There's a way for J K Rowling to continue to milk the Harry Potter series after all: by turning the prequel movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a franchise in its own right. It was announced last week that the planned trilogy of films was being expanded to five movies, and Rowling has revealed she will write all five, the first of which is out next month. There are also plans for a series of tie-in books.
Mister Who?
For many English-speakers, their childhood would not have been complete without a set of Mr Men or Little Miss books. These brightly coloured children's stories, created in 1971 by the late Roger Hargreaves, have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Similarly, Doctor Who has been a formative part of the lives of generations of children – which makes the news of a "mash-up" series of Doctor Who books written and illustrated in the distinctive Mr Men style exciting not only for children but also grown-ups. All of the Doctors to date will appear in their own books, titled Dr First to Dr Twelfth, with incumbent Peter Capaldi's flowing grey locks looking particularly extravagant. The first four are due out in the spring.
Translation talk
It is 10 years since the UAE ambassador to Russia, Omar Saif Ghobash, and his family launched, with Banipal magazine, an award for Arabic literary translation. The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize also now includes an annual lecture, the first of which was given by Palestinian author Anton Shammas on Friday at the British Library in London. He talked about a millennium of Arabic in translation, starting with the impact of Cairo mathematician Ibn Al Haytham on the Renaissance. Banipal has also announced the 19 books eligible for the 2016 prize, which includes 32 by Sahar Mandour.
* Ben East
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
