While some relationships grew even stronger after spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week together, plenty of other celebrity romances imploded.
As Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich become the latest A-list casualties of love lost in lockdown, we look back at the couples who couldn’t overcome all that time spent together.
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
The US Dancing With The Stars alumna filed for divorce from her Canadian former-NHL player husband on November 3, six months after they announced their separation on May 29.
Suspicions were raised when Hough began quarantining separately from her husband of three years in March – she in California and him in Idaho.
Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich
The romance that went from zero to 60 in under 0.3 seconds fizzled out just as fast as it heated up in September. The relationship between the singer and the Under The Dome actor began in May, and he soon popped the question with a $1 million diamond ring in June.
However in the space of a few months, Lovato went from, “I knew I loved you from the moment I met you” to “quarantine either makes or breaks the deal.”
Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers
The Rebecca actor and his bakery entrepreneur wife called it quits in July after 10 years of marriage. Having quarantined in the Cayman Islands together, along with their two children, the moment lockdown finished, Hammer jetted back to the US alone.
"I don't think I handled it very well," he told GQ. "I think, to be frank, I came very close to completely losing my mind."
Cardi B and Offset
Nearly three years after Cardi and Offset wed, the mum-of-one filed for divorce on September 15. However, according to Page Six, Cardi B has had yet another change of heart and petitioned to dismiss her divorce on Monday, November 2.
"You know how I be arguing with y'all on social media? That's exactly how we are, between me and my man," the WAP rapper told her Instagram followers in October.
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
Singer-turned-talk show host, Clarkson filed for divorce from her husband in June, after almost seven years together. The pair had been quarantining in Montana with their two children, River Rose, 6, and Remington, 4, before Clarkson filed in LA.
She’s been working on new music that she says will address the split.
Sofia Richie and Scott Disick
Breaking up in May after almost three years together, the model and the reality TV star split after Disick’s most recent stint in rehab where he sought treatment for “past traumas”.
Scott, who has three children with his ex Kourtney Kardashian, is said to have moved back in with her to continue quarantining with them.
Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse
The Riverdale co-stars called it quits in March at the start of lockdown, their second split and this time their final one.
"What an incredible experience I had," the former Disney star wrote on his Instagram. "I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness." Following the break-up, Sprouse opted to quarantine with his Riverdale co-star, KJ Apa, who plays Archie in the hit show.
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
After a very public split and reconciliation back in 2015, the couple, who share three sons, confirmed in May that their marriage was over for good. While Fox moved onto a new romance with actor and singer, Machine Gun Kelly, Green insisted, “I will always love her, and I know she will always love me.”
However, the pair recently had an Instagram fall-out after Green posted a photo of their son, Journey, prompting Fox to comment: "I know you love your kids. But I don't know why you can't stop using them to posture via social media."
Miley Cyrus and Cody Simpson
Following her split from her actor husband Liam Hemsworth, Cyrus began dating another Australian, this time singer, Cody Simpson.
However, the couple called it quits in August with Cyrus saying of her next relationship: “I’m super into clean eating. I mean, people taking care of themselves. I knew that the place to meet my next partner was not going to be at Burger King.”
Taraji P Henson and Kelvin Hayden
Hidden Figures actress Henson had previously postponed her summer wedding to former NFL player Kelvin Hayden back in April.
But the star revealed in October that the postponement had become a cancellation, and that after two years together, they had called it quits.
Olivier Sarkozy and Mary-Kate Olsen
The businessman half-brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his actress-turned-designer wife, Olsen split dramatically back in May. Olsen lodged an emergency divorce petition in New York, which stated: “This is… an emergency because my husband expects me to move out of our home… in the middle of New York City being on pause due to Covid-19.”
However, the plea was rejected as an “emergency” due to the pandemic and she re-filed after restrictions were lifted.
Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari
The couple was holidaying in the Bahamas when the first lockdown came into force. But when the family returned to Nashville, The Hills star filed for divorce from her former NFL quarterback husband of seven years, announcing it on Instagram in April.
Although she called the split a “loving conclusion”, things soon went south, with the mum-of-three claiming in her petition that “he attempted to intimidate” her into a parenting plan she did not agree to.
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
WISH
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
Event Gates – security and manufacturing
Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Last-16
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Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
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Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Company%20profile
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Non-oil%20trade
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