While broadcasters battle for the region's eyeballs during Ramadan, major audio streaming services are in competition for their eardrums, with their own array of specialised programming.
Some have gone as far creating their own Ramadan channels or pages, packed with thematic playlists.
Here, we take a look at what's on offer from the major music streaming services throughout the month.
Anghami
The company is the only platform from the region, so it's perhaps expected that it would pull out all the stops during Ramadan.
Anghami has a lot of content to savour on its Ramadan channel, which you can navigate to by clicking on the tab in the top left corner of the Explore page.
The microsite is a buffet of offerings ranging from audio series starring Arab film and television stars to abridged versions of inspirational international literature. There are also playlists of verses from the Quran and Islamic nasheeds.
Its audio series feature plenty of stars who have lent their voices to comic and dramatic plots.
Comedian Ahmed Helmy stars in Zaky Zaky, while fellow Egyptian action star Ahmed Helmy leads the cast in Hob Min Taref Thalet.
Anghami has 10 series available in total, with new 12 to 13-minute-long episodes available nightly.
As for the abridged audiobooks, Arabic translations of international titles include former US president Barack Obama's memoir A Promised Land, Gillian McKeith's nutritional guidebook You Are What You Eat and Andrew Robertson’s Genius: A Very Short Introduction.
Anghami is also keeping up to date with the best of Arabic television dramas this season, with a collection of titrats (opening theme songs) and Quran recitations by famous names such as Egypt's Abdul Basit Abdul Samad and Kuwait's Mishary Rashid Alafasy.
Other handy playlists can be found under the Mental Health First section, which has various Arabic podcasts about focusing on calmness and introspection.
Under the Iftar Preps banner, you will also find Arabic and English food podcasts on how to create healthy and communal meals.
Spotify
Spotify has also refreshed its annual Ramadan page by adding new content to its playlists and podcasts.
Some of the material is also region-specific, with Pakistani listeners having access to a South Asian Sufi playlist of original tracks.
Listeners outside the region can also access the collection through the search button.
Those in the Mena region have a lot to choose from.
Popular playlists Ramadan Spirit and Layali Ramadan are back with more soulful Islamic nasheeds by Maher Zain and Sami Yusuf, as well as instrumental oud tracks.
When it comes to podcasts, eclectic programmes are on offer.
Highlights include the Arabic short story anthology Juha and 1001 Nights from Dubai production house Finyal Media.
Fans of the long-running MBC drama Arous Beirut can tune into the official podcast of the same name, which dissects the drama of each episode.
Deezer
The platform's dedicated channel can be accessed after typing "Ramadan" in the search bar.
Deezer shares much of the same material in terms of playlists focusing on Ramadan titrats and spiritual tracks. However, where it distinguishes itself is in the well-curated official song collections.
Family Time is a heart-warming playlist of modern and classic Arabic pop tunes to suit all tastes and features hits by Amr Diab, Sherine and Cairokee.
Ramadan Focus is also a winner with its mix of evocative instrumental oud pieces by artists such as Palestine's Le Trio Joubran and Iraqi composers Naseer Shamma and Omar Bashir.
Apple Music
The streaming platform's offer is disappointingly thin offering from the streaming giant.
With no dedicated page, the search result for Ramadan reveals a hodgepodge of playlists including those dedicated to nasheed star Maher Zain.
The best playlist is Inspired by Faith, which includes a selection of faith-based songs by popular artists Hussain Al Jassmi, Mesut Kurtis, Atif Aslam and Sami Yusuf.
28 Arabic shows to watch in the UAE this Ramadan — in pictures
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
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
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
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.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
