Take part in a sound relaxation class at Fairmont The Palm that includes gongs and singing bowls. Courtesy Fairmont The Palm
Take part in a sound relaxation class at Fairmont The Palm that includes gongs and singing bowls. Courtesy Fairmont The Palm

5 healthy things to do this weekend: climb stairs with Gulf 4 Good, go high-intensity at Roar, and more



Climb some stairs with the Gulf 4 Good charity organisation as part of their training programme. Start your weekend with a 60-floor climb to the top of Almas Towers. Stair climbing is a great workout and the ideal training for mountain challenges. As Everest climber and world-record holder Adrian Hayes says: "[It's] the best mountain training available when you can't get to the mountains." Friday, 8am to 9am, Almas Towers, JLT, Dubai, fitness@gulf4good.org

Visit the Puma Breakfast Club at Roar by Puma Women, the fitness social club in d3 in Dubai, for the hardcore, high-intensity Bodytree Body class led by Anissa. Nectar will provide samples of their paleo granola. Friday, 10am, free for Guava Pass members; Dh30 for non-members, Roar by Puma for Women, Dubai Design District (d3), Dubai, www.guavapass.com/go/roarbypumawomen

Take part in a free core-strength yoga class led by Nerry Toledo that balances traditional fitness notions of abdominal strength with a focus on developing strong, steady breath while understanding "the core of our being" – the spiritual core that is connected to everything in life. Learn the importance of having a strong core as well as the importance of connecting with our inner selves, where we find love, peace and hope. Friday, 11.40am, Yoga Ashram, Cluster X, X3 Tower, JLT, Dubai, register at 050 747 8066, @nerryfit on Instagram

Register to take part in A Celebration of Sound, in which Zarine Dadachanji, a facilitator of sound meditations, will perform sound healing with relaxation demonstrations using gongs, singing bowls and other instruments. The session, as part of the State of One wellness programme at Fairmont the Palm, aims to release stress, provide cellular relaxation, enhanced well-being and balance body, mind and spirit. Saturday, 5pm to 7pm, Dh100, Crescent Ballroom, Fairmont the Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, book at 04 457 3545, Palm.Willowstream@Fairmont.com

Spend a day at the Al Dhafra Water Festival, where you can find a variety of sports activities to watch and take part in. Families can enjoy activities at the children's village, including tug o' war, rowing, swimming, drawing, magic trick shows and more. Cheer on the athletes in the beach football and volleyball competitions and marine races for dhows, sail boats and row boats, as well as kitesurfing. Plus visit a traditional souq and attend fashion shows and cooking competitions. Daily until April 29, various timings, free, Mirfa Beach, Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi, www.aldhafrawaterfestival.ae

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.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

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.”

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5