The biggest stars of the Mumbai film industry gathered together on Friday for the wedding of the Bollywood actors Genelia D'Souza and Ritesh Deshmukh in India. The star-studded guest list was led by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Imran Khan, Ekta Kapoor and Sushmita Sen.
The wedding was done in lavish Maharashtrian-style. The bride wore a traditional white bridal legenga, heavily studded in gold, while the groom wore a black kurta.
In true Bollywood style, the night ended with the couple's best man, filmmaker Karan Johar, choreographing a dance at the reception.
On Saturday the couple had a quieter second ceremony in a Christian church, where only a few family members were present.
Adam Lambert to sing with Queen?
The former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert is set to sing with the band Queen, reported Rolling Stone magazine on Friday.
"The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie Mercury and the band by singing some great songs," Lambert told the music magazine. "It's to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would've been proud of."
Queen previously toured with the former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Mercury's place.
Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor famously joined Lambert on stage during his Idol finals appearance in 2009. In November last year, the band performed with Lambert at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast, increasing speculation that Lambert was permanently replacing Mercury, who died in 1991.
Rolling Stone later clarified in a news update that Lambert's new gig has not yet been confirmed and nothing has been signed.
In October last year, Lady Gaga was rumoured to be the band's new lead singer, after guitarist May revealed to the press that they were exploring duet options and even a TV show with her.
Depardieu to star in Strauss-Kahn film
The controversial US director Abel Ferrara says he is to make a film on the scandal that destroyed Dominique Strauss-Kahn's political career - with Gerard Depardieu in the starring role.
It would co-star Isabelle Adjani as Strauss-Kahn's wife, Anne Sinclair, Ferrara told the French newspaper Le Monde.
Strauss-Kahn, who was seen as a Socialist contender for the French presidency, was forced to resign as head of the International Monetary Fund last May after he was charged with sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid.
Charges were later dropped, but he remains dogged by the scandal in France.
Ferrara, perhaps best known for the hard-hitting 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, told Le Monde that the film would be shot in New York, Paris and Washington.
* Agence France-Presse
Flash mob greets Imran Khan at NYU
During his Saturday visit to New York University in the US, the Indian actor Imran Khan was welcomed by a flash mob of more than 100 students, who broke into a dance number featuring songs from his forthcoming new film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu.
Khan was in New York as part of his international promotional tour for the romantic comedy, set for global release on Friday.
"I had a blast at NYU. Everyone was so enthusiastic, they put on a very polished, confident show, and the surprise flash mob at the end was perfectly executed," Khan said in a statement.
The surprise mob was organised by NYU Dillagi, a Bollywood dance troupe at the school.
Tunisian singer leaves Arab Idol
The Tunisian contestant Shireen Elajmi was eliminated during Saturday night's episode of the reality talent programme Arab Idol. It was her second time in the danger zone and while saddened by the cut, the judges did not pull the save card for Elajmi.
After the announcement, Elajmi burst into tears. The judge Ragheb Alamah tried to pacify her by saying that he loved her. The Egyptian singer and guest judge Sherine told Elajmi that even if she wasn't to continue, she should be proud for reaching this far and showing the world she has a voice.
Elajmi, who chose to sing Sherine's song 3ala Bali during performance night, is the second contestant to be eliminated in Idol's final rounds. Eight contestants remain.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Specs
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.”
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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