Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for January 10, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun.
Abu Dhabi
Boat tour
Enjoy a ferry ride with Jalboot and explore Abu Dhabi’s coastline and landmarks in comfort. See Yas Marina, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Etihad Towers, Hiltonia Beach Club and Abu Dhabi Mall with the all-day pass, or choose specific packages, including the Corniche Sunset Cruise, Yas Marina Lunch Experience and the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers High Tea.
From noon to 8pm for the all-day pass, from Dh195 for an adult ticket; Dh95 for a child ages 4 to 12, from Abu Dhabi Mall, Abu Dhabi, 600 57 57 56, www.jalboot.ae
Dubai
Concert
Get tickets now for RedFest DXB and enjoy a weekend of live music. The line-up for the first day features Daya and The Veronicas, as well as newly confirmed performers G-Eazy and Sean Paul (pictured). See Demi Lovato, Mike Posner, Tove Lo and Alessia Cara the next day.
February 2 to 3, 6pm to 1am on Thursday; 2pm to 1am on Friday, from Dh395 for a one-day ticket, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai, www.ticketmaster.ae
Abu Dhabi
Valentine’s offer
Book a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway to Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara and create your own experience with a variety of dining options, including dining under the stars; spa treatments, including a 120-minute couples package; and adventures, including desert trekking. The resort combines Arabic heritage and culture with elegant design for a luxury getaway.
From Dh2,200 for the Desert Romance package, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Liwa desert, Abu Dhabi, reservations at 02 656 1399, crome@anantara.com
Abu Dhabi
Film screening
Register now to attend a screening of the documentary film Lemonade by Dedra L Stevenson (pictured), an American-born Emirati, and autism advocate. The inspiring film is about home-schooling Ibrahim, an adult with autism in the UAE, and how a family makes the best out of a challenging situation.
January 18, from 6.30pm, free with registration, Brand Moxie, twofour54, Park Rotana Complex, Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi, register at 02 491 8624 info@tamakkan.info
Abu Dhabi
Kids’ theatre
Register your children to take part in musical theatre with Illaria at The Room. The high-energy class combines dancing, acting and singing and is based on choreographies of various musicals, including Hairspray, High School Musical, Wicked, Sister Act and Footloose.
Starts on Thursday, 4pm to 5pm for ages 7 to 10; 5pm to 6pm for ages 11 to 14, The Room, International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, register at 02 444 4945, info@theroom.ae
Abu Dhabi
Fitness event
Get fit, stay fit at TrainYas this winter. Enjoy the cooler weather as you bike, walk or jog the track with friends and family around the 5.55km Yas Marina Circuit. Bikes and helmets are available for rent from Fun Ride Sports, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi provides 400 complimentary bikes each week.
Tonight, 6pm to 10pm, free with registration, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, register at www.yasmarinacircuit.com
Dubai
Art exhibition
Catch the opening of the exhibition Letters From the 5th Dimension, in which Mona Nahleh presents 20 paintings that tell a different story in a distant utopian reality of beauty, peace and bliss. Pictured: Birds
Opens tonight, 6pm, then runs daily until February 4, 10am to 6pm, Sundays to Thursdays (closed on Fridays and Saturdays), The Workshop, Villa 45, Street 23B, off Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 2, Dubai, 04 341 2595, www.theworkshopdubai.com
Dubai
Art exhibition
Attend an artist talk today at 10am with Asad Faulwell, whose current exhibition, In the Heart of the Cosmos, features a series of works that shed light on the forgotten legacy of the Algerian women freedom fighters who fought with the National Liberation Front during the 1954 to 1966 Algerian war of independence. Pictured: Les Femmes d'Alger #72
Daily until February 4, 10am to 6pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed on Fridays), Lawrie Shabibi, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 346 9906, www.lawrieshabibi.com
Dubai
Photo competition
Register to participate in the International Women Photographers Award competition organised by the International Women Photographers Association and Antidote Art and Design, in collaboration with Alliance Française Dubai. The exhibition will take place in Dubai and showcase photographs taken by women around the world, with a focus on the Middle East. Pictured: An image by Severine Blanchet.
Submit photos online by January 31, free registration, ages 18+, register at iwpa.fr
Dubai
Performance
Attend a performance by Lebanese singer Joe Ashkar (pictured) at Sass Café to kick off the Mazzika series. Ashkar brings the Beirut party vibe with his hits such as Habibet alby and Sayerlo. Plus, enjoy dance performances, live percussionists and signature Mediterranean cuisine.
Tonight, from 8pm, from Dh200, Sass Café, Al Fattan Currency House, DIFC, Dubai, reservations at 04 352 7722, reservations@sasscafe-dubai.ae
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
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Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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