With the BTS behemoth grounding to a halt temporarily, all seven members of the K-pop boy band will dedicate the foreseeable future to developing their solo careers.
While pop music history is home to many examples of such career transitions not working out, the members have been studiously building their own sounds throughout the years.
Such an approach has placed each member in a strong position to launch their respective careers, while taking BTS fans along for the ride.
Here is what we can expect from each member.
RM will become a hip-hop star
His dexterous baritone rapping has given BTS an extra X factor to their songs.
However, with six other members sharing vocals and the various pop styles traversed by the group, RM has rarely managed to fully express his hip-hop credentials as part of BTS.
RM provided a preview of what a solo career may sound like with the mixtape, Mono, cracking the US Billboard 200 charts and peaking at No 26.
His assured collaborations with rappers Warren G, Wale and Lil Nas X as part of the release only shows that he is more than comfortable working in the US hip-hop scene.
A solo career could lead to him doubling down on that approach and, in turn, becoming the first artiste to bring K-pop flair to mainstream US hip-hop.
Suga to produce more adventurous K-pop tracks
He has plenty of options when it comes to life apart from BTS.
As a singer, rapper and producer, Suga can spend his time successfully perfecting his craft as a solo artist or producing the next batch of K-pop stars.
A listen to his two mixtapes, particularly 2016's D-2, shows that he is an undeniable talent.
The songs are autobiographical tracks laced with interesting production that includes rhythms inspired by South Korean military tracks.
A fully-fledged solo career could have Suga move away from the sugar-coated sounds of BTS towards deeper and esoteric territory.
Jin to go full Ed Sheeran
With Jin's soaring falsetto and tender crooning responsible for the emotional heft of BTS tracks, such as Spring Day and Fake Love, a career as a singer-songwriter in the Ed Sheeran mode is a strong possibility.
Fans already got a taste of what's to come with the solo single Super Tuna trending on YouTube, from South Korea to Peru.
J-Hope to release more club bangers
The rapper and dancer is already deep into his solo career, with a performance planned at next month’s Lollapalooza festival in the US.
J-Hope has been working on his own sound since 2018 with the mixtape Hope World.
Blending K-pop's cutting-edge production with hip-hop and Latin pop, J-Hope has great potential to do well in various territories.
The 2019 single Chicken Noodle Soup, featuring US popstar Becky G, and 2019's A Brand New Day with Swedish singer Zara Larsson shows his penchant for releasing catchy high energy pop that resonates internationally.
Jimin to take the pop charts by storm
It is Jimin that, perhaps, has given fellow BTS members the idea that solo success is attainable.
In 2019, he was the first member to have his solo track Serendipity get more than 100 million views on YouTube.
The singer and dancer found further success with follow-up solo songs Lie and Filter, also released under BTS albums, charting well internationally.
With such momentum and an eager fan base, Jimin's transition to a solo career should be smooth.
Expect more English songs from V
It's a case of better late than never when V released his first full solo track, Intro: Singularity, on the BTS album Love Yourself: Tear in 2018.
The next year, he had another solo song come out called Scenery. The sumptuous ballad made an immediate impact and reportedly gained 100 million streams on music sharing platform SoundCloud.
Under his own name, V has gone on to release English material in various genres, a standout of which is the indie-pop stylings of Sweet Night, as part of the soundtrack for K-drama Itaewon Class.
V's latest single Christmas Tree, for the Korean romantic comedy series Our Beloved Summer, cracked the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2021.
With such a pedigree, V should be relishing the prospect of a full-time solo career.
Could Jungkook be the next Jimmy Fallon?
He got the looks and the moves.
The youngest member of BTS, at only 24, he seemingly has the world at his feet when it comes to plotting a solo career.
While he could go on and release solo music, considering the success of the 2018 hit Euphoria and 2020's My Time (released under BTS), Jungkook can also have a solid career on South Korean television. He's already hosted episodes of variety programmes such as Music Bank, Show! Music Core and Show Champion.
Scroll the gallery below to see images from BTS Permission to Dance on Stage concert in Las Vegas.
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The%20specs
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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
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
SPECS
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
THREE
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Pathaan
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
