In showbiz, as in life, they say, timing is everything. You've either got it, or you haven't. The miners in Chile had it. My actor-friend Paul, whose big career break on a new UK television drama coincided with the start of the rescue mission at Camp Hope last Monday evening, hadn't.
By the time his featured episode commenced at 10pm local time, his moment in the spotlight was being watched by an audience of at least 18 people. The rest of the world - including me - were glued instead to the BBC and the unfolding events at San Jose. The capsule was down and the first miner was being winched, metre by agonising metre, from the jaws of oblivion and up into the arms of his loved ones. Here really was the ultimate in cliffhangers.
And what drama it offered. Each returning miner offered a fresh story - for some, jubilant celebration, for others a stiff-limbed descent onto their knees and a prayer to the God who had delivered them.
Some hugged babies they had never seen, while others found themselves not only greeting their wives but, how shall we say... certain other long-term lady friends they had, until now, been able to keep discreetly separate.
It was the ultimate made-for-TV soap opera, each fresh instalment occurring at 30-minute intervals, ideal for a comfort break or the chance to pop out into the kitchen for a cup of tea. It even had a happy ending.
But although the rescue mission is now over, there's still big money to be made from the events in the Atacama Desert, and you can be sure that every last scrap will be cannibalised for commercial gain.
Already, UK supermarkets have discounted the sale of Chilean food and beverages with a resultant increase of up to 25 per cent in sales, while travel agents are reporting a huge spike in holidays to South America.
And what of Camp Hope itself? One astute entrepreneur has already done well out of the disaster, charging the media $250 per night to stay there. His initiative is surely just the beginning.
There is talk of turning the site into a sprawling theme park, and it doesn't take much imagination to envisage the scene in a couple of years' time once corporate hospitality has moved in: "Welcome, everyone to The San Jose Experience, Chile's only Las Vegas-style luxury desert resort; complete with casinos, spas and beauty treatment salons."
For anyone interested in experiencing the miners' ordeal for themselves, a luxury fur-lined capsule complete with complimentary tea will take you in sleek comfort down into the very pit of hell, where you'll be able to wander among the underground shopping malls, stopping off at the souvenir shop for some trinkets to take back to the folks at home: some San Jose wraparound sunglasses perhaps, or a bottle of genuine Atacama mineral water.
Perhaps, inevitably, Hollywood will be first out of the traps. Apparently plans are afoot to remint the drama into a blockbuster, with the Oscar-nominated actor Javier Bardem already linked with the project.
But you can be sure it won't stop with Bardem. Virtually every movie star in Tinseltown will be jostling to get down that mineshaft, particularly, if as in the case of the original cast members, it revives a flagging career.
So who can we expect to emerge from the Phoenix II capsule when it replays in 18 months' time? Will it be Tom Cruise as plucky little Florencino Avalos, his face begrimed by expertly applied streaks of dust and grime? Will he run to greet his adoring partner, played by Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz?
And what then? Perhaps a rousing chorus of the Chilean national anthem with the billionaire President Russell Crowe and his wife (Meryl Streep with perfectly coiffured hair and polished hard hat).
And what of Luis Urzua, the foreman, the man whose leadership and quiet courage in those unthinkable first 17 days kept hope flickering in the hearts of his terrified colleagues? Surely a role for Morgan Freeman.
For now, I count myself privileged to have been around to witness the original in all its chaotic, rough-hewn glory. Despite my bleary eyes and bitten fingernails, the faces of those 32 miners emerging from their prison will be something I'll never forget. Yes, I know there were 33, but I deliberately didn't watch the final rescue. And please don't tell me what happened - I'm waiting for the movie.
Michael Simkins is an actor and writer based in London
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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
Company%20profile
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
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.
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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