A giant Moon artwork will be installed at the Aida refugee camp in the occupied West Bank this weekend.
Titled Museum of the Moon, the spherical artwork was created by British artist Luke Jerram and spans seven metres in diameter. Its facade is composed from high-definition images of the lunar surface taken by Nasa.
The artwork will be installed at Aida camp on Saturday between 1pm and midnight local time. The installation will be conducted by a team of Palestinians, who were trained by Jerram during his recent visit to the West Bank. The artist stayed at Aida camp for a week, meeting community figures and learning more about their experiences.
With the artwork’s presentation at the camp, Jerram aims to project hope and show solidarity with Palestinians.
Though Museum of the Moon will be at Aida camp temporarily, Jerram is also working on a new, undisclosed project with the camp, in hopes of supporting the community in the longer run.
“Everyone here is traumatised through generations of repression and brutalisation,” the artist said. “Grief and anger are passed down from one generation to the next. From what I’ve learnt in Aida camp about the way Israeli authorities are treating Palestinians, the government has created an oppressive regime and a real state of apartheid.”
Museum of the Moon is being delivered to Aida camp in partnership with the Alrowwad Centre, Inad Theatre and Power Group.
There are several copies of the artwork touring the world in temporary exhibitions that are often supplemented with music. It was first revealed in 2016 at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in the UK.
The artwork has since been exhibited in several countries, such as France, UK, US, the UAE, Canada, Romania and Belgium. It has also been acquired by several museums around the world, including the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia; the Houston Museum of Natural Science in the US; the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa; as well as OliOli in Dubai.
Jerram was invited to present the artwork in Israel; however, he instead chose to install it at Aida camp to raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinians.
“Through touring works internationally for over 25 years, I’m aware how public art often gets used by authorities to present a place as civilised, creative and democratic,” he said.
“I’ve been invited to present my touring artwork, Museum of the Moon, in Israel several times now, but have always refused because of the situation here. I’ve opted instead to present my artwork in Aida camp, to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. I’d like the installation to highlight the continuing injustice of the situation there.
“I’d also like the peace and beauty of the Moon sculpture to help highlight the ugliness, brutality, injustice of the concrete walls which are trapping and confining Palestinian communities."
The Moon and its symbolism have great significance in the culture of the region, from its use as a celestial light source to help navigate the desert at night, to its role in religious contexts, such as determining timings for Ramadan and Hajj.
“Whilst across the world people may be divided by walls and barriers, we are all connected by the night sky and a view of the same moon. I hope through supporting the cultural boycott of Israel and presenting my work in the West Bank, the artwork gives hope to Palestinians and reminds them their plight has not been forgotten by the outside world," the artist said.
A representative from Alrowwad, the camp’s non-profit community arts organisation, said the artwork will allow residents of Aida camp and its neighbouring areas a view of the full Moon.
“For the first time ever, the Moon will be close and not in the sky behind the wall. The moon is here to comfort those in agony, to give them hope for freedom and return.”
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6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
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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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC
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Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
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20 grand slam singles titles
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US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
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Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
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