The shortlist for the Mercury Prize, the UK's most prestigious music award, has been announced, and it's a little surprising to see all-conquering man-of-the-moment Ed Sheeran on the list for his album ÷. The award seems to traditionally favour less commercial artists.The album has sold more than two million copies in the UK alone, while lead single Shape of You has been streamed more than a billion times on Spotify.
Sheeran lines up alongside 11 other nominees for the prize, with the winner due to be announced on September 14. Among Sheeran's competition for the prize is the politically charged grime artist Stormzy, Mancunian indie outfit Blossoms and contemporary soul singer Sampha, who is being hotly tipped in some circles for his album Process.
Previous winners to have received repeat nominations this year include arty pop-rockers Alt-J who won the prize in 2012 with their debut An Awesome Wave. They're given a second nod for this year's Relaxer. The xx are also in the running for a second time for their latest album I See You – band member Jamie xx was also nominated last year for his solo album In Colour, while the band previously won the award for 2010's self-titled debut. Either of these could potentially go on to join PJ Harvey as the only outfit to win the prize twice.
The Mercury Prize's judging panel, who will decide the ultimate winners, consists of 12 experts including musicians, broadcasters and critics and this year features famous names including Mumford and Sons' Marcus Mumford and singer songwriter Jamie Cullum.
The nominees in full:
Alt-J: Relaxer
The Big Moon: Love in the 4th Dimension
Blossoms: Blossoms
Loyle Carner: Yesterday's Gone
Dinosaur: Together, As One
Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being
J Hus: Common Sense
Sampha: Process
Ed Sheeran: ÷
Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer
Kate Tempest: Let Them Eat Chaos
The xx: I See You
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Persuasion
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