Rumours that British actor Simon Pegg has a role in the new Star Wars movie have been circulating for a while, and now the internet is abuzz with renewed speculation about his possible involvement after picking up on The National's interview yesterday with Helidubai helicopter pilots Andy Nettleton and Andrew Masterson. They worked on the production when it filmed in Abu Dhabi last year, and Nettleton mentioned that he had seen Pegg – who worked with Star Wars director JJ Abrams on the rebooted Star Trek films and Mission Impossible movies – on the set. It's possible that he was there to help work on the script or, because he is a massive sci-fi fan, was simply paying a visit to the set as a guest of good friend Abrams – he has previously confirmed that he had visited the London set of Star Wars – but our story is the first confirmation that he was on location with the film. It has certainly stoked the fire of rumour and speculation – though there has as yet been no official confirmation. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is sue to be released on December 18. - The National staff
Win chance to open for 30 Seconds to Mars
Calling all bedroom rockers – the chance to support Jared Leto's Thirty Seconds to Mars is up for grabs. A social media contest has been launched to find a lucky band or solo artist to open for the alt-rockers at Dubai World Trade Centre on April 10. To enter, simply post a 30-second clip of your performance on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #MARSBattleoftheBands. The band members will choose who will join them onstage to play in front of 10,000 people. Entrants of any age from throughout the Arabian Gulf are invited to enter before March 23. The winner will be announced on April 5. For more information, visit www.marsindubai.com. Tickets for the gig, from Dh295, are available from www.ticketmaster.ae. May the best band win. – The National staff
Thousands attend funeral of Turkish author
Thousands of mourners, including a Nobel laureate and a former president, turned out for the funeral on Monday of the Turkish literary giant Yasar Kemal in Istanbul. The Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk and the former Turkish president Abdullah Gul were among the crowd that attended the ceremony at the Tesvikiye mosque, a frequent starting point of funerals for the country's elite. Kemal, one of Turkey's most celebrated writers, died on Saturday at the age of 92 after battling heart and breathing problems. He was buried in Istanbul. Of Kurdish descent, Kemal won numerous international awards for his epic tales set in the Anatolian heartland that recounted the struggles of rural villagers against oppression and industrial tyranny. He burst onto the literary scene in 1955 with his first novel Memed, My Hawk which was translated into about 40 languages and earned him rapid international fame. – AFP
Madonna announces new world tour
Madonna on Monday announced a tour of North America and Europe to support her new album, her first extensive series of shows since 2012. The singer will kick off a 35-date tour to accompany Rebel Heart on August 29 in Miami, before heading to Europe in November. The last scheduled concert is on December 20 in Glasgow, Scotland, but concert promoters said additional dates in Asia and Australia would follow. The MDNA tour – during which Madonna played 88 shows across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, including two shows at Abu Dhabi's du Arena – grossed more than US$300 million (Dh1.1bn). The 56-year-old releases her 13th studio album, Rebel Heart, on Monday. She fell off the stage while performing at the Brit Awards last week and said she suffered whiplash. She blamed the tumble on an Armani cape she was wearing. – AFP
Actress Sen Sharma to direct her first film
The Bollywood actress Konkona Sen Sharma is stepping behind the camera to direct her first film. The Times of India reported that she will also write the film, which will be multilingual. However the plot remains a closely-guarded secret. Sen Sharma, who won a National Award for Mr and Mrs Iyer, will not act in the film, which she has reportedly been planning for several years. - The National staff
Lawrence to portray war photographer
Jennifer Lawrence will star in Steven Spielberg's new film It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War. It will be based on the memoir by Lynsey Addario, the award-winning American photojournalist. She has travelled to war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq and was part of a New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Lawrence, 24, who won an Oscar in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook and stars in The Hunger Games and X-Men movies, is currently shooting David O Russell's Joy, which is s for release at Christmas. - AFP
Legend addresses boycott calls in Bahrain
