Although much of the world celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday, in the UAE it falls on a Wednesday. We ask some of the people shaping the country’s cultural landscape – in the realms of film, social media, innovation and business – to share the effect their fathers had on their lives and achievements
Michelle Nickelson, from the United States, is the managing director of Mena CineFinance and cochairwoman of Women in Film and Television UAE. She divides her time between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles. Her dad, Carl Nickelson, was an aircraft engineer.
“My father was the eldest of 10 children, born into a poor family. He finished eighth grade then quit school to work and help support his younger siblings. As a young man, he joined the United States Marine Corps and got an education. He was exemplary in tests and they soon figured out that he had a genius IQ. He became an engineer and was eventually recruited by the US intelligence community to work on the SR-71 Blackbird long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft. As children, we had a pretty exciting life and travelled a lot, as well as living outside the US. For someone who had never been to high school, let alone college, he did OK. I remember him reciting the quote, attributed to Henry David Thoreau: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” My father was adamant that I should live my life on my terms, not someone else’s. He encouraged me to dream about what I wanted, then go after it; to accept that when you do this, sometimes you lose friends who don’t understand you; and that, ultimately, only you can be responsible for your own destiny. If you give this responsibility to someone else, you may end up regretting what could have been. This has been a driving factor in my life.
Jonathan Labin is the German-Venezuelan managing director of Facebook for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. His father, Hans-Peter Labin, was the chief executive of Görtz, one of Germany's biggest shoe retailers.
For the past 20 years, during Christmas my father has given me, my brother and sister a handwritten letter reviewing the past year. The letter highlights his thoughts on the most significant moments of that year. He writes about his hopes for me and what he believes I have the potential to achieve. I look forward to this letter every year. It shows that he’s thinking about me and my life and, despite the distance, he always has me on his mind. It strengthens my personal connection with my dad and reminds me of what’s really important in life. I get the chance to gain from the depth of his experience and to reflect on all things past, present and future. It’s the best Christmas present you could wish for.
Sana Bagersh is the chief executive of Abu Dhabi marketing agency BrandMoxie, managing editor of Abu Dhabi cultural-community magazine Tempo and founder of entrepreneur organisation Tamakkan. Her Yemeni father, Abubaker Bagersh, worked with his father as a coffee exporter in Ethiopia. He died in 1987 in a car accident.
My father was a flame that guided me and my five brothers throughout our lives. I come from a very conservative family. As soon as I graduated from a British high school in Addis Ababa, my extended family started talking about me getting married. I had suitors waiting from very good families but my father wanted me to be the master of my own destiny. He broke completely with tradition, saying: “Whatever I provide for my sons, I will provide to my daughter. I want her to go to America and get her degree.” For a long time, I chaired the Women Achieve women’s-empowerment platform at AmCham [American Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi]. Four years ago, through that platform, I crafted a charter of 11 mandates to empower women, providing equal opportunities, equal training and enabling women to serve on boards. This has since been signed by more than 70 companies. It’s a ripple effect that started with my father.
Farrukh Naeem is a social-media strategist and an influential tech reviewer in Abu Dhabi. His late father, Asrare Haque Naeem, was a civil engineer from India who spent half his life in the UAE.
My father saw very difficult times in his career – but every time support arrived from the most unexpected places. Once, when he was working in a remote location, the company didn’t pay salaries and he didn’t have enough money to get back home. Luckily, he met someone he knew in the railways, who arranged for him to travel home. When he needed a heart surgery, he didn’t have enough money for the operation, yet the doctors arranged for his operation to be funded by the hospital. After he passed away in 2008, so many people in India told us how he used to secretly support them, without ever talking about it. Even his family did not know of his humanitarian deeds. Many times I have livestreamed from beside my father’s grave in Baniyas, urging thousands of my connections to reflect on the reality of life, the fact that it will one day end, and to make sure that it is meaningful and continues to benefit others long after we are gone. This is my father’s legacy.
Nawal Al Hosany, from the UAE, is executive director of sustainability and brand at Masdar. Her late father was Khalifa Al Hosany.
When we receive advice as children, we seldom recognise how meaningful it really is. But there is one piece of advice that I was given as a child by my father that has been an anchor for me: “Wherever you are, whatever you do, keep in mind that you are an ambassador of your family and your country.” He would say that to me before I made any decision that would affect my life. His words helped shape the path I chose for myself as a student and as a professional today. My father was a warm, loving and empowering man who supported each of his 12 children equally throughout our education, careers and personal life. He welcomed our different ideas with an open mind, as long as they impacted the wellness of our society, especially if they had a way of giving back to the community. My favourite memory of my father is my first trip to the United Kingdom. Travelling alone for the first time, excitement took over as I rushed to get past immigration and to the plane. I hadn’t even looked back to check if my family was still at the gate. My father called out my name amid the haste and made me realise that he was still standing there, waving goodbye. In that moment, I felt immense pride and support from my father and fully understood his advice.
Celebrity tributes to dad
Halle Berry, actress
“I wish my dad was still here so I could tell him that I forgive him and that I love him. We didn’t have much of a relationship but with age I’ve realised he did the best he could with what he was given.”
Bono, U2 frontman
“Here, in the 1960s, was a Catholic who drove his Protestant wife and two kids to a little Church of Ireland chapel in Finglas every Sunday, attended mass in the Catholic church, then returned to pick them up. He understood that God and religion were two separate concepts, and that one could keep you away from the other. ‘Wise’ is another word for his no-nonsense view of the world.”
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
“One of the most resounding lessons I learnt from my father was the importance of dreaming. My dad didn’t get to live out his dream to be an archaeologist – he followed in the footsteps of his father, a High Court judge. Dad struggled in his career as a barrister but instead of mourning a life he could have lived, he made sure I learnt from his mistakes, giving me remarkably free rein to find my own way and live out my dreams. Even when I messed up, which I have done many times throughout my life, he always stood by me, knowing that by showing me unconditional love, I would become the man I was meant to be.”
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft
“Dad is a retired attorney and I think I inherited his lawyer’s approach to analysing problems. I spent a lot of Sunday dinners listening to dad talk about work with my mum, who was very involved in the United Way [a coalition of charitable organisations] in Seattle and at the national and international levels. They might discuss a case dad was working on or an issue that mum was dealing with through the United Way. Eventually, I started joining in the conversations, and they were very influential years later when I got involved in philanthropy.”
artslife@thenational.ae
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
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
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
RACECARD%20
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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
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
CONCRETE COWBOY
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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RECORD%20BREAKER
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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%20specs
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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
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
