The internet was reportedly "broken" several times this year. From the European Space Agency's historic Rosetta mission to a clash between tabloids' favourite Kim Kardashian in her birthday suit for Paper magazine and Psy's Gangnam Style YouTube video for the top spot, there has been a lot to talk about.
But let's rewind to March and the internet sensation, walking away as the mother of all tweets this year was Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' multi-celebrity selfie tweet.
Twitter has crowned the alledgeldy preplanned selfie at the 86th Academy Awards as the 'Golden Tweet' this year. Within 40 minutes of being uploaded, the photo broke previous records for the most retweeted tweet (Actress Lea Michele's tweet after the death of Glee co-star Cory Monteith in 2013 and President Barack Obama's victory tweet in 2012). The TV host (@TheEllenShow) and comedian's selfie with Hollywood stars, including Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pitt, has been retweeted three million times.
It's no surprise the selfie eclipsed all other phenomenons on Twitter. The term has been mentioned more than 92 million times on Twitter, 12 times more than in 2013. In second place is footballer Lukas Podolski's (@Podolski10) selfie taken when Germany won the Fifa World Cup.
Football took Twitter world by storm with tweets during the World Cup finals in Brazil being the highest to date for any event. Twitter analysts recorded 672 million tweets sent out during the matches that began in June.
Brazilian football player Neymar Jr (@neymarjr), whose performance during the World Cup was lauded, gained the most followers this year, with a boost of 1.5 million new Twitter users reading his tweets.
However, pop star Katy Perry (@katyperry) has become the most-followed star with 61.2 million followers. Canadian singer Justin Bieber (57.5 followers) and Barack Obama (50.8 followers) come next in the list.
In the Emirates, making the cut are TV news channels, Al Arabia Breaking News with more than 6 million followers and Al Arabia with 4.63 million followers.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai (@HHShkMohd) is the most followed individual on the list with 3.4 million followers.
For UAE residents, the buzz on Twitter has been around Eid Al Fitr and social topics, with residents also pitching in with opinions during the World Cup.
aahmed@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
