This bus passenger found a unique way to keep up his exercise routine. Photo: Twitter
This bus passenger found a unique way to keep up his exercise routine. Photo: Twitter
This bus passenger found a unique way to keep up his exercise routine. Photo: Twitter
This bus passenger found a unique way to keep up his exercise routine. Photo: Twitter

UAE

Dubai's push-up bus passenger shows there is no obstacle to exercise

Commuter finds way to keep fit on bus journey in the emirate

The National

January 20, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

Finding time to squeeze an exercise regime into a busy daily schedule is no easy task.

But one committed commuter has shown there is no excuse for being idle – even when sitting on a bus.

Video footage of a passenger performing push-ups on the top of the seats of a bus travelling through Dubai has charmed the internet.

Set to Eye of the Tiger, the theme song from Rocky III, footage on Twitter shows an unidentified man working up a sweat, with a passenger in front apparently oblivious to his antics.

It is not known when the recording was made nor its specific location in Dubai, but it certainly caught the attention of social media users.

One person on Twitter saw the funny side, saying the man was "bus-ting out the press-ups".

Another applauded him for giving the the motivation needed to finally kick their New Year fitness goals into action.

Others said it showed there really was no obstacle to a healthy lifestyle.

People around the world found unique ways to stay in shape in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when stay-home orders were imposed.

Frenchman Elisha Nochomovitz even figured out a way to complete a marathon while at home in March, 2020 – running back and forth on his balcony.

He ran 42.2 kilometres straight, never leaving the seven-metre-long space.

He saw it as a physical and mental challenge, but also shared the images online “to extend my support to the entire medical personnel who are doing an exceptional job”, he said from his apartment in Balma, a suburb of the southern city of Toulouse.

Runner discovers hidden side of Dubai in challenge: in pictures

  • Yasmine Salaam is trying to run every road in Dubai. All photos: Yasmine Salaam
    Yasmine Salaam is trying to run every road in Dubai. All photos: Yasmine Salaam
  • She started her challenge three years ago and runs four times a week, covering 8 to 30 kilometres each day.
    She started her challenge three years ago and runs four times a week, covering 8 to 30 kilometres each day.
  • Ms Salaam took photos of many of the streets where she ran.
    Ms Salaam took photos of many of the streets where she ran.
  • She has run almost 60 per cent of the city’s streets.
    She has run almost 60 per cent of the city’s streets.
  • In the next four months, she expects to cover about 10 per cent of Dubai's streets.
    In the next four months, she expects to cover about 10 per cent of Dubai's streets.
  • Ms Salaam uses an app called CityStrides to track the streets she has run, rather than the total number of kilometres covered.
    Ms Salaam uses an app called CityStrides to track the streets she has run, rather than the total number of kilometres covered.
  • Ms Salaam hopes to finish her challenge within two years.
    Ms Salaam hopes to finish her challenge within two years.

Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

Asian Cup 2019

Quarter-final

UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

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Rating: 4.5/5

List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

More from Neighbourhood Watch:

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.”

Updated: January 20, 2022, 8:46 AM