Holly to Bolly: Priyanka Chopra dedicates song to her father, Salman Khan supports Hillary Clinton and more

Actress Priyanka Chopra seemed to really mean business when she said she would follow good cinema wherever it took her. Chopra, who has been making waves in the United States with her TV show Quantico and upcoming film Baywatch, recently turned to regional cinema in India. In the Marathi film Ventilator, the 34-year-old actress sings a song titled Baba, dedicated to her father who passed away in 2013. Chopra has always been vocal about her close relationship with her father and tweeted the song saying, "#Baba..My first Marathi song.. Forgive me if there are any mistakes...this one is all heart". Meanwhile, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Chopra said she has been making a concentrated effort to dispel myths in Hollywood about the Indian film industry, and would love to see more Indian talent being represented in movies in the West. – Sonali Kokra

Salman Khan supports Hillary Clinton

Just days out from the United States presidential elections, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has joined the growing list of celebrities to supporting Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Khan, 50, has always been reticent about taking a stand on political issues in the past. On Saturday, Khan tweeted a photo of Clinton and wrote: "Hope you win. May God give you the strength to follow the constitution and human values. All the best. "HillaryClintonforpresident". While Clinton might not know who Khan is, she does remember Amitabh Bachchan. In one of her leaked e-mails, Clinton asked trusted aide Huma Abedin, "What's the name of the famous older Indian actor we met a few years ago?" to which Abedin replied, "Amitabh Bachchan". – Sonali Kokra

Meryl Streep gets award for lifetime achievement

Meryl Streep will get the Golden Globes lifetime achievement award at the annual ceremony in January, organisers have announced. Streep, a three-time Oscar winner, will be presented with the Cecil B DeMille award in recognition of her 40 years in the industry. "She has always taken roles with strong female leads, creating art by showing vulnerability and portraying truth on the big screen. "Simply put, she is a trailblazer, having paved the way for women in television, film and stage," Hollywood Foreign Press Association's president Lorenzo Sofia said. Streep's most-recent film was the 2016 comedy Florence Foster Jenkins, in which she plays a rich, elderly American with no talent for singing but having big ambitions. The 67-year-old actress won Oscars for her performances in The Iron Lady, Sophie's Choice and Kramer vs. Kramer. She has received 19 Oscar nominations during her career. – Reuters

Unheard David Bowie vocals to be aired on BBC2

Previously unheard vocals and footage from David Bowie's Lazarus project will be aired for the first time in a BBC2 documentary covering the last five years of his life, according to a report in The Guardian. David Bowie: The Last Five Years will revolve around the singer's final projects – his last two albums, The Next Day and Blackstar, and musical Lazarus, which recently transferred from Broadway to London. Bowie died on January 10, two days after Blackstar's surprise release. The documentary will be broadcast in January as part of a series of programmes to coincide with what would have been his 70th birthday. – The National staff

Sabash Naidu filming to resume in January

The filming of upcoming trilingual comedy Sabash Naidu, which had to be stopped briefly owing to actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan's leg injury, will resume in January. Haasan fractured his leg after he slipped and fell at his home in July. The team had made plans to resume shoot from December but Haasan is not completely fit and so the shoot has been pushed until after the Christmas break. Sabash Naidu, a spin-off on Haasan's Balram Naidu character from Dasavatharam, is being simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Shruti Haasan and Brahmanandam in important roles. – IANS

Freddie Mercury to be played by Rami Malek

Rami Malek is set to play late singer Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the band Queen, reports Variety magazine. Malek, 35, recently won the Best Actor Emmy for cyber series Mr. Robot, and has also had recurring roles on 24, The Pacific and has been in all three films in the Night at the Museum series as King Akhmenrah. Bryan Singer, who directed X-Men: Apocalypse and The Usual Suspects, will direct the biopic charting the life of the late British singer and New Regency and Fox will co-produce the film. Bryan Singer confirmed the news on his Instagram account with a photograph of the Queen band members and confirmed his and Malek's involvement as well. The script is written by Anthony McCarten, who penned The Theory of Everything. – The National staff

Indian acting trio film talk show segment together

Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Abhishek Bachchan were spotted shooting for Sajid Khan and Riteish Deshmukh’s chat show Yaaron Ki Baarat at the weekend. The trio, who are good friends off the screen have great on screen chemistry and as they haven’t been featured in a film together, audiences are looking forward to seeing their friendship on the chat show. Devgn, 49 said: “It was a lot of fun. Though we three came here but technically we are five friends meeting after a long time.” Khan added: “It was Yaaron Ki Barat which turned into Yaadon ki Barat as we recalled many old memories.” Abhishek, 40, thanked the makers of the show for inviting them. The episode will be aired on November 6 on Zee TV. - IANS

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km

Price: from Dh285,000

On sale: from January 2022

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

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

While you're here

National Editorial: World trade has started to look inwards

Callum Patton: ‘Arrival of Asian century’ has eclipsed US

Robin Mills: Importance of China's energy markets clearer

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.

The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick

Rating:****

While you're here

Kareem Shaheen: Even a pandemic could not unite today's America

Michele Wucker: The difference between a black swan and a grey rhino

Robert Matthews: Has flawed science and rushed research failed us?

While you're here

Gavin Esler: Will 2021 be Boris Johnson's worst year?

Thomas Harding: US relations with Europe could change

Brodie Owen: How England’s new lockdown rules work

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.”