Il Volo is set to perform at this year's Taste of Abu Dhabi Festival at Zayed Sports City. The Italian pop trio has confirmed a trip to the capital and will take the stage at 3pm on Saturday, November 12. The award-winning trio, who describe their music as 'popera', consists of baritone Gianluca Ginoble, tenor Piero Barone and tenor Ignazaio Boschetto. Il Volo has performed with iconic artists such as Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion and Placido Domingo. The performance is included with a Saturday ticket to the Taste of Abu Dhabi festival (Dh65 online, Dh85 at the door). The Taste of Abu Dhabi is a food-filled celebration that features signature fare from some of the newest and best restaurants around the city. For tickets, visit www.tasteabudhabi.com/tickets.
JK Rowling’s next franchise features Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp is set to be part of Harry Potter author JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in a secret role. Depp will appear in a cameo in the first film, which opens on November 18, and have a bigger role alongside star Eddie Redmayne in the sequel in 2018. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is based on Rowling's book of the same name and set 60 years earlier than Harry Potter, in 1926 New York. There are five films planned in the Warner Bros. Franchise. -AP
Instashopping on Instagram
Instagram says it will start testing features that let smartphone or tablet users easily buy items they find on the popular photo and video sharing service. The test, slated to begin next week in the United States, will be tailored for Instagram applications on Apple mobile devices. The move will build on a strategy by the world’s leading online social network to connect shoppers and shops, earning revenue from purchases. Instagram cited industry statistics indicating that smartphone purchases are commonly used in the US to browse or research options regarding potential purchases. Twenty US retailers, including Kate Spade and JackThreads, will take part in the Instagram e-commerce test, sharing posts that provide more information along with Shop Now icons for streamlined purchasing. -AFP
French president to create safe house for art from war-torn countries
French President Francois Hollande says the Louvre could house threatened treasures from Iraq, Syria and other war-torn countries at a secure site in northern France. The precious items could be placed in safe keeping at a conservation facility due to open in 2019 in Lievin, 200 kilometres north of Paris. Hollande said France will make the proposal at a December conference in Abu Dhabi on endangered heritage. Representatives from around 40 countries are expected to take part. “We are going to suggest that the Lievin conservation site is where these works can be protected,” says Hollande. The Abu Dhabi conference will also launch a fund, suggested by Hollande in September, which will aim to gather $100 million to help save endangered art. — AFP
Priyanka Chopra proud of latest movie
Actress Priyanka Chopra says she is proud of her work in Ventilator. "Ventilator, my first Marathi venture, is a film I'm truly proud of, and I can't wait for you guys to see it! November 4," Chopra tweeted this week. She shared the trailer of the film, which has as many as 116 actors, including filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker. The film is centred around an ailing senior member of a family who is being put on a ventilator just days before the Ganapati festival, leading to varied degrees of speculation and panic among the large clan he belongs to. Ventilator is written and directed by Rajesh Mapuskar. — IANS
Charlie Puth wants to be the ‘people’s artiste’
Singer Charlie Puth says he will release a new album every year to keep his fans happy, according to a report on femalefirst.co.uk. Puth said: “I’m going to put out an album a year. I don’t want to go missing for four years and be all mysterious. I want to be the people’s artiste.” However, Puth added he also wants to sell plenty of records so he can pay off his mortgage. Puth says he writes his best music when on the road. “I don’t love travelling, but I write better music when I’m on the move, when I’m comfortable.” - femalefirst.co.uk
Amy Schummer forks out $12 million for penthouse
Actress and comedienne Amy Schumer has reportedly paid $12.1 million for a five-bedroom penthouse in New York City, after the asking price was dropped by more than $6 million. The Trainwreck star's new pad is spread over two floors with glass walls that provide views of the Hudson River and New Jersey. The house is listed as having 4,500 square feet inside and an additional 3,000 square feet of outdoor space. — The National staff
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Ashkal'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Youssef%20Chebbi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fatma%20Oussaifi%20and%20Mohamed%20Houcine%20Grayaa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome