UAE Non-Oil Business Activity Surges to Nine-Month High in December

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 The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector recorded its fastest expansion in nine months in December 2024, buoyed by strong domestic demand and increased business activity, according to the latest S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report. PMI Highlights Robust Growth The seasonally adjusted UAE PMI climbed to 55.4 in December from 54.2 in November, signaling robust growth well above the 50.0 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. This marked the third consecutive monthly increase, underscoring sustained recovery in the non-oil sector. Key drivers of growth included a notable rise in new business activity. The new orders subindex rose sharply to 59.3 in December from 58.0 in the previous month, reflecting strong domestic demand. Challenges Amid the Growth While domestic demand flourished, export growth slowed, with the export orders subindex dropping to a seven-month low. Additionally, businesses faced mounting backlogs due to capacity constraints,...

What’s the controversy behind Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and his movie Pathaan

 


The Indian Bollywood industry has been receiving backlash and nasty online campaigns to boycott the films. Amid the backlash, a new controversy erupted over the movie Pathaan, starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

The film is due for release next month. However, the film is being threatened with a ban by many politicians in India. Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Narottam Mishra, slammed the film. He also objected to Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone’s swimsuit colour in the ‘Besharam rang’ song of the film. He said that the swimsuit colour resembles saffron, the colour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Recently, SRK attended a film festival in Kolkata. He talked about the toxic culture of social media. He said that social media is “driven” by the “narrowness of views.” He reportedly said, “I read somewhere negativity increases social media consumption. No matter what the world does, people like us will stay positive.” He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

The ceremony was also attended by West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Bollywood actors Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha. Many actors from the Bengali film industry also attended the event.

Khan’s comments came against the backdrop of calls on social media platforms to boycott the movie Pathaan. Recently, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker slammed SRK and asked him if he would watch his Pathaan movie with his daughter.

Girish Gautam also raised objections over the saffron attire of Deepika in the song. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also demanded the actor's apology over the 'Besharam Rang' song. VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said, "If SRK doesn't apologise, we will not allow the release of the movie Pathan."

The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and backed by Yash Raj Films (YRF). The movie is set to release on January 25, 2023.

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