The pre-wedding celebrations are under way for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.
Ambani, the youngest son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is hosting a lavish three-day bash in Jamnagar that began on Friday. The 1,200-strong guest list is a who's-who of Bollywood, business leaders, Indian cricketers, politicians and business tycoons.
Pop star Rihanna was at the event on Friday night and sang some of her biggest career hits, while Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh and American illusionist David Blaine are also expected to perform.
Matching the dress code of “elegant cocktail", Rihanna wore a fluorescent green bodycon and glittery custom-made gown by Indian designer Manish Malhotra.
“I’m here tonight in honour of Anant and Radhika, thank you for having me here. God bless your union, I wish you all the best, congratulations,” she said as she took the stage.
Other famous faces spotted include Bollywood stars Vicky Kaushal and wife Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and girlfriend Paula Hurd were also in attendance.
On Friday morning, Bollywood fans joined the throngs of paparazzi outside the airport in Jamnagar city to catch a glimpse of stars and VIPs arriving for the event.
Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, who also announced they are expected their first child later in the year, were mobbed as they arrived. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan landed in casually comfortable clothing, while Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan and daughter Suhana were spotted arriving separately in a Range Rover and Rolls-Royce.
Meanwhile, UAE businessman Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties, and his wife Ghamzeh were also seen at the airport as was Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US president Donald Trump, who wore an all-white outfit. All guests were flown on chartered flights into Jamnagar.
The main wedding event will be held in July in Mumbai.
According to a nine-page event guide and wardrobe planner sent to guests and seen by The National, the celebrations will include several themed parties, kicking off with a cocktail party called An Evening in Everland on Friday.
Akash Ambani, Anant's brother, was one of the first to arrive in Jamnagar on Thursday morning. Also spotted were Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor, who were seen being driven away in separate Rolls-Royce cars.
Ranbir Kapoor is rumoured to be performing with his wife, actress Alia Bhatt, at the event.
Malhotra, who's dressing the Ambani family for the occasion, also posted his arrival in Jamnagar on his Instagram Stories.
The Ambanis, who operate one of the world's largest oil refineries in Jamnagar, said they chose the city because it was “the place closest to our hearts”.
“Over the years, we planted more than 10 million trees in this arid region, transforming it into a bustling green community,” they said in their invitation. “Taking the spirit of this initiative further, Anant has lovingly nurtured this complex into a haven of care and compassion for more than a thousand rescued animals.”
On Wednesday, Ambani and Merchant hosted a communal dinner for 51,000 local villagers.
The Ambanis are not known to cut corners for their weddings. Anant's sister Isha Ambani's star-studded 7 billion rupee nuptials in 2018 is still the most expensive Indian wedding of all time and included a performance by Beyonce.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Torque: 1075Nm
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Key facilities
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
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Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
BMW M5 specs
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
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The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
