Shah Rukh Khan announces new baby

Plus: Wale knocks West from atop music chart; India's Oscars to be held in US in 2014; Bullock and Clooney to open Venice film fest with Gravity; 50 Cent denies assaulting ex-girlfriend.

Shah Rukh Khan with his wife Gauri. Khan confirmed that they are parents of a new baby boy who was conceived through a surrogate. Kin Cheung / AP Photo

Jason Derulo to support Alicia Keys during November concert in Dubai

Jason Derulo has been announced as the
supporting act for Alicia Keys's Dubai concert in November. The 23-year-old R&B singer will take the stage before Keys at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on November 15. Derulo's Dubai appearance is part of his musical comeback after spending more than a year in recovery after breaking his neck in January last year. He is back at his limber best and with a new single, the electro-fuelled The Other Side. Tickets, priced from Dh295, are available at www.timeouttickets.com. – The National staff

Shah Rukh Khan announces new baby

Shah Rukh Khan has confirmed that he is the father of a new baby, amid feverish media speculation. Talking to reporters at a news conference to promote the music from his latest film, Khan said that the news was "extremely personal". There has been much speculation in the Indian media in the past few weeks that Khan and his wife became parents to a baby boy through a surrogate and that the actor knew the baby's sex ahead of the birth – an act that is illegal in India and that is meant to prevent the practice of aborting female foetuses due to a cultural preference for sons. Khan did not give any details and did not mention the baby's gender, but said he would share more publicly when the speculation settles down. Khan said he wanted everyone, including government officials who are investigating whether he knew the baby's gender before the birth, to work with the same "alacrity in finding out and doing the enthusiastic investigation they are doing upon my baby upon other things, which they should be lending their thoughts to right now". Khan, 47, and his wife, Gauri, have two other children, a son and a daughter, both in their teens. – AP

Wale knocks West from top of chart

The American rapper Wale grabbed the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart for the first time with his record The Gifted, while Kanye West's Yeezus, last week's No 1, fell to third place. J Cole's album Born Sinner was No 2 on the chart for the second consecutive week. The rock band Skillet's Rise placed fourth while Daft Punk's Random Access Memories rose one spot to fifth place. – Reuters

India’s Oscars to be held in US in 2014

Bollywood's version of the Oscars is going to Florida, and it marks the first time that the multi-day film event will be held in the US. Tampa officials announced that the International Indian Film Academy's Weekend & Awards is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area next June. The group's selection of the US as the site for its 2014 awards could signal a push to gain English-speaking audiences. Indian directors are also eager to bring different kinds of films – not just the popular musicals – to a worldwide audience. Based in Mumbai, the IIFA weekend takes place in a different city around the world each year. The 2013 event was held this weekend in Macau. – AP

Bullock and Clooney to open Venice film festival with Gravity

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney will open the Venice film festival next month with their new movie Gravity, in which they play two astronauts on an ill-fated mission. The thriller by the Mexican film director Alfonso Cuarón will be shown in 3-D on the first day of the festival on August 28. The Venice Lido event runs until September 7. Cuarón is no stranger to Venice, where he won two awards in 2001 with his film Y Tu Mamá También. – AFP

Rapper 50 Cent denies assaulting former girlfriend

The rapper 50 Cent denies allegations that he attacked his former girlfriend. The In Da Club singer's lawyer says there's no warrant outstanding on the domestic violence and vandalism charges against 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson. If convicted, he faces up to five years in jail. The woman told police that during a June 23 argument, Jackson began destroying property at her Los Angeles flat before she locked herself into a bedroom. She says Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing injury. The woman told police she had been in a three-year relationship and has a baby with Jackson. He is scheduled for arraignment on July 22. – AP

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