Joanna Lumley in Old Palace Yard, London, following her victory on banning detonation as a means of clearing underwater unexploded ordnance for offshore windfarm construction. Picture date: Tuesday November 16, 2021.
Joanna Lumley in Old Palace Yard, London, following her victory on banning detonation as a means of clearing underwater unexploded ordnance for offshore windfarm construction. Picture date: Tuesday NoShow more

Joanna Lumley says damehood is ‘kindest and most beautiful present’



Joanna Lumley says she is “astonished, thrilled and touched beyond words” at being made a dame in the New Year Honours.

The actress, 75, known for her role as Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous, has been honoured for services to drama, entertainment and charitable causes.

She said in a statement to the PA news agency: “I am astonished and thrilled and touched beyond words to receive this colossal honour. It comes as a complete and unexpected surprise, and is the kindest and most beautiful present imaginable.”

Acting aside, she has also made a name for herself as a campaigner, fighting for the rights of Gurkhas to settle in the UK and also supporting numerous environmental campaigns.

The glamorous actress was made an OBE in 1995, and received the Bafta TV Fellowship at a star-studded ceremony in 2017.

Accepting that award on stage, she said: “This for me is paradise, I am in the company that I wished to keep ever since I was young. I wanted to be with the people who left race and religion and gender and shoe size outside the door.

“I wanted to be with those people, I wanted to hang out with the boys in the band, I wanted to be part of the sisterhood, I wanted to be in this real circus.”

Absolutely Fabulous originally ran between 1992 and 1996 but was revived from 2001 to 2004.

Her other career highlights include her role as Purdey in The New Avengers, a role that propelled her to fame in 1976 – and she also made a less-well-publicised appearance in 1973 on Coronation Street as Ken Barlow’s posh girlfriend Elaine.

Lumley’s film credits include a role in the 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, she also shared a kiss with Leonardo DiCaprio while starring in the Martin Scorsese crime drama The Wolf of Wall Street and appeared in two Pink Panther films.

In 2016 she and her co-star Jennifer Saunders made a triumphant return to the big screen as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone for Absolutely Fabulous The Movie, which included celebrity cameos from Kate Moss, Jon Hamm, and more.

Born at an altitude of almost 3,000 metres in the Himalayas, in Kashmir, where her father was an officer in the Gurkha Rifles, Lumley was educated at a convent in Hastings, East Sussex.

After starting out as a model, her talents extended beyond the catwalk and she soon made a name on the stage.

Lumley has two Baftas under her belt for her performance in Ab Fab, and in 2000 she claimed the Special Award for her work in The New Avengers.

Other recent television stints include a guest role in sitcom Motherland as well as ITV’s Finding Alice.

Her 2022 TV projects include Joanna Lumley’s Secret Cities, a three-part documentary series for ITV in which she visits Rome, Paris and Berlin.

She said of the project: “I’m drawn to cities crammed with human life, trailing clouds of history and experience, harbouring secrets and flashing their achievements. Cities are magnets to every kind of person, including me – I’m going to lift the curtain on some of their strange and surprising secrets – join me and be amazed.”

In 2019 she was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Chester in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the arts.

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.

CREW
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Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

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How to tell if your child is being bullied at school

Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety

Shows signs of depression or isolation

Ability to sleep well diminishes

Academic performance begins to deteriorate

Changes in eating habits

Struggles to concentrate

Refuses to go to school

Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings

Begins to use language they do not normally use

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

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

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Summer special

The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Updated: December 31, 2021, 10:30 PM