As the weather gets cooler, now is the time to make the best of outdoor activities and events. So, whether you're looking for a new jogging track or want to catch a show at Dubai Opera, why not try out one of the things listed below this weekend?
Omid Djalili at Dubai Opera
The British-Iranian comic Omid Djalili is bringing his Good Times show to Dubai Opera. After not having performed a gig since March, his material will delve into some of his learnings amid the pandemic. In addition to his stand-up, Djalili is also an experienced actor, having appeared in movies from Notting Hill and Gladiator to Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again.
Saturday, November 7; 8pm; Dh195; Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com
Sharjah International Book Fair
The 39th Sharjah International Book air has kicked off. The 10-day event is taking a hybrid approach this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. While publishers will be at the Sharjah Expo Centre selling physical books at stalls spread across the venue, the fair’s cultural programme, which includes panel discussions and talks, will take place online.
Until Saturday, November 14; free; www.sibf.com
Namshi discount code on the Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa and Namshi have teamed up for a special shopping venture. A discount code will be projected onto the world’s tallest building on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 9pm to 9.30pm throughout the month of November. The code will only be valid for four hours after being unveiled and will get customers anywhere between 35 to 50 per cent off purchases as well as ongoing deals.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout November, 9pm to 9.30pm; free; Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, www.burjkhalifa.com
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi turns 10
The supercar-themed park is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The 86,000-square-metre attraction is home to more than 30 rides including the Formula Rossa, the world's fastest rollercoaster. Ferrari World Abu Dhbai has also opened a brand new Roof Walk and Zip Line experience, as part of the celebrations. Visitors will need to buy a separate ticket for both, on top of the general admission pass.
To celebrate its 10th birthday, Ferrari World is offering all UAE residents 50 per cent off the cost of a day pass until December 5, or a discounted season pass from now until December 31.
Tuesdays to Saturdays, until December 31, noon to 8pm; starts at Dh155; Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com
Zaatar w Zeit launches mega kaakeh
A favourite late-night option, Zaatar w Zeit has launched a mammoth version of kaakeh, a popular Lebanese street dish, made with crispy bread and sesame. The franchise's mega kaakeh is 42 centimetres long and available in six flavours; zaatar, picon, truffle skanklish, pepperoni cheese, veggie pesto and barbecue chicken. Prices start at Dh14. Customers can also order via the mobile app or by calling 600 522 231.
Nationwide; Dh14; www.zaatarwzeit.net
New jogging track at Umm Al Emarat Park
A new jogging track has opened at Umm Al Emarat Park. The 1.2-kilometre-long track starts from the promenade and goes all the way to the amphitheatre, giving joggers ample views of grassy lawns, shrubbery and palm trees. Umm Al Emarat Park is home to plenty of indigenous species and more than 200 mature trees that are over 20 years old, so some lush vistas are guaranteed along the track. Meanwhile, more serious athletes can keep track of their progress with the jogging track's distance markers.
Daily; 8am to midnight; Dh10; www.ummalemaratpark.ae
Hoi An's Pho Challenge
Do you love the Vietnamese soup dish pho? Hoi An, in the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, is hosting a special foodie challenge where they will offer a 1.1-litre beef pho dish to be completed in a single sitting. If successful, the bowl will be free of charge but if it's failed to be devoured, it will be billed at Dh189. Pho typically consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs and in this case, beef.
Tuesdays to Saturdays; 6pm to 11pm; Hoi An, Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, www.shangri-la.com
Library Circles by Maryam Al Dabbagh
Artist Maryam Al Dabbagh's latest text and audio installation Library Circles connects the lives of the UAE's immigrant population, who reside in the country on visas that need regular renewal, to the story of Scheherazade, the heroine of Arabian Nights, who tells a new story every evening to trick the ruler into sparing her life.
Library Circles' eight chapters, narrated by Al Dabbagh in Arabic and English, appear on audio and in snippets of text across the Jameel building. They tell the fragmented story of a fictionalised Iraqi character who has grown up in Sharjah, shifting from school-era episodes to reflections on the logistics of organising visas.
Until January 7, Saturday to Wednesday, 10am-6pm; Thursday and Friday noon to 8pm; closed on Tuesdays, free; Jameel Arts Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai; www.jameelartscentre.org
Dubai Fitness Challenge
The Dubai Fitness Challenge has returned for another year. The 30-day challenge, launched by the Crown Prince of Dubai in 2017, returns for its fourth iteration, offering more than 2,000 free fitness sessions across the emirate and online until Saturday, November 28. As with previous years, DFC challenges Dubai residents to commit to 30 minutes of exercise every day for a 30-day period to improve their health and overall wellbeing.
Until Saturday, November 28; daily; www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com
New lemurs at Dubai’s Green Planet
Dubai's indoor tropical rainforest has welcomed three ring-tailed lemurs into its midst: a 3-year-old female, and a 1-year-old brother and sister duo. The creatures, which were born in a care facility in Europe, are native to the island nation of Madagascar. The Green Planet's trio will be part of the facility's conservation breeding initiative when they are older.
According to The Green Planet, the lemurs can often be found hanging out with sloths or playing with the forest's Victorian crowned pigeons. The indoor attraction has welcomed a couple of new additions in recent months, including a slow loris and the UAE's first tamandua, a small type of anteater.
Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm; closed on Sundays; Dh89 (online) or Dh120 (at the gate); The Green Planet, City Walk, Dubai, www.thegreenplanetdubai.com
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
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.”
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
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."
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
match info
Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
Man of the match: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
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Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
