Mini issues global recall of more than 200,000 cars
Mini has had to issue a worldwide recall of 235,000 cars after a fault that could be a fire risk was discovered in electric water pumps.
Certain Cooper S and John Cooper Works models built between 2006 and 2011 have been affected.
BMW, which owns Mini, said in a statement that the problem has resulted in four cases of fire in vehicles.
Mini owners affected should receive a letter from the company in the next few weeks to ask them to bring their car into their nearest dealership to have the water pump replaced.
"Under high operating temperatures an electro-migration can occur at the circuit board installed in the additional water pump," the statement said.
"This can lead to a failure of the additional water pump or smouldering and even a fire cannot be excluded."
More than 200,000 Minis are built each year at the company's plant in Oxford, England.
BMW said last year that it would build a redesigned Mini at its Cowley factory in Oxford as part of a £500 million (Dh2.8 billion) investment in UK production over the next three years.
600hp Bunkbed among wacky wheels going under the hammer
At Motoring, we've witnessed a few crazy cars over the years but this collection up for auction next month certainly takes the biscuit.
Among the wacky wheels on offer at the Historics auction are the seven-metre-long, six-engined Snake Pit, the Bugaloos Buggy, which was made famous by the 1970s television show of the same name, the original Hans Trippel Amphicar and the barmy 600hp Bunkbed, built by Bob Reisner.
The Bunkbed has a 600hp V8 engine and, in theory, it could be steered from the comfort of the top or bottom bunk, but the car is, in fact, a non-runner that's for show.
Despite that, Historics, which will host the auction at Mercedes-Benz World in England on February 18, is expecting offers of around Dh85,000 for the vehicle.
The Snake Pit boasts no less than six Ford Cobra V8s, giving the car an estimated 2,000hp, as well as 12 Holley four-barrel carburettors, 48 exhausts, two Ford C-6 automatic transmissions and a pair of Pontiac rear axles. Although also a non-runner, it was said to be worth more than Dh367,000 when built.
Visit www.historics.co.uk for more information.
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge entries open
Registration for the 22nd Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has opened, giving participants an opportunity to explore the vast Western Region while putting their skills to the test.
The event involves cross-country rallies in cars, trucks, motorcycles and quad bikes across Al Gharbia and the Liwa desert.
The challenge will also be the opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and round two of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.
Last year's car class was won by desert challenge legend Stephane Peterhansel, a multiple winner of the event on both two and four wheels, and the motorcycle class was won by Spaniard Marc Coma.
Alongside them last year, a field of more than 170 competitors from 34 countries battled to finish the 1,500km route. The 2011 event was also broadcast in 20 languages to 121 million homes in 59 countries.
"The desert challenge is an iconic event in the UAE and both officials and competitors will be delighted to go back to Liwa to challenge and experience our beautiful desert once again," says Mohammed bin Sulayem, the founder of the event.
To register, visit www.abudhabidesertchallenge.ae.
Rolls-Royce in record sales year as models grow popular in Asia
British car marque Rolls-Royce has defied the international economic slump by posting global sales figures up 31 per cent on the previous year.
The luxury brand, which is owned by BMW, sold 3,538 cars in 2011 - more than any other year in its 107-year history.
The growth is largely down to its performance in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company experienced growth of 47 per cent.
For the first time since the launch of the Dh1.3 million Phantom in 2003, China became the company's largest market ahead of the US.
In December, it was announced that sales in Abu Dhabi emirate quadrupled compared with the same period the previous year.
"Our business is in excellent shape. We are developing our dealer network, moving into new markets like South America, expanding our manufacturing operation in West Sussex and plan to develop our product range," says chief Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
Facebook comes to the rescue of 24 Hour Dubai race team
Eight-and-a-half hours into the Dunlop 24 Hour Dubai endurance race last week and one participating team had a problem - but it was one that was fixed by using Facebook.
Struggling for answers, the United Autosports team turned to the social networking website for information on their Audi R8 GT3 LMS race car.
They posted this question on Audi Sport's page: "Does anyone know where the location is for the starter relay and main relay on an R8? Is it in the front BSG or fuse box?"
Luckily for the team, Audi quattro GmbH engineer Markus Ferlora noticed the query and responded with the correct answer: "It's right rear [sic] the last two big Relais are for the starter. The first two big Relais are the main Relais for the engine."
Unfortunately for United Autosport, as helpful as the information was, it didn't help them succeed in the race as they didn't even make it into the top 10.
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
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
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. Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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.”
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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
