Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars among iHeartRadio Music Award winners
The 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards started with Justin Timberlake speaking about inclusion and dedicating his award to children who feel different, and ended with a rousing performance by Bruno Mars that included crowd participation from Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Ty Dolla $ign, Heidi Klum and more.
Timberlake won the night's first award, song of the year, for Can't Stop The Feeling! - his massive No1 hit that was nominated for an Academy Award last month.
Can't Stop This Feeling! appeared on the Trolls soundtrack and was nominated for the best original song Oscar.
Mars, who earned the Innovator Award and closed the show, started his performance with his past hit, Treasure, and later sang his newest hit, the groovy That's What I Like. It featured his signature, slick dance moves and all-star band.
“Innovator is a very heavy word ... it’s a little ironic for me because I genuinely feel like I’m just getting started,” Mars, 31, said onstage, sporting a black suit and sunglasses. “So buckle up. I don’t know where we’re going yet but we’re going. Keep up y’all.”
Other A-list stars were part of the awards show, too: Ed Sheeran started solo and strummed his guitar during Shape of You - currently No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 - and later walked to another stage to perform Castle on the Hill with a full band. Sheeran won best lyrics for co-writing Justin Bieber's Love Yourself. - Associated Press
Japanese chef opens North Korean restaurant
Japanese sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto has opened his sushi restaurant in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, according to Canadian Michael Spavor, a consultant with a long record of working in the communist state. He was involved with NBA star Dennis Rodman’s trips to North Korea, and the two spent days with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who succeeded his father after his death in 2011.
Spavor said he was introduced to Fujimoto last year when he learnt about the chef’s plans to open a restaurant in Pyongyang and tried to track it down early this year.
“I was quite excited, because I’d heard quite a lot about him,” Spavor said. “So one day, for lunch, we met up, and we got along great, he speaks fluent Korean, so we spoke Korean, and that’s when he mentioned to me he was planning on opening up a ramen restaurant or a sushi restaurant in Pyongyang.”
It’s rare to find a Japanese business openly operating in North Korea, because of strained relations between the two countries.
But Fujimoto is a special case. He worked for Kim Jong Il for many years. After Kim’s death, Fujimoto reappeared in Pyongyang meeting with the new leader in images he shared with Japanese media.
Fujimoto’s new restaurant in Pyongyang bears the name “Takahashi” outside its door. The main room with a sushi counter is very small, with just a handful of seats. - Associated Press
Emma Watson defends Vanity Fair shoot
British actress Emma Watson has hit back at critics who said she betrayed her feminist ideals by posing for a revealing picture in Vanity Fair magazine where parts of her chest were exposed.
Watson, the Harry Potter movie series co-star and pioneer of the HeForShe campaign to make men advocate for feminism, talked about the photo shoot for the magazine while promoting her latest film, the Disney live action Beauty and the Beast.
“It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is,” she said in an interview with Reuters.
“Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.
“I’m confused. Most people are confused. No, I’m just always just quietly stunned,” she said. - Reuters
Netflix takes aim at Indian market
Netflix on has announced strategic partnerships with Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone. The move is to offer Netflix services over the top (OTT) through these companies’ direct-to-home and mobile platforms.
“India is more movie-centric and among the top three markets in terms of mobile usage. We are investing heavily on content and will soon open an office in Mumbai,” Reed Hastings, Co-founder and CEO of Netflix, told reporters here.
Netflix launched its service globally in January 2016, including in India. “In 2017, we will work on making our Indian service better in every dimension. What’s unique about Netflix is that we have got international originals and we will focus on premium content,” Hastings added.
With these partnerships, Netflix's critically-acclaimed programmes like House of Cards and Narcos and The Crown will be easily accessible to consumers across direct-to-home and mobile platforms throughout the country.
“In the months and years to come, we look forward to bringing our Indian members more compelling stories from all over the world, an ever-improving viewing experience and incredible joy,” Hastings added. - IANS
Shah Rukh Khan wishes Karan Johar well
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has extended his best wishes to close friend Karan Johar, who has become a father of twins Yash and Roohi Johar through surrogacy.
The 51-year-old actor walked the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra at a charity fashion show for NGO Mijwan Welfare Society on Sunday.
On the sidelines, Shah Rukh said: “I wish him health and happiness. I think this is a very personal moment, so don’t think I am being cagey and not wanting to answer.
“It is very personal because I have had this moment. So let’s respect (it) and leave (it at) that. We will have celebrations, love and happiness later.”
Karan on Sunday announced he has become a father to daughter Roohi and son Yash. Shah Rukh too has a son, AbRam, via surrogacy.
The Raees actor shared his experience of walking the ramp at the event, organised by veteran actress Shabana Azmi.
“I would like to thank Shabanaji and Manish for giving me this opportunity. We are all old friends and I genuinely love to be a part of this initiative. It is a heartfelt and beautiful initiative,” said Shah Rukh, who looked dapper in a chikankari black and white kurta.
SRK is currently working on Imtiaz Ali's movie, tentatively titled The Ring opposite Anushka Sharma. He plays a tour guide in the film, supposedly inspired by Dev Anand's character in Guide.
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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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.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
