Rani Mukerji has reacted strongly to media reports about her secret marriage to Aditya Chopra. IANS
Rani Mukerji has reacted strongly to media reports about her secret marriage to Aditya Chopra. IANS

Rani Mukerji rubbishes wedding gossip



Rani Mukerji rubbishes wedding gossip

The Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji has denied rumours that she is married to the filmmaker Aditya Chopra. "My name has been linked with several people, but God will decide who will become my life partner," Rani said on the India TV chat show Aap Ki Adalat. Mukerji reacted strongly to media reports about her secret marriage to the elder son of the acclaimed filmmaker Yash Chopra. "The media can't decide when the wedding took place. Was it 2007, or 2009, or 2012? Let them make up their minds first," said Mukerji. * IANS

Shakti Kapoor's daughter excited about her new film

The actress Shraddha Kapoor cannot wait to begin filming her new movie, Aashiqui 2. "I can feel the endorphins building up again," Shradha recently tweeted. The director Mohit Suri has paired Shraddha, the daughter of the Bollywood legend Shakti Kapoor, with Aditya Roy Kapoor in the film. Suri had insisted that the musical is not a sequel to the 1990 hit romantic saga Aashiqui, which starred Rahul Roy and the model Anu Agarwal. Aashiqui 2 is scheduled to be released on February 14. * IANS

Neha Dhupia talks about her latest movie

The actress Neha Dhupia has been feeling emotional after completing the shooting of Rangeeley, her first Punjabi film. "Team Rangeeley, take a bow! Get ready, Punjabis and movie buffs of the world. We are coming to entertain you," Dhupia tweeted. "That sinking feeling when you say goodbye to your cast and crew! The past 45 days have been the most fantastic days at work!" she added. In the film, she plays a loud and boisterous but romantic character opposite Jimmy Shergill. The 32-year-old was last seen in the movies Maximum and Kismet Love Paisa Dilli. * IANS

Yash Chopra struck down with dengue fever

The veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai with a suspected case of dengue fever. The 80-year-old had announced his retirement last month after finishing Jab Tak Hai Jaan, a romantic film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The movie will be released on November 13. Chopra has directed several classics during his five-decade-long career, including Deewar, Kabhie Kabhie, Trishul, Silsila, Chandni and Veer Zaara. * IANS

Kunal Kapoor movie spawns cookbook

The film producer Anurag Kashyap has come up with a novel way to promote his new movie Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. Directed by Sameer Sharma and starring Kunal Kapoor and Huma Qureshi, the film concerns a family and their secret recipe for a famous chicken curry, so Kashyap is planning to feature the recipe in a compendium of chicken dishes from across the world. A source told the DNA India website: “Anurag has been coming up with unique marketing strategies to promote the film and they thought this would be interesting for all chicken lovers.”

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Grubtech

Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi

Launched: October 2019

Employees: 50

Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)

 

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative