Thousands of voters are turning out to polling stations across the country to select members for the next Federal National Council.
Voting in 2015 FNC election began at 8am at 36 centres across the emirates from where 224,000 citizens will elect 20 people from 329 candidates. The other 20 members will be appointed by the Rulers of the emirates.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister, this morning visited the election centre at Dubai Trade Centre.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, visited voters, candidates and volunteers at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. After casting his vote, Sheikh Nahyan said: “The parliamentary experience is progressing from good to better.”
He said the UAE was witnessing “remarkable development” and simultaneously moving towards enhancement of the parliamentary work. The UAE was witnessing remarkable development and at the same time moving ahead steadily towards enhancement of the parliamentary work, he added.
› Follow our live coverage of the 2015 FNC elections here.
In Ras Al Khaimah, candidate Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi died of a suspected heart attack this morning. A rival candidate pulled out following news of the death.
And Two Fujairah voters have had their ballots rejected. Brig Mohammed Al Kaabi, chairman of Fujairah Elections Committee, said they couldn’t complete their voting process because their names weren’t listed in the official voters list.
Across the country, voting began slowly but numbers picked up as the day progressed.
In Abu Dhabi, voter Abdulhamid Sultan Al Hammadi, from the Armed Forces, said he wanted to celebrate in the UAE’s election to fulfill his “need in being an active member in society”.
“The Government gave individual locals the right to elect their own representative and empower our political interaction,” he said.
“I voted for someone who is not very different from his peers, who affirmed the need to service those [affected by] issues such as Emiritisation, pