• People receive free sweet drinks for iftar in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA
    People receive free sweet drinks for iftar in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA
  • Muslim worshipers perform taraweeh prayers for Ramadan at Al Basha Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. Reuters
    Muslim worshipers perform taraweeh prayers for Ramadan at Al Basha Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. Reuters
  • Policeman Ahmed fires a traditional Ramadan cannon to announce iftar in Cairo, Egypt. EPA
    Policeman Ahmed fires a traditional Ramadan cannon to announce iftar in Cairo, Egypt. EPA
  • A girl at Quran recitation classes during Ramadan in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir. AP
    A girl at Quran recitation classes during Ramadan in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir. AP
  • Confectioners prepare traditional sweets for Ramadan in the Sadria district of central Baghdad. AFP
    Confectioners prepare traditional sweets for Ramadan in the Sadria district of central Baghdad. AFP
  • Muslim students offer prayers during Ramadan at an Islamic boarding school in Medan, Indonesia. AFP
    Muslim students offer prayers during Ramadan at an Islamic boarding school in Medan, Indonesia. AFP
  • A Muslim woman views Canary Wharf in the City of London during an Iftar event at 22 Bishopsgate. EPA
    A Muslim woman views Canary Wharf in the City of London during an Iftar event at 22 Bishopsgate. EPA
  • Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay launch the nationwide Ramadan 1444 operation in the city of Sale, north of the capital Rabat, to assist five million disadvantaged Moroccans in Ramadan. AFP
    Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay launch the nationwide Ramadan 1444 operation in the city of Sale, north of the capital Rabat, to assist five million disadvantaged Moroccans in Ramadan. AFP
  • Volunteers prepare Ramadan pre-dawn suhoor meals for distribution in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday. AFP
    Volunteers prepare Ramadan pre-dawn suhoor meals for distribution in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday. AFP
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan’s T20 teams pray together on the second day of Ramadan before play at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Afghanistan and Pakistan’s T20 teams pray together on the second day of Ramadan before play at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Worshippers attend prayers on the first Friday of the holy month at the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey. AFP
    Worshippers attend prayers on the first Friday of the holy month at the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey. AFP
  • An iftar cannon is fired at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on the first Friday of Ramadan. Victor Besa / The National
    An iftar cannon is fired at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on the first Friday of Ramadan. Victor Besa / The National
  • Muslims after Friday prayers at the Ali Jim'ale Mosque in Mogadishu, Somalia. Reuters
    Muslims after Friday prayers at the Ali Jim'ale Mosque in Mogadishu, Somalia. Reuters
  • Men pray at the Grand Mosque, Khartoum. AP
    Men pray at the Grand Mosque, Khartoum. AP
  • Prayers at the main mosque during Ramadan in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. EPA
    Prayers at the main mosque during Ramadan in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. EPA
  • Worshippers after prayers on first day of Ramadan at the Kowloon Mosque in Hong Kong. AP
    Worshippers after prayers on first day of Ramadan at the Kowloon Mosque in Hong Kong. AP
  • Visitors buy cotton candy at an entertainment area in Tripoli. AFP
    Visitors buy cotton candy at an entertainment area in Tripoli. AFP
  • Muslims break their fast in a street in Abidjan in Ivory Coast. EPA
    Muslims break their fast in a street in Abidjan in Ivory Coast. EPA
  • Palestinians celebrate the lighting of Ramadan lanterns in Jerusalem's Old City. EPA
    Palestinians celebrate the lighting of Ramadan lanterns in Jerusalem's Old City. EPA
  • A street lit up for Ramadan in the West End of London. EPA
    A street lit up for Ramadan in the West End of London. EPA
  • Ukrainian Muslims break their fast at the Ar-Rahma Mosque in Kyiv. EPA
    Ukrainian Muslims break their fast at the Ar-Rahma Mosque in Kyiv. EPA
  • Muslims gather for free Iftar meals at Sheikh Abdul Qader Gilani mosque in Baghdad. AP
    Muslims gather for free Iftar meals at Sheikh Abdul Qader Gilani mosque in Baghdad. AP
  • Muslims gather before the Kaaba in Makkah as they perform the maghrib prayer to mark the end of the first day of fasting at the Grand Mosque. AFP
    Muslims gather before the Kaaba in Makkah as they perform the maghrib prayer to mark the end of the first day of fasting at the Grand Mosque. AFP
  • Muslims seated for iftar in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
    Muslims seated for iftar in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
  • A volunteer prepares iftar food at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, Pakistan. AFP
    A volunteer prepares iftar food at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, Pakistan. AFP
  • A Palestinian woman reads the Quran during the first day of Ramadan, at Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. Reuters
    A Palestinian woman reads the Quran during the first day of Ramadan, at Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. Reuters
  • People look through binoculars and a telescope to view the crescent moon marking the start of Ramadan, in Najaf, Iraq. Reuters
    People look through binoculars and a telescope to view the crescent moon marking the start of Ramadan, in Najaf, Iraq. Reuters
  • Prayers at Al Bidya Mosque in Fujairah, the oldest mosque in the UAE, a day before Ramadan. Leslie Pableo for The National
    Prayers at Al Bidya Mosque in Fujairah, the oldest mosque in the UAE, a day before Ramadan. Leslie Pableo for The National
  • Women pray during the first evening of Ramadan at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Solo, Indonesia. Reuters
    Women pray during the first evening of Ramadan at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Solo, Indonesia. Reuters
  • Members of the Muslim Scout Association play drums during events to mark the beginning of the holy fasting month, in Sidon, Lebanon. Reuters
    Members of the Muslim Scout Association play drums during events to mark the beginning of the holy fasting month, in Sidon, Lebanon. Reuters
  • Worshippers perform taraweeh evening prayers at Al Azhar Mosque, in Cairo. Reuters
    Worshippers perform taraweeh evening prayers at Al Azhar Mosque, in Cairo. Reuters
  • A tent mosque set up after February's powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. EPA
    A tent mosque set up after February's powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. EPA
  • A man sits inside a mosque on the first day of Ramadan, in Marikina, the Philippines. AP
    A man sits inside a mosque on the first day of Ramadan, in Marikina, the Philippines. AP
  • The first morning prayers of Ramadan at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    The first morning prayers of Ramadan at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • A Palestinian man sells traditional Ramadan lanterns, called fanous, in Gaza City. EPA
    A Palestinian man sells traditional Ramadan lanterns, called fanous, in Gaza City. EPA
  • A woman shops for Ramadan decorations, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    A woman shops for Ramadan decorations, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
  • Abu Dhabi's Bani Hashim Mosque, on the first morning of Ramadan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Abu Dhabi's Bani Hashim Mosque, on the first morning of Ramadan. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Sun rises on Ramadan in a Middle East hit by earthquake and water shortages


