In this week’s episode of Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews talk about the Middle East Film and Comic Con, which is returning to Abu Dhabi from February 9 to 11.
They share highlights from the line-up of celebrities who are expected to come to town for the pop culture convention, including American actor Oscar Isaac and English actress and Marvel’s Loki star Sophia Di Martino.
Enas speaks about a film that caught her eye during Reel Palestine last weekend: Tomorrow’s Freedom, which features the story of Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti. Farah also talks about how this Palestinian film festival gathered a community of Arabs together, screening 12 feature films and offering space for social enterprises at the Reel Palestine Souq.
The hosts also talk about the 2024 Grammy Awards, sharing their highlights from the ceremony and explaining why it was a record-breaking night for Taylor Swift.
Arts and Culture reporter Maan Jalal joins the conversation to talk about exhibitions that have grabbed his attention in the UAE, including the Nika Project Space's fourth exhibition, I Can No Longer Produce the Limits of My Own Body, at Al Khayat Avenue.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
