UAE leaders pardon prisoners ahead of Union Day

UAE leaders have ordered the release of thousands of prison inmates before the 52nd Union Day.

President Sheikh Mohamed ordered the freeing of 1,018 prisoners held in the UAE on Wednesday.

The humanitarian gesture is intended to give those prisoners an opportunity to start a new life and reintegrate into their families and communities, state news agency Wam reported.

UAE leaders free thousands of prisoners every year in a show of compassion to mark public holidays and events such as Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, ordered the release of 1,249 prisoners of different nationalities, the emirate's media office announced.

“Sheikh Mohammed’s order to pardon the prisoners reflects his keenness to bring happiness to their families and give them an opportunity to start a new life and reintegrate themselves into society,” said Dubai's attorney general, Essam Issa Al Humaidan.

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has ordered the release of 475 inmates of various nationalities.

Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah, pardoned 113 prisoners.

Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Ruler of Ajman, has ordered the release of 143 prisoners, or various nationalities, to allow them to start a new life.

The inmates released in Sharjah, Fujairah and Ajman were selected based on good conduct and behaviour, Wam reported.

The UAE's Union Day, also known as National Day, is celebrated on December 2 every year to commemorate the formation of the country in 1971.

The holiday marks the day that six emirates bound together to form the UAE, with Ras Al Khaimah joining as the seventh emirate the following year.

It is preceded by Commemoration Day, on November 30, which is dedicated to those who lost their lives serving the country.

Authorities have said December 2, 3 and 4 this year will be a paid holiday for public and private sector employees.

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What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

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The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

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BEST FILM

1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

1917 - Sam Mendes
THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
JOKER - Todd Phillips
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
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FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
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SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
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RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
AL PACINO - The Irishman
JOE PESCI - The Irishman
BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

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JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
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APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
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RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

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KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
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CASTING

JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

AWKWAFINA
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KELVIN HARRISON JR.
MICHEAL WARD

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1917 - Roger Deakins
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JOKER - Lawrence Sher
LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
JOKER - Jeff Groth
LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

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THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
JUDY - Jany Temime
LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

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THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
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ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

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LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

1917 - Thomas Newman
JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

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THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

1917 - Naomi Donne
BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

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THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald