Geordiebird leaves Breakfast Show
The award-winning partnership that has been at the heart of one of the UAE's most popular radio shows for almost a decade is splitting up. Dubai 92 announced yesterday that Geordiebird will be leaving the station's Breakfast Show, which she has co-hosted with her former husband Catboy since 2006, next month. Geordiebird, also known as Stef Burgan, will move to Dubai Eye 103.8, a sister station of Dubai 92 on the Arabian Radio Network, to appear on the travel show The Ticket with Mark Lloyd each day from 2pm to 4pm. Catboy will continue to present The Breakfast Show, with a yet-to-be announced co-host beginning on April 12. The former husband-and-wife team shocked fans in 2010 when they announced they had split up but were still great friends and would continue to work together. – The National staff
Legend worried by legal verdict on Blurred Lines
John Legend says he is worried that the Blurred Lines legal verdict could set a scary precedent for artists creating music inspired by others. The Grammy winner, who played at the Dubai Jazz Festival last month, said he understands why people say 2013's biggest hit, by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, sounds similar to Got to Give It Up, Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit. "I said that when I first heard it, too," he admitted. But he does not agree with the jury that decided the performers had copied elements of Gaye's work and ordered that they pay US$7.4 million (Dh27.1m) in damages. "You have to be careful when it comes to copyrights, whether just sounding like or feeling like something is enough to say you violated their copyrights, because there's a lot of music out there, and there's a lot of things that feel like other things that are influenced by other things," the singer-songwriter said on Saturday before performing at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. "And you don't want to get into that thing where all of us are suing each other all the time because this and that song feels like another song." – AP
Film director accepts blame for set death
The director of an ill-fated movie about the singer Gregg Allman has admitted that it was "ultimately my responsibility" that his crew ended up on a Georgia railroad bridge in the path of a freight train that killed a camera assistant. It came less than two weeks after the Midnight Rider director Randall Miller pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing. He was sentenced to two years in jail in Wayne County, where 27-year-old Sarah Jones, from Atlanta, died in the train crash in February last year. Six other people were injured. "It was a horrible tragedy that will haunt me forever," Miller said. "Although I relied on my team, it is ultimately my responsibility and was my decision to shoot the scripted scene that caused this tragedy." Miller said he hoped his guilty plea had spared Jones's family from the anguish of having to relive the crash at a trial. But he also denied he alone was to blame. He said "a great number of mistakes were made" by his assistants on the film crew, but acknowledged that he had failed to ensure "every safety measure was in place". Prosecutors said emails from CSX Transportation, which owns the railroad bridge spanning the Altamaha River, showed Miller's crew had twice been denied permission to film on the tracks. Miller also was sentenced to eight years on probation after his jail term and was ordered to pay a US$20,000 (Dh73,500) fine. Miller's previous films included Bottle Shock and CBGB. Midnight Rider has been in limbo since the crash. Allman sued Miller last year to prevent the director from reviving the project. They settled out of court. – AP
Plans for world’s first Dr Seuss museum
It may not serve green eggs and ham, but the first Dr Seuss museum being planned for his Western Massachusetts hometown is expected to satisfy the appetites for the author of The Cat in the Hat and many other beloved children's books. The Amazing World of Dr Seuss Museum is scheduled to open in June next year in Springfield. The Springfield Museums, a group of museums in the city, recently announced the plans after raising more than US$3 million (Dh11m). Organisers say the museum will be an interactive, bilingual showcase of the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr Seuss, who died in 1991. Plans include three-dimensional book scenes, reading areas and a re-creation of Geisel's studio. – AP
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
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
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
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Background: Chemical Weapons
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47