That Kevin Bacon advert and Ross's diet
"I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas. I also hope that Kevin Bacon commercial comes on again. Best. Commercial. Ever" Thanks. For. The. Info. Taylor. Swift. We checked it out and we wholeheartedly agree. December 24.
"I am thinking about starting post Christmas diet soon. Have Comedy Awards in 4 weeks and at the moment i resemble Mr Creosote..." We feel your pain, Jonathan Ross. Incidentally, could someone pass us that last turkey leg please? December 26.
"I am and always will be 2 good 4 @luke_worrall darling ur pretty face will only get you so far because u don't have the brains to back it up" Ouch. Better watch your back, Mr Worrall. Looks like your ex-fiancée, Kelly Osbourne, is on the warpath. December 28.
"I thought it would be funny to stuff my kids' Christmas stockings with actual stockings. I've never heard crying like that." Is it wrong that this made us laugh so much? Maybe, but it's not our fault our new favourite tweeter, Conan O'Brien, takes such pleasure in torturing his children. December 26.
"The Internet & TV response to the news of our engagement has been really overwhelming. Lots of loving support out there. We appreciate it." It's a rare day when a celebrity praises the media. In any case, we're happy for the veteran playboy, Hugh Hefner, who got engaged last week to his uh, ever-so-slightly younger girlfriend, Crystal Harris. December 28.
"At airport ..... "paging standby passenger mcbeef". Thank you announcement guy" We love that the affable tennis player, Andy Roddick, finds joy in such simple things. December 27.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Persuasion
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
