Abu Dhabi - An array of celebrities and about 130 films from 35 countries are to be seen at the second edition of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), to be launched Friday in the United Arab Emirates.

Antonio Banderas and his wife - actress Melanie Griffith - will arrive for the red carpet, while "The Pianist" star and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, will attend the an exclusive screening of his new crime comedy "The Brothers Bloom", which will officially open the festival.

Abu Dhabi, Oct. 10 : Believe it or not, religious advice pertaining to the Koran and other Islamic injunctions is now available on the Internet. All this is thanks to 48-year-old Abdul Rahman Ammoura, one of the most distinguished muftis in the Gulf.

Ammoura usually dispenses his religious advice to the faithful at a nearby mosque, but can often be found answering the telephone at the world''s first call centre for people seeking a fatwa, or religious edict from a small cubicle in Abu Dhabi.

According to The Times, the popularity of the service has easily eclipsed attendance at his Friday prayers.

It is being used by Muslims all over the world, and its organisers say it now takes about 3,700 calls a day, including queries from Britain.

Abu Dhabi - The most expensive camel in the world was sold in the United Arab Emirates for 6 million dirhams (1.6 million dollars), the Abu Dhabi International Exhibition for Hunting and Equestrian (ADIHEX) announced Thursday.

The camel was bought by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai, in an auction held late Wednesday, ADIHEX said.

Dubai - A tower named after the former seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, is to be built on a wharf in Abu Dhabi's central business district of al-Reem Island, business officials disclosed Tuesday.

"The tower's ecological impact will be limited. Advanced methods will be employed to preserve energy consumption and reduce the level of thermal emissions to zero," Chief Executive Officer of Deyaar Development, Markus Giebel, told reporters on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of UAE, is proposing to start its own metro system which it expects to be ready by 2015.

Abu Dhabi, Sept 8 : Pakistan has expressed its concern over the 45 member Nuclear Suppliers Group’s (NSG) approval for India.

Its defence attaché in the UAE believes that an arms race will follow in South Asia as a result of NSGs decision to lift the three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India.

According to the Gulf News, the Pakistani Embassy Defence attaché Khawar Hussain said, "I can foresee a nuclear arms race between the two countries and even China."