solving crime.
Shah Rukh Khan may quit smoking
Shah Rukh Khan is considering giving up smoking. His Bollywood superstar status often made him lightning rod for anti-smoking activists who accuse him of setting a poor example. Khan tweeted his new distaste for smoking. "Smoking is similar to hitting urself over the head with a hammer becos, when u stop … u feel better … (sic)." Khan's habit landed him in trouble in May after he was charged for smoking publicly at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Stadium during an Indian Premiere League match. At last year's Indian Film Academy Award ceremony in Toronto he admitted to picking up the habit during his theatre days. "That's how I also started smoking and it is not my fault. It has got all to do with theatre," he said. * The National staff
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
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
