In Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book. Photo: Apple TV+
In Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book. Photo: Apple TV+
In Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book. Photo: Apple TV+
In Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book. Photo: Apple TV+

New movies, shows and music to stream this week, from Love is Blind Habibi to a Cate Blanchett thriller


  • English
  • Arabic

The Middle Eastern spin-off of reality show Love is Blind is here, featuring a cast of singles looking for their life partners. Meanwhile, Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alfonso Cuaron are teaming up for a thriller that's already earning rave reviews. And romcom fans can watch out for a new film pairing Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth.

For music fans, Charli XCX is launching an extended version of her viral album Brat, and Becky G has a new Spanish album.

Here are some of the latest music, movies and shows to stream this week.

New shows to stream

Love is Blind Habibi (Netflix)

Love is Blind Habibi is the Arabic version of Netflix's hit reality show Love is Blind. Photo: Netflix
Love is Blind Habibi is the Arabic version of Netflix's hit reality show Love is Blind. Photo: Netflix

The regional adaptation of Love is Blind brings together a diverse group of singles from across the Arab world, each with their own unique stories and backgrounds. Similar to the international versions, the 20 cast members from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Iraq, will try to find genuine connections, fall in love and get engaged, all before they've even met.

The nine-episode series will be hosted by Saudi celebrity couple Elham Ali and Khaled Saqer, and was extensively shot in Dubai.

Citadel: Diana (Prime Video)

Matilda De Angelis as Diana Cavalieri in Citadel: Diana. Photo: Prime Video
Matilda De Angelis as Diana Cavalieri in Citadel: Diana. Photo: Prime Video

More than a year after the American version fronted by Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden was released, Citadel's first spin-off is ready. Set in Italy, Citadel: Diana follows Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis), a member of the independent spy agency Citadel, which was destroyed by a powerful syndicate called Manticore. Alone and trapped behind enemy lines, Diana's only chance to disappear and save herself is by trusting Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the heir of Manticore Italy.

The high-octane action thriller will be followed by an Indian spin-off, starring Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, which will have its premiere on November 7. Citadel was created by the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joseph, best known for their Marvel movies. The original show with Chopra Jonas and Madden, which aired in April, is one of Prime Video's most viewed original shows.

Sweetpea (OSN+)

Ella Purnell in Sweetpea. Photo: Starz
Ella Purnell in Sweetpea. Photo: Starz

Based on the bestselling book of the same name, this dark comedy-drama follows Rhiannon. Her quiet life working as an office manager and living with her boyfriend and dog is thrown into chaos when a bully from her past life returns to haunt her.

English actress Ella Purnell, best known for her role in the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets, plays the lead.

Teacup (OSN+)

Teacup is a new horror series set in rural Georgia. Photo: Peacock
Teacup is a new horror series set in rural Georgia. Photo: Peacock

Inspired by horror writer Robert R McCammon's book Stinger, this new show is set in an isolated ranch in rural Georgia, US, where a group of neighbours must put aside their differences and band together against a mysterious and deadly threat.

James Wan, known for the Saw and Conjuring movies, serves as one of the executive producers on the show.

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Cate Blanchett and Sacha Baron Cohen star in Disclaimer. Photo: Apple TV+
Cate Blanchett and Sacha Baron Cohen star in Disclaimer. Photo: Apple TV+

Hollywood powerhouses Blanchett and Cuaron, director of acclaimed films such as Gravity and Roma, collaborate on this psychological thriller based on a book of the same name by Renee Knight. Blanchett plays a renowned journalist whose life is upended when she discovers she's the central character in a new book, which reveals a dark secret she has tried to keep hidden.

The show's ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 2021 film The Power of the Dog. South Korean actress Jung Ho-yeon, best known for her role in Squid Game, also stars.

New movies to stream

Ibn El Hajj Ahmad (October 11, OSN+)

This Egyptian comedy follows Ahmed who's helping his father run a supermarket. One day, he discovers that his father is actually a former secret agent and a gang has been sent to eliminate him. With the help of his friend Nabila, Ahmed embarks on an action-packed adventure that does not always go as planned.

The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)

A haenyeo diver of South Korea's Jeju Island featured in The Last of the Sea Women. Photo: Apple TV+
A haenyeo diver of South Korea's Jeju Island featured in The Last of the Sea Women. Photo: Apple TV+

For centuries, the haenyeo (divers) of South Korea’s Jeju Island have been renowned for reaching the ocean floor – without oxygen – to harvest seafood for their livelihood.

