People liked Dallas villain JR Ewing - as portrayed by Larry Hagman, who died last week at 81 - precisely because the character was such a shameless rascal, a reader says.
People liked Dallas villain JR Ewing - as portrayed by Larry Hagman, who died last week at 81 - precisely because the character was such a shameless rascal, a reader says.

Everybody loves a bad guy with a bit of charm



To put safety first block mobiles in moving cars

A traffic-safety measure being proposed in Australia could and should be copied in the UAE, and worldwide. The Australian Road Safety Foundation says every car should be sold or retrofitted with a mobile-phone-call blocker.

The idea arose after it emerged that fully one third of the 270 road fatalities in the state of Queensland last year were linked to mobile-phone calls, texting or similar distractions.

While I have not seen any statistics, I am sure phones are a factor in many deaths in the UAE, as well.

Many taxi trips involve the driver chatting on a mobile while weaving through traffic. Many private drivers, including those with children passengers, also blithely chat or text away while operating their huge, deadly machines.

If the technology exists, and safety authorities are serious about cutting the toll, this Australian idea ought to be embraced here.

Jason Burke, Abu Dhabi

Taxi driver goes the extra mile

I would like to shout the name of Aslam Uddin from the rooftops - well, the print equivalent. This cheery Emirates Taxi driver has given me further reason to be glad I relocated to Abu Dhabi five weeks ago.

Mr Uddin saved me much time and expense last week when I mislaid my passport. He turned up at my home in Al Reef, having found it in the back of his car.

When I realised that my passport was missing, after I flew in from a weekend in Muscat, I was mortified.

Checks with Abu Dhabi police didn't produce results, although the CID at the airport lost-and-found department went above and beyond the call of duty by retracing my journey from passport control to the exit on closed-circuit TV, which only confirmed that it hadn't been dropped there.

I was resigned to a trip to the British Embassy to secure an emergency passport to allow my planned UK Christmas trip. But then I got a call late one night to say a driver had my little red book and was on his way over. His car had been in the garage for two days, delaying the find.

My relief was palpable and I will certainly never skimp on tips to cab drivers from now on.

Aslam Uddin, your honesty is appreciated and I thank you for reinforcing my passion for Abu Dhabi.

David Dunn, Abu Dhabi

High-rise buildings not really needed

I like the fact that a planned building (Hong Kong developer plans new skyscraper for Abu Dhabi's Reem Island, November 25) is going up only 30 floors, and hope that will become more common. We don't need more 50, 60, 80 or 100-floor buildings.

What's so great about skyscrapers? What's the attraction? Why are architects and developers so consumed by this race for the sky?

When you consider the true environmental effect, safety issues and other risks of huge buildings, you wonder why they're still being built.

Basseem Fakhry, Dubai

Debtors' prison makes no sense

For a person cooling his heels in jail for dishonoured cheques, all the recent talk and your editorial Growing attention to bad-cheque law (November 7) could not have been more timely.

As you rightly pointed out, the present laws do not provide any solution to the problem. Instead, they intensify, complicate and compound it. One defaulter can cause tens or hundreds of others to default.

Over the past 10 weeks, I have come across many people who, like me, are not intentional defaulters, cheats or criminals but just victims of circumstances. Bundling such people with drug peddlers and rapists in indefinite detention does not solve the problem.

Most expatriate defaulters, including me, have had the opportunity to run away from this country.

Despite such a suggestion from my lawyer in the early days, I chose to remain here and face the law rather than betray the trust placed on me by my banks, suppliers, subcontractors and workers.

While a company that I built up with absolute passion, commitment and honesty over the past 11 years is breathing its last, I hope an expeditious change in laws will at least stop further occurrences.

This would reinforce the business-friendliness of the UAE and bring more investors here, instead of discouraging people who want to help the country develop.

Name withheld by request

Everybody loves a charming rogue

Remembering TV's most loved bad boy, Larry Hagman (November 25) and other coverage demonstrated an interesting point. The Dallas character JR Ewing was popular because of his bad-boy qualities, not despite them.

There's something in human nature that attracts us to a rascal, even a criminal, if he's charming.

CK Dexter, US

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

The biog

Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling

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 

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz