Mayssa Karaa shined as a special guest of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli during his New Year's Eve performance at Emirates Palace. The Lebanese singer appeared during the second half of the gala performance, held in a purpose-built venue on the sprawling grounds of the Mandarin Oriental resort, for a four-song set including duets with Bocelli and solo work.
Karaa was then tasked to count down to the new year, which set off a fireworks display. Speaking to The National at the end of the show, she said she couldn't have started 2025 on a better note. "As an Arab woman standing on that stage, it was a powerful moment," she says. "I wished everyone a year filled with peace, love, and happiness before starting the countdown to the fireworks."
Preparations for Karaa's performance began earlier this week, an experience which had her rehearsing with Bocelli and his technical team. She explains that the onstage charm and serenity displayed by the opera star are also reflected backstage.
"What struck me most was the team's professionalism and kindness," she says. "You could feel he's surrounded by family – people who have been with him for a long time. This energy was contagious; we all felt like we'd known each other for ever. Andrea was present at rehearsals and attentive to all details. Despite his stature, he remains very involved in everything concerning the repertoire."
Karaa's performance began with a duet of Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love followed by Adagio from 18th-century baroque composer Albinoni. Up next was a joint rendition of The Prayer, where Karaa adapted her part (originally sung by Celine Dion in English and Italian in 1999) to Arabic.
"It was a significant moment as I believe it's the first time Andrea has sung with an artist in Arabic," she said. "I had adapted the lyrics previously, which they liked enough to add to the repertoire."
Karaa's section finished with another duet, this time of Bocelli favourite Canto della Terra. Her abiding memory of the evening will be the gentle displays of encouragement from him during the performance.
"It felt magical, and time flew by," she adds. "While it was an honour to perform with him, something felt familiar, as if I'd sung with him a million times before. He was incredibly kind, even encouraging me during the performance, saying 'beautiful' and 'great job'. It made everything extremely pleasant and smooth."
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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'Midnights'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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