The drama is all set to begin tonight, and we have just found who the contestants for this season will be, and where they will be staying. So if you read our previous post on Big Boss, you know that the show has an aviation theme.
What we have found out, though, is that this time there will be no house. The contestants will be living on an abandoned plane in a middle of a forest (the surrounding areas will be cordoned off). Everything will have to be done on the craft, including the tasks. Rumour has it that this year will be physically strenuous, made more challenging by the fact that the contestants will not be able to lay down in a proper bed to sleep at night.
When people are tired and cranky, things are bound to get ugly, and it is those catfights that have make the show so much fun to watch. Salman Khan, the Bigg Boss host, unveiled this year's competitors earlier today. Here's the list of people who will be battling it out this season:
Upen Patel: Popularly known as Amrita Arora's ex-boyfriend and for his six-pack abs, this failed actor is probably coming back to the show to remind Indian audiences he still exists.
Minisha Lamba: This pint-sized actress may be cute but has had no luck in Bollywood either. Here's hoping her stint her can help her resuscitate her dying career.
Sukriti Kandpal: A pretty young thing who is semi-popular on Indian television, she has starred in the soaps Dill Mill Gayye (2007) and Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani (2010).
Gautam Gulati: Has featured in one show on television (Diya Aur Baati Hum, 2011), but that did not give him the success he was hoping for. Maybe picking a few fights in the Bigg Boss house will?
Praneet Bhat: Played the cunning and scheming Shakuni in the television show Mahabharata. We're hoping he'll bring some of the traits in the house as well.
Natasha Stankovic: The "white" import of the season, who is from Serbia, is expected to entertain audiences with attempts to speak Hindi.
RJ Preetam: Not much is known about him, except that he is the first radio jockey in India to participate in a reality show.
Arya Babbar: Son of the actor Raj Babbar, whose first film (Ab Ke Baras, 2002) sank without a trace. Last heard, he was trying his luck in Punjabi cinema. Third time's a charm?
Sushant Dijvijikar: He follows in the footsteps of Rohit Verma and VJ Andy.
Deepshikha Nagpal: This B-list actress has made a career mostly out of playing the vamp.
Karishma Tanna: A television actress who was relevant when the saas-bahu serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (2000) were all the rage. She usually sports a goody two shoes image, and may be the one who starts crying at the drop of the hat.
Soni Singh: A model turned actress who is yet to make a mark.
Puneet Issar: The elderly contestant of the year. Will tend to play it safe and be the peacemaker of the house.
Ajeet Chandila: The sports category contestant this season, he plays for the Rajasthan Royals cricket team in the Indian Premier League.
Diandra Soares: The model contestant this season, this outspoken model is known to be a no-nonsense person, sure to tick off many in the house.
See the new promo for Bigg Boss 8 here.
ajhurani@thenational.ae
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
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
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Traces%20of%20Enayat
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Iman%20Mersal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20And%20Other%20Stories%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press