On Friday, George Michael gave a press conference outside his London home, against the backdrop of a Christmas tree, to reassure fans that he is on the road to recovery after battling pneumonia, which he had contracted while on tour in Austria.
Looking frail and weak, and struggling for breath, the 48-year-old British singer said he had "almost died" and that it had been "touch and go" at times during the month he spent in a Vienna hospital.
"It was by far the worst month of my life but I am incredibly, incredibly fortunate to be here," he said, following his release from hospital on Thursday and return to Britain.
He wore a scarf to protect his neck, and revealed that surgeons had performed a tracheotomy on him. He appeared on the verge of tears as he spoke of his gratitude towards the medical staff who saved his life.
"I spent the past 10 days since I woke up literally thanking people for saving my life, which I have never had to before and I never want to again," he said, his voice cracking.
The pneumonia forced the singer to cancel his Symphonica tour, having already performed 45 shows. He had been due to give a concert in the Austrian capital when he was admitted to hospital.
He promised on Friday to rearrange the concerts; he also said he wanted to perform for the doctors at the Austrian hospital who treated him.
He claimed that he was a "new man" following his near-death experience. "If I wasn't spiritual enough before the last four or five weeks, then I certainly am now," he said.
Larsson's partner chides Dragon Tattoo marketing
The longtime partner of late Swedish crime writer Stieg Larsson says the author wouldn't have approved of merchandise being linked to this week's release of a Hollywood adaptation of his bestselling novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, according to reports by the Associated Press.
Eva Gabrielsson said Monday that Larsson would have instead used the buzz around his work to call attention to violence against women.
"We would never have sold any rights for merchandising," she said. "It has nothing to do with books."
H&M has released a Dragon Tattoo Collection inspired by Lisbeth Salander - the books' tattooed anti-heroine.
Gabrielsson expressed concern that the political dimension of the books would be overlooked by the film's hype. She said the feminist theme had been partly lost with the creation of the English title, which she thinks sounds like "a children's book".
Etta James hospitalised for breathing trouble
Blues singer Etta James was hospitalised at a southern California hospital last week, after experiencing difficulty breathing. The 73-year-old is considered terminally ill.
Her manager of 30 years told the Associated Press that the singer is "in pretty bad shape" but it remains unknown whether she will be able to be released. She is currently on a breathing apparatus.
James's doctor recently announced that the At Last singer has been diagnosed with terminal leukemia. The Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is also suffering from dementia. She has been receiving mostly at-home care.
Robert De Niro, wife welcome baby girl
Robert De Niro's spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, told the Associated Press that the actor and his 56-year-old wife, Grace Hightower, welcomed a healthy, 3.3kg baby girl named Helen Grace Hightower through a surrogate mother.
The baby is the couple's second child. Their son, Elliot, is 13. No other details were provided.
De Niro, who is part of an all-star cast in the movie New Year's Eve, currently showing in UAE cinemas, has four other children from previous relationships.
Richard Gere to get George Eastman Award
Richard Gere, who has appeared in more than 40 films, is getting a George Eastman Award in upstate New York for his contributions to movies and humanitarian causes.
The star of such films as An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman will be honoured on February 16 during a ceremony at Rochester's George Eastman House, the restored home of the founder of photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co., according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.
Past recipients of the George Eastman Award include Lauren Bacall, Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Company%20profile
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BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
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
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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