• Actor Chadwick Boseman arrives at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in London, Britain. Reuters
    Actor Chadwick Boseman arrives at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in London, Britain. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman greets fans at the premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War'. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman greets fans at the premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War'. Reuters
  • Stan Lee poses with Chadwick Boseman at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in Los Angeles, California. Reuters
    Stan Lee poses with Chadwick Boseman at the premiere of 'Black Panther' in Los Angeles, California. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Los Angeles. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Los Angeles. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman embraces Michael B Jordan at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman embraces Michael B Jordan at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
  • Actor Chadwick Boseman of 'Black Panther' arrives at the 91st Academy Awards. Reuters
    Actor Chadwick Boseman of 'Black Panther' arrives at the 91st Academy Awards. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman poses backstage with his Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for 'Black Panther' at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman poses backstage with his Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for 'Black Panther' at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters
  • Chadwick Boseman poses backstage at the 2019 American Music Awards. Reuters
    Chadwick Boseman poses backstage at the 2019 American Music Awards. Reuters

The power and poise of Chadwick Boseman


  • English
  • Arabic

On Saturday, the world of entertainment lost an inimitable personality in the form of Chadwick Boseman, most famous for his role as King T'Challa in the ground-breaking 2018 film Black Panther. Boseman was just 43 when he died from colon cancer. His death sparked an outpouring of grief around the world – a testament not just to his popularity and celebrity status but also to the circumstances of his passing and the extraordinary times in which we live.

There is no such thing as a timely death, but the fact that Boseman departed in the prime of his life came as a shock to many. Few outside of his most intimate circle had known about his diagnosis with cancer until the day it claimed his life. That he had kept his health condition so private speaks volumes about his humility and the respect those around him gave him, particularly in an era in which those of celebrity status are under unrelenting pressure to do the opposite. It is a difficult thing to live through one's twilight years knowing that that is the case, but Boseman did so with quiet dignity and grace.

The post issued through Boseman's Twitter account announcing his death and memorialising him was the most "liked" tweet in the social media platform's 14-year history. It is an irony that this post-mortem shot brought a greater burst of attention than any tweet Boseman made while alive, but it is nonetheless an apt reminder of the reach and cultural impact of his work. As many of his would-be fans will have realised this week, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.

Boseman is not the only celebrity, or even the only film personality, to have died this year. Indian actors Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, and English thespian Ben Cross, are among those who lost the battle to cancer as well. They left behind an extensive body of work and etched their names in history. Boseman's seismic impact stands out, however, because it shook so many largely through just one role.

Boseman portrayed great real-life figures, including baseball player Jackie Robinson and musician James Brown, in previous works. But his character in Black Panther – that of a fictional black king ruling a fictional African kingdom named Wakanda, which represents the best a nation could hope for – resonates deeply in the present moment of global inequality and race consciousness. It would hardly be an exaggeration to suggest that the film really captures the zeitgeist. The first blockbuster of such magnitude about a black superhero, it cuts through the depressive nature of such heavy topics and speaks to the aspirations on the other side.

It also reminds us by way of counterfactual that we do not yet live in a post-racial world.

  • Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James crosses his arms for the Wakanda salute during a moment of silence to honour the death of actor Chadwick Boseman before the start of game five against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Getty Images / AFP
    Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James crosses his arms for the Wakanda salute during a moment of silence to honour the death of actor Chadwick Boseman before the start of game five against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Getty Images / AFP
  • LeBron James and fellow players from the Los Angeles Lakers take a knee during a moment of silence. Getty Images / AFP
    LeBron James and fellow players from the Los Angeles Lakers take a knee during a moment of silence. Getty Images / AFP
  • The NBA moment of silence also paid tribute to former NBA player Cliff Robinson and former college coach Lute Olson who also passed away in the last week. EPA
    The NBA moment of silence also paid tribute to former NBA player Cliff Robinson and former college coach Lute Olson who also passed away in the last week. EPA
  • The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers hold a moment of silence ahead of their game. EPA
    The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers hold a moment of silence ahead of their game. EPA
  • Players take a knee during a moment of silence to remember Cliff Robinson, Lute Olson and Chadwick Boseman who all died this week. Getty Images / AFP
    Players take a knee during a moment of silence to remember Cliff Robinson, Lute Olson and Chadwick Boseman who all died this week. Getty Images / AFP
  • The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers hold a moment of silence for the deaths of Clifford Robinson, Lute Olson and Chadwick Boseman. EPA
    The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers hold a moment of silence for the deaths of Clifford Robinson, Lute Olson and Chadwick Boseman. EPA

The year 2020 has seen people, irrespective of race, come together and mourn the deaths of other black figures, such as basketball player Kobe Bryant, and politician and civil rights activist John Lewis. But 2020 also witnessed the killing of George Floyd, an African-American, at the hands of a white American policeman. There have been countless incidents of police brutality against people of colour around the world before Floyd's murder and – tragically – there likely will be more to come.

The fact that these incidents have led to such wide anguish, for people from all walks of life, ought to give us some hope – and the impetus to work even harder in stamping out racial prejudice from our hearts, minds and societies.

Hopefully, Boseman’s characters – in real life and in reel life – will serve to appeal to and inspire the better angels of our nature in the years to come.

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

  • Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs 
  • Thursday 20 January: v England 
  • Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh 

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith  

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

If you go…

Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.

Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days. 

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Most%20polluted%20cities%20in%20the%20Middle%20East
%3Cp%3E1.%20Baghdad%2C%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E2.%20Manama%2C%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dhahran%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E4.%20Kuwait%20City%2C%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E5.%20Ras%20Al%20Khaimah%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E6.%20Ash%20Shihaniyah%2C%20Qatar%3Cbr%3E7.%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E8.%20Cairo%2C%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E9.%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E10.%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
%3Cp%3E1.%20Chad%3Cbr%3E2.%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3E4.%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E5.%20Bangladesh%3Cbr%3E6.%20Burkina%20Faso%3Cbr%3E7.%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E8.%20India%3Cbr%3E9.%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E10.%20Tajikistan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2051.1%25%3Cbr%3EFrancois%20Fillon%3A%2024.2%25%3Cbr%3EJean-Luc%20Melenchon%3A%2011.8%25%3Cbr%3EBenoit%20Hamon%3A%207.0%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%202.9%25%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESecond%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2095.1%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%204.9%25%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Favourite music: Classical

Hobbies: Reading and writing

 

Results

Men's finals

45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.

51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. ​​​​​​​54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.

57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.

63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.

71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg:​​​​​​​ Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).

81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.

91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.

Women's finals

45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.

51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.

57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.

63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).