newslide
Young drummer recognised by Metallica
A 10-year-old drummer from Philadelphia in the United States is receiving high praise for his cover of a Metallica song that featured on the heavy metal band's Instagram page on the weekend. Daniel Krilov has been playing drums for just two years, but that didn't stop him from responding to the band's request for fans to send video of themselves covering a track off their new album. Krilov, a School of Rock Philadelphia student, posted a one-minute recording of himself drumming to his favourite song on Hard-wired ... to Self-Destruct on the site last week. Krilov's video was viewed more than 300,000 times on Metallica's page in just one day. — AP
newslide
SRK finds Paulo Coelho kind and generous
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has spoken of his fondness for his friend and admirer Paulo Coelho, describing the author as "kind and generous". Coelho, who has authored books such as Eleven Minutes, Brida and The Alchemist, took to Twitter to share a link about Khan. He also wrote that the actor is the greatest movie star in the world. The Don star replied by thanking Coelho and calling him kind. "Thank you my friend Paulo Coelho. You are kind and generous with your love," Khan tweeted on Sunday, November 27. Khan had previously gifted the author a set of his films, including Asoka, Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om. On the work front, Shah Rukh will next be seen in Raees. * IANS
newslide
Dhanush’s Tamil film set for release in February
Upcoming Tamil romantic action film Enai Noki Paayum Thota, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, is set to hit the screens during Valentine's Day weekend next year. "Nearly 80 per cent of the film has already been shot. The rest will be completed over the course of the next few weeks. The makers are planning to release the film during the Valentine's Day weekend next year," a source from the film's unit told IANS. The Bollywood blockbuster will star Dhanush and Megha Akash, and has been predominantly shot in Mumbai. The film's first-look posters were released on Sunday. Dhanush features in two guises — both with a beard and in a clean-shaven look as well. — IANS
newslide
When Dev Patel spent an hour looking in a mirror
British actor Dev Patel says he spent an hour looking at himself in the mirror for his role in his latest film Lion. "It required an energy shift," Patel, who was a guest at last year's Dubai International Film Festival, told Empire magazine.
"I'm a super-hyperactive kind of dude and the role required a level of stillness. I spent eight months prepping and it was all a process of introspection." Based on the non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley — which recounts how the adopted author searches for his biological parents online — the film also stars Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman. Patel landed the role after a gruelling six-hour audition in which he worked through the entire script with director Garth Davis and "lost his mind" at the end, reports femalefirt.co.uk "At the end of it, Garth said, 'I want you to roar like a lion. Let go of emotion and completely purge the pain you'd feel in Saroo's situation. You don't have to do it," adds Patel. "And I was like, 'Of course I have to'. So I did and I completely lost my mind. I was jumping in at the deep end." - IANS
newslide
New Rolling Stones album rekindles Chicago-blues love affair
Eleven years after their last studio album, rock legends The Rolling Stones are back with Blue and Lonesome, a tribute to the blues legends who forged the band's soul. "This album is a homage to our favourites, people that kicked us off in playing music, that was the reason we started a band," charismatic frontman Mick Jagger recently told The New York Times. "We were proselytisers of blues music; that's what we're still doing." It is the band's first album to feature just cover songs, drawn exclusively from the 1950s blues scene of Chicago, where musicians from the blues' southern heartland had settled seeking work. Songs by Little Walter, Eddie Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon all feature on the record, to be released on Friday, December 2. Mississippi-born Muddy Waters was the scene's godfather, and his song Rollin' Stone gave Jagger's band its name. Completing the full circle, the band recorded the album at the British Grove Studios, close to the west London pubs where they honed their all-conquering sound in the early 1960s. "One day we got fed up doing this (new) song so we did one blues, then another, then another," remembers Jagger. "I said 'OK, let's come back tomorrow and do three or four more'." - AFP
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Read more about the coronavirus
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
