Good morning from The National on December 29, 2025.
Here is your digest of what is making the headlines in the Emirates.
Soft drinks in the UAE will now be taxed according to the amount of sugar content. Getty Images
A New Year action plan by the UAE government to clamp down on sugar-laden drinks has been hailed as a crucial step in boosting the long-term health of the nation.
A new pricing strategy, to come into effect on January 1, will see the rate of tax directly linked to the amount of sugar contained in drinks, with higher levies for products with larger volumes of sugar for every 100ml.
Medical and dental professionals said the policy will help to address the root causes of health crises facing the Emirates and the wider world.
“The policy encourages both manufacturers and consumers to choose low-sugar or natural-sugar alternatives,” said Dr Ali Elhouni, a consultant endocrinologist at Medcare Royal Specialty Hospital Al Qusais.
The country's obesity rates are predicted to hit record levels by 2050, while across the Middle East and North Africa region it is believed 163 million people will have some form of diabetes by the same year.
Etihad Rail is to launch passenger services next year. Wam
The UAE's national rail project will go full speed ahead next year, with its long-awaited passenger line moving into clear view.
Etihad Rail has already confirmed that passenger trains will hit the tracks next year, helping to usher in a public transport revolution years in the making.
Passenger numbers across the Etihad Rail network are expected to reach 36 million by 2030. Trains will travel at speeds of up to 200kph and carry as many as 400 people, running on the same lines as freight trains.
The service will help to connect the emirates, while addressing traffic congestion and supporting key sustainability goals.
John Dennehy looks at what the future holds for Etihad Rail here
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City provided a one-dose treatment aimed at older patients. AFP
A leading Abu Dhabi hospital has become the first in the world to deliver a pioneering gene-therapy treatment that is poised to offer a lifeline to older patients with spinal muscular atrophy.
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City successfully administered Itvisma, a one-dose drug that works to replace the defective SMN1 gene responsible for the debilitating disease, under the supervision of the emirate's Department of Health.
Authorities did not reveal any details about the patient who received the treatment or when the procedure took place.
The drug, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, was given accelerated approval by the UAE on November 25, after clinical trials that showed sustained improvements in patients' motor abilities.
It was only the second country, after the US, to approve the use of Itvisma, which for children aged two and above as well as teens and adults with SMA.
Dubai will post 9,884 Dubai Police officers, 1,900 medical staff, 1,754 firefighters and 635 ambulance workers to help see in 2026 safely. Read more on the emirate's comprehensive New Year's Eve plan here
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.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0 De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
New UK refugee system
A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
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
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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.”
