Katy Perry has failed to win over two elderly nuns whose former convent she wants to turn into her home. The hillside Italianate complex, valued at $15 million (Dh55m), is situated near Silver Lake in Los Angeles. In the latest legal salvo, sisters Rita Callanan, 77, and Catherine Rose Holzman, 86, challenged the authority of the archdiocese to sell the property. The motion, dated on Monday, accused the archdiocese of unilaterally changing the bylaws of the convent, known as the California Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Perry has visited the nuns, reportedly singing for them and telling them that she hopes to live in the property with her mother and grandmother. Callanan recently told the Los Angeles Times that she found Perry’s videos online and “if it’s all right to say, I wasn’t happy with any of it”. The nuns instead signed to sell the property to restaurateur Dana Hollister. The archdiocese countered that Hollister offered only $44,000 upfront with no promise to make payments to the ageing sisters for another three years. The archdiocese said that the three other remaining sisters supported the sale to Perry. The five sisters no longer live in the convent. – AFP
50 Cent testifies about his finances
Rapper 50 Cent, ranked by Forbes as one of hip-hop's five richest artists, downplayed his wealth on Tuesday as he testified in court about his finances and the media attention surrounding his recent bankruptcy filing. The multiplatinum-selling artist appeared at Manhattan state Supreme Court in a proceeding to decide possible additional punitive damages in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. A jury has already ordered him to pay $5 million (Dh18.3m) in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said he didn't have her permission when he released a sex tape she made with a boyfriend. Questioned by a lawyer representing the woman, Lastonia Leviston, the musician denied owning many luxury items – including cars and jewellery – saying he rents, borrows and leases instead. Days after the jury ordered he pay $5 million, Jackson filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Connecticut. – AP
Writer E L Doctorow dies at 84
Writer E L Doctorow, who wryly reimagined the American experience in novels such as Ragtime and The March and applied its lessons to the past and future in fiction and nonfiction, has died. He was 84. He died on Tuesday at a New York hospital from complications of lung cancer. He lived in New York and Sag Harbor. Considered one of the major authors of the 20th century, Doctorow enjoyed critical and popular success over his 50-year career. He won the National Book Award for fiction in 1986 for World's Fair and the National Book Critics Circle award in 1989 for Billy Bathgate and in 2005 for The March. – AP
Neha Dhupia trolled on Twitter
Bollywood star Neha Dhupia has been relentlessly trolled on Twitter ever since she raised questions on Tuesday about “good governance” after Mumbai ground to a standstill in a deluge of rain. The actress tweeted: “One rain n the city comes to a standstill. Good governance is not about selfies n main us do yoga, it’s making sure ur citizens r safe.” The tweet references Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his #SelfieWithDaughter and Yoga Day public campaigns. The 34-year-old actress’s comment has been regarded as mostly vicious. The tweet has been shared more than 2,700 times and has over 2,000 favourites, but attracted plenty of vitriol from social-media users, who accused Dhupia of “seeking publicity” and “dumbness”. She was also taunted about her flagging career. The actress has not responded to comments. – The National staff
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
RESULTS
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1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
The%20specs
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
