The UAE's National Day is just around the corner, with citizens and residents encouraged to come together and celebrate 51 years since the founding of the Emirates.
Several official celebrations are set to take place and employees from the public and private sectors will have days off work.
Here is all you need to know about the public holiday.
When is the UAE's National Day?
The UAE's National Day is celebrated on December 2 every year.
This year, National Day is a Friday, the end of the working week for most in the UAE.
It is preceded by Commemoration Day, which is on November 30, but is typically held on December 1. The day is dedicated to those who lost their lives serving the country.
The UAE government has announced nationwide public holidays for the public and private sectors for Commemoration Day and National Day.
This means many employees across the country will receive two days off, beginning on Thursday, December 1, for Commemoration Day, followed by a public holiday to mark National Day on Friday, December 2.
As December 3 and 4 are a weekend, many people will be treated to a four-day break from work.
Why does the UAE celebrate National Day?
The UAE celebrates National Day to commemorate the formation of the country in 1971.
The holiday marks the day that six emirates bound together to form the UAE, with Ras Al Khaimah joining as the seventh emirate the following year.
UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, led efforts to unite the emirates and became the first president.
His son, Sheikh Khalifa, served as president 2004 until his death in May.
This year will mark the first time that President Sheikh Mohamed will oversee National Day as leader, having been elected this year.
This year marks 51 years since the country’s foundation, an event that takes place against the backdrop of significantly relaxed Covid-19 restrictions.
What events are planned for National Day 2022?
Preparations are gathering pace for this year's showpiece ceremony, with details of the show set to be revealed closer to the time.
The official organising committee — led by the team that put together the Emirates' landmark Golden Jubilee event last year — is inviting government departments, private companies, schools and other organisations to download a special National Day kit, which will include the brandmark of the celebrations.
It will be made available on the National Day website and more information will be posted on social media platforms.
What happened last year?
Last year, the country celebrated its Golden Jubilee and huge celebrations took place.
The official 50th National Day celebration took place in Hatta, the Dubai exclave that is home to some of the country’s most stunning landscapes, including the Hajar Mountains and Hatta Dam.
The show took place on a floating stage within a lake built in the middle of the dam, with light displays, water projections and fireworks designed around the theme of the relationship between the Emirati people and nature.
Elsewhere, there were several firework displays and events across the Emirates, including at Expo 2020 Dubai.
This article was originally published on November 14, 2021
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How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
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Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
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.”
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