THE BASICS ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in 1970, made up of Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog. They are one of the most successful pop bands in history, with global record sales approaching 400 million.
WHY ABBA? Why not? The clue is in the first letters of their Christian names. The band had to ask permission from the Swedish fish-canning company Abba Seafood AB to use it.
WHO WAS MARRIED TO WHOM? Björn and Agnetha were married, as were Benny and Anni-Frid. But not for long. In fact, the band lasted longer than the marriages, just.
THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS SWEDES? Probably. Except that Anni-Frid is actually half-Norwegian and half-German, but was brought up in Sweden by her maternal grandmother after her mother died aged just 21.
BUT THE BOYS WERE THE BRAINS BEHIND THE BAND? Some would argue that the boys really made the group with their incredible hit-writing talent. Stig Anderson, a Swedish songwriter and music publisher, went on to become ABBA's manager after telling the boys: "One day the pair of you will write a song that becomes a worldwide hit." That said, we all know who looked better in those silver platform boots.
AND THEY DID WRITE A HIT? Yes, in fact they wrote several hits, most of which you probably know the words to. The first one to make it big on the international music scene was the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest winner Waterloo. It went to no. 1 in the UK, Germany and Australia. It got to no. 6 in the US. Go on, you know the words...
TONGUE TWISTER If you really want a challenge, try the Swedish version. All together now: Jo, jo, vid Waterloo Napoleon fick ge sig...
THEN WHAT? The hits just kept coming; 1975 saw the release of I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. Then later that year SOS, followed by Mamma Mia. In 1976, they released Fernando; the following year, Knowing Me, Knowing You and The Name of the Game and in 1978, Take a Chance on Me. Are you singing yet?
SUPER TROUPER? You said it. By 1976 ABBA were truly global superstars. That year saw the release of a Greatest Hits compilation album, which became their first UK no. 1 album and sold more than a million copies in the US.
SO WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG? Too many to relate, but who hasn't fallen in love to Chiquitita, or made a fool of themselves on a dance floor to Dancing Queen, got the words wrong to Does Your Mother Know? or crooned with the best of them to The Winner Takes It All. And don't be embarrassed if you're a secret ABBA maniac. The group still sells around three million albums a year, every year. They're never out of style. And nor are those silver platform boots.
VOULEZ-VOUS? For Björn and Agnetha the answer was no by 1979. Their split led to speculation about the band's future, but they promised to play on. In 1981, Benny and Anni-Frid followed suit and got divorced.
THE END? The dissolution of the band was never officially announced, but their last public performance was on UK television in 1982.
Life after ABBA
CHESS Benny and Björn's first major project after ABBA, a musical that debuted in 1986 and tells the story of a love triangle in the Cold War. Lyrics by Tim Rice.
ANNI-FRID THE PRINCESS? Yes, from pop star to princess, it's the stuff of fairy tales. She is officially known as Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss of Plauen, following her marriage to a German prince, who died in 1999. The Instant Expert feels a musical coming on.
MAMMA MIA! The musical that no one (well, almost no one) can resist. Let's face it, 42 million punters can't be wrong. Then there was the film, also a mega-hit, the most successful British film ever. There is now a version in Mandarin, so another few billion people won't feel left out.
THE ABBA LEGACY An exhibition called ABBA WORLD tours the globe offering fans the "music, memories and magic". An ABBA Museum is planned in Stockholm. Until then you can enjoy the ABBA City Walk, all two hours of it.
ANY CHANCE OF A REUNION? None at all. They got together briefly for a picture when the film version of Mamma Mia! came out, but that's all, folks.
Björn Again will perform at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company on Friday night (October 7). Tickets are priced at Dh75-Dh400. For more information go to www.adnec.ae.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
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.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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