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DUBAI: British actor and activist Khalid Abdalla, known for his portrayal of Dodi Fayed in “The Crown,” has been asked to attend a police interview in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest he attended in London in January this year.

In an Instagram post, the 44-year-old actor revealed that he received a letter from London’s Metropolitan Police on Thursday. He stated that others, including 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos, had also been “summoned” for interviews.

The matter concerns a demonstration organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which took place in Whitehall, London, on Jan. 18. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) protest was adjusted to be a static rally after police curtailed organisers’ plans for a march past the BBC, which critics said was also near a synagogue. A group of protesters marched towards London’s Trafalgar Square from Whitehall after the rally.

Abdalla, who also starred in the 2024 thriller “The Day of the Jackal,” noted that it “remains to be seen” whether he or the others will face charges.

He expressed concern over the state of protest rights in the UK, saying they are “under attack” and must be defended.

The actor also made a reference to “No Other Land,” a collaborative documentary made by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers that won an Oscar this week, in his online statement. 

“While there is an alarming rise in attempts to censor voices that stand up for Palestine, even as it faces open calls for ethnic cleansing, it will not work. The days of silencing and intimidation are gone. The stakes are too high, and as we can see today with ‘No Other Land’ winning at the Oscars, momentum is on the side of justice, and shared humanity,” he wrote.

“I will not be making further comment on the January 18 protest for legal reasons, for now, but in every other way, I will continue to put my energies towards the better world that we so clearly need, and which requires all of us to work together to turn into a reality,” he added.

Abdalla, born in the UK to Egyptian parents, has participated in multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrations and has used social media to call on Western nations to “stop arming Israel.”

He was  also a signatory to the Artists for Palestine UK open letter to the BBC in February, criticising the corporation's decision to pull a documentary about children's lives in Gaza after it discovered its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

DUBAI: Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez has joined forces with Lebanese dance group Mayyas, who won the 17th season of “America's Got Talent,” for a new campaign.

They starred in an advertisement for Egyptian real estate company Horizon Egypt Developments, where Rodriguez and the Mayyas promote Saada, a real estate development in New Cairo in Egypt.

The video opens with a formal outdoor gathering in a desert setting, where guests dressed in evening attire socialize under draped golden canopies and soft candlelight. 

Rodriguez arrives in a shimmering gold, form-fitting gown, drawing attention as she walks through the crowd.

She stops and watches as the Mayyas perform a choreographed routine to orchestral music. The dancers were dressed in black and gold outfits, paired with gold eye masks, moving in the synchronized formations they have become famous for.

During the event, a waiter hands Rodriguez a letter. After reading it, she makes a phone call and says in Spanish, “Pack my bags. She reached before me.” The scene then transitions to her getting into a luxury car and when the driver asks for their destination, she responds: “It’s always Saada.”

This is not Rodriguez’s first campaign for Saada. In October, she led a campaign for Saada Sahel, another real estate development on Egypt’s North Coast.

In the video, she was seen speaking on the phone, saying: “I already got the tickets, we are going next summer.”

For the campaign, she wore a white lace-trimmed sundress with spaghetti straps and a fitted bodice featuring intricate lace detailing.

The look was accessorized with a necklace from Egyptian brand Nado’s Jewelry’s Perle collection, which includes large, rounded links alternating between polished gold and diamond-encrusted surfaces. 

Teaming up with Rodriguez and winning “America’s Got Talent” are not the only global milestones for the Mayyas.

In 2023, Nadim Cherfan, the founder and choreographer of the dance troupe, reached a major career milestone when he choreographed part of Beyonce’s performance at the grand opening of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai.

“To the artist of my life Beyonce, thank you for making my dream come true. Thank you for being the humblest, most professional and phenomenal human that you are,” he shared on social media at the time.