Nada AlTaher
  • English
  • Arabic

The Sun rose on Thursday on the first day of Ramadan in a region that suffered a huge earthquake last month and faces an array of other challenges.

Some Middle East residents will be celebrating the holy month while dealing with water shortages, soaring prices and economic crises.

For the second year, Ramadan is taking place against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, which began in February last year.

This has disrupted grain exports from Ukraine and Russia and caused prices to soar around the world — with a particular impact in Yemen and Lebanon, which are in the midst of economic crises.

In recent days, Lebanese people criticised a shop for pricing lentil soup — a Ramadan staple — at $5, as part of the outlet's iftar menu. This comes at a time when food prices have gone up by 2,000 per cent, in some instances, since 2019.

A Twitter user under the name Falullahh asked: “If a casual place like this is charging this much, what will 'fancier' places be charging? A kidney?”

Women shop for decorations before the start of Ramadan, in Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon. AP
Women shop for decorations before the start of Ramadan, in Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon. AP

In Yemen, providing drinking water is a burden that largely falls on the shoulders of women and girls, who often have to drop out of school to be able to walk long distances to fetch supplies for their families.

In the Arab world's poorest country, water was already difficult to find before the conflict between the internationally recognised government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels began in 2014.

Now, 90 per cent of the population relies on some form of assistance for survival and development projects are vital for millions of people.

