It does not need any wisdom to know that a hotline will accomplish little against overpriced water (Cafes still breaking water price law, October 11).
Every single coffee shop I know sells bottled water for more than the official price. Every single customer then should call the hotline every single time.
If the authorities just sent inspectors into the malls and started giving fines, that would be effective.
A Almuhairbi, Dubai
I paid Dh6 for a bottle of Aquafina in a mall restaurant in Abu Dhabi this week.
I asked the waitress if she knew it was illegal to charge that much for water. She said "I know" and nothing else.
But what else could she say? Restaurant owners will keep on overcharging for as long as they can get away with it.
So, what if people fill expensive restaurants at dinnertime and order only water? Then they will wait until the waiters and managers complain because people are not spending much money. At that point, perhaps, bottled-water prices will fall to the legal level.
Donald Glass, Abu Dhabi
Animals are lucky to have hospital
Thank you for the story Dozens of pets rescued at new shelter (October 8). I continue to be impressed with your articles advocating for defenceless animals.
Here in Oman, the plight of stray and mistreated animals has been left to a stalwart group of volunteers who work tirelessly to deal with the problems you describe. Perhaps the Omani technician in your article will return and help to establish an animal shelter as wonderful as the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital?
Dian L Buck, Oman
Finding superbug is not shameful
Your story Indian health chiefs admit superbug is in hospitals (October 11) confirms what many already knew.
But resistant bacteria are inevitable, and hospital officials should feel no shame about them.
They are however a very serious problem, and will keep getting worse until we make new breakthroughs in antibiotics and end the practice of prescribing antibiotics so quickly and easily.
EJ Francoeur, Abu Dhabi
Why must we pay more for video?
This is about the report Video calls coming, at a price (October 10).
I'm paying over Dh700 fixed per month for my 3G and eLife connections. So why should I pay extra for technology that is available free-of-charge to the rest of the world?
Nicolas Dumont, Dubai
To stop piracy, first help Somalia
I refer to your article A daughter's desperate wait (October 10).
I feel devastated every time I hear of people, whether they are adventurers or simple sailors, hijacked by Somali pirates.
There have been spectacular rescue stories but those are quite rare, unfortunately.
I believe that an effective government, and employment opportunities for Somali people, would reduce piracy.
Gaye Caglayan, Dubai
Mental illness needs attention
I agree with the argument in the column Attentive study of risk factors can prevent many suicides (October 10).
Specialists should address mental illness in this way. But unfortunately mental illness gets too little attention. I am sure insurance companies would like this to continue.
Reuben Smile, Dubai
School system needs to improve
Your story Education chiefs consider cutting compulsory subjects (October 5) makes me want to say a consultant was not needed to come to the conclusion that change is needed.
Many studies over the years have found problems in government schools but the majority of the suggestions made never saw the light of day.
I have personally experienced educational systems abroad and here in the UAE. No system is perfect but ours still has a long way to go before it even gets close to being perfect.
Ahmed Al Hashemi, Abu Dhabi
The problem with having so many compulsory subjects in the classroom is that when we say that almost everything is important, this has the perverse effect of sending the signal that nothing is really important.
As your story of October 5 reported, "Grade 10 pupils currently must take Islamic education, Arabic, English, mathematics, history, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, information technology, civic education and physical education."
We can argue about what matters and what doesn't, but the final list of truly vital "core" subjects needs to be short.
Eddie Pfister, Abu Dhabi
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
RESULTS
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jordan Sport, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Jungle Cat, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Kimbear, Patrick Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Blair House, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner: Hawkbill, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
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.”
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
