Dubai
Film screening
Cinema Akil and Alserkal Avenue present the 2017 film Wind River as part of the Nowplaying series, which promotes top independent films. Elizabeth Olson plays a rookie FBI agent who teams up with a local game tracker (Jeremy Renner) to investigate a murder on a native American reservation. Directed by Taylor Sheridan, the film also stars Kelsey Asbille, Julia Jones, Apesanahkwat and Tantoo Cardinal.
Tonight, 9.30pm, Dh35 for a first-come-first-seated basis. Warehouse 68, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.cinemaakil.com
Abu Dhabi
Film screenings
Register to see two films presented by Cinema Space, including a screening of the newly restored Alice In Wonderland (pictured). The 1951 Clyde Geronimi-directed Lewis Carroll classic follows Alice down the rabbit hole where she meets strange characters. Oasis is a 2002 Lee Chang-dong film that begins on the day that Jong-du (Sol Kyung-gu) is released from prison where he served time for a hit-and-run that killed an old man. He goes to visit the man's family and meets his daughter, where an unlikely relationship blossoms.
Saturday, 4pm for Alice in Wonderland; 7pm for Oasis, free with registration, Cinema Space, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com
Nationwide
New movie
Resident Evil: Vendetta is the third computer generated movie in the Resident Evil franchise. Directed by Takanori Tsujimoto and Alexander Von David, it is set in the same universe as the video games. Chris Redfield (voiced by Kevin Dorman) enlists the help of Leon S Kennedy (Matthew Mercer) and Rebecca Chambers (Erin Cahill) to battle zombies as they try to stop a deadly virus from being released in New York.
Screening at cinemas across the UAE. (18+)
Abu Dhabi
Art exhibition
Catch the exhibit But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008, which focuses on a community of visual artists, writers and filmmakers that encouraged a culture of conceptual experimentation in the early 1990s. Lack of public venues at the time prevented its visibility, and the community is now being presented as one of the country's most important in its artistic history.
Daily until September 2, noon to 8pm, Mondays to Saturdays (closed Sundays), NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, 02 628 8000, www.nyuad-artgallery.org
Abu Dhabi
Family fun
Get tickets now for Nitro Circus and experience the live-action sports show, which will take place on a Formula 1 racetrack for the first time in its history, featuring top motocross and BMX riders pushing the limit to perform various tricks and stunts.
October 6, from Dh250, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.tixbox.com
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Read more:
Nitro Circus comes to Abu Dhabi with new show on the Yas Marina Circuit
Mozart’s three “greatest” operas to be staged at Dubai Opera in September
Literaturhaus at Nadi marks a Dubai salon revival
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Abu Dhabi
Kids’ camp
Register your children for the French Summer Camp presented by Alliance Française Abu Dhabi, where little ones can have fun and make new friends through a number of activities, adventures and surprises that help improve their French and take place in a friendly atmosphere.
Runs until September 7, 9am to 2pm, from Dh120 per day includes a snack, Le Royal Meridien, Abu Dhabi, register at 02 612 2900, info@afabudhabi.org
Dubai
Family fun
See characters from IMG World of Adventures as part of Dubai Summer Surprises celebrations at The Dubai Mall. Meet and take photos with Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and IMG’s realistic looking dinosaur. Different characters will visit each weekend in the Star Atrium, where you can also visit The Sale Exhibit, which features some of the mall’s fashion retailers’ top deals, as well as sweets from Café Bateel.
Daily until Saturday, 6pm to 9pm, free, Souk Atrium, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, 800 38224 6255m, www.thedubaimall.com
Dubai
Performances
Dubai Opera presents The Opera Trilogy this September, with performances of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The specially staged productions include The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutte and Don Giovanni; classic tales of love and betrayal, forgiveness and deception set to Mozart's renowned score.
September 7 and 14 for The Marriage of Figaro; September 8 and 15 for Cosi fan tutte; September 9 and 16 for Don Giovanni, 8pm, from Dh350, Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com
Dubai
Cultural event
Attend a spoken-word performance workshop as part of the Literaturhaus at Nadi series. The workshop, led by Dubai Poetics and Palestinian poet Farah Chamma, aims to give spoken-word artists the opportunity to share their work and receive feedback. Participants will watch videos of established performers, and will perform themselves.
Saturday, 4pm, free with registration, Nadi Al Quoz, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, rsvp@alserkalavenue.ae
Dubai
Kids’ fun
Catch the final days of Modhesh World and enjoy an exciting line-up of indoor activities offering families adventure and fun with games, rides and workshops, plus a food park and dedicated play zones.
Daily until Saturday, 10am to midnight on Thursday; noon to 1am on Friday, 10am to 10pm on Saturday; Dh20, Halls 1 to 6, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, www.modheshworld.com
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
More on Quran memorisation:
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
RESULTS
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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.”
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
