Four-hour Filipino film wins top gong at Venice festival
A movie from the Philippines about a woman's thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after spending 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit has won the Venice Film Festival's Grand Jury prize. Director Lav Diaz says the four-hour-long film Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) is a testimonial to the struggles of the Philippines following centuries of colonial rule. "This is for my country, for the Filipino people, for our struggle, for the struggle of humanity," the 57-year-old said as he accepted the Golden Lion award for his black-and-white movie. Diaz, who once debuted a film at the Berlinale film festival that ran for more than eight hours, hopes the latest recognition will create an appreciation for lengthier films. "Cinema is still very young, you can still push it." Also recognised in Venice was Tunisian film The Last of Us (Akher Wahed Fina). Directed by Ala Eddine Slim, the film – the only Arab movie to be honoured at the festival – won the Lion of the Future Award for a Debut Film. – Reuters
Kim Kardashian has forensic hopes for kids
Reality-TV star Kim Kardashian wants her children – 3-year-old daughter North and 10-month-old son Saint – to be forensic investigators when they grow up. The 35-year-old says she is obsessed with crime-based shows and would like to see her children become investigators, reports People.com. “I’m gonna be that annoying, pushy mum and say I want to live vicariously through my daughter or son and have them be a forensic investigator,” Kim told women’s lifestyle media platform SheKnows. Kardashian says her obsession with “morbid” things can be traced back to the time when her father, late attorney Robert Kardashian worked on the O J Simpson murder trial in the 1990s. “I’ve always been into the most morbid things. I was really nosy when my dad was working on the O J trial and I would look through all his stuff, and I just wish I was in that field,” she says. “It’s the only type of TV I really like to watch. I love Making a Murderer. I love any murder show,” she adds. – IANS
Britney Spears's son says he's smarter than her
One of Britney Spears’s sons considers himself “much more clever” than his celebrity mum. Spears is mum to Sean Preston, 10, and Jayden, 9, from her marriage to Kevin Federline. Though she loves to help Jayden with his homework, Sean never wants his mother’s input as he doesn’t think she can be of much assistance, reports Marie Claire magazine. “I sit and do drawings with Jayden – he’s really good at it and I’m horrible. I do his homework with him, too, which I love,” Spears says in the interview. “Jayden lets me help him, which Sean Preston never will. He’s such a smarty-pants and thinks he’s so much more clever than me. I let him think that, but he is actually pretty cool,” she adds. – IANS
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler pick up a joint Emmy
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are sharing Emmy glory thanks to their appearance as Saturday Night Live hosts. The pair were honoured jointly in the best guest actresses in a comedy series category at Saturday's creative arts Emmy ceremony. Fey and Poehler won as co-hosts of last year's Christmas episode on SNL. The duo didn't attend the event in Los Angeles and veteran actor Bob Newhart accepted the Emmy on their behalf. The Emmy was the first for Poehler but part of a collection for Fey. She's won eight times before for acting and writing. – AP
Taylor Swift says she falls in love too fast
It looks like the most exciting relationship in years for gossip magazines on both sides of the Atlantic has gone sour. The box-office-dream hook-up between pop star Taylor Swift and actor Tom Hiddlestone (High Rise, Thor) looked like a PR dream, but this week Swift told Us magazine it is all over. "I don't think there's an option for me to fall in love slowly, or at medium speed," she says. "I either do or I don't. I don't think it through, really, which is a good thing and a bad thing." Moving onto the next level of relationship advice, she adds: "You don't look before you leap, which is like: 'Yay, this is awesome! Let's not think twice!'" Sadly, it turns out that Swift, like the rest of us, sometimes comes crashing down to Earth. "You're like: 'We used to be flying. Now we're falling. What's happening?'" – The National Staff
Ajay Devgn and Kajol to promote Shivaay in US
Bollywood actors and star couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol are pulling out all stops to promote Devgn's upcoming ambitious directorial venture Shivaay. On September 20, the couple will be heading to the United States for a tour called Meet the Devgns, which will include meet-and-greet events and press conferences in New York, San Francisco and Dallas. Devgn and Kajol are known to avoid the spotlight and have so far shied away from stage shows and performances. The meet-and-greet format will allow them to address the audience directly, something they're a lot more comfortable with. Indian newspaper DNA reported that the couple have been invited by Google, Facebook and Twitter to speak at their campuses. – Sonali Kokra
Mirzya will have premiere at BFI London Film Festival
Bollywood director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's upcoming romantic saga Mirzya will debut on October 6 at the 60th BFI London Film Festival. The film, which stars model Saiyami Kher and Bollywood veteran Anil Kapoor's son, Harshvardhan Kapoor, both newcomers to film, is written by the Grammy and Oscar-winning poet and lyricist Gulzar. Mirzya is loosely based on the love story of Mirza and Sahiban, the Romeo and Juliet of Punjabi folklore. Mehra will be joined by the lead stars, Kher and Kapoor, for the film's gala screening at the LFF on October 6. – Sonali Kokra
Kanye West plays NY Fashion Week party
Kanye West took to the stage on Friday night at New York’s Plaza Hotel, where the audience – a bit sweaty and cramped and made of up fashion and entertainment industry insiders – hung on to the rapper’s every move as he performed songs both new and old, even jumping into the audience to rap with the crowd. West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were honoured by Harper’s Bazaar at its annual ICONS event. It was just days after West, 39, debuted the fourth season of his Yeezy collection for Adidas to mixed reviews. “At the beginning of this performance I tried my best to not try. No, I tried to listen to all the reports and [expletive]... I tried my best to stop trying,” he said at the end of the performance. “But I just couldn’t do it! I couldn’t stop! No matter what they write, I just couldn’t stop!” If only, Kanye, if only. – AP
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
LAST 16 DRAW
Borussia Dortmund v PSG
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Atalanta v Valencia
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
Chelsea v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Juventus
Tottenham v Leipzig
Napoli v Barcelona
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'
Bournemouth 1
Wilson 44'
Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation: