Shakira is pregnant with her first child. The 35-year-old pop superstar posted on her website on Wednesday that she and her 25-year-old boyfriend Gerard Piqué "are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby". Piqué is a football player for FC Barcelona. The Grammy-winning Colombian singer is postponing promotional activities and didn't perform at Friday's iHeartRadio Music festival in Las Vegas. Shakira is due to be a judge on the next season of The Voice. * AP
Yoko Ono awards Russian punk band
Yoko Ono awarded the Russian punk band Pussy Riot this year's LennonOno grant for peace. Ono presented the award to Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of Nadia Tolokonnikova - one of three jailed members of Pussy Riot, sentenced to two years in prison for performing a song mocking the Russian President Vladimir Putin inside Moscow's main cathedral. "It's a terrible thing that all three girls have been jailed for not doing anything wrong. They were just standing for freedom of speech," Ono said at a ceremony in New York. * AP
Led Zeppelin dodge reunion queries
The Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant conceded on Friday that he doesn't understand the lyrics of the band's best-known song, Stairway to Heaven, as the band dodged questions about a possible reunion. Plant told a press conference in London: "I struggle with some of the lyrics from particular periods of time. Maybe I didn't quite feel the same about the lyrics a little bit later on in life. Maybe I'm still trying to work out what I was talking about." The three surviving members - Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones - reunited to promote their new DVD, Celebration Day. When the band were asked whether they might play together again, Page said: "Let me ask you a question. Have you seen the film? Did you enjoy it? Then we've done our job, haven't we?" * AFP
Travolta: celebrities deserve privacy, too
John Travolta says privacy laws should shield celebrities from the kind of exposure suffered by Kate Middleton. Travolta, who has faced unwelcome scrutiny of his own private life, told the BBC that it is the "worst time to be famous". He said: "There is a right to privacy whether you're famous or not famous, and I feel that anyone being invaded at that level is unfortunate and there should be a law, no one would like that." Travolta has recently been in the headlines for his private life, including a discredited lawsuit claiming he had sexually abused two masseurs. * AP
Lohan arrested in hit-and-run
Lindsay Lohan was arrested yet again on Wednesday after fleeing the scene of a Manhattan traffic accident that involved a pedestrian. The accident occurred as Lohan was leaving a nightclub in her Porsche Cayenne. Her car struck a 34-year-old man in the legs and he was later taken to a hospital. The 26-year-old actress was released after being arrested but was summoned to appear before a judge on October 23. * AFP
At 82, Clint Eastwood comes up with another curveball
Clint Eastwood made headlines with his off-the-cuff speech at the Republican convention – and continues to defy expectations by returning to the screen at the age of 82 in a new film. The Hollywood star, who plays an ageing baseball scout in Trouble with the Curve, has long focused on directing and even announced his retirement from acting after starring in the 2008 film Gran Torino. But he said he felt comfortable being directed by his long-time producer Robert Lorenz in the movie, which co-stars Amy Adams.
Eastwood is one of Hollywood's most respected actors, adored by generations of fans since he starred in the 1960s TV series Rawhide. But his bizarre speech at the Republican National Convention – including talking to an invisible Barack Obama in an empty chair – raised many eyebrows.
He appears to have enjoyed the bafflement and dismisses the suggestion that he is going gaga. “When you get to a certain age, you’re just glad to be there,” Eastwood said at the Los Angeles premiere of Trouble with the Curve. “I’ve been enjoying the journey to this stage and so I intend to enjoy the rest of the journey.”
The ageing process is at the centre of his new film. Eastwood plays an elderly Atlanta baseball scout who refuses to admit that he is going blind. His daughter, played by Adams, is frustrated by her father’s obstinacy and insists on joining him on a scouting trip to try to get through to him.
Eastwood says he enjoyed being able to leave the director's hat off and to get back to his acting roots. "After Gran Torino I kind of thought that this is kind of stupid, doing both jobs," he said. "It's quite relaxing because I can just sit back. I probably won't do both again, at least for a moment. But I said I wouldn't act again a few years ago and that changed too, so sometimes you just lie." * AFP
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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.”
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
