Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan will join dignitaries and celebrities from the United Kingdom and India in a ceremony on Saturday, March 14 to unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at London’s Parliament Square.
UK prime minister David Cameron tweeted from his official Twitter account on Wednesday, March 11: “#GandhiStatue is being unveiled this Saturday in Parliament Squre. gates open at 9:15am.”
“We are delighted that @SrBachchan will read at the unveiling of the #GandhiStatue on Saturday,” tweeted the British department for culture, media and sport.
The bronze statue commemorates the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, and the non-violent movement he founded to free India of British rule.
British sculptor Philip Jackson began work on the statue in July 2014, according to www.gov.uk. It will be unveiled by Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
The ceremony will also feature live music, and a speech by by Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the former governor of West Bengal.
Bachchan will next be seen in Shoojit Sircar's new drama Piku, which also stars Deepika Padukone. The film is due out on May 7 in the UAE and May 8 in India.
‘PIKU ‘ the film...Deepika, Irrfan, AB with Shoojit Sarkar director... confirmed release May 8 by Adi Chopra YRF and Sony,” Amitabh tweeted on March 12.
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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