Will the Grammys be Drunk In Love with Beyoncé or will they fall for the sad, soulful sound of Sam Smith?
Sam and Sia
Sam Smith is a shoo-in for nominations in the top categories at the Grammys, including album of the year for In the Lonely Hour, song and record of the year for Stay With Me and best new artist. The British singer, who captured audiences with his emotional, Adele-like songs, also could earn nominations outside of the pop categories. A remix for Stay With Me, featuring Grammy favourite Mary J Blige, could compete in some R&B categories, while the remix of I'm Not the Only One with A$AP Rocky could be a contender for best rap/sung collaboration. Smith could also be nominated for best dance recording, thanks to his guest appearance on Naughty Boy's hit, La La La.
Sia, too, could be swimming in a sea of nominations, thanks for her skilled songwriting and solo breakthrough. She's written songs for Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Eminem, Maroon 5, Shakira and many others. She also enjoyed her first No. 1 album with 1000 Forms of Fear and launched a massive, worldwide hit with Chandelier.
Beyonce and Beyond
If Beyoncé doesn’t dominate in nominations at the upcoming Grammys, it will be just as surprising as the release of her self-titled album last year.
The pop queen could finally earn the coveted album of the year since the release of Beyoncé was earth-shattering and well-received. One thing's for sure: Beyoncé, who already owns 17 Grammys, will easily sweep the R&B categories.
Ariana And Iggy’s Big Problem
While Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea both have a strong chance of nominations for best new artist, they could cancel each other when it comes to song and record of the year. Azalea's Fancy is most likely to be up for the top honours, but the votes could split between that smash and Problem. Also, for awards like best pop duo/group performance or best rap/sung collaboration, songs like Fancy, Problem, Bang Bang with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J or Black Widow with Rita Ora could cancel each other out.
Azalea, though, should be a top contender in the rap categories, and Grande could earn a nomination for best pop vocal album for My Everything – which has launched four Top 10 pop hits – as well as nominations in the R&B categories, including her current duet with the Weeknd, Love Me Harder.
Happily Ever After
Oh happy day: Though Pharrell's Happy was released before Grammy eligibility – it originally came out in June 2013 as part of Despicable Me 2 – he submitted a live version of the song, so he has a chance of earning nominations for record of the year and best pop solo performance.
John Legend is in similar shoes: All of Me, another No 1 hit, also was released before eligibility, but he could also earned a nomination for the ballad's live rendition.
In the past, live songs have won Grammys: Adele won best pop solo performance for her live version of Set Fire to the Rain a year after she dominated the Grammys with wins for album, song and record of the year with "21" and Rolling In the Deep.
Hot Like Fire Or Cold As Ice?
Frozen may earn a nomination for album of the year since it is the year's best-selling album with 3.6 million units sold. Let It Go, also a multi-platinum success, could follow its Oscar win with nominations for record and song of the year, among other awards. Oh, how far Idina Menzel has come since John Travolta once called her Adele Dazeem.
Poetic Justice?
Kendrick Lamar, who last year was nominated for seven awards but went home empty-handed, could find redemption next year. His latest single, i, will likely compete in categories like best rap song and rap performance.
Respect Your Elders
Barbra Streisand, whose duets album Partners debuted at No 1 and is one of the year's top-selling albums, could earn a number of nominations. Tony Bennett, who released a duet album of standards with Lady Gaga, could also compete in the pop and jazz categories.
What’s Shaking?
While Taylor Swift's 1989 will qualify for nominations next year, her hit Shake It Off could earn nominations for song and record of the year as well as best pop solo performance. If it doesn't, hopefully she can shake it off.
• For more information, visit www.grammy.com.
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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.”
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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