DUBAI // The going was pretty rugged, but a Dubai man has managed to raise more than Dh700,000 for a Palestinian children's hospital after motorcycling more than 50,000 kilometres across 21 countries.
Wissam Al Jayyoussi, a 37-year-old Jordanian, said: "I had six accidents and was jailed twice."
There were also trips to police stations and a four-day hunger strike when the authorities did not let him travel between different Pakistani provinces without proper permits.
"It was risky, challenging and there were lots of problems," said Mr Al Jayyoussi, who returned to the UAE last week.
The biker, who runs his own IT company in Dubai, began his 145-day "goodwill journey" on May 12 from Sharjah where he took a boat across the Gulf to Iran.
As part of his trip, Mr Al Jayyoussi, who has a Palestinian background, rode his BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycle along the historic Silk Road.
From Iran he rode through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Russia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and finished his arduous Asian tour in Singapore.
Mr Al Jayyoussi, who undertook the trip to buy medical equipment for the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund Paediatric Cancer Centre in the West Bank, explained that it was no easy riding.
He was detained by authorities in Pakistan's Balochistan who said he did not hold a no-objection certificate from the interior ministry to pass through the area. When he brought the appropriate papers, officials still refused to let him pass.
"I decided to go on a hunger strike for four days. The Pakistani media got wind of it and, after they wrote about my situation, I was allowed to leave."
The entrepreneur was then questioned by officials in New Delhi for possessing a type of satellite phone banned in India.
"Six people from intelligence knocked on my hotel door and asked me if I had a satellite phone," Mr Al Jayyoussi said. "I was interrogated by officials for eight hours and they went through my laptop. They let me go at midnight. I had to get the Jordanian Embassy involved."
Mr Al Jayyoussi said he was refused entry at several borders for various reasons including bureaucratic procedures, corrupt officials and proper documentation.
"It was very different to my previous trip through Europe," he said.
"In Europe when you cross between different countries, you don't realise. Asia is the complete opposite of that."
Mr Al Jayyoussi said the drastic changes in weather and the poor road conditions also took a severe toll on him and his heavily modified BMW bike.
"I expected bad roads but in places like Mongolia, there were no tracks. I went days without seeing humans.
"The temperature changes were also drastic. I went from 50°C to minus 10°C. In South-East Asia there was the monsoons and the weather was not helpful at all."
He said his Indian leg of his tour was the most challenging as he had to share the road with lorries, buses, tuk-tuks, cows, sheep and other vehicles. He also had a few accidents when his bike was damaged by rash Indian truckers.
Mr Al Jayyoussi said that it was in Mongolia's Gobi desert that he almost gave up.
"There were no roads and my bike kept getting stuck in the sand," he said. "Mongolia is the only place I thought I would die, that I would not make it.
"I had to dismantle parts of the bike and reassemble it at least 50 times, which is very exhausting."
Bikers in different countries accompanied him when he rode their cities and helped raise awareness on the plight of Palestinians and his cause. The five-month Asian tour cost the IT entrepreneur about US$50,000, (Dh183,000) which he paid for out of his own pocket.
He hopes that the Gulf Bike Week event, which runs from October 18 to 20, will see more donors contribute generously to the children's hospital and help achieve their target of Dh1 million.
This is Al Jayyoussi's second trip to raise money for Palestine, which he has never visited.
About two years ago he rode through 36 countries in Middle East and Europe in 60 days.
His next plan is to ride from Dubai to Alaska in 2014. Contributions to the hospital can be made online at goodwilljourney.org.
pkannan@thenational.ae
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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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.”
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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