The Mumbai municipal corporation has presented Shah Rukh Khan with a bill of 200,000 rupees (Dh11,699) for demolishing an illegal ramp the Bollywood actor built to park a vanity van outside his home in the suburb of Bandra. According to a report in a local daily newspaper, the ramp was built adjacent to his sprawling villa and was removed because it was "causing severe traffic issues". – The National staff
BBC suspends Top Gear host Clarkson
The BBC says it has suspended the Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson following a "fracas" with a producer. The popular TV presenter was given a so-called final warning last year following a racism row, after he used an offensive word while filming the car show. The BBC said on Tuesday that Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation, but did not provide further details. Clarkson has been in trouble before for behaviour and remarks deemed offensive and provocative. In 2011, the BBC apologised to Mexico after Clarkson and his co-hosts characterised Mexicans as lazy and oafish. In October, Argentina's ambassador to Britain demanded an apology from the BBC after the Top Gear crew faced violent protests for allegedly referencing the country's 1982 war with Britain over the disputed Falkland Islands. – AP
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson hit catwalk for Zoolander 2
To deafening cheers, Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller stormed the Valentino catwalk during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday in a headline-grabbing stunt to announce a sequel to their comedy Zoolander. The two Hollywood stars reprised their roles as male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel, immortalised in the hugely popular 2001 movie, on the catwalk for Valentino's ready to wear autumn/winter 2015-16 show. The sequel will hit United States cinemas on February 12, 2016, Paramount Pictures said in a statement. It said Stiller and Wilson will again star in the movie, which will be written by Justin Theroux and directed by Stiller. Stiller appeared in a dark electric-blue suit-and-tie ensemble with a navy trench coat. Wilson, sporting shaggy long blond locks, strutted in a shiny light blue pyjama print outfit with blindingly white trainers, topped off with an eggshell blue trench coat. It was such a surprise that the audience immediately whipped out their phones to catch the moment. – AP
Students begin using recording studio donated by Drake
A troubled city high school in Philadelphia has finally heard the sound of music coming from a recording studio donated by Drake after a month-long search for a teacher to run it. The Grammy-winning Canadian rapper, who is bringing his Would You Like a Tour show to Dubai on Saturday, gave US$75,000 (Dh275,471) to help create the space at Strawberry Mansion High School. Drake, 28, has said he was deeply affected by a news report on the challenges faced by the students. Tickets for Drake's concert at Dubai International Stadium are available at timeouttickets.com – AP
Pharrell and Thicke lose lawsuit over Blurred Lines
A judge awarded Marvin Gaye's children US$7.3 million (Dh26.8m) on Tuesday after determining singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied their father's music to create Blurred Lines, the biggest hit song of 2013. Gaye's daughter Nona wept as the verdict was being read and was hugged by her lawyer, Richard Busch. The verdict could tarnish the legacy of Williams, a reliable hitmaker who has won Grammy Awards and appears on NBC's music competition show The Voice. A lawyer for Thicke and Williams has said a decision in favour of Gaye's heirs could have a chilling effect on musicians who try to emulate an era or another artist's sound. The Gayes' lawyer branded Williams and Thicke liars who went beyond trying to emulate the sound of Gaye's late-1970s music and copied the R&B legend's hit Got to Give It Up outright. Thicke told jurors he didn't write Blurred Lines, which Williams testified he crafted in about an hour in mid-2012. Williams told jurors that Gaye's music was part of the soundtrack of his youth. But the seven-time Grammy winner said he didn't use any of it to create Blurred Lines. Gaye's children – Nona, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III – sued the singers in 2013 and were present when the verdict was read. – AP
