With a guest list made up of Oscar winners and British royalty, James Bond film No Time to Die at last received its world premiere in London on Tuesday.
It was the city’s biggest red carpet event since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wet weather failed to dampen spirits as Daniel Craig, dressed in an eye-catching pink velvet dinner jacket, and co-stars including Lashana Lynch and Lea Seydoux reunited for the hotly anticipated movie, which cinema operators hope will bring viewing figures back to pre-pandemic levels.
Among the premiere’s guest list were Britain’s Prince Charles, his son Prince William, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. As a thanks for their frontline work fighting the pandemic, health workers and members of the armed forces were also invited.
No Time to Die, the 25th Bond movie, appears in cinemas from this week. It has been delayed three times since its original April 2020 slot as cinemas around the world were forced to shut their doors or restrict audience numbers.
The Universal Pictures and MGM film is Craig’s fifth and final outing as the suave British secret agent known for his love of fast cars and cool gadgets, wrapping up a 15-year tenure that began with 2006’s Casino Royale.
“It’s such a great relief. It was so important to me to come and celebrate with all the other cast and crew and to get it into the cinemas and we’re here,” Craig told reporters.
“A year ago I didn’t think that was going to happen.”
Asked what he was going to miss the most from playing 007, he said: “The people.”
Costing about $200 million to produce, No Time to Die centres around Bond coming out of retirement from an idyllic life in Jamaica to help track down a new villain, played by Oscar winner Rami Malek, armed with lethal technology.
It introduces new agent Nomi, played by Lynch.
“I’m just happy it’s here and we get to celebrate it in the way that it deserves,” Lynch said.
“I know the world is expecting this film,” said Seydoux, who reprises her Spectre role as Madeleine Swann.
“We tried to give the best, we gave everything to this film ... and I hope people will love it.”
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
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4. Shahada
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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