Club ready for 'operation siege'



ABU DHABI // The Armed Forces Officers' Club is under siege. The objectives seem basic enough: attack and defend, rescue the hostage, escort the VIP and destroy enemy cells. But unlike the skirmishes real tactical units face, "Operation: Sahara el Qasia" is not a high-stakes combat scenario. It is a gun battle simulation tournament that will begin on March 5 with the participation of about 200 UAE airsoft hobbyists.
The Emirates Airsoft Federation's first national games will involve at least 12 teams shooting each other with 6mm plastic pellets from replica firearms. Organisers hope this will also be the first step towards getting the activity recognised as a sport. "We're inviting the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare and the headquarters of the police, so it will be the first time they can attend and they can see what we do and then they can evaluate," said Ayman al Hashemi, an Emirati airsoft player who goes by the call sign "Koko".
Mr al Hashemi, 25, and an Adnoc employee, acknowledged that anyone new to airsoft may have reservations about the hobby due to "fear of something new" and distaste for seeing replica weapons such as AK47s, M4s and M16 rifles. But airsoft is no more dangerous than paintball, he argued, and all players are required to wear safety goggles and face protection. "We've had no injuries playing in three years," Mr al Hashemi said. "We have only small skin injuries. We don't have broken bones, so it's not even like football."
The airsoft federation has about 1,000 members "from America, South Africa, from Egypt, some Arabian countries, many Filipinos," Mr al Hashemi said. Jacquelene Jauculan, 26, from the Philippines, is among several female players. "I've always been interested in more extreme sports," said the recruitment officer, who uses a replica M4 rifle. "I found airsoft really gives you euphoria. It lets me release my aggression."
The federation's goal, according to Mr al Hashemi, is to set up a UAE national airsoft team to compete officially in international tournaments.
mkwong@thenational.ae

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.”

23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees

Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.

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.

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