Oprah talks about Rihanna and Brown reunion
Oprah Winfrey says she find nothing wrong with the news that Rihanna has reunited with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, who was accused of assaulting the singer in 2009. In an interview on the show Oprah's Next Chapter, Rihanna admitted she's still in love with Brown. Talking to the entertainment news show Extra on Sunday, Winfrey said: "I think that if she is prepared to deal with that and to help Chris help himself, then so be it. I have no judgement whatsoever. If that's how you choose to lead your life, that's really OK. You know, what I loved about that interview is that she came with a big, wide-open heart. She was in the space of forgiveness." * IANS
Private Practice actress weds Broadway star
Audra McDonald and Will Swenson have tied the knot. According to a publicist for the Private Practice actress, the couple married on Saturday at their home in New York. McDonald has an 11-year-old daughter, while the Broadway actor Swenson has two sons. McDonald, who also appears on Broadway, recently won a record-tying fifth Tony Award for Porgy and Bess. * AP
Amber Tamblyn and David Cross tie the knot
Another Hollywood couple wed on Saturday – Amber Tamblyn and David Cross. Tamblyn, 29, is best known for her roles in The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants and House. She will appear in Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming Django Unchained. Cross, 48, will reprise his role in the revived Arrested Development. This is the first marriage for both actors.
Ben Affleck leaves a note after sideswiping car
While driving around Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, Ben Affleck accidentally knocked the mirror off a parked car, but made sure to leave a note on its windscreen before leaving the scene. "Hi, knocked off your mirror! Very sorry! Will cover everything – Ben," the note read, along with his contact information, according to photographs snapped by E! Online. The 40-year-old actor was later spotted taking his two daughters to McDonald's. * IANS
Hallyday does NY for the first time since the 1960s
He's 69 and has had health problems of late, but the French rocker Johnny Hallyday sounded like a teenager when he talked about his first performance in New York in 50 years. "A two-hour show with music from the 1970s up through to today, with fantastic musicians. It is going to be true rock 'n' roll. We're going to bring the house down," Hallyday said before his Sunday performance. Known as France's answer to Elvis Presley, Hallyday has sold more than 100 million albums since the 1960s. But his fans got a scare over the summer when he was treated for bronchitis, then hospitalised again last month. Now he's back on tour, with concerts scheduled in London, Luxembourg, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Brussels. Hallyday also has an album coming out in November and will shoot a movie in January with the French director Claude Lelouch. * AFP
New Zealand capital turns Middle-earth
New Zealand's capital of Wellington is preparing for the world premiere of the first film in The Hobbit trilogy by showcasing an artisan festival selling small-folk paraphernalia and renaming the city after the trilogy's fictitious setting of Middle-earth. Wellington will spend NZ$1 million (Dh3.3m) to mark the November 28 premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, directed by the Wellington resident Peter Jackson and filmed on location in New Zealand. Wellington plans to unofficially rename itself "The Middle of Middle-earth" for three weeks before and after the premiere. The name will appear on everything from postmarks on letters to newspaper mastheads. * AP
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
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 biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Palestine and Israel - live updates
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
