Keane's lead singer Tom Chaplin says Michael Jackson's influence on pop music will survive his death.
Keane's lead singer Tom Chaplin says Michael Jackson's influence on pop music will survive his death.

Countdown to Keane's Dubai gig



DUBAI // The British chart-topping band Keane today spoke of their sorrow at learning of the death of Michael Jackson, the day after a lavish memorial service was held for the pop icon in Los Angeles. The award-winning trio, who play their debut gig in the UAE tonight, told of how Jackson had been a powerful musical influence and how they were still mourning his loss. "We are still pretty upset about [the death]," said the band's songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley at a press conference ahead of the sell-out gig at the Madinat Arena. "Growing up in the 1980s, he was a real influence. He was probably one of the reasons we got into pop music in the first place." The lead singer Tom Chaplin added: "He's one of the few people who is going to be influencing music for about as long as pop music exists.

"Some one with that kind of talent and influence; it's such a sad thing that a human life should end like that. "When I was a kid, I wanted to be Michael Jackson. I used to practise the dances in front of the mirror." Rice-Oxley said the band, who are currently on a world tour promoting their third studio album, Perfect Symmetry, said they were told of the musician's death while in Sweden about to perform a concert. Chaplin said they were currently recording tracks during free time between concert dates and hoped to release a "mini-album" later in the year. This is the group's first visit to the Middle East and earlier this week Keane played a gig in Beirut.

They earned their reputation on the back of soft rock piano-led ballads such as 'Everybody's Changing', 'Somewhere Only We Know' and 'Is It Any Wonder'. The band, which also features Richard Hughes on drums, won international acclaim for their first album Hopes and Fears in 2004, and their second, darker album Under the Iron Sea. chamilton@thenational.ae

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The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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 changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.