I am intrigued by the idea of a Minister of State for Happiness (UAE Cabinet endorses 'happiness' charter, March 21).
Call me old-fashioned, but in my day happiness wasn’t the responsibility of governments. It was up to the people themselves – providing that the infrastructure supported this and that the basic needs set out by psychologist Abraham Maslow were met. These include shelter, food, water, love and warmth.
The rest is down to us.
It’s a bit like the classic saying of youngsters: “I’m bored”. How anyone can be bored is beyond me, when we have every technological gadget to entertain us and our friends and families are close.
Perhaps it’s all related to the general lack of interest in reading. Reading evokes many feelings and provides food for thought. Immersing myself in a good book is definitely my road to happiness.
Name withheld by request
Memorial will be fitting
I refer to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed approves designs for UAE martyrs' memorial (March 20)
I believe that the design, in which sheets of metal support each other, is very fitting, and that the finished memorial will be a lasting tribute to the country’s fallen heroes.
The design also signifies the ties between the armed forces, families and other citizens at times of adversity.
It reminds me of the song, Lean on Me, which says that we all need somebody to lean on.
May God bless the UAE and its people.
Name withheld by request
Survey results can be skewed
I wish to comment on A third of teenage pupils feel 'hopeless' at school, Dubai survey finds (March 20).
Self-selected or volunteer surveys such as this example lay themselves wide open to issues around validity, reliability and verisimilitude.
A skewed sample such as this will only reveal the inherent sampling bias. Therefore, I would caution against printing survey findings without listing some key criteria, such as the name of the person or organisation conducting the survey, the purpose of the survey, and the sampling methodology and margin of error.
I have lived and worked in the UAE for over 20 years and I feel that the extensive use of self-report/volunteer surveys to assess social, emotional and psychological issues within society tend to be overused in this part of the world.
It becomes particularly important should key policy decisions be based upon findings from this type of skewed data.
Peter Hatherley-Greene, Dubai
Ponzi schemes are no answer
This is a warning for those tempted to sign up for Ponzi schemes (Regulating the UAE's financial sector, March 21).
Always ask yourself one simple question: if the money is so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it? Then, walk away as fast as you can.
Mohamad Kadry, Abu Dhabi
When anybody promises they can give twice the returns of the stock market, walk away. Don’t let greed sway your judgment.
Better enforcement of the law is one issue, but education should be the priority.
Randall Mohammed, Dubai
Don’t rush to conclusions
The flight recorders of the downed airliner are crucial to the investigation (Damaged black boxes may hold answers to FlyDubai plane crash, March 20).
The information on them may help the authorities find out what led to the tragedy and provide closure to the families of the victims who perished in the crash.
Meanwhile, it is heartening to see FlyDubai make every possible effort to provide assistance and support to the affected families, not just by offering compensation but also giving them the chance to travel to the site where the plane went down. Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
I know FlyDubai takes safety seriously. We must wait for the investigation to be completed before we can determine the cause. The weather, especially wind, is unpredictable.
Chris Reid, Dubai
What happened is tragic, but from my experience with them, FlyDubai is a great airline, even compared to some of the premium carriers.
Ghassan Younis, Dubai
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20%E2%80%93%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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