Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan will join dignitaries and celebrities from the United Kingdom and India in a ceremony on Saturday, March 14 to unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at London’s Parliament Square.
UK prime minister David Cameron tweeted from his official Twitter account on Wednesday, March 11: “#GandhiStatue is being unveiled this Saturday in Parliament Squre. gates open at 9:15am.”
“We are delighted that @SrBachchan will read at the unveiling of the #GandhiStatue on Saturday,” tweeted the British department for culture, media and sport.
The bronze statue commemorates the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, and the non-violent movement he founded to free India of British rule.
British sculptor Philip Jackson began work on the statue in July 2014, according to www.gov.uk. It will be unveiled by Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
The ceremony will also feature live music, and a speech by by Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the former governor of West Bengal.
Bachchan will next be seen in Shoojit Sircar's new drama Piku, which also stars Deepika Padukone. The film is due out on May 7 in the UAE and May 8 in India.
‘PIKU ‘ the film...Deepika, Irrfan, AB with Shoojit Sarkar director... confirmed release May 8 by Adi Chopra YRF and Sony,” Amitabh tweeted on March 12.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m; Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Greeley, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Marzaga, Jim Crowley, Ana Mendez.
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Ashras, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
