After months of lavish pre-wedding celebrations, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are now married.
The couple kicked off their three-day grand nuptials celebration on Friday, with guests ranging from A-list celebrities to former politicians all donning their best as they descend upon Mumbai for the occasion.
Here’s a look at some of the best fashion from the event so far.
Radhika Merchant
Unsurprisingly, the bride stunned in a custom Manish Malhotra couture look for her vidai ceremony. The outfit features a striking colour palette of red, gold and ivory. Her lehenga (an ankle-length skirt from traditional Indian attire) is heavily embroidered with intricate metallic zari work, beadwork and sequins. The look also consists of a trailing ghagra with a five-metre head veil.
She paired it with a fitted, equally embellished choli and a matching dupatta draped elegantly over the shoulders. The outfit was complemented with traditional Indian jewellery, including a maang tikka, bangles, earrings and a statement necklace.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The actress opted for an elegant look that consisted of a vibrant red-and-gold anarkali (frock-type dress) with a matching dupatta. The anarkali featured a modern design, with a deep slash at the front and long sleeves adorned with golden borders cuffs. She accessorised with a maang tikka and statement necklace and earrings. She also had a bright velvet potli bag.
Deepika Padukone
The Bollywood actress and mother-to-be wore a custom-crafted outfit by Torani. It featured a long, full-sleeved kurta with gold lined embroidery as well as defined pleats and a circular neckline. She paired it with a relaxed choice of high-waisted, ankle length pants, and was draped in a heavily embroidered dupatta. Accessories included gold and ruby-studded earrings with matching layered kadhas, a statement ring and gold sandals.
Salman Khan
The Bollywood star kept it simple by wearing a traditional outfit that consists of a deep navy blue kurta with intricate embroidery. He paired it with matching churidar trousers and black shoes, while accessorising the look with a large dazzling brooch.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas
The couple donned traditional Indian formal attire for the occasion. Chopra wore a lehenga paired with a bra-style choli by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani. Her outfit featured sheer orange fabric adorned with floral embroidery and sequins. She accessorised with jewels from Italian brand Bulgari, which she is a global ambassador for. Meanwhile, husband Nick Jonas complemented her look in a sequinned Sabyasachi sherwani set that was accessorised with a Richard Mille watch.
Alia Bhatt
The actress shined as she wore a 160-year-old woven silk sari from Manish Malhotra’s archival collection. Created in fuchsia pink, it reportedly features zari work that has been intricately woven with silver and gold to create the opulent look. The sari is paired with an embellished gold strapless blouse and a dipped neckline. Bhatt chose to complement the look with heritage fine jewellery from Jaipur brand Sunita Shekhawat that including a stunning necklace that features 22-karat gold and uncut diamonds, emeralds and pearls.
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan opted for a light grey sherwani adorned with subtle embellishment with a white kurta and matching churidar trousers. Meanwhile, his wife Gauri Khan complemented him by wearing a stunning beige and gold lehenga that featured intricate embroidery and sequins.
Janhvi Kapoor
The actress sparkled in a bright golden custom-made Falguni Shane Peacock lehenga. It is embellished with thousands of sequins and crystals, and Kapoor paired it with a bralette-like choli ornamented with real gold temple jewellery to match. She accentuated the look with a dupatta adorned with small buti work. She wore a polki choker neckpiece with matching earrings and a maang tikka as accessories.
Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal
The Bollywood couple wore complementing outfits. Kaif wore a stunning red sari with gold detailing. She added earrings and a neckless to complete her simple look. Kaushal, meanwhile, opted for a simple gold and cream coloured sherwani and paired it with neutral-toned formal shoes.
John Cena
The former WWE champion-turned-actor wore a pastel blue sherwani, which is a traditional Indian ensemble. The sherwani featured intricate embroidery along the shoulders and collar, with delicate gold and white threads forming floral patterns that added a touch of opulence. The outfit was completed with a row of gold buttons that provided subtle contrast against the pastel fabric.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Results:
Women:
1. Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) 322.95 points
2. Lysanne Richard (CAN) 285.75
3. Ellie Smart (USA) 277.70
Men:
1. Gary Hunt (GBR) 431.55
2. Constantin Popovici (ROU) 424.65
3. Oleksiy Prygorov (UKR) 392.30
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
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