Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of the writer Truman Capote. Photo by Victoria Will /Invision / AP
Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of the writer Truman Capote. Photo by Victoria Will /Invision / AP

Four arrested in Hoffman investigation



The New York police arrested four people in Lower Manhattan after receiving a tip that the three men and a woman were the source of the heroin that killed Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died on Sunday from an apparent overdose. More than 350 bags of heroin were found in the arrested individuals’ apartments, according to The New York Times. Hoffman will be buried in a private funeral service, his publicist said in a statement on Tuesday, but did not specify when the service would happen. A memorial service for the actor is planned for later this month, the statement said.

Walker’s estate estimated at US$25 million

Paul Walker's teenage daughter is the sole beneficiary of the actor's estate, which is valued at an estimated $25 million (Dh92m), court records show. The star's final will calls for his father to serve as executor of the estate and for his mother to serve as guardian of the actor's 15-year-old daughter. The will was prepared and signed in 2001, the same year Walker starred in the first Fast & Furious film that launched the successful film franchise and will continue generating millions for the actor's estate. Walker, 40, died on November 30 in a car crash in Los Angeles. The records show that Walker's estate is expected to earn another $8m (Dh29.4m), some of which is likely related to the seventh Fast & Furious film scheduled to be released in April 2015. Shooting of the film was halfway complete when Walker was killed. Universal Pictures has said Walker will remain in the film but hasn't laid out how it will handle the footage that had already been shot. — AP

Salman Khan turns barber for charity

The Bollywood actor Salman Khan has filmed an episode for the forthcoming Indian reality series Mission Sapne, which features celebrities taking on everyday jobs for one day. The money earned by the star is then multiplied by the show's producers and donated to a person or organisation in need. For his episode, the 48-year-old Khan took on the role of a barber. Proceeds went to Qurban Ali, a barber who has lost both his legs. Mission Sapne, which does not have a premiere date yet, is hosted by Sonali Bendre and will also feature Ram Kapoor, Ronit Roy, Harbhajan Singh, Mika Singh and Varun Dhawan. — IANS

U2 rakes in $3m in a bid to combat Aids U2's new single, Invisible, raised more than $3 million (Dh11m) for the fight against Aids during the 36 hours it was available for free on iTunes. It scored more than one million downloads in the hour after it premiered in a Bank of America commercial during Sunday's Super Bowl, then picked up two million more until the free offer ended on Monday midnight, GMT. With Bank of America pledging one dollar for every download, Invisible raised more than $3 million for The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "We're just delighted there are still people very interested in us," Bono told BBC Radio One. — AFP

Pharrell to perform at the Oscars

Pharrell Williams will perform at the Academy Awards. The producer and performer will sing his nominated song Happy, which he wrote for Despicable Me 2. It's nominated for Best Original Song along with U2's Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Let It Go by Idina Menzel from Frozen and Karen O's The Moon Song from Her. The Oscars will be held March 2. — AP

Injured SRK back on set

The Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was injured while shooting his next film, Happy New Year, in Mumbai on January 23, resumed shooting his scenes on Tuesday. The actor sustained minor injuries to his face and shoulders after a heavy door fell on him while filming a song sequence, said an earlier report by The Hindu newspaper. Directed by Farah Khan, the action comedy is scheduled for an October release. — IANS

Red Hot Chili Peppers admit miming

The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea said in a letter to fans posted on the group's website on Tuesday that they pretended to play along to a pre-taped track of Give It Away during the Super Bowl half-time show on Sunday. The request came from NFL officials who felt it was too difficult to pull off a completely live performance because of potential sound issues. The admission came after observers noted Flea and his bandmates weren't plugged in while performing. Flea wrote on the band's website that the opportunity was too big for the lifelong football fans to turn down. After internal debate, dubiously checking with fellow musicians and consulting with the headliner Bruno Mars, they decided it was "a surreal-like, once-in-a-lifetime crazy thing to do and we would just have fun and do it". – AP

The Little Things

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

Four stars

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

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
How it works

1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground

2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water

3) One application is said to last five years

4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare 

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')

Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')

Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

SQUADS

South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi

Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed

Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom

Remaining fixtures
  • August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
  • September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association