When Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin introduced their daughter, Apple, to the world in 2004, their choice of name sparked a fair amount of ridicule.
But Paltrow has acknowledged that they have now been "beat" in the controversial baby name stakes by Elon Musk and partner Grimes, who announced this week that their new son is called X Æ A-12.
The Goop founder commented on a post on InStyle magazine's Instagram account, saying: "#Chrismartin I think we got beat for most controversial baby name."
Paltrow explained the reasoning behind her daughter’s name in an interview with Oprah in 2004. "When we were first pregnant, her daddy said: 'If it's a girl I think her name should be Apple.' It sounded so sweet, and it conjured such a lovely picture for me, you know. Apples are so sweet and they're wholesome, and it's biblical.”
Meanwhile, Musk has credited partner Grimes, real name Claire Elise Boucher, with the couple’s choice of baby name, and has been busy trying to explain how to translate it on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “It's just the letter X and then the Æ is pronounced 'Ash'. A-12 is my contribution…. Coolest plane ever. It's pretty great.”
Grimes, meanwhile, took to Twitter to explain the thinking behind the name, although she herself seems confused by its origins, as Musk had to correct her on one point. “A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favourite aircraft),” she wrote. To which Musk promptly commented: “SR-71, but yes”.
There is also some speculation about whether the name will be legally accepted in California, where birth certificates only allow the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
RESULT
Deportivo La Coruna 2 Barcelona 4
Deportivo: Perez (39'), Colak (63')
Barcelona: Coutinho (6'), Messi (37', 81', 84')
Zayed Sustainability Prize
