As another month comes to a close, the events schedule remains jam-packed across the UAE, from an alternative film festival in Abu Dhabi to a balloon and bubble party in Dubai.
The National rounds up seven things you can do in the Emirates from May 29 to June 4.
Monday
Take the little ones to Festival Plaza at Jebel Ali Village for the Bubbles & Balloons festival.
There will be workshops, live shows and roaming entertainment at this family-friendly festival, where there will also be a huge unicorn sculpture made of more than 30,000 balloons.
Elsewhere, a daily demonstration by Pop the Bubbleman will teach children the art of bubble-making.
Until Saturday; 1pm-9pm; free to enter; Jebel Ali Village, Dubai; 800 332
Tuesday
Catch a screening at Cinemas, an alternative film festival at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Now in its fifth year, the festival showcases regional and international indie talent. The current programme features films telling stories of preservation, family, science, spirituality and community.
On Tuesday, Iranian film Without Her by Arian Vazirdaftari and The Dam by Lebanese director Ali Cherri will be screened.
Until Sunday; from 3pm; daily ticket costs Dh30, festival pass costs Dh150; Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi; tickets.virginmegastore.me
Wednesday
A production of Monty Python's Spamalot is taking place at The Red Theatre at NYU Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The musical, which has been scored by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It features a parody of the Arthurian legend.
It follows King Arthur and his squire on an entertaining adventure, joined by other figures such as Sir Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake.
Until Saturday; 7pm; from Dh65; The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi; abu-dhabi.platinumlist.net
Thursday
Baking enthusiasts and aspiring chefs can sign up for a limited-seat private lesson by H Dubai's pastry chef Heirida Marica on Thursday.
As part of the 90-minute workshop, the chef will share tips and tricks to bake pastry classics including New York cheesecake, apple crumble tart, tiramisu and chocolate fudge cake. A maximum of four people can book the class.
Guests will receive a certification of completion and a copy of the recipes prepped during the session.
Until June 29; from 9.30am; Dh300 per person; Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai; dubai.platinumlist.net
Friday
At the Dubai Opera, a classical ballet performance telling the story of Aurora from Disney's Sleeping Beauty will be staged on Friday.
It follows Aurora's life, from her birth and the curse of the evil fairy, up to the moment love saves her from eternal slumber, all told through dance and movement. It features the popular score of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The Moscow Ballet La Classiquex, known for its extravagant costumes and set designs, is bringing the performance to the opera house.
Friday and Saturday; 7:30pm; from Dh250; Downtown Dubai, Dubai Opera; 04 440 8888
Saturday
Abu Dhabi residents can head to the new Waitrose at Khalifa City for an eventful community day.
Guests can take part in flower-planting, canvas-painting, meditation sessions and food sampling, as well as benefit from giveaways at the single-day event. Cookbook author and chef Dalia Dogmoch of Dalia's Kitchen will host live recipe demonstrations as well.
Children can enjoy face painting and a 30-minute magic show.
Saturday; 10am-5pm; free to enter; Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi; waitrose.ae
Sunday
Take family or friends to the newly opened Prison Island at City Centre Al Zahia in Sharjah.
The indoor escape room features several themed cells with different challenges for players to enjoy, from puzzles to obstacles.
The Sharjah venue, a spin-off of Prison Island Abu Dhabi, can accommodate up to 120 people at once, while groups of two to six can play a game that lasts from one to three hours.
Open daily; from 10am; from Dh99 for children and Dh129 for adults per hour; Al Zahia, Sharjah; prisonisland.ae
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Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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Racecard
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England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
UK%20record%20temperature
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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
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
SPECS
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65
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Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
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More on Quran memorisation:
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
WITHIN%20SAND
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
