Prawns Irseyah
Chef Ali Ebdowa, Mezlai, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Ingredients
300g prawns
200g rice
20g cardamom powder
20g salt
50g ghee
200g fresh cream
100g Parmesan cheese
Pinch of saffron
600ml water
Method
Soak the rice for one hour in the water.
Boil the rice with prawns until the rice is cooked (after cooking, set two prawns aside for garnish).
Add the cardamom, salt, ghee, fresh cream, Parmesan cheese and saffron to the rice and prawns. Keep it on the heat
until the mixture becomes thick.
Next, blend the mixture with a hand blender.
Spoon the mixture onto a plate. Garnish with the prawns set aside earlier.
Halwat Al Tamur Bil Rutab
Chef Shaikha Al Ali, founder, www.whenshaikhacooks.com
“We usually make this with pitted khalas dates, but rutab dates are in season now, so it’s perfect to use those instead. I love this dessert because it’s very simple and reminds me of the cooking methods used in the past.
“Simply brown the flour with some ghee, blend it with some delicious dates and serve it with yogurt – pure bliss.”
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
4 big spoons of ghee
1 kilo pitted fresh rutab dates*
1 tbsp ground fennel
1 tbsp cardamom powder
• Use any kinds of dates you like (except khunaizi). It's best to use sukkari dates, which contain a lot of sugar
Method
In a hot pan, melt the ghee slightly and then add the flour. Keep stirring until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes (don’t over-brown or it will burn).
Add the pitted dates.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir well.
Add the fennel and cardamom and stir until everything is combined. The dates should blend into the flour mixture well.
Pour into a bowl and serve.
• The dessert can be kept for a couple of days. Reheat in the microwave and serve. Delicious when served with yogurt.
Aseeda Bobar
Chef Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai
“Aseeda is a traditional Emirati dessert. I still remember when I was a child, my big sister used to prepare this dessert and that’s why this dish is with me everywhere I go. I really love it because as it reminds me of my childhood.”
Ingredients
300g flour
600g pumpkin
20g rose water
3g saffron
250g sugar
30g ghee
5g cardamom
Currants for garnish
Method
Roast the flour in the oven until it turns golden.
Peel the pumpkin and boil it until it’s soft. Then strain the pumpkin. Put the boiled pumpkin in a hot pot.
Add the roasted flour, rose water, saffron, sugar, ghee and cardamom.
Mix all the ingredients together slowly in the pot and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
Serve in small serving bowls and garnish with currants.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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
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.”
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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
