Morocco clamps down on media freedom



Morocco announced on Friday that it had suspended the operations of the Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera in its territory over what it called "unfair reporting", said the pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds al Arabi in its editorial.

Iraq had taken a similar decision as a result of the network's coverage of the US attacks on Fallujah. Iraq's decision at the time covered up the widespread killings and torture in the country. But, for Morocco, a country that enjoys a higher level of security, and has always shown leniency towards the media, the decision is harder to understand.

The Moroccan communication ministry stated that Al Jazeera violated journalistic standards for accuracy and objectivity.

The main issue that irritated Moroccan authorities is the network's coverage of torture in Moroccan prisons and of course, the Sahara issue - coverage that the official statement described as "harmful to Morocco's interests and territorial unity".

Undoubtedly, freedom of expression has known better days in Morocco. The margin of freedom is narrowing; it is natural that the news network would be affected by this unprecedented climate in a country that has always boasted of democracy and media openness.

The suspension decision will surely affect Al Jazeera, but not as much as the Moroccan authorities.

Al Qa'eda shifts focus to a troubled France

Whether Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan, Afghanistan or even in New York or London isn't the main issue. The issue is that he still holds the power to threaten the West, observed columnist Mazen Hammad in an article for the Qatari newspaper Al Watan.

His most recent recording was different in that it was aimed at France in particular.

Bin Laden chose the timing of his message to coincide with some of Nicolas Sarkozy's darkest moments as millions of French are taking to the streets every day.

The timing proves bin Laden's political malice. It was brief but powerful and expressed his desire to incite French public opinion against the government while threatening attacks to punish France for the war in Afghanistan and express al Qa'eda's resentment for the decision to ban the niqab in France.

Al Qa'eda is holding five French hostages kidnapped from Niger last month. They will be the centre of negotiations between the organisation and Paris.

The majority of terrorism experts are anticipating that France will be at the heart of the confrontation between al Qa'eda and the West.

Leaked documents don't target al Maliki

Nouri al Maliki didn't state that the contents of the leaked US military secret documents were lies and rumours, commented Abdulrahman al Rashed for London-based daily Asharq Al Awsat. Instead, he said the publication of these documents aims to deprive him from acceding to another term as prime minister.

A look at the documents' index shows that they barely concern Mr al Maliki, whereas the real damage falls on the Pentagon, Iran and Syria.

Mr al Maliki's allegations are weak. For one, if Washington were truly adamant on denying him victory, it wouldn't need to resort to such self-destructive methods. The US holds enough political power in Iraq to sway Mr al Maliki's allies away and weaken his position.

He is in fact one of Washington's favourite personalities for the role of prime minister. But his problem is that he wants to be a dictator. He wants sovereign positions and vast jurisdiction as he had during the past four years.

There is no governance accountability system in Iraq, which means that the revelation of infractions by high government officials has no consequences whatsoever on the ground.

The content of the leaked documents is alarming and horrible. It implicates the prime minister in scandalous murders. For this reason, Mr al Maliki should explain himself rather than point fingers.

Needed: a fair global financial system

The global financial crisis has dictated the need for reform in the world's financial systems, observed the Emirati daily Al Bayan in its editorial.

One of the essential causes of the crisis was that the financial institutions don't assess their risks. Countries have realised the importance of financial reform that would pinpoint weaknesses before they occur. This is the role of big economies.

The West is currently seeking to develop a fairer financial system that guarantees common uniform rules and regulations that financial systems all over the world would abide by.

The EU presidents' conference that was held in Brussels aimed at devising a common crisis management plan to ensure financial stability in the euro zone.

The implementation of this new plan is of great urgency. The time factor is not in the favour of the reform process as countries are becoming less enthusiastic for the reform the more time goes by, which would cause another global setback.

The crisis started with the collapse of the real-estate sector in the US. Therefore, the US is required to take definite measures alongside major nations to design a uniform strategy that would put global economy on the road to recovery.

* Digest compiled by Racha Makarem

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

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

Rating: 4.5/5

The%20specs
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PFA Premier League team of 2018-19

Allison (Liverpool)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)

Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

Fernandinho (Manchester City)

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Important questions to consider

1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?

There are different types of travel available for pets:

  • Manifest cargo
  • Excess luggage in the hold
  • Excess luggage in the cabin

Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.

 

2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?

If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.

If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.

 

3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?

As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.

If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty. 

If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport. 

 

4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?

This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.

In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.

 

5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?

Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.

Source: Pawsome Pets UAE

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

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

Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

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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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

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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.

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions