Monday marks the last of the Eid Al Adha holiday, but make yours a long weekend to remember with our list of places to visit, shows to watch, restaurants to eat at and deals to catch.
Rabeh Saqer performance
Tickets are still available for the Saudi singer’s Coca-Cola Arena concert.
Saqer is considered one of Saudi Arabia’s “big four”, alongside Mohammed Abdu, Abdul Majeed Abdullah and Khaled Abdul Rahman. After his debut single Ya Naseem Al Lail, Saqer released Gulf pop hits including Biscat, Sabrien and Kazbaba Baida. He also found success as a composer, writing tunes for his compatriot Abdullah and Kuwaiti singer Nabeel Shuail.
Monday; 9.30pm (doors open at 7.30pm); from Dh295; Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai; platinumlist.net
'Tambakhieh' at Dubai Opera
Tickets are also still available for the last Dubai show of Tambakhieh, a play by Kuwaiti actor and comedian Tariq Al Ali.
The satirical comedy is about Bou Awwad (Al Ali), the president of a sports club who is ambitious at work, but indifferent at home, often to hilarious effect.
Monday; 9pm (doors open at 7.30pm); from Dh150; Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
Street Food Festival
BurJuman Mall has extended its Street Food Festival to make the most of the long Eid Al Adha holiday. Take a break from scouring the shops and head to the Pavilion Garden on level 3 to sample the fare at 12 street food counters, covering cuisines such as Indian, Arabic, Korean, Thai, Malaysian, Italian and Indonesian, plus all manner of dessert.
The arena will have live music, face painting and slime stations for little ones, and billiards and foosball for adults. You can also catch a roaming dance performance at 6pm, 8pm and 9pm on Monday.
Until Sunday; 10am-10pm; Al Mankhool, Dubai
Lotsa! Lazy Cake gift box
If you don’t have the time to go hunting for a present today, simply choose Lotsa! Lazy Cake’s limited-time party box from Talabat or Deliveroo, and it’ll be at your doorstep within an hour — complete with adorable sheep motifs on the shimmering packaging.
Within are 36 pieces of crunchy-fudgy mini cakes in flavours such as lotus fudge, salted caramel peanut, Nutella hazelnut, and Oreo cookies and cream.
Available until Tuesday; Dh150; order via Talabat or Deliveroo
Abu Dhabi Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition
Head to the ADIHEX stand at The Galleria Al Maryah Island, for a snapshot of local culture and customs. The counter has professional henna artists, arts and crafts activities, a traditional photo booth, complimentary ADIHEX tickets, as well as other giveaways, and — perhaps best of all — an opportunity to meet and pet loveable Salukis, the original desert dogs.
Monday, 10am-10pm; Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi
Sunglasses for sale
If you don’t feel like braving the mall crowds this DSS, head to La Mer instead. Not only does the beachfront destination have loads of F&B offers for Eid Al Adha (think subsidised menus at Argentina Grill and Steakanji, and complimentary Dunkin doughnuts), but you can also indulge in some retail therapy.
Notably, if you’re looking for a new pair of sunglasses this summer, head to Optifashion to catch the last day of its 70 per cent off sale. A few paces away, the La Mer branch of BinSina is offering up to 75 per cent off on medicines, cosmetics, supplements and skincare.
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
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.”
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 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”.
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
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