The 12th iteration of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival is in full swing, running until Saturday at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The 11-day event, organised by Sharjah Book Authority, boasts a For Your Imagination theme this year, with prominent names across the region and beyond taking part in panel discussions, workshops and other activities both in person and online.
Vibrant illustrations and relatable characters play a key role in nurturing creativity and imagination
In total, 27 authors from 15 countries are participating, alongside 172 publishers, and more than 500 activities have been planned, including a series of theatrical shows and workshops, as well as cookery sessions and a literary competition, among others.
Take a look through the photo gallery above to see more from the event.
For the first time this year, the festival has expanded its outreach across other emirates in the UAE. For example, Egyptian novelist Tayeb Adib and Claudia Rueda, a Colombian picture book author and illustrator, hosted a discussion at Dubai's Al Safa Art and Design Library.
Titled Bringing Stories to Life, the session, which was moderated by Dr Lamia Tawfik, explored aspects needed to create memorable characters in children's books, while also incorporating a moral underpinning.
“Vibrant illustrations and relatable characters play a key role in nurturing creativity and imagination," said Adib. "Stories are therefore an important educational tool whose impact is intensified when adapted to the screen as a series or film."
Back in Sharjah, a cultural panel called Non-Fiction Books for Children was hosted by author, illustrator and animator Matt Lamothe, alongside award-winning Omani writer Dr Wafa Al Shamsi, a poet and professor at the UAE University in Al Ain.
"The challenge is to understand how children think, and how much they can process," said Al Shamsi, while describing her methodology in writing a book for children on health issues that affect their grandparents or the elderly.
“Non-fiction books must strive for accuracy and deliver the right information in an interesting manner. What is most important is to inject fun and a sense of humour into the work so children enjoy it.”
The initiative reflects Sharjah's vision to nurture the new generation's talents and foster their cultural awareness
On Sunday it was announced, following a directive by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, that Dh2.5 million has been allocated to buy new titles from Arab and international publishers who are taking part in the festival.
"The allocation of the grant under the directives of the Ruler of Sharjah is an annual reminder of the importance of supporting and ensuring the continued growth of the book and knowledge industries in the UAE and beyond," said Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of Sharjah Book Authority.
“[The] initiative will have a greater impact this year in light of the challenges faced by both Arab and international book markets due to the coronavirus pandemic, and reflects Sharjah’s vision to nurture the new generation’s talents and foster their cultural awareness.”
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
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Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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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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Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
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Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
MATCH INFO
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Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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