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Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
'All the money… can't buy class': Dubai influencers drag Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's $50 million wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's extravagant $50 million wedding in Venice may have made global headlines, but not everyone was impressed, especially influencers from Dubai, who took to social media to mock the Amazon founder's celebration as underwhelming. The wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez was packed with A-list celebrities and held at some of Italy's most exclusive venues.(Instagram/@laurensanchezbezos) The lavish three-day affair, packed with A-list celebrities and held at some of Italy's most exclusive venues, drew widespread attention and even sparked backlash from locals. But while Italians criticised the wedding for its excess, Dubai influencers slammed it for the opposite, claiming the event lacked the flair and spectacle expected of one of the world's richest men. 'Rich people not riching right' In a video, shared by content creator Shahad, who goes by @khaleejette, she called out the bland grey carpet that the couple walked on during their ceremony. "If you spend $50 million on a wedding, why are you carpeting with office carpetry? I can smell the carpet in this picture. It smells like an office. Who made the executive decision to have office-grade carpet for a $50 million wedding," she said, adding that 'rich people were not riching right.' Shahad doubled down on her critique, claiming that the couple should have just married at the Amazon headquarters. "In what world is this ugly grey acceptable?" she said. 'Cheap and basic' Shahad also took a jab at Bezos's wedding invitation, saying that it looked like it was designed on 'Microsoft Word in 2003.' "The illustrations are pixelated and cheap. The font is so basic. Hire a graphic designer," she quipped. Dubai-based comedian Nasser Al-Rayess also slammed the wedding for lacking opulence. "I expected over the top. I wanted people on elephants, helicopters. That's it? That's all we got? It proves to me that you could have all the money in the world, but you can't buy class, Habibi," he said.
Arab Times
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Arabic-dubbed ‘Ne Zha 2' premieres in Riyadh
RIYADH, June 28, (Xinhua): A soft ripple of guzheng music floated through the foyer of Reel Cinema in northern Riyadh on Wednesday night as dozens of movie-goers posed beneath a towering poster of Ne Zha 2, the first time the Chinese animation blockbuster has reached Saudi screens in Arabic. Among the early arrivals was Bushra al-Dawood, a journalist for the Saudi outlet Gorgeous. To celebrate the premiere, she paired a black abaya embroidered with red crimson blossoms and matching red shoes. 'A nod to the fiery spirit of Chinese culture and Ne Zha,' she smiled. 'The film's landscapes are so vivid that I can't wait to travel there and see those mountains and rivers for myself.' Inside the 200-seat auditorium, laughter, gasps and spontaneous applause punctuated the two-hour screening of the Arabic-dubbed edition, which blends standard Arabic with Saudi, Egyptian and other dialects. When the lights came up, clusters of children rushed back to the poster for selfies, while adults lingered in animated debate about the plot's twists and mythical creatures. 'The movie is visually stunning, the story is beautiful, and I had no trouble following it thanks to the Arabic dub,' said Shahad, a fourth-year Chinese-language major at King Saud University. 'I saw posters of Ne Zha 2 all over China during a summer camp but never caught a screening there. The moment I heard it would open in Riyadh, I signed up right away. I'll be back with my family.' Combination The film's Saudi distributor, CineWaves Films, believes the combination of state-of-the-art animation and localised dialogue will broaden its appeal. ''Ne Zha 2' is a high-quality, truly original work that speaks to audiences everywhere,' said Faisal Baltyuor, CineWaves chairman. 'By dubbing it into Saudi dialect, we remove the language barrier and make the story even more inviting for local viewers.' Directed by Chinese filmmaker Jiaozi, Ne Zha 2 continues the coming-of-age saga of the rebellious boy-god first introduced in 2019's record-breaking Ne Zha. This time the stakes are higher, the universe larger and the visuals more ambitious, with richly textured dragons, fiery battles and sweeping panoramas rendered in full 3-D. Saudi animation veteran Malik Nejer, who supervised the Arabic version, said selecting different dialects for rival clans helped newcomers navigate a world rooted in Chinese folklore. 'Many Arab viewers don't know Chinese mythology,' Nejer explained. 'So we matched each on-screen tribe with a distinct Arabic dialect. It guides the audience through the plot and mirrors the linguistic diversity of our own region.' He also mentioned when concepts had no exact equivalent, the team searched for cultural parallels, 'letting viewers feel an instant connection.' Backed by CineWaves and Dubai-based PBA Entertainment, Ne Zha 2 opens nationwide in Saudi Arabia on Thursday and will roll out to the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar in early July.
Al Etihad
01-06-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
Outstanding students from around the world showcase innovative ideas, research at URIC
2 June 2025 00:00 AYSHA SHAAYA (ABU DHABI)Under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, the 12th Undergraduate Research and Innovation Competition (URIC) was recently held at Abu Dhabi University (ADU), bringing together outstanding students from the UAE and around the showcased exceptional research and innovative ideas across 27 academic disciplines — ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning to biomedical engineering, clinical sciences, cybersecurity, fintech, e-commerce, and renewable year, URIC gathered 650 research entries from about 1,300 students, representing 105 universities across 14 countries, reinforcing the competition's status as the largest undergraduate research platform in the region. URIC is more than just a competition; it serves as a catalyst where ideas can become reality, said Prof. Montasir Qasymeh, Associate Provost for Research, Innovation, and Academic Development at ADU.'In this kind of gathering, we are ... making bridges between industry and academia,' he said. '[It's about showcasing] these ideas that all students have and … transforming them into a product rather than just an idea,' Qasymeh said. Making a Difference Mahmood Khalid Abbas, a student from the University of Kurdistan Hewler in Iraq, came up with an idea of a 'self-adjusting sky crane,' hoping to help save in Erbil, a construction worker fell from a crane. This sparked the idea in my mind. Why should we put human life in danger?' said Mahmood. 'I see the UAE's very beautiful skylines, and I really appreciate the Rulers' vision for the country. I believe my idea can help make these projects more efficient and, most importantly, safer,' Abbas said. Najla Alharthi, a computer and information sciences student from King Saud University (KSA), and her team shared their concept of advanced automatic traffic lights that can significantly cut waiting time for drivers. 'We have implemented our idea in four areas, and have seen massive success, as it has reduced waiting time at traffic lights from 45 minutes to 5 minutes. We are positive that our idea will solve a problem, as time is a valuable resource for the public,' Alharthi said. Shahad and her team from University of Sharjah wanted to improve the lives of diabetic patients; so, they suggested an early diagnostic tool that can distinguish types of diabetes. 'There is an uncommon type of diabetes in diagnosis. This can have a serious impact on the treatment of patients. Our project aims to improve the quality of life for the patients as diabetes is very common in the UAE,' Shahad said.
