There’s nothing like bad weather to inspire an array of morose metaphors and soppy similes. The really bad news is that the setting of Ali Shaw’s latest novel in the fictional hamlet of Thunderstown – where dogs made of wind roam its outskirts at night and canaries hatch from sunbeams – provides a fertile breeding ground for frequent examples.
It isn’t that the concept behind the story completely fails. Rather, there’s plenty of scope for a captivating plot in the first few chapters covering Elsa Beletti’s escape from bustling New York City for the peaceful, if eerie, calm of Thunderstown. Grieving for her recently deceased father, the last thing Elsa needs is more chaos. Instead, she runs into Finn Munro, a man with a storm inside him. Literally.
As it also turns out, their star-crossed romance is where Shaw’s otherwise competent storytelling falls short. Ironically, the tempestuous ballad of Finn and Elsa lacks the spark which should have come as prerequisite of writing about a man who oozes thunder on a bad day. Though it has its inspiring moments, the novel as a whole hardly makes for compelling reading.
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Sour%20Grapes
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
