I agree with calls for tighter bans on cigarette use in public (UAE's smoking ban must go much further to protect passive smokers, health experts say, July 11).
Restaurants and bars often use the argument that if they prohibit smoking, they will lose customers.
There are many countries in the world where tobacco has been banned from bars, night clubs and restaurants over the past 15 years. This has demonstrably not led to a decline in customers, mainly because people go out to be social and not just to smoke.
It’s a small investment to create a separate smoking room or an outside terrace and to keep the rest of your establishment smoke-free. This will protect both the customers and the staff, who should have the right to work in a smoke-free environment.
G Strik, Abu Dhabi
The statement “if smoking was banned here, we would lose a lot of customers” is a complete fallacy.
Smoking is banned in shopping mall food courts. Zero shopping mall food courts have closed because of this ban.
It is time for the UAE to step up and make the ban country wide, with no exceptions.
Owen Neale, Abu Dhabi
We should consider the effects of cigarette smoke on staff at indoor venues where smoking is allowed.
Name withheld by request
Volunteers will serve us well
It is such a big honour to serve one's country (A more mature national service, July 10).
I wish our soldiers all the best in their efforts to bring more peace to our world.
Fatima Al Suwaidi, Abu Dhabi
Khan’s actions are inexplicable
Indian superstar Salman Khan is a bundle of contradictions (Salman Khan is not sorry: actor avoids apologising for rape analogy, July 4).
It defies logic for a star who runs a foundation called Being Human to refuse to rebut a statement about rape in a country that is plagued by this menace.
Filmgoers love villains. They add spice to one-dimensional films that only have romance or comedy. Perhaps that is why the audience is so forgiving towards Khan.
Or is it simply because the actor, who was also involved in the death of a man in a driving accident, has been given carte blanche in a society where patriarchy still rules?
AR Modak, South Africa
Cruise industry is taking off
I am replying to Brett Debritz's opinion article, Forget the flightmare, cruise through your holiday (July 10).
He left out the cruise line that has made its hub in Dubai, along with Costa, since 2006.
Aida has two ships with home ports in this region. The language used on board is German, but the experience is the same as it is on other cruise ships plying this region.
There is still some way to go before the UAE becomes a big source market for people who want to take holiday cruises, but I am sure we will get there.
I am able to make these comments because my company has been involved right from the beginning in getting the home-port concept to take off.
George Varghese, RHS Group Cruise Division, Dubai
Mawaqif is not available online
I find it quite extraordinary that, for more than 10 weeks now, I have not been able to make Mawaqif payments online.
Each time I try, I receive the message: “Not found.” It is also not possible to contact Mawaqif by email. I always get the message: “Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients.”
And the latest news on its media page is dated October 22, 2014. It is very disappointing.
Jeremy P Weeks, Abu Dhabi
No incentive to invest in GCC
In reference to Planned GCC remittance tax could cost members' economies in the long run (July 10), it comes down to expatriates having no right to permanent residence in GCC countries. As long as there is no security of tenure, there's no reason to invest in a country.
S O'Brien, Dubai
Iraq War deaths were unjustified
The headline on Robin Mills's article says The invasion of Iraq was never really about oil (July 11).
Whatever the reason was, innocent people died. Umair Salik, Dubai
CREW
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERajesh%20A%20Krishnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETabu%2C%20Kareena%20Kapoor%20Khan%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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.”
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
