The busy summer season shows no sign of slowing down in the UAE, with events running across restaurants, malls and arenas – with plenty to suit all ages and budgets.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates, from August 14 to 20.
Monday
Visit any Paul outlet across the UAE to try a new menu of all-day brunch dishes, introduced as the popular French cafe celebrates its 20th anniversary in the Middle East and North Africa.
Dishes include salmon croll made with poached eggs layered on smoked salmon with tartare cream cheese and rocket leaves, plus a brunch burger and halloumi pesto quinoa.
Daily, times vary; à la carte with dishes from Dh42; UAE-wide; paularabia.com
Tuesday
Head to Cinema Akil at Alserkal Avenue for a screening of the 1919 German romcom The Doll directed by Ernst Lubitsch, whose impeccable manners earned him a reputation as Hollywood's most elegant filmmaker.
The silent film follows Lancelot, who flees a forced marriage to tie the knot with a doll instead.
Tuesday, 7pm; Dh56.50; Al Quoz, Dubai; cinemaakil.com
Wednesday
If you're looking for a midsummer staycation, Address Hotels across the UAE have a children-go-free offer this month, as well as up to 25 per cent off on selected room rates.
While adults can take advantage of amenities such as the pool and spa, little ones can spend the day at Qix Kids Club.
Daily; until August 31; from Dh1,499 for two people; various locations in the UAE; addresshotels.com
Thursday
International Basketball Week begins at Etihad Arena on Thursday, with the Abu Dhabi venue playing host to a game between Lebanon and Egypt.
The next three days will see games featuring teams from the US, Mexico, Greece and Germany.
Daily, 6.30pm; until Sunday; from Dh75; Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; etihadarena.ae
Friday
Dubai's Summer Restaurant Week begins on Friday, with deals galore across the emirate.
Sixty restaurants are participating in the week-long affair, including Bull & Bear, Folly and Lila Taqueria. Set menus include two-course lunches from Dh95 or three-course dinners starting at Dh150. A pocket-friendly children's menu is also on offer at most restaurants, starting at Dh35.
Times and prices vary; until August 27; various locations throughout Dubai; visitdubai.com
Saturday
Saudi singer Modi Al Shamrani is performing at The Agenda as part of the Beat the Heat summer concert series in Dubai Media City. The Jeddah-born musician is known for her chart-topping vocals.
DJ Aseel will perform his celebrated Arabic remixes after Al Shamrani's show.
Saturday, 6.30pm; from Dh160; The Agenda, Dubai Media City; dubai.platinumlist.net
Sunday
Families in Al Ain can head to Hili Mall for a show featuring characters from the Trolls franchise.
The daily live shows follow one of the main characters Poppy, who is planning a surprise birthday party for Branch. Guy “Glitter Troll” Diamond will also appear during the finale.
Daily, from 10am; until August 27; free; Hili Mall, Al Ain; visitabudhabi.ae
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
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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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)