1. Petro Poroshenko - The former Ukrainian president, seen above, third left, at City Hall in Kiev, has been pictured holding a Kalashnikov and surrounded by militia. AP
2. Anastasia Lenna - “Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed,” the former beauty queen has posted on social media. Anastasia Lenna / Instagram
3. Oleksandr Usyk - Anthony Joshua's conqueror has returned to his homeland to join the resistance. "Friends, we have to stop this war; all of us together," he has written on Instagram. Oleksandr Usyk / Instagram
4. Kira Rudik - The MP and leader of the Voice Party has learnt to use a Kalashnikov and has vowed to 'protect our soil the same way as our men'. Kira Rudik / Twitter
5. Sergiy Stakhovsky - The former tennis player has swapped his racket for a gun, although says he hopes he won't have to use it. Getty
Some have gone further, and shown willingness to wield weaponry alongside their smartphones.
Here are five Ukrainians who have made the leap from keyboard warriors to real-life warriors.
1. Petro Poroshenko
Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has been pictured holding a Kalashnikov surrounded by militia.
He is no stranger to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict having led the country between 2014 and 2019 before he was ousted by current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr Poroshenko is defiant in the face of Russia's invasion.
“Putin will never catch Ukraine despite the number of soldiers he has or how many missiles he has, or how many nuclear weapons he has. Ukrainian people are free people with a great future,” he has said.
2. Anastasia Lenna
In a turn of events more redolent of an action movie plot line, ex-Ukrainian beauty queen Anastasia Lena has swapped her crown for a rifle.
The 2015 Miss Grand International beauty contestant announced she had joined the Ukrainian military in a uncompromising Instagram post.
“Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!” she wrote.
She also posted a photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom she called “a true and strong leader".
3. Oleksandr Usyk
Boxing brothers Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko aren't Ukraine's only renowned pugilists to take up arms against Russia. Anthony Joshua's conqueror, Oleksandr Usyk, has returned to his homeland to join the resistance.
“Friends, we have to stop this war; all of us together,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Speaking on a social media video he addressed Vladimir Putin directly.
“You can stop this war. Please just sit down and negotiate it with us without claims.
“Our kids, wives, grannies are hiding in the basements … We are here in our own country, we cannot do it other way — we are defending … Stop it! Stop this war.”
Another Ukrainian boxer to enter the fray is three-weight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
4. Kira Rudik
MP and leader of the Voice Party, Kira Rudik, has learnt to use a Kalashnikov and has vowed to “protect Ukrainian soil the same way as our men".
Ms Rudik succeeded pop star-turned-politician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk as leader of the pro-West party on March 12, 2020.
Formerly she was boss at Ring Ukraine, a home-security and smart-home company owned by Amazon.
5. Sergiy Stakhovsky
Recently retired Sergiy Stakhovsky was previously best known for his giant killing of tennis great Roger Federer on Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2013.
Helping to down the might of a Russian juggernaut would be a giant killing of a rather different order of magnitude.
“I know how to use the gun. If I'll have to, I'll have to,” he said.
Current Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina isn't swapping her racket for a rifle but she is taking a stand against Russia using more peaceful means.
The world No. 15 has refused to play her Russian opponent, Anastasia Potapova, at the Monterrey Open in Mexico this week.
She took to Instagram to explain she did not blame Russian athletes but believes they should only be allowed to compete as neutrals, as recommended by the International Olympic Committee.
Elina Svitolina in action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships 2022. EPA
“I do not blame any of the Russian athletes. They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland,” she wrote.
“Moreover, I wish to pay tribute to all the players, especially Russians and Belarusians, who bravely stated their position against the war.
“Their support is essential.”
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.”
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