Often called real-life mermaids, most haenyeo are now in their sixties, seventies and eighties, with their traditions and way of life facing multiple oceanic threats. This documentary follows these fierce women as they partner with the younger generation in a fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. The film looks at their tight-knit friendships, independence and sense of empowerment, resulting in an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation.

Lonely Planet (Netflix)

Laura Dern as Katherine Loewe and Liam Hemsworth as Owen Brophy in Lonely Planet. Photo: Netflix
Laura Dern as Katherine Loewe and Liam Hemsworth as Owen Brophy in Lonely Planet. Photo: Netflix

Susannah Grant, the writer of the Oscar-nominated film Erin Brockovich, directs this romcom, starring Dern and Hemsworth in the lead. Dern plays a reclusive novelist who arrives at a writer’s retreat in Morocco, hoping the remote setting will unlock her writer’s block. There, she meets a young man, which turns into a life-altering love affair.

"With Lonely Planet, I wanted to make a film about the transformational power of travel," Grant said. "How sometimes journeying thousands of miles away from everything you know about your life can make you see it, and yourself, in a revealing new light.

"Lonely Planet is a testament to the power of letting go of the familiar – a reminder of how much can be learned by forgetting everything you thought you knew."

New music to stream

Becky G's Encuentros

The cover of Becky G's latest album Encuentros. Becky G / Instagram
The cover of Becky G's latest album Encuentros. Becky G / Instagram

A follow-up to last year's album Esquinas, the American-Mexican pop star continues her work in Mexicana music with her fourth Spanish record. Translated to "encounters", Becky G said she's fulfilling a hunger that started when she was working on Esquinas.

"My last album started a fire within my creative soul that brought new colours to my world, and deep down inside I knew I couldn’t stop there … so I didn’t," she wrote on Instagram in August when announcing the album. "Since last year, I continued discovering, feeling, healing and creating. All of the parts of me that I found along the way, I have now poured into this album with so much love and dedication. You guys said you wanted more, and so did I."

Charli XCX's Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat

The cover of Charli XCX's remixed summer triumph. Photo: Atlantic Records
The cover of Charli XCX's remixed summer triumph. Photo: Atlantic Records

"Brat summer" may be over but Charli XCX is not quite done with her hit album, which was released in June. She's releasing a deluxe, double-album version of Brat, where each of the 16 tracks is remixed with new artists. And it's raining A-listers, with names such as Ariana Grande, Tinashe, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Troye Sivan and Robyn involved.

The commercially and critically successful Brat is the British singer's sixth album and her biggest album to date.

Jelly Roll's Beautifully Broken

The cover of Jelly Roll's album Beautifully Broken. Photo: Republic Records
The cover of Jelly Roll's album Beautifully Broken. Photo: Republic Records

Known for his soulful voice, country-rock singer Jelly Roll's latest album is inspired by his coming tour. While many know him from his multiple award-winning album Whitsitt Chapel, which he released last year, Beautifully Broken is the Nashville native's 10th studio album.

Having been in and out of jail 40 times before turning his life around, Jelly Roll's searing lyrics about adversity, addiction and suffering have won him fans around the world. Beautifully Broken looks set to continue in a similar vein, with tracks so far released including I Am Not Okay, Get By, Liar and Winning Streak.

Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania ​​​​​​​
Verdict: 4 Stars

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Cherry

Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo

Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo

1/5

MATCH INFO

World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

How Voiss turns words to speech

The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen

The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser

This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen

A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB

The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free

Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards

Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser

Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages

At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness

More than 90 per cent live in developing countries

The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

If you go

The flights

Fly direct to London from the UAE with Etihad, Emirates, British Airways or Virgin Atlantic from about Dh2,500 return including taxes. 

The hotel

Rooms at the convenient and art-conscious Andaz London Liverpool Street cost from £167 (Dh800) per night including taxes.

The tour

The Shoreditch Street Art Tour costs from £15 (Dh73) per person for approximately three hours. 

Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017

Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free

Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa

Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia

Keane on …

Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”

Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”

Scoreline

Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan

 Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’

Paltan

Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

The biog

Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer

Marital status: Single

Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran

Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food

Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish

Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com

Reading List

Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever

Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays

How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen

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
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Other key dates
  • Finals draw: December 2
  • Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
Company%20profile
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Updated: October 11, 2024, 6:01 PM`