Dubai
Underwater yoga
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo presents Yoga in the Tunnel. This weekend’s theme is Ride the Wave, a vinyasa class focused on balance principles; and next weekend has the theme Calming Waters, with breathing practices and gentle stretches to release both mental and physical tension. Register to take part in these one-hour classes that feature an audience of aquatic species.
Saturday and September 30, 8am, Dh120, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, 04 456 4499, booking.thedubaiaquarium.com
Abu Dhabi
Film screening
Catch a screening of The Wonders at Cinema Space. The 2014 Italian film by Alice Rohrwacher tells the story of Gelsomina, the heir to her family's beekeeping farm who is idolised by her younger sisters. One summer, a German boy arrives in town as part of a youth rehabilitation programme, and the community takes part in a TV competition, all leading to the disruption of the family's simple life and nothing is the same again.
Tonight, 7.30pm, free with registration, Cinema Space, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, registration at cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com
Nationwide
New movie
Victoria & Abdul stars Judi Dench as Queen Victoria, who strikes up a friendship with Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk who arrives in London from India to take part in the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 1887. As their friendship deepens, they develop a loyalty that her inner circle tries to destroy, but that also helps her to see humanity through new eyes. Biography, also starring Olivia Williams, Michael Gambon, Simon Callow, Eddie Izzard and Fenella Woolgar.
Screening at cinemas across the UAE (PG-13)
Dubai
Exhibition
Multidisciplinary artist Ramin Haerizadeh presents To Be Or Not To Be, That Is the Question. And Though, It Troubles the Digestion. The works feature collected materials that the artist collages and re-photographs, presenting messages and questioning media manipulation, political propaganda and contemporary art. Pictured: Nurse, a character from the movie Aakkaandi.
Daily until November 3, 10am to 7pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed Fridays), Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 323 5052, www.ivde.net
Abu Dhabi
Food festival
Get early-bird tickets now for Taste of Abu Dhabi, which returns to du Arena for three days of international cuisine from the capital's top restaurants. There will also be cookery demonstrations, appearances by celebrity chefs including Jenny Morris and Reza Mahammad, workshops and live entertainment. Thursday night features a performance by Tony Hadley, formerly of Spandau Ballet (True, Gold, Only When You Leave).
November 9 to 11, 4pm to 11pm on November 9; noon to 11pm on November 10 and 11, from Dh140 for a standard ticket on Thursday, including entrance to the Tony Hadley concert; from Dh140 for an early-bird standard ticket for Friday or Saturday, du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.tasteabudhabi.com
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Read more:
Film review: Simran is a lighthearted comedy and missed opportunity
My Favourite Reads: Aarti Jhurani
English translation of Ibn Butlan novella is a bitter pill to make you laugh
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Abu Dhabi
K-Pop class
Sign up for the free, six-week K-Pop Academy presented by the Korean Cultural Centre. Experience cultural aspects of Korea with professional teachers, as well as vocal training and the famous synchronised K-Pop dance. The final week is a practice session combining these skills. Three class schedules are available.
September 23 to November 3, 6.30pm to 8pm on Sundays and Tuesdays; 6.30pm to 8pm on Mondays and Wednesdays; 2pm to 5pm on Saturdays, free, ages 14+, Korean Cultural Center, Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi, register by September 16 at uae.korean-culture.org
Abu Dhabi
Vertical training
Run the 884 steps of the National Stadium at Zayed Sports City, at TrainZSC presented by Daman ActiveLife. The weekly vertical training sessions are a great workout that starts with a warm-up, ends with a cool-down and includes an optional fitness challenge at each quadrant focusing on arms and core. There will also be a bouncy castle for children to enjoy and free BMI screenings.
Mondays, 6pm to 9pm, free with registration, ages 12+, National Stadium, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, register at trainzsc.com
Dubai
Performance
Buy tickets to attend a performance by flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena at Dubai Opera. Accompanied by five dancers and an ensemble of musicians, she will perform her celebrated Carne y Hueso show. The Spanish dancer, known for speed, power and dramatic footwork, mixes flamenco with her own style.
October 5, 8pm, from Dh200, Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com
Dubai
Film screenings
The Nowplaying series by Cinema Akil and Alserkal Avenue presents two films. A Dragon Arrives! is about the connection between a shipwreck in the desert in 1965, the assassination of the Iranian prime minister, and evidence found in a box 50 years later. Prevenge, a comedy thriller, stars Alice Lowe, who also wrote and directed the film, as a pregnant woman whose unborn child spurs her on to murder.
Tonight, 7pm for A Dragon Arrives!; 9.30pm for Prevenge, Dh35, Warehouse 68, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.cinemaakil.com
Dubai
Fitness event
Register to take part in the annual Pink Is Punk Swim:Run by Ignite Fitness and Wellness, to raise money for breast cancer awareness for the Al Jalila Foundation. Four race categories offer distances suitable for all abilities, including open, sprint, junior and a fun run. Participants are encouraged to bring props and dress up as superheroes or in fancy dress for the fun run, with a prize for the best-dressed.
October 6, from 6am, from Dh150 for adults; from Dh70 for juniors, Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort and Spa, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, register at www.premieronline.com
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.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
