Will Smith is a regular visitor to the UAE and an avid promoter of the emirate’s many attractions. From enjoying a round of golf with his wife to skydiving to mark his 50th birthday, and diving in the world's deepest pool, here are some of the actor’s best moments in the UAE.
Post-pandemic workouts at Nad Al Sheba
Will Smith spoke for many of us when he posted a picture of his paunch on Instagram earlier this year, with the caption: “I’m gonna be real wit y'all – I’m in the worst shape of my life.”
Proving that even Hollywood’s biggest stars haven’t been immune to putting on a few pandemic pounds, Smith said: “This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry. I love this body, but I wanna feel better. No more midnight muffins.”
He then vowed to get into the best shape of his life, which has included the odd workout at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex during trips to Dubai. The venue is also the go-to training destination for football players visiting the UAE, with stars from clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea sharing clips from the complex in the past.
“Trying to remember how to use a gym after quarantine,” was the title of one of Smith’s self-deprecating videos, which showed him dashing into the gym and then proceeding to use different machines incorrectly.
Taking a deep dive
Smith was one of the first people to try out the UAE’s latest underwater attraction, Deep Dive Dubai, in July. The new sporting venue features the deepest pool in the world, with a depth of 60.02 metres, as well as a sunken city, where divers can explore an underwater world complete with an abandoned streetscape, apartment, garage, arcade and other interesting features. The 1,500-square-metre facility, which has been designed to look like a giant oyster, is also home to a dive shop, gift shop, as well as a variety of meeting, event and conference spaces, and large viewing areas.
Smith, who has a habit of letting his adventurous side run wild in the UAE, posted a video of himself sitting on the edge of the pool, seemingly about to take a dip. “Deep Dive Dubai, I’m about to go down. Deepest pool on Earth … it's madness,” he said.
Royal gifts
Smith has developed close friendships with members of Dubai’s royal family during his frequent trips to the emirate over the years.
In May, Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, posted pictures of gifts that the Hollywood actor had sent to celebrate the arrival of the royal's newborn twins, Rashid and Sheikha. The picture showed Smith posing with the sizeable gifts, although it was not revealed what was inside the pink and blue balloon-topped packages.
Golfing at the Montgomerie
Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are avid golf players and have been spotted playing a round or two at the Colin Montgomerie-designed 18-hole championship golf course at Dubai’s Address Montgomerie. "I play golf every day. It's the first time in my life I make time to do something fun every day. Golf is not only fun but there are so many spiritual practices for me on the course," Pinkett Smith said of the sport on her Instagram page. "Will and I love playing golf together. It's fun bonding time."
The big birthday skydive
Smith famously forced Pinkett-Smith to join him on a skydive in Dubai to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2018. The adventure was chronicled in Smith’s six-episode Facebook Watch show, Will Smith's Bucket List, which saw the actor embark on thrilling adventures around the world to mark his milestone birthday.
Talking about Dubai on the show, Smith said: "They don’t just put up anything. When they do it, it has to be spectacular, it has to inspire wonder and awe. It’s the only place on Earth I would bring my wife to skydive for the first time."
Pinkett-Smith revealed her fear of heights ahead of the jump, telling the camera: "This wasreally a test of the years of spiritual work I’ve been doing, and how much faith I have in that source higher than me... I’m afraid of heights, I don’t like flying, and I never ever would think of jumping off a plane as being fun, but because he asked me to, I couldn’t tell him no."
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
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.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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 Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