The award-winning American singer-songwriter John Legend, who appeared at the Dubai Jazz Festival last weekend, performed to a sold-out crowd of more than 2,000 people in Bahrain on Monday night, despite calls by activists for the concert to be cancelled due to concerns over human rights in the country. "When you look at me you might see international superstar John Legend, but I'm also the descendant of slaves ... but we fought for change," he told the audience before singing his Oscar-winning song Glory, the anthem from the film Selma, which is based on the historic 1965 human-rights march in Alabama led by Martin Luther King Jr. Legend said he was at the festival "to celebrate art and its power to bring us together and help us see each other's humanity". He added: "A just society is not one built on fear or repression or vengeance or exclusion, but one built on love." Bahrain, a close ally of the US, has seen near daily protests by members of the Shiite majority demanding a greater say in the running of the country. Several thousand protesters have been jailed and dozens killed over the past four years. Bahraini activists had urged Legend to boycott the 10th annual Spring of Culture festival. He said that he felt participating in the conversation was the best way to drive progress. - AP
Broadway debut for Clive Owen
The British actor Clive Owen is set to make his Broadway debut in Old Times by Harold Pinter. Roundabout Theatre Company said that Owen would star in the "unsettling drama of desire and blurred realities" from September 17. Douglas Hodge will direct. Owen was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Closer. On stage, he played Romeo at the Young Vic, starred in Sean Mathias' staging of Noel Coward's Design for Living and played the lead role in the original production of Patrick Marber's Closer. In 2001, he starred in London in Peter Nichols' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. He is currently starring as a troubled surgeon in turn-of-the-century New York in the acclaimed US TV drama The Knick. In Old Times, a married couple welcomes an old friend for a visit, which stirs up old memories, verbal games and menace. - AP
Divergent author plans new series
Veronica Roth fans can start the countdown. The Divergent author is set to write a new two-book series, HarperCollins Children's Bookshas announced. The books are as yet untitled, with the first one expected in 2017. Roth and her publisher offered few details about the books, beyond saying they are in "the vein of Star Wars" and will tell of a boy's "unlikely alliance" with an enemy. The Divergent young adult trilogy, which she completed in 2013, has sold more than 30 million copies. The first Divergent movie, starring Shailene Woodley, came out a year ago. - AP
Three more years on TV for Judge Judy
Daytime television's most popular personality, Judge Judy Sheindlin, has extended her contract for three years and will keep her court in session into 2020. CBS Television Distribution didn't discuss terms of the deal on Monday. TV Guide has reported her current salary at $47 million a year – making her by far the highest-paid personality on television. Sheindlin is 72. The new deal also gives CBS first look at any projects by Sheindlin's production company, which makes the new court show Hot Bench. Judge Judy is now in its 19th season. It averages more than 10 million viewers an episode, tops in daytime television for the past five years. - AP
Classical composer Ezra Laderman dead at 90
Ezra Laderman, a classical music composer whose works ranged from symphonies to operas to music for Academy Award-winning films, has died. He was 90. The Yale School of Music, where Laderman was dean from 1989 to 1995, announced his death on its website. The school said he died on Saturday, but didn't give a cause. His operas included Marilyn, based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, which premiered at the New York City Opera in 1993, and he wrote the music for Oscar-winning documentaries The Eleanor Roosevelt Story and Black Fox. He wrote for soloists such as Yo-Yo Ma and led numerous professional organisations, including a stint as president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He remained a professor at the Yale School of Music until he retired in 2013. - AP
Brownstone band member Maxee Maxwell dies in freak accident
Maxee Maxwell, a member of the 1990s girl group Brownstone – best known for the hit If You Love Me – has died after cutting herself in a fall at home, a representative said on Monday. Courtney Barnes said that Maxwell, 46, was at her home in Los Angeles on Friday when she fell and cut her neck on a drinking glass. Her husband, producer Carsten "Soulshock" Schack, found her and called 911. She was taken to a hospital but could not be saved, Barnes said. Maxwell is survived by Schack and her 11-year-old son, Nicolaj Hojer. They said they were devastated by Maxwell's sudden death, calling her a devoted wife and mother. "We miss her so much," they said. The R&B trio Brownstone was signed to Michael Jackson's label imprint, MJJ Music. They made their debut in 1995. Their hits also included Grapevyne. - AP
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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More on animal trafficking
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Company%20Profile
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
More coverage from the Future Forum
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Pathaan
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Company%20Profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,00
On sale: Available for preorder now
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Getting%20there
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
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65
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HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.