SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 05 MAY 2020. STANDALONE. Fire at the Abbco Tower near Nahda Park in Sharjah. Police and fire fighters responded to a blaze that was reported after 8:30. Police and Red Crecent members take the detailsof occupants while handing them water and juice. Resident Fadlallahie Hassoun (Syrian) with his cat that he saved from the apartment along with his wallet, phone and car keys. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Salam Al Amir. Section: National.
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 05 MAY 2020. STANDALONE. Fire at the Abbco Tower near Nahda Park in Sharjah. Police and fire fighters responded to a blaze that was reported after 8:30. Police and Red Crecent members take the detailsof occupants while handing them water and juice. Resident Fadlallahie Hassoun (Syrian) with his cat that he saved from the apartment along with his wallet, phone and car keys. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Salam Al Amir. Section: National.
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 05 MAY 2020. STANDALONE. Fire at the Abbco Tower near Nahda Park in Sharjah. Police and fire fighters responded to a blaze that was reported after 8:30. Police and Red Crecent members take the detailsof occupants while handing them water and juice. Resident Fadlallahie Hassoun (Syrian) with his cat that he saved from the apartment along with his wallet, phone and car keys. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Salam Al Amir. Section: National.
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 05 MAY 2020. STANDALONE. Fire at the Abbco Tower near Nahda Park in Sharjah. Police and fire fighters responded to a blaze that was reported after 8:30. Police and Red C

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Sharjah fire: homes up in flames is the last thing people need right now

Our readers have their say on the Abbco Tower blaze, drive-in cinemas and curiosity about Abu Dhabi's Electra Street

Letters to the editor

May 20, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

With regard to Salam Al Amir's report Huge fire breaks out at Sharjah apartment block (May 5): it was horrible. Some cars parked close to the building were not spared by the flames either.

Jessy Jesz, Sharjah 

This is a very sad sight to see. With all the troubles people are already facing. Hoping the damage isn't too extensive and people can get back on their feet soon.

Evon Rawlings, Ajman 

Drive-in cinemas can't be great for the environment

With regard to Ashleigh Stewart's article Drive-in cinemas are coming to Dubai: is this the future of watching films? (May 6): a friend tried hard to get his drive-in cinemas licensed about five years ago. He got no support. How a virus can change things.
Stefan Wieland, Dubai

Twenty years ago drive-ins were all the rage.

Arif Khan, Dubai 

Is it smart having cars running for hours so people can watch the same movie as they could at home. Do we really not consider the environment at all?

Szilvia Olah, Dubai 

Good for winters only.

Fatima Rizvi, Dubai 

A search for answers and an appreciation for local heritage

I write to you regarding Anna Zacharias's report How Abu Dhabi was built: a tale told through its multicultural architecture (May 4): I was overwhelmed as I carefully went through each word the writer had penned.

I have lived on Electra Street for a year now. Just last week while strolling down the street, deserted because of Covid-19, to buy essentials I happened to notice that the name Electra Street is nowhere mentioned so I asked my husband, a long-time Abu Dhabi resident why people call it Electra Street. My husband is a doctor and I was expecting an appropriate answer from him although that was a futile effort.

Reading about it I found it is one of the oldest streets and was renamed Zayed Street in honour of the great ruler who transformed this place and rebuilt it besides preserving its heritage.

Reading about it I found it is one of the oldest streets and was renamed Zayed Street in honour of the great ruler who transformed this city and preserved its heritage. We have been going daily to watch the Al Hosn cannon firing during Ramadan and it is amazing to see cultural traditions being observed in such a modern city. Madinat Zayed has its own ancient heritage yet it is so contemporary. Loved knowing the history of the city that I am getting to fall in love with.

Dr Reena Agrawal, Abu Dhabi

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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

Fight card

Preliminaries:

Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)

Main card:

Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)

Title card:

Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)

Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)

Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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.”

Watch this space

The Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker

Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe

Four stars

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
The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
On Women's Day
While you're here
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
While you're here

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Family reunited

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.

She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.

She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.

The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.

She was held in her native country a year later.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

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