The International Series Oman got underway in Muscat on Thursday with a field including the likes of former major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.
It is the first event of the third season of a concept which has the backing of, and the incentive to join, LIV Golf.
What is it?
In many ways, it is to the Asian Tour what the Rolex Series is to the DP World Tour. It is a series of 10 events marked as more prestigious because of elevated prize funds.
Each of the tournaments has a minimum purse of $2 million, an investment backed by LIV.
How does it work?
It also has vague similarities to the Race to Dubai, with the order of merit being decided after a season-ending finale.
On the European version, that climax this season is via tournaments on back-to-back weeks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
On the International Series, a restricted field of leading players will compete in the PIF Saudi International, which is expected to have a prize fund in the region of $5 million.
What is the prize?
The player who tops the International Series money list gets direct entry to the LIV Golf tour next season. Scott Vincent won the first season of the series, then retained his place with LIV last season.
The next group of 30 players on the list are also entered into a tournament played in Abu Dhabi by which they also play for qualification for LIV.
Three players were promoted from that last season, with the number of qualifying berths for this season as yet unspecified.
Who is playing?
The 144-player field for the opening event in Oman includes 21 LIV Golf players. Most notable among them are the former Open winner Oosthuizen, Masters winner Schwartzel, and Chilean star Joaquin Niemann.
Niemann received a fillip this week when he was one of three players - Ryo Hisatsune and Thorbjorn Olesen were the others - granted a special invitation to play in the Masters in April.
It is a rare opportunity for a LIV player. Entry to the majors is tricky for them seeing as LIV Golf tournaments do not receive world ranking points.
Who benefits?
The Muscat tournament includes players from Saudi and Oman, as well as Joshua Grenville-Wood, an English-born golfer who now represents the UAE.
“Let’s not rule out how important the region is to us,” said Rahul Singh, the head of the International Series.
“It is going to be interesting to see how the young local players do. The International Series is an open, merit-based player pathway into LIV.
“We would love to see one of them do well coming through the series, make some money, get a couple more starts, and just get an opportunity.”
Where does it go?
Seven tournaments are in the diary for the series so far for this season, with three more yet to be announced.
It starts and ends in the Middle East, with Oman and Saudi providing the book ends. It heads to Macau next, with tournaments also confirmed in Morocco, Indonesia, Qatar and Hong Kong.
Organisers are planning an expansion in future seasons, with possible destinations in North America and Latin America.
Where is Greg?
Coincidentally, the stunning Al Mouj course in Muscat was designed by Greg Norman, the former major champion from Australia who has been a controversial figurehead for LIV.
But don’t read too much into that. The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which has hosted the finale to the DP World Tour for years, is another of his layouts.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
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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.”
THE DETAILS
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
