Given that it’s been almost two years since Paris Hilton first found her Dubai best friend, you would have thought she’d have been over to visit more often.
Paris Hilton: Paris Hilton talks with Alex Ritman in Dubai
Last Updated: May 24 2011
Paris Hilton on her Dubai BFF, friendship with Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee and her forthcoming visit to Philippines. Plus, will she run for President?
Watch the video here
But no, this week saw the first return from the model/actress/singer/brand/business woman/fashion designer/author/philanthropist/empire (her words) since 2009’s filming of the reality programme Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF (which, of course, as you know, stands for Best Friend Forever).
Now, leaving all concern for the literal meanings of ‘best’ and ‘forever’ firmly at the door, Hilton has managed to accumulate four BFFs over the past few years through such shows. Finding a best mate through a television series might seem a bizarre method to make friends, but this is Paris Hilton and – as many stars have previously claimed – fame can be a somewhat lonely business. The Dubai show, which is finally now airing on MTV, saw 23 girls battle to become Paris’ regional right-hand woman and not receive the dreaded TTYN (Talk To You Never), Paris’ very own version of ‘You’re Fired’ (although fortunately without Trump’s chubby finger). But what exactly does being a Hilton BFF entail?
• More videos from The National.
“Oh, you know, just BBM, texts, calls and when I come over here I’ll visit her,” she smiles. “We’re planning a trip where she’s going to come and see me in LA.” Paris also says it’s “probable” that her BFFs will all be brought together, letting imaginations run wild about the prospect of an explosive superlative showdown, something which would no doubt be filmed for our viewing pleasure (because that’s what best friends are for). Thankfully, it seems even Paris is realising the extent to which you can stretch the dictionary. While she admits that other countries across the world have asked her to film similar shows,she says perhaps it’s time to call it a day. “I’ve really enjoyed doing it, but I have enough BFFs,” she giggles.
Despite this, it seems Paris has perhaps found room for another buddy, this time in the shape of Manny Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee, who she befriended after Manny’s recent fight in Vegas. “I’m going to the Philippines soon, I’ve got a huge deal to open three new Paris Hilton stores there.”
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Manny Pacquiao
• Exclusive Manny Pacquiao footage: see him training, talking and sharing with The National
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Speaking to Paris is a bizarre experience. No conversation before has come with such a sizeable amount of preconceived luggage gathered from years of celebrity-obsessed magazines and TV shows, all stuff I knew I shouldn’t have been paying attention to, but I was tired and my copy of War and Peace was upstairs.
Despite everything I might have heard about her, she’s unassailably nice, smiles sweetly and looks me in the eye when she’s talking. But given that we’ve got a video camera pointed at her as well, I can’t help but feel it’s all part of the show. It’s a little like talking to a press release. Her answers are clear and concise, but steer so far from anything even approaching an edge of controversy they sound as if they’ve been flattened with a carefully rehearsed PR steamroller first. It’s almost as if she’s done it before. Which, of course, she has. Several bazillion times. Even when a phone accidentally goes off mid-question and we’re forced to film it again for the camera, she repeats herself verbatim, even keeping the tone the same and chuckling at the right spot (at the bit where she tells me she’d perhaps like one day to be ‘President Paris’).
But then, at the same time, she’s hard to criticise to any sizeable degree. She is exactly what she says she is, a brand, much like Nike, Starbucks and Crest Toothpaste. She’s a brand with 30 stores, 17 product lines and 12 (12!) fragrances. She even speaks in slogans. What was ‘That’s Hot’ (a phrase she famously trademarked in 2007), has now become ‘That’s Huge’, which she utters at regular intervals. Apparently, she’s already copyrighted ‘That’s Huge’. What’s next? That’s Massive? That’s Colossal? That’s Behemothic? Get in there quick guys, Paris is buying up the lot.
“Creating the brand has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl,” she says when I ask whether she’s tired of having her every move critiqued, making my own childish dreams of flying Superman-like over my school playground seem somewhat lacklustre by comparison. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, it’s part of my life.”
And this life of pap-happy tabloid-fodderdom seems destined to continue for some time. While Paris may have put her BFF collection on the back-burner, her next show will see the cameras follow her every move in The World According To Paris. Whereas other such fly-on-the-wall reality shows have resulted in relationship meltdowns and infighting, it’s likely Paris will emerge from this unscathed, smiling and probably with a few more fragrances to launch.
If only she had been less polite and friendly, it would be easier to be more scathing. But good luck to her.
To see more videos from The National including exclusive footage of Manny Pacquiao click here.
Company%20Profile
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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57%20Seconds
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The%20specs
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
Company%20Profile
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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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