Bruce Springsteen and the newcomer blues-rock band Alabama Shakes landed the top awards in Rolling Stone magazine's annual list of the year's best music. Springsteen's Wrecking Ball topped the magazine's list of best albums. He came in ahead of Frank Ocean's debut Channel Orange at No 2 and Jack White's solo effort, Blunderbuss, at No 3. Hold On by Alabama Shakes was named the top song of the year. Taylor Swift was a surprising entry at No 2 with her hit song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. * Reuters
LA police apologise to rapper's family
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has apologised to the family of Notorious B.I.G. after releasing his autopsy report on Friday without informing them first. The rapper was killed in a 1997 shooting that remains unsolved, and the LAPD said it hoped the coroner's findings would help the case. A lawyer for the family lashed out against police, lamenting that no arrests have been made a decade and a half after the rapper was killed. "This is a horrible miscarriage of justice," he said. * AFP
Witherspoon to duet with Bublé
Michael Bublé has enlisted Reese Witherspoon to perform a duet on his forthcoming album, the Canadian crooner revealed to the British talk show Daybreak. "I just really am a big fan, and so myself and my camp, we wanted to do this with her, and we were thrilled that she was excited about it, too," Bublé said on the show. The album is expected next summer. * The National staff
Jackman regrets declining Bond role
Hugh Jackman says he regrets not accepting the lead role in the James Bond film Casino Royale, which went to Daniel Craig. "At the time it was wrong for me, but when I saw Daniel in the movie, I thought maybe I should have been more interested because it was great," he told The Sun. The actor joked he's waiting for Craig to quit the series. "The good thing about Daniel is he's, what, 62 now, isn't he? He's falling apart at the seams. So I just keep telling him: 'I'm ready, whenever you want to let him go, I'm ready,'" he said. * IANS
Lady Antebellum singer expecting first child
Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott is expecting. Scott announced her pregnancy on Friday on Twitter, calling the baby "our Christmas gift". It's the first child for the 26-year-old Need You Now singer and her husband, Chris Tyrrell. The Grammy-winning country pop trio, which includes Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, is attending today's American Country Awards in Las Vegas. * AP
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
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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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Ashkal'
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