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DUBAI: Pop star Mariah Carey accepted the Vanguard Award at Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards in a $10 million diamond set by Antwerp-based, Lebanese-founded high jewelry house Levuma.

Founded by Ali Khalil in Antwerp in 2016, the jewelry house has a long tradition in the diamond industry, beginning with Khalil’s great-grandfather. In the 1930s, Khalil’s great-grandfather began trading rough diamonds in Sierra Leone. Fast forward to 2016 and Khalil decided to name his brand after Levuma, a remote village in the southeastern part of Sierra Leone and the site of the family’s first plot of land dedicated to mining diamonds.

On Sunday night in New York, Carey showed off the Rosee Eternelle necklace and earrings by Levuma, featuring more than 204 carats of D-F color, VVS+ clarity diamonds set in platinum. The set was displayed at Jewelry Salon in Riyadh in February.

At the awards ceremony, Carey wore the jewels while performing a medley of her hits, including “Fantasy,” “Obsessed,” and more.

During her acceptance speech, Carey reflected on her contributions to music and joked about the long wait to receive her first VMA. “What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” she joked.

The evening featured a nostalgic aesthetic with performances by veteran artists including Carey, Busta Rhymes and Ricky Martin, while newer performers such as Doja Cat and Tate McRae incorporated choreography heavily borrowed from the 1980s and 1990s.

Ariana Grande won the MTV Video Music Awards’ top honor on Sunday, taking home Video of the Year for “Brighter Days Ahead,” which also claimed Best Pop Song at the ceremony near New York City, AFP reported. 

Visibly emotional while accepting the evening’s most prestigious award, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter and actor delivered an extended thank-you to her fans, whom she described as “fiercely loving and supportive.”

Lady Gaga was another major winner, beating industry heavyweights including Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd for the top artist honor.

The 39-year-old interrupted her concert series to accept the Artist of the Year award and also won Best Collaboration with Bruno Mars for “Die with a Smile.”

Rose, who is pursuing a solo career after rising to fame with K-pop group Blackpink, received Song of the Year for “APT,” also co-written with Bruno Mars.

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Sofia Boutella has started filming Season 3 of Second World War drama “SAS Rogue Heroes.”

Created by Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), the season rejoins British troops in spring 1943 during the Second World War.

Knight’s hit drama for the BBC is being joined by new cast members in Season 3, including Nick Hargrove (“Devotion”), Lorne MacFadyen (“Vigil,” “Starstruck”), Andrew Dawson and Jake Jarratt.

Returning in the role of their leader is Paddy Mayne (Jack O’Connell) who stars alongside Sofia Boutella as French-Algerian intelligence operative Eve Mansour and Dominic West as British Army officer Dudley Clarke.

The show is based on Ben Macintyre’s book of the same name.

“SAS Rogue Heroes” dramatizes the story of the Special Forces unit, picking up where Season 2 left off after its members parachuted deep behind enemy lines to disrupt the German army.  Season 3 is now filming in the UK and France.

In a statement, Knight said: “Series 3 picks up as the war enters a critical phase with the allies mobilizing to liberate France. Way ahead of the advancing front line the SAS are doing what they do best, creating chaos and carnage among the defending Axis troops. Never has the war been so bloody and never have the stakes been so high. The Rogue Heroes dare to win, but at what cost to themselves and their souls?”

Stephen Woolfenden returns as the director for Season 3, with Stephen Smallwood (“The Serpent,” “Patrick Melrose”) taking on the role of producer.

Boutella most recently starred in “The Killer’s Game,” which hit cinemas in September, and Netflix’s “Rebel Moon — Part 2: The Scargiver.”

The actress, who at the age of 10 fled to Paris with her family during the Algerian civil war, is also known for her breakout performance in the Oscar-nominated film “Star Trek Beyond,” in which she portrayed the fierce alien warrior, Jaylah.

She is also a professional dancer and starred in a music video for rock band the Foo Fighters in 2020.

The 43-year-old has decades of dance experience under her belt and has been honing her skills since she was a child.

Born in Bab El-Oued, a bustling neighborhood of Algiers, Boutella started studying ballet aged 5. The family fled the Algerian Civil War in 1992 when she was 10 years old and moved to Paris. There, she gravitated toward rhythmic gymnastics, joining the French national team at the age of 18.

She blended her classical ballet training with the physicality of gymnastics and even spent time break-dancing with a dance group called the Vagabond Crew.