Shashi Tharoor, right, and Sunanda Pushkar held their wedding ceremony at the Al Safa home of Prakash Bhojwani, a businessman.
Shashi Tharoor, right, and Sunanda Pushkar held their wedding ceremony at the Al Safa home of Prakash Bhojwani, a businessman.

Tharoor's bride is queen of his heart



DUBAI // The much-hyped Dubai wedding of the Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar took place at a private villa yesterday. Dressed in a north Indian sherwani, Mr Tharoor, 54, smiled all through the traditional Hindu ceremony.

He and Ms Pushkar, 45, held hands as the priest recited religious verses to them. The couple then read vows to each other, which were translated from Sanskrit to English. "Now that you have accepted me as your husband, you will be the queen of my heart," said Mr Tharoor, as the crowd cheered for the couple.  "I shall always make you happy. I shall never separate you from me and I will take care of you."

The couple were thrown into the media spotlight earlier this year after allegations emerged that Ms Pushkar had received a free stake in the IPL Kochi cricket franchise. This eventually led to Mr Tharoor's resignation as Indian minister of state for external affairs. Ms Pushkar was dressed in a red designer wedding sari and covered her head with the sari as she completed the rituals. The Dubai-based entrepreneur appeared thrilled throughout the ceremony and was flanked by her family and friends.

"I shall be with you, shoulder to shoulder, in the ups and downs of life," she said.  The home of Indian businessman Prakash Bhojwani in Al Safa was converted into the wedding area where the ceremonies were conducted. "I just want to see this couple happily married and I'm doing my best to ensure that the wedding goes well," said Mr Bhojwani. Most guests wore traditional Indian attire. An Indian vegetarian lunch was served for all the guests before the wedding ceremonies began.

Ms Pushkar's teenage son, Shiv, who studies in Dubai, was also present at the wedding and was seen welcoming guests. Despite rumours before the wedding that the guest list was enormous, only about 70 people attended. Among the guests was the veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher and Mumbai-socialite couple Adi and Parmeshwar Godrej. "I was invited for the wedding from both sides; by Sunanda and Tharoor," said Mr Kher, who sat in the front row to watch the proceedings.

When asked if he thought the marriage would end the controversy surrounding the couple, he said: "Drama is part of everybody's life, especially if they are public figures. I think they are excited about being together, which is why they are getting married." Also present at the wedding was Harshad Mehta, the owner of the Indian Premier League franchise IPL Kochi, and one of the key figures in the controversy.

The two married last week, ending months of speculation about their relationship before yesterday's second ceremony. The first wedding was held at the ancestral home of Mr Tharoor, who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, and was performed in traditional Kerala style. The Dubai wedding yesterday was conducted in Kashmiri style. The newlyweds will hold a reception at the same venue tonight. They will then head to Spain for their honeymoon followed by a reception in New Delhi.

@Email:pmenon@thenational.ae

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

MEFCC information

Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

What should do investors do now?

What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor? 

Should I be euphoric?

No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.

So what happened?

It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.

"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."

Should I buy? Should I sell?

Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.

"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.

All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.

Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.

Will the rally last?

No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.

"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

MATCH INFO

France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')

Italy 1
Bonucci (36')

The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80

Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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Barbie
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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About Housecall

Date started: July 2020

Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X

Price, as tested: Dh84,000

Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: Six-speed auto

Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km


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