The work done by the staff at the Falcon Hospital for the care of all animals is commendable (Fur, feathers, but no fable: Abu Dhabi shelter does not quit on animals, January 17).
They have helped to reduce the number of stray animals and improve their general health. In my area in Abu Dhabi, the company contracted to operate the TNR (trap, neuter, release) programme is very good. They can trap the cats – or in my case collect the ones I have already caught – take them to the hospital to be neutered and return them the next day, with their ear tipped to show they have been neutered.
However, some people have told me this reliability is not evident in other areas, where cats are collected but not returned to the same place.
Dr Margit Muller mentioned that street cats could easily get their food from the rubbish bins, but the new municipality bins are very high and have self-closing lids, so that is no longer the case.
We are fortunate to have the Falcon Hospital here and their education programmes encourage children to be caring and responsible pet owners.
G Stevenson, Abu Dhabi
Our country is an example of tolerance
The seed of tolerance and religious freedom was sown by the country's founding father, Sheikh Zayed. Your story is a wonderful tribute of Sheikh Zayed legacy with the continued direction from President Sheikh Khalifa (UAE Minister and clerics say monastery site in Abu Dhabi is a lesson in tolerance for all, January 19). Thank you, The National, for the wonderful story.
Victor Mooney, Abu Dhabi
The UAE is a model nation. We appreciated our worship time in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and will always have the best memories of life in this beautiful country.
Joann Howard Boone, Abu Dhabi
Teach children to eat healthy
Parents ought to set examples to their children that they will follow even in their adulthood (70 per cent of pregnant women in UAE risk health issues due to vitamin D deficiency: study, November 7).
Every day my seven-year-old son takes a small bottle of vitamin D milk to school. Once he complained that he only gets plain milk while his friends drink chocolate and strawberry milk. I asked him whether he doesn’t feel sad that many of his friends have to visit dentists because their teeth are weak. He understood my point.
When I told him that I give him milk with vitamin D that helps strengthen bones and teeth, he felt happy. This is how we need to teach our children good habits and that is all we can do as parents.
Christina Toebast, Abu Dhabi
Reactions to adventure park
I was disappointed to watch the video on your Facebook page of Aventura, the outdoor adventure park that has just opened in Dubai.
More natural habitats are turning into playgrounds for humans. The beautiful Ghaf forest is now ruined. Couldn’t this have been placed elsewhere? This is a sad development.
Mike Barth, Dubai
This is probably going to be my next weekend destination. Hopefully it’ll prove to be better than camping.
Ebonie Platfoot, Dubai
This looks like super fun. We need outdoor entertainments such as these. The more the better. Of course we need to be mindful that we don’t destroy nature for the sake of fun.
Anita Rajan, Dubai
I am excited about this adventure park. This is definitely on my weekend getaway list and I am going to check it out soon. I am going to contact my friends who would definitely enjoy this experience.
Peter Rhenius, Dubai
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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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.
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
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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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
