Lt Col Al Al Mutawa explained developments that may shape the future of civil defence in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National
Lt Col Al Al Mutawa explained developments that may shape the future of civil defence in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National

Floating firefighting stations may be coming to the Dubai Canal



DUBAI // Floating firefighting stations that will allow civil defence to tackle blazes from the Dubai Canal may be on their way.

Lt Col Ali Al Mutawa, head of operations at Dubai Civil Defence, said on Tuesday that a model of the stations would be on show at next week’s Intersec conference – a trade fair for security, safety and fire protection.

“They allow us to move easily to cover certain areas in Dubai,” he said.

The advantages and disadvantages would be weighed before the stations are presented as an initiative, Lt Col Al Mutawa said.

Fire fighting boats were first introduced in 1765 in London and have been used worldwide since the 18th century. This year at Intersec, Dubai Civil Defence will focus on smart electronic innovations to make its work more efficient.

“Several apps will be introduced and we are working on establishing an operations centre [at the conference] that is akin to the centre that manages safety and security in Dubai,” said Lt Col Al Mutawa.

Fire safety has been a major issue across the UAE, with blazes damaging a number of buildings in recent years, including the Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai on New Year’s Eve in 2015.

A new UAE Code for Fire Safety will be launched at the conference. It will contain 1,564 pages, more than double the previous edition of 707 pages.

“It contains illustrations and images that facilitate the architects’ work,” Lt Col Al Mutawa said. “The previous edition contained 296 illustrations, the new one contains 784.

“The code is updated once every two years, and the new edition contains more entries, including home alarm systems.”

A code was also introduced for tourist centres and new specifications were given for storing hazardous materials and flammable liquids.

Security is also intensifying across Dubai, with the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (Sira) working on a regulations manual.

“It helps providers and users recognise their responsibilities and obligations,” said Brig Khalifa Al Saleis, Sira’s director general. “We also evaluate systems in areas that aren’t regulated by the law, such as the canal and other landmarks.”

Intersec will also be an opportunity for Dubai Police to learn about and adopt new technology in the field. It has nine programmes and trains more than 8,000 first-level trainees in basic firefighting techniques.

“We are keen to discover the latest techniques to allow us to update our programmes,” said Col Mohammed Thani, the force’s director of the international centre for safety and security.

“We will review these new technologies and assess how to use them in training or in updating our programmes. Dubai is constantly changing so this requires us to ensure that the training is on par with conditions in the emirate.”

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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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.”

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

AndhaDhun

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

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Transmission: Single-speed automatic

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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