Katie Holmes was spotted in New York on Monday without her wedding ring, her first public appearance after filing for divorce from Tom Cruise. She was on her way to a shoot for the television series Project Runway in Times Square. Throngs of paparazzi were camped outside the Manhattan building where she was staying. Meanwhile, the Church of Scientology has issued a statement dismissing reports that Cruise - a prominent Scientologist - wanted their six-year-old daughter Suri to join Sea Org, described as a boot camp for the controversial religion, which sources earlier reported to be the cause of the divorce. * AFP
Justin Bieber graduates from high school
Justin Bieber graduated from Ontario's St Michael Catholic Secondary School last Thursday, reported the Canadian news agency QMI. Bieber, 18, travelled to Atlanta with his mother at age 13 to break into the music industry, but has continued his education via online courses. He did not attend the commencement ceremony. Bieber has repeatedly declined to comment about his studies.
The Newsroom and True Blood renewed by HBO
HBO says it's bringing back The Newsroom and True Blood for another season. True Blood, the hit vampire drama starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, will be returning for a sixth season next year. The Newsroom, created by Aaron Sorkin, won a green light after airing just two episodes. Set at a cable news network, it features Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer. * AP
Josh Lucas welcomes a son
The actor Josh Lucas and his writer wife Jessica have welcomed their first child: Noah Rev was born on Friday in New York. The couple tied the knot in March, when they also confirmed their pending parenthood.
Robbie Williams opts out of Olympics
Robbie Williams has backed out of his scheduled performance at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics to be with his pregnant wife, Ayda Field, who is due to give birth at the same time as the event. The singer was lined up to perform a solo track and a number with his pop group Take That. * IANS
Alec Baldwin gives US$1 million to orchestra
The New York Philharmonic announced it had received a gift of US$1 million (Dh3.67m) from Alec Baldwin, to honour its outgoing president Zarin Mehta. The actor is a member of the orchestra's board and the host of its radio show. Baldwin, who wed his girlfriend Hilaria Thomas last Saturday, said in a statement: "I have loved classical music all my life, but Mehta made my dream of becoming part of the world come true."
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
BLACKBERRY
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UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
