It was, arguably, one of the most anticlimactic ends to the Oscars.
Finishing the night off with the prestigious Best Actor trophy, the 93rd Academy Awards did not end with the usual tear-filled acceptance speech.
Instead, it closed with a headshot and a quick sentence from last year's category winner, Joaquin Phoenix.
Sir Anthony Hopkins claimed this year's Best Actor trophy, for his stirring performance in drama The Father, but the Welsh star was not in attendance at the Sunday night event.
Instead, after the actor beat out Riz Ahmed and the late Chadwick Boseman for the trophy, a simple portrait appeared on screen, as Phoenix stated: "The Academy congratulates Anthony Hopkins and accepts the Oscar on his behalf."
The show then drew to an abrupt close.
However, hours after his win, Hopkins posted a video to his Instagram account thanking the Academy for the award, and paying tribute to his fellow nominee Boseman.
"Good morning, here I am in my homeland in Wales and at 83 years of age, I did not expect to get that award, I really didn’t," he said, set against the backdrop of the sunny Welsh countryside. "I am very grateful to the Academy.
"I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman who was taken from us far too early, and again, thank you very much. I really did not expect this, so I feel very privileged and honoured, thank you."
In his accompanying caption, he also thanked members of the film's team and his family. "Thank you to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sony Pictures Classics, Florian Zeller, UTA, Jeremy Barber, Christine Crais, Mitch Smelkinson, Juan Miguel Arias, Tara Arroyave, my wife and family," he wrote.
At 83, the actor is now the oldest-ever winner of an Academy Award in the acting categories, usurping the late Christopher Plummer, who previously held the title for his 2011 Best Supporting Actor win for Beginners.
In The Father, directed by Florian Zeller, Hopkins put in an acclaimed, heart-wrenching portrayal of a man with dementia.
It is not yet known exactly why Hopkins forewent the glitzy event, but his non-appearance sparked plenty of humorous reactions on social media.
A victory speech had been anticipated to be delivered by Hopkins's The Father co-star, Olivia Colman, who joined the Oscars from a satellite hub in London, but did not materialise.
Hopkins's win was one of the biggest surprises of the 93rd Academy Awards, with Boseman widely expected to win for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, after similar success at the Golden Globes and Sag Awards.
The actor, who died last year aged 43 after privately battling colon cancer, was posthumously nominated for Best Actor.
Ahmed, who plays a drummer losing his hearing in Sound of Metal, was also a contender, with his nomination making him the first Muslim actor honoured in the category.
Sunday night's gong marked the second Oscar win for Hopkins, who won Best Actor in 1992 for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
The star, who won Best Actor at this month's Baftas, was also absent from the London event. He had earlier declined to attend the ceremony via Zoom and was in a hotel in Wales when his name was announced as the winner. However, he was so immersed while painting in a room next door, he missed giving an acceptance speech.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
