AD201010708049896AR
AD201010708049896AR

Former Pakistani pop star to try out new career



Junaid Jamshed, the famous Pakistani singer who quit pop life to devote himself to Islam, is coming to Dubai in yet another role - as a clothing designer. A popular retail brand in Pakistan and the UK, a Junaid Jamshed boutique is scheduled to open tomorrow in Dubai's Meena Bazaar.

Alif Investments, a new Sharia-compliant investment company in Dubai, obtained the exclusive franchise rights for the brand. Alif said it planned to invest Dh100 million (US$27.2m) in the next five years to open 50 outlets across the Gulf. It intends to open two more Junaid Jamshed boutiques in the UAE by the end of this year and enter the Saudi Arabian market with three outlets in the first quarter of next year.

"With an investment of Dh2m per store, we are looking to gradually expand into the region with a major focus on the UAE," said Muhammad Arif Abdul Aziz, the chairman of Alif. Mr Jamshed said Dubai had for years been a logical step for expansion into the international market, but he delayed it because of stiff competition from the established popular Indian brands. With 10 years of success behind him, however, he now feels the time is right.

"The UAE is a truly multicultural market with a lot of established Indian brands," Mr Jamshed said. "To be successful here means achieving the true international success." The strategy is to provide "quality and exclusivity in fashion brands at competitive pricing", Mr Aziz said, adding Mr Jamshed's success in Pakistan and the UK would help the company to "emulate the same story in this region". The first boutique in Meena Bazaar will feature ready-made, hand-woven apparel along with unstitched fabrics.

The collections for women, men and children feature typical eastern embroidery on a full range of fabrics. The new outlet will also sell accessories such as handbags and fragrances. The next step is the launch of traditional abayas for Arab clientele, Mr Jamshed said."We are excited at the prospect of meeting the fashion needs of the consumers in the UAE through our brand that epitomises chic, confident, impressive style," he said.

Mr Jamshed said his and another brand are the only two using traditional wooden looms to produce hand-woven fabric. "It will be a different experience for the people here," he said, adding the fabric from Pakistan was different from Indian fabric because of the quality of cotton thread. "After Dubai, the global market is open and maybe we can later enter the Indian market, which is the biggest for Asian fashion," Mr Jamshed said. He is also keen to open boutiques in Canada.

"We see a lot of prospects in that market. There is huge Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi population there and no one sells them the traditional Asian clothes." skhan@thenational.ae

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Five healthy carbs and how to eat them

Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand

Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat  

Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar

Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices

Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants

Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique

I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
 

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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The biog

Name: Timothy Husband

Nationality: New Zealand

Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney

Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier

Favourite music: Billy Joel

Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia

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Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5