CL rose to fame as a member of the K-pop girl group 2NE1. Photo: Waterbomb Festival
CL rose to fame as a member of the K-pop girl group 2NE1. Photo: Waterbomb Festival
CL rose to fame as a member of the K-pop girl group 2NE1. Photo: Waterbomb Festival
CL rose to fame as a member of the K-pop girl group 2NE1. Photo: Waterbomb Festival

K-pop star CL to perform in Dubai for inaugural Waterbomb Festival


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

South Korean rappers CL, pH-1 and Big Naughty have been announced as part of the musical line-up for Dubai's first Waterbomb Festival.

A South Korean tradition, the two-event will take place at Dubai Festival City on June 7 and 8. Some of the biggest names in EDM, hip-hop and K-pop are also expected to perform at the event, with further announcements expected.

CL, real name Lee Chae-rin, rose to fame as the leader of the girl group 2NE1, which formed in 2009. They are known as one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time.

Launching her solo career with the song The Baddest Female in 2013, CL then released solo track MTBD in 2014 as part of 2NE1's final studio album Crush. In 2016, she became the first South Korean female artist to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 with her song Lifted. She has since been included twice in Time’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World, in 2015 and 2016.

PH-1, also known as Harry Park, is a South Korean rapper, singer and songwriter. He gained popularity through his appearances on the South Korean hip-hop TV competition Show Me the Money. He subsequently released several solo albums and singles, showcasing his versatility as an artist.

Big Naughty, real name Seo Dong-hyun, is a South Korean rapper and singer who gained recognition for his participation on reality TV competition High School Rapper 3 in 2019. He impressed judges with his rap skills, unique style and charismatic stage presence, ultimately finishing as the runner-up.

What is the Waterbomb Festival?

The Waterbomb Festival originated in South Korea. Photo: Waterbomb Festival
The Waterbomb Festival originated in South Korea. Photo: Waterbomb Festival

Waterbomb Festivals are annual events that takes place in South Korea. They typically take place during the summer as a way for people to cool off from the heat.

Participants are encouraged to wear swimwear or clothes that they don't mind getting wet, as the event involves water fights using water guns, balloons and other water-related props. There are usually music performances by popular K-pop artists and DJs, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Tickets start at Dh150; more information is available at www.waterbombdubai.com

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Transmission: Seven-speed auto

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

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Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

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Name: Fareed Lafta

Age: 40

From: Baghdad, Iraq

Mission: Promote world peace

Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi

Role models: His parents 

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1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)

2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)

3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)

4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)

5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)

6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)

7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)

8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)

9.  Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)

10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)

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Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Specs

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Tamkeen's offering
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  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
FIXTURES

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Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand

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Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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.”

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