The world’s first Malayalam-language digital radio station is now broadcasting from Abu Dhabi.
Pravasi Bharathi 810 AM was launched with a live broadcast from popular playback singer, G Venugopal.
The official switch-on was performed by Abdul Rahman Awadh Al Harthi, executive director of radio for Abu Dhabi Media, and Noushad Abdul Rahuman, chairman of Pravasi Bharathi Broadcasting Corporation. Also present at the inauguration ceremony were K C Joseph, Kerala’s minister for rural development, planning, culture and Norka.
Pravasi Bharathi 810 AM is also the first digital-radio station in the Middle East and North Africa region. The channel is broadcast under the licence of Abu Dhabi Media and Media Zone Authority, Abu Dhabi.
The station hosts analogue transmission from 5am to 12.10am each day, with digital transmission between 12.10am and 5am every day, broadcast from its headquarters in Al Maqta. – The National staff
Priyanka Chopra among Oscar presenters
Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra will present an Academy Award at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles this month.
Also in the second group of Oscar presenters, announced yesterday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are Steve Carell (Foxcatcher, The Big Short), record producer Quincy Jones, Jared Leto (who plays the Joker in the upcoming DC Comics movie Suicide Squad), Julianne Moore, Olivia Munn, Margot Robbie, Jason Segel, Andy Serkis, J K Simmons (who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar last year for his role as a sadistic music teacher in Whiplash), Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon.
Chopra made her international acting debut last year in the new US American terrorism thriller Quantico, in which she stars as a trainee FBI agent.
The first group of presenters, announced last week, included Benicio Del Toro, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Hart, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Charlize Theron, Jacob Tremblay (the young star of Oscar-nominated drama, Room), The Weeknd and Pharrell Williams.
The Oscars ceremony is on February 28. – The National staff
Revathy working on Queen remake
South Indian actress-filmmaker Revathy is directing an as-yet-untitled Tamil and Telugu remake of Vikas Bahl's 2013 film Queen.
Her previous films include Mitr, My Friend and Phir Milenge.
Queen is the story of a young Punjabi girl, played by Kangana Ranaut, who sets off alone on her "honeymoon" in Paris after her fiancé calls off their wedding. Work on the remake is already under way.
A source said: "[Revathy] will spend the next couple of months finishing work on the second half. By October or November, the film will most likely go to the sets." The remake is being bankrolled by Tamil producer and actor Thiyagarajan. – IANS
George Miller to head Cannes prize jury
Mad Max creator George Miller will head the jury at the Cannes film festival this year.
He will be the first Australian to preside over the world's leading film event. The 70-year-old director of The Witches of Eastwick and Babe, who launched the career of Mel Gibson and an entire genre of "outback gothic" films with his Mad Max series in 1979, responded to his selection in typically flamboyant fashion.
“What an unmitigated delight,” he said. “Such an honour. I’ll be there with bells on.”
Choosing the unapologetically populist Miller may ruffle the sensibilities of Cannes arthouse diehards. But organisers said: “Throughout his career, George Miller has constantly experimented with a variety of genres, brilliantly reconciling mass-audience expectations and the highest artistic standards.”
They said Mad Max broke the mould and was "an ultra-violent futuristic film that brought the action-film genre a touch of class with its masterly combination of road movie, Western and science fiction elements".
The fourth film in the series, Mad Max: Fury Road, opened last year's Cannes festival and is in the running for 10 Oscars this month. It scooped nine prizes at last week's Critics' Choice Awards, including best director. The 69th Cannes festival will run from May 11 to 22. – AFP
SVU and Chicago trilogy creator signs new deal
NBC has signed a new production deal with producer Dick Wolf, ensuring an 18th season for Law & Order: SVU and the continuation of his Chicago trilogy of dramas.
The deal binds Wolf to NBC Universal until 2020. He had seemed close to the end of his run at NBC at the start of this decade, with the long-running Law & Order franchise down to a single show – but he has come roaring back with a new series procedural dramas, this time focusing on Chicago.
The deal promises a second season of the newest addition, Chicago Med. NBC earlier renewed Chicago Fire and Chicago PD.
Wolf is also developing a fourth series, Chicago Law. He is also working on a reality series, Law & Order: You the Jury, in which the audience decides the verdict in a court. case. – AP
Men’s Fashion Week kicks off
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MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
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LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
