One of the Zoom backgrounds released features the inside of the mansion featured in 'Parasite'
One of the Zoom backgrounds released features the inside of the mansion featured in 'Parasite'
One of the Zoom backgrounds released features the inside of the mansion featured in 'Parasite'
One of the Zoom backgrounds released features the inside of the mansion featured in 'Parasite'

You can now set your Zoom background to a scene from 'Parasite'


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

For the past few months, Zoom has been one of the go-to ways to communicate. Whether working from home or catching up with friends and family, the platform has played a big role in connecting people.

One of the more light-hearted features on the videoconferencing platform is the ability to choose a virtual background while chatting. And those keen on showing off their pop culture knowledge can now do so in a fun new way.

The Japanese Twitter account for Parasite, the South Korean film that won Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, has unveiled five official stills that can be used as a background.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film tells the story of a poverty-stricken family who cunningly place themselves at the service of the ridiculously wealthy Park family. There are twists and turns along the way, but we won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it yet.

But whether it's the cramped underground toilet of the Kims' family home, or the lush, green space in front of the Park family's mansion, fans of the dark comedy will instantly recognise each image.

To download the background, you need to save the photo from the below Twitter post and then upload it to Zoom as a "virtual background".

Other popular Zoom backgrounds include the set of popular American TV sitcom Friends, Netflix hit docu-series Tiger King and even the Nintendo game Animal Crossing.

Back in February, Parasite made history as the first non-English-language film to win the Best Picture Oscar. It also won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time

Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.

Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.

The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.

The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.

Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.

The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.

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