Harrison Ford's crashed plane. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Harrison Ford's crashed plane. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Doc’s shock at treating Star Wars hero after plane crash



The doctor who came to Harrison Ford's aid after seeing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor's plane crash-land on a Los Angeles golf course said he was stunned to discover his childhood hero at the controls. Dr Sanjay Khurana found the pilot awake but bleeding from a deep cut to his head. "My initial fear was this was going to be one of those very serious, very tragic injuries right away. Fortunately, he was remarkably intact," Khurana said. As the doctor checked the man's breathing, circulation and other vitals, Khurana's optimism grew – and then he realised he was treating the man who brought to life the movie heroes of his youth. "I'm a child of the 80s," Khurana said. "I'm a big fan." After hitting a tree, the plane "kind of spun a little bit and belly-flopped" with such force it felt like a small earthquake, Khurana said. He ran to the plane and found a bloodied pilot groaning, complaining of pain below his waist and "trying to get a sense of where he was and what had happened". It took several golfers to pull Ford from the wreckage and carry him clear, Khurana added. Experienced pilot Ford crash-landed his Second World War-era plane on Thursday. Soon after take-off from Santa Monica Municipal Airport, he had radioed that the single engine of his 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR had stopped working and he was making an immediate return. He was unable to make it, however, and glided onto the fairway of a golf course near the airport, in what aviation experts said was an extremely skilful landing given the ­total loss of power above such a densely populated area. Ford's publicist, Ina Treciokas, said the actor's injuries were "not life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery." Ford's son Ben tweeted from the hospital: "Dad is OK. Battered, but OK! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man." – AP

Fazal reveals he has three scenes in Furious 7

Actor Ali Fazal, who has just bagged a role in Pooja Bhatt's production Love Affair, has admitted that he appears in only three scenes in Furious 7, his Hollywood debut. He says he wants to be honest about the role because if actors promise more than they deliver, they get criticised. The film, starring Vin Diesel, the late Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson, was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi last year and is out next month. Fazal said: "I have three scenes in the film. I haven't said otherwise, nor do I want people to expect more. It's an integral part, and an important one. I liked it so I did it ... Tom cruise can't come and replace [Salman Khan]. He will be welcomed if he does a cameo in Furious 7 ... Simple, it's the same." – IANS

Documentary pioneer Albert Maysles dies

Albert Maysles, the pioneering documentary filmmaker who immortalised The Rolling Stones' infamous 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway, has died at the age of 88. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, said Erika Dilday, executive director of The Maysles Institute, and died on Thursday. Maysles earned the nickname the "dean of documentaries" for a series of groundbreaking films during a career spanning six decades. He and his late brother David were in the vanguard of the "cinema verite" or direct-­documentary movement, and were among the first filmmakers to capture their subjects without scripts, sets, interviews or narration. His first significant foray into movies was in 1955 when he went behind the Iron Curtain to look at life in the Soviet Union's psychiatric hospitals. But it was his film of the ill-­fated Rolling Stones concert at Altamont in California that is arguably his most famous work. The 1970 film – Gimme Shelter – captured the tragic events surrounding the concert, when four fans died amid chaotic organisation. The Maysles brothers also won acclaim – and controversy – for their 1975 film Grey Gardens, about Edith Bouvier and Edith Bouvier Beale, cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and their life in a decaying East Hampton mansion. – AFP

Actress Cate Blanchett adopts daughter

Oscar-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett and her husband have adopted a daughter, their fourth child. "The Upton family have adopted a baby girl," their representatives said. "Her name is Edith Vivian Patricia Upton." The 45-year-old actress and screenwriter Andrew Upton – who recently announced they were moving to the United States – already have three sons: Ignatius, 6, Roman, 10, and Dashiell, 13. Reports of a new addition to the family began circulating after photos appeared of Blanchett holding a baby on a flight to Sydney last week. The Australian Women's Weekly magazine had also reported that Blanchett was seen with a baby girl during the week at her sons' school. – AFP

Jimmy Carter reflects on Life at 90 in new book

Not many former US presidents live to the age of 90, and Jimmy Carter wants to share the experience. Simon & Schuster has announced that Carter's A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety will be published on July 7. The book will include his thoughts on his domestic and international travels, the presidents who succeeded him and world leaders he has known. Carter, a Nobel peace laureate, left office in 1981 and has had the longest post-presidential life in American history. He also is a prolific author, with more than 20 books to his name. – AP

Fox news hires Martin Luther King’s niece

Fox News channel has hired Alveda King, the niece of the late civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, as a commentator for the network. A director of African-American Outreach at Priests for Life, she is an anti-abortion activist who has clashed politically with some of her uncle’s former associates. She spoke at a rally in 2010 in Washington organised by conservative commentator Glenn Beck. “Her passion and mission for social change will be a valuable contribution to our network,” said Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive of Fox News. – AP

Mystery surrounds venues for new Prince tour

Prince is planning a US tour – but finding out where the shows are taking place might prove tricky. Promoters announced the "Hit and Run" tour on Friday. It follows a similar series of shows in Europe last year that were revealed at the last minute. He also played a "surprise" gig for charity at Pacha Ibiza in Dubai in January. The 56-year-old Purple Rain artist gave details about the European shows on Twitter – but abruptly quit social media in November. The promoters only revealed that the first US "Hit and Run" show will be on March 14 somewhere in Louisville, Kentucky. – AFP

Tribeca Film Festival unveils rest of its slate

The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled the second half of its slate of 97 movies, which includes films starring this year's Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as documentaries about Rosanne Barr and R&B star Mary J Blige. Two days after announcing the festival's competition categories, Tribeca revealed the rest of its 2015 line-up on Thursday. Among the films premiering at the annual New York festival are: The Wannabe, a Martin Scorsese-produced New York mafia drama starring Arquette and Vincent Piazza; the latest dark comedy from Neil LaBute, Dirty Weekend, starring Matthew Broderick; and the zombie thriller Maggie, starring Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin. Documentaries added to the festival include Rosanne for President! about Barr's bid to get on the 2012 presidential ballot, and Mary J. Blige: The London Sessions, about the recording of the R&B star's latest album. Blige will perform after the film's screening. A handful of notable films that have premiered elsewhere will also be screened in Tribeca: Andrew Niccol's drone-warfare drama Good Kill; Paul Weitz's Grandma, starring Lily Tomlin; and John Maclean's Western Slow West with Michael Fassbender. The 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival opens on April 15 with the premiere of the Saturday Night Live documentary Live From New York. It runs until April 26. – AP

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh359,000

On sale: now 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

Profile Periscope Media

Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)

Launch year: 2020

Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021

Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year

Investors: Co-founders

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

INFO

Everton 0

Arsenal 0

Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor