Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 25, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE.
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Abu Dhabi
Cultural festival
Mother of the Nation Festival opens today and celebrates, commemorates and honours the inspirational values of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak through performances, workshops and diverse activity zones, including a souq, a beach dining area, The Happiness Zone, interactive progress zone, Mother of the Nation Pavilion and more.
Daily until April 2, 4pm to 11pm, Sundays to Wednesdays; 2pm to midnight, Thursdays to Saturdays, Corniche, Abu Dhabi, www.motn.ae
Dubai
Cooking class
Register to take part in Taste of Sicily, a cooking class at Solo Italian restaurant and bar led by executive chef Doxis Bekris, and learn how to cook a three-course authentic regional menu, including making fresh pasta and baking cassata cake. Get tips and tricks from expert Solo chefs such as how to season and layer flavours.
April 1, 11.30am to 2pm, Dh300, Solo, Raffles Dubai, Dubai, book at 04 314 9720, dining.dubai@raffles.com
Abu Dhabi
Craft market
Attend the Shopping Soiree and find quality, handmade crafts and gift items from local vendors at pop-up shops featuring jewellery, home decor, clothing, toys, baby products, skincare, furniture, handbags and more.
Today, 10am to 2pm, The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, info@shoppingsoiree.ae
Abu Dhabi
Art exhibition
See Cut & Tie, featuring works by Emirati artist Hussain Sharif, who played a vital role in the history of the art movement in the UAE, in his long-awaited solo show after 15 years. The exhibition includes collages, installations, old drawings that have never been shown before and new ones prepared for this event. Pictured: An untitled image by Hussain Sharif
Daily until April 12, 10am to 7.30pm, Sundays to Thursdays; 2pm to 8pm on Saturdays (Fridays by appointment only), Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Space 22, The Collection, St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, 02 666 9656, www.salwazeidangallery.com
Nationwide
New movie
Power Rangers features a group of teenagers who acquire superpowers and must use their abilities to save the world, when aliens threaten to obliterate the planet, beginning with the Power Rangers' hometown of Angel Grove. Sci-fi action, starring Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, DJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G, Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston and Bill Hader.
Screening at cinemas across the UAE. (PG-13)
Abu Dhabi
Paintball
Round up your family, friends, teammates or colleagues for an action-packed day of paintball at Al Forsan International Sports Resort, where you can play out scenarios in themed fields or customise with bespoke packages. The fields are located inside climate-controlled domes, where you can make the most of the adrenaline rush that fosters team spirit and problem-solving skills.
Open daily 9am to 11pm, from Dh90 per person, Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, 02 556 8555, www.alforsan.com
Dubai
Music festival
Get tickets now for the open-air electronic music and arts festival Groove on the Grass, featuring Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann, Mind Against, Locked Groove and more. Plus, enjoy the marketplace featuring boutique fashion and accessories and fun activities.
Friday, 5pm to 3am, from Dh195, Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net
Dubai
Comic con
Get tickets now for Middle East Film & Comic Con and enjoy celebrating the pop-culture worlds of gaming, manga, movies and TV, music, cosplay and more. There will be celebrities on hand, film screenings, talks and panels, workshops, merchandise and more.
April 6 to 8, 11am to 9pm on April 6; 10am to 10pm on April 7 and 8, from Dh100, World Trade Centre, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net
Dubai
Art exhibition
In the exhibition Dancing East, Ahmed Kassim presents works that aim to capture the social, political, ideological and cultural chaos of Arab countries, as seen through the artist's eyes as dances through landscapes of the Middle East, with identifiable clues to the locations. Pictured: There Is Water in Hell
Daily until April 12, 10am to 6pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed on Fridays), Gallery Ward, Al Quoz, Street 6, beside The Courtyard, Dubai, 04 388 3204, www.galleryward.com
Dubai
Art exhibition
Write Injuries on Sand and Kindness in Marble continues at Green Art Gallery. Using the lens of aquamorphology – which grants water a transformative property through its collaboration with time – Turkish artist Hera Buyuktasciyan explores the infinite facets and shards of memory, historicity and time in a solo exhibition that examines the relationship between labour and productivity. Pictured: Reconstructors II
Daily until April 6, 10am to 7pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed on Fridays), Green Art Gallery, Street 8, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 346 9305, www.gagallery.com
listings@thenational.ae
AS IT STANDS IN POOL A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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.”
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
Mobile phone packages comparison
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
