Shah Rukh Khan, right, with the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius. Punit Paranjpe / AFP
Shah Rukh Khan, right, with the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius. Punit Paranjpe / AFP

Shah Rukh Khan receives top French honour



The Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was awarded France's highest civilian honour on Tuesday for his contribution to cinema. The actor received the Knight of the Legion of Honour from the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. "There are different moments in life that make you feel that you are on the right track. This is one such moment," said Khan, 48, one of Indian cinema's most recognisable faces. Fabius said the French hailed the actor's "talent and generosity, which arouse the enthusiasm of a vast audience across the world, transcending cultural and historical differences and bringing together people from all walks of life to his films". In a career spanning three decades, Khan has made himself the biggest box-office draw in Bollywood as the hero of romantic dramas and high-octane action movies. His fellow superstar Amitabh Bachchan received the French award in 2007. – AFP

Jennifer Love Hewitt to join Criminal Minds

CBS says Jennifer Love Hewitt is joining the cast of Criminal Minds this autumn. She will play Kate Callahan, a seasoned undercover agent whose superior work at the FBI earns her a place in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Hewitt is returning to series television after five seasons starring on CBS's Ghost Whisperer, which was broadcast from 2005 to 2010. Before that, she was in the Fox drama Party of Five. Her film appearances include I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel. CBS says her Criminal Minds character will be introduced in the series' 10th season premiere, set to be broadcast on October 1. – AP

Preity Zinta addresses feud with Ness Wadia on Facebook

The actress Preity Zinta, who has accused the Indian industrialist and her former boyfriend Ness Wadia of abuse, took to Facebook on Tuesday to explain her actions. The post, titled "For the Record", recounts how the actress has been on "a moral and emotional roller coaster" ever since she filed the complaint on June 12. Zinta has accused Wadia of abusing and threatening her during an Indian Premier League game in Mumbai on May 30. Wadia has denied the allegations. – IANS

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Mazursky dies

Paul Mazursky, the director who showed the absurdity of modern life in such movies as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and An Unmarried Woman (1978), has died. He was 84. The filmmaker died of pulmonary cardiac arrest on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. As a talented writer, actor, producer and director, Mazursky racked up five Oscar nominations, mostly for writing, which included Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Enemies, A Love Story (1989). He also created memorable roles for actors such as Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh and Natalie Wood. Later in life, Mazursky acted in television series such as The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Once and Again. – AP

Shia LaBeouf treated for alcoholism

A publicist for Shia LaBeouf says the actor is being treated for alcoholism. Melissa Kates said on Tuesday that the 28-year-old actor has not checked into a rehab facility but is receiving voluntary treatment for alcohol addiction. Kates said in a statement that LaBeouf's recent actions – which include an arrest for disrupting a Broadway play – are symptoms of a larger health problem. She said he has taken the first of many necessary steps towards recovery. LaBeouf was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and harassment during a production of Cabaret last week. The actor was arrested for drink-driving in 2008 after he crashed his pickup truck, injuring his hand and knee. LaBeouf is best known for appearing in the first three Transformers films. – AP

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi

One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. 

The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier. 

It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.  

“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. 

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

MATCH SCHEDULE

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)

Liverpool v Roma

Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)

Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26

Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Blonde
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.