There seems to be some confusion over the story Passengers face extra security checks on US flights (July 7) about the new rules where passengers to the US have to switch on their mobile phones.
The story seems to say that if the gadgets do not turn on, their owner will not be allowed onto the plane.
I think the owner will still be allowed to board the aircraft, but his or her mobile phone will not be allowed to travel as hand luggage.
Dan Clarke, Dubai
Some rental rises in capital exceed the low average
I was interested to read Capital rent rises hold in the single digits (July 10), which says rents have stayed in check despite the removal of the 5 per cent cap.
Rents have increased by as much as 36 per cent in my area. I don’t know how we will manage in the future.
Daniel Lemma, Abu Dhabi
In my apartment building, which opened just over a year ago, tenants have had to find other accommodation as their rent has increased by 20 per cent.
Asking Dh120,000 for a one-bedroom flat is ridiculous.
Chris Murphy, Abu Dhabi
A friend of mine in Al Muneera had a price rise of 30 per cent for a one-bedroom flat.
Clare L'Estrange, Abu Dhabi
Views on marriage hit the right note
The opinions expressed in Khalid Al Ameri’s article, Marriage is for a lifetime, so you should look beyond looks (July 8), are so true.
Marriage makes life smoother.
Raja Shohab, US
Khalid Al Ameri’s comments made my day.
lisha Haque, Dubai
Mall of the World not so expensive
I would like to comment on Mall of the World in Dubai set to cost Dh25bn to build (July 9).
Although other have said so, I don’t think Dh25 billion is so much.
The Burj Khalifa and Downtown Burj project cost Dh73 billion.
Obaid D, Abu Dhabi
The critics should wait until the mall is built, and then they will see an increase in business thanks to more tourists.
Ayyathan Radhakrishnan, India
A question of who struck the striker
I am writing about the letter by Rajendra K Aneja, Ugly incidents mar the beautiful game (July 7).
Mr Aneja wrote about the unfortunate situation in the World Cup match between Brazil and Colombia, when Colombian defender Camilo Zuniga injured the Brazilian striker Neymar.
I agree with his argument against violence in the game, but in this case I believe that the Brazilians were the instigators.
I read an analysis in The New York Times in which the writer counted more than 50 fouls against Colombia, at least half of them targeting James Rodriguez.
The referee, Velasco Carballo, did nothing to control this bad behaviour.
M Dixon, Abu Dhabi
Kindness to maids is a part of Islam
People should not be surprised by the situation described in Emirati sponsor's act of kindness for maid with cancer (July 8).
Islam teaches us how to treat maids: feed them from what you eat and clothe them with what you have. They are part of the family.
Niaz Abdul Kader, Dubai
Passport can give you precedence
Research by Henley and Partners, a global consulting firm, proves that not all passports are created equal.
It shows that people from some parts of the world are free to travel almost anywhere without first obtaining a visa.
Passport holders from Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, for example, are eligible to travel to more than 170 countries without a visa. People of certain nationalities or from particular regions clearly enjoy better privileges than others.
Most European people are eligible for “visa on arrival” status at many popular destinations while people arriving from Asian countries are denied this privilege.
I believe that this proves that racism still exists in the world.
Ramachandran Nair, Oman
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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.”
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