Local non-governmental organisation Food4Humanity has just completed a solar-powered water station in Yemen's south-western province of Ibb, helping 11,500 people in five villages.

“We don't go to school. We can't,” a young Yemeni child said in a video published by the group.

“We are busy travelling to other nearby villages to carry water back home. So, we don't have time to go to school.”

This year, too, is the first time Ramadan is being spent away from home for many of those displaced by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey in February, killing more than 52,000 people across both countries.

“We used to look forward to Ramadan as the most beautiful month of every year,” Rama Jamal, 19, told AP, recalling how her family would decorate the house and sit together reading the Quran.

Now, she lives alone in the war-ravaged northern Idlib province of Syria. After surviving more than a decade of war, her parents and brother were killed in the earthquake.

“Now I’m by myself, and there’s no mood of Ramadan, there’s no joy,” Ms Jamal said.

“I’m missing my family all the time, every hour.”

The Ramadan fast is one of Islam's five pillars and a requirement for all able-bodied Muslims, with the exception of children, people who are sick, pregnant, breastfeeding and menstruating women and people who are travelling.

In addition to from refraining from drinking and eating from dusk until dawn, observant Muslims are also required to abstain from smoking and having sex during the fast.

Swearing and angry outbursts are also discouraged.

During the month, many Muslims spend more time reading the Quran, often aiming to read it from cover to cover.

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Armies of Sand

By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT

West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' ) 
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72') 

UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
%3Cp%3E1%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20age%2026%2C%2079%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E2%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20age%2020%2C%2066%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E3%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20age%2021%2C%2065%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E4%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20age%2021%2C%2079%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E5%20Heena%20Hotchandani%2C%20age%2023%2C%2016%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E6%20Rinitha%20Rajith%2C%20age%2018%2C%2034%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E7%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20age%2017%2C%2053%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E8%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%2C%20age%2017%2C%2068%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E9%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20age%2017%2C%2033%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E10%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20age%2018%2C%2033%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E11%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20age%2018%2C%2046%20matches%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
EPL's youngest
  • Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
    15 years, 181 days old
  • Max Dowman (Arsenal)
    15 years, 235 days old
  • Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
    15 years, 271 days old
  • Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
    16 years, 30 days old
  • Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
    16 years, 68 days old
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cary%20Joji%20Fukunaga%2C%20Dee%20Rees%2C%20Anna%20Boden%2C%20Ryan%20Fleck%2C%20Tim%20Van%20Patten%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Austin%20Butler%2C%20Callum%20Turner%2C%20Anthony%20Boyle%2C%20Barry%20Keoghan%2C%20Sawyer%20Spielberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Race card:

6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.

8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.

8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.

9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.

Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series

All matches at the Harare Sports Club:

1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10

2nd ODI, Friday, April 12

3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14

4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions

 

 

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai, 
HBKU Press 

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 

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.”

UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20card%3Cbr%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERobert%20Whittaker%20defeated%20Ikram%20Aliskerov%20via%20knockout%20(Round%201)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAlexander%20Volkov%20def%20Sergei%20Pavlovich%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EKelvin%20Gastelum%20def%20Daniel%20Rodriguez%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EShara%20Magomedov%20def%20Antonio%20Trocoli%20via%20knockout%20(Round%203)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20heavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EVolkan%20Oezdemir%20def%20Johnny%20Walker%20via%20knockout%20(Round%201)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPreliminary%20Card%0D%3Cbr%3ELightweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ENasrat%20Haqparast%20def%20Jared%20Gordon%20via%20split%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EFelipe%20Lima%20def%20Muhammad%20Naimov%20via%20submission%20(Round%203)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERinat%20Fakhretdinov%20defeats%20Nicolas%20Dalby%20via%20split%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuin%20Gafurov%20def%20Kang%20Kyung-ho%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20heavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMagomed%20Gadzhiyasulov%20def%20Brendson%20Ribeiro%20via%20majority%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChang%20Ho%20Lee%20def%20Xiao%20Long%20via%20split%20decision%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E77kWh%202%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E178bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C150%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: March 23, 2023, 8:51 AM