The month of November continues with a varied list of things to do around the UAE, from returning festivals to one-off cultural events.
There are early celebrations of the Indian festival Diwali, while art and design enthusiasts can check out Dubai Design Week, which is returning for a sustainability-focused event this year.
The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates, from November 6 to 12.
Monday
Celebrate Diwali a little earlier at Aamara, an Indian restaurant under the Passion F&B group that is behind the Michelin-starred Tresind Studio and Avatara.
Starting Monday, the restaurant is celebrating the festival of lights with a 10-course tasting menu for a relative steal, at Dh185 per person. On offer is a gastronomic journey inspired by the Silk Route, with dishes such as rustic onion focaccia with zaatar pesto hummus, butterfly prawns with mohmara chutney and candied walnuts, and lamb seekh with steamed bao and coleslaw. Desserts include cream-cheese ice cream and roasted kataifi.
Until November 16; noon-11.30pm; Dh185; Voco Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai; 052 573 5723
Tuesday
Dubai Design Week returns this year with the noble cause of shedding light on the topics of climate change and sustainability, in line with the coming Cop28 in Dubai.
There are workshops, exhibitions and quirky art installations spread across Dubai Design District until Sunday. For example, on Thursday there is a tufting workshop (Dh145 per person) for those who want to learn more about the textile craft.
Meanwhile, an art installation called Blessings of Iridescence features discarded mother-of-pearl oysters repurposed into architectural pieces, as an ode to Bahrain's pearl industry. Other workshops involve the use of natural dye, stone carving and dried-flower pairing.
While many of the activations are free, some workshops have participation fees.
Until Sunday; Dubai Design District; dubaidesignweek.ae
Wednesday
In the capital, Wagamama outlets in Khalifa City, Reem Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall are hosting cooking classes every Wednesday.
Participants will be able to learn how the restaurant prepares its signature firecracker chicken and receive insights into the original recipe that, according to Wagamama, is a staple favourite across its branches globally. Three different types of chilli are used in the dish, in addition to onions, peppers and ginger, to complete the explosive flavour.
The cooking class fee is inclusive of a main course and mocktail.
Every Wednesday throughout November; 7pm-8pm; Dh99 per person; various locations across Abu Dhabi; 02 557 2647
Thursday
Palazzo Versace Dubai is celebrating the 14th annual Italian Cuisine World Summit with three nights of kitchen takeovers at its flagship restaurant Vanitas, by Michelin-lauded chefs Fumiko Sakai, Marco Bottega and Francesco Stara.
On Thursday, chef Sakai of Italy's Vespasia restaurant is preparing a four-course set menu. Dishes include wild salmon tartar, marinated bluefin tuna and Roman-style braised veal tail ragu risotto. A Cantuccini parfait with milk foam and mandarin sauce rounds off the meal.
Wednesday to Friday; 6pm-11pm; Palazzo Versace, Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai; palazzoversace.ae
Friday
The Royal Opera of Madrid is bringing its Authentic Flamenco tour to Zabeel Theatre in Dubai on Friday and Saturday.
Flamenco is a popular Spanish art form, often described as passionate and deeply expressionist. Guests can expect live singers, instrumentalists and dancers in colourful costume performing to Spanish folk tunes. The Dubai show features Paula Rodriguez, who runs her own dance company in Spain.
Friday and Saturday; 6.30pm and 9pm on Friday, 6pm and 8.30pm on Saturday; from Dh225; Zabeel Theatre, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai; authenticflamencoshow.com
Saturday
Irish singer and former lead singer of Boyzone, Ronan Keating is belting out his biggest hits at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Saturday.
The pop star has sold more than 25 million records and is known for his charismatic stage presence. Fans can expect to sing along to nostalgic tracks such as When You Say Nothing At All, Life Is A Rollercoaster and If Tomorrow Never Comes.
Saturday; doors open 7pm; from Dh198; Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Al Garhoud; dubai.platinumlist.net
Sunday
Head to Gateway Park South in Abu Dhabi to attend the last day of Taste of Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The food festival is convening 15 of the capital's top restaurants, including La Carnita, Dai Pai Dong, Otoro BB Social Dining and Namak, in one place. Each will serve a curated menu of three to five dishes, including one that is exclusive to the festival. For instance, Japanese restaurant Otoro is serving a Wagyu shabu slider for Dh42.
Restaurant pop-ups aside, the festival has offers food-related activities such as the Kibsons cooking challenge, plus live entertainment via DJs and bands including modern rock band The International Playboys.
Friday to Sunday; 3pm-midnight on Friday, 1pm-midnight on Saturday and 1pm-10pm on Sunday; from Dh75; Gateway Park South, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; abu-dhabi.platinumlist.net
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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 is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Company%20profile
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
