Alessandro Safina to perform in Dubai
Opera lovers are set to be seduced with a forthcoming Dubai performance by Alessandro Safina. The Italian performer will headline at the Madinat Arena in Jumeirah on October 10. Known for his selection of romantic Italian arias, Safina broke into the European pop charts in November 2000 with the single Luna topping the Dutch charts for 14 weeks. Other career highlights includes performing for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as part of the 73rd Royal Variety Performance in 2001 and duetting with the likes of Elton John, José Carreras and Sarah Brightman. Tickets begin from Dh250 at www.timeouttickets.com. – The National staff
Juliana Down, The Maplejacks and The Boxtones at Dubai Music Week
Gulf Bike Week's concerts will be an all-local affair. Juliana Down, The Maplejacks and The Boxtones are some of the bands performing at the three-day festival at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre from October 24 to 26. "It's only at events like these where we really get to enjoy other local bands as we are crazy busy this time of the year," said The Maplejacks' singer and guitarist Drew Jones. "It will be great to see a lot of new faces across the three days." Festival day passes cost Dh60 for adults and Dh20 for children under 12. Visit www.gulfbikeweek.com. – The National staff
Mumbai’s first women’s film festival starts next month
The first edition of the Mumbai Women's International Film Festival begins on October 8 with the focus on encouraging women filmmakers in the industry. Bollywood celebrities including Nandita Das, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Farah Khan and Honey Irani will be attending and showcasing their films during the seven-day event. The festival will screen more than 150 films from 70 countries at six different venues in Mumbai. – IANS
Justin Bieber wants to play a superhero
On Friday, the Canadian singer Justin Bieber posted a photo of himself on Instagram with what is assumed to be a fake script of David S Goyer's and Zack Snyder's Batman vs. Superman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The cover page features a "Bieber" watermark, as if the script were meant specifically for him. Bieber's photo was liked by more than 346,000 people just four hours after being posted, and sparked a number of comments from distressed Batman fans, with one young woman declaring: "Batman would be ruined forever" and others wondering if the teenage star would play Robin. – The National staff
Ben Affleck to direct pilot episode of The Middle Man
Ben Affleck has been roped in to direct the first episode of the American television crime series The Middle Man. The 41-year-old will also serve as the executive producer. The Middle Man follows an FBI agent who is responsible for taking down the mafia and his informant, an Irish- American gangster. Affleck was recently signed on to play Batman in the film Batman vs. Superman. The film also stars Henry Cavill, who reprises his role as Superman. – IANS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
UAE medallists at Asian Games 2023
Gold
Magomedomar Magomedomarov – Judo – Men’s +100kg
Khaled Al Shehi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Faisal Al Ketbi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Asma Al Hosani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -52kg
Shamma Al Kalbani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -63kg
Silver
Omar Al Marzooqi – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Bishrelt Khorloodoi – Judo – Women’s -52kg
Khalid Al Blooshi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Mohamed Al Suwaidi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -69kg
Balqees Abdulla – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -48kg
Bronze
Hawraa Alajmi – Karate – Women’s kumite -50kg
Ahmed Al Mansoori – Cycling – Men’s omnium
Abdullah Al Marri – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Team UAE – Equestrian – Team showjumping
Dzhafar Kostoev – Judo – Men’s -100kg
Narmandakh Bayanmunkh – Judo – Men’s -66kg
Grigorian Aram – Judo – Men’s -90kg
Mahdi Al Awlaqi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -77kg
Saeed Al Kubaisi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Shamsa Al Ameri – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -57kg
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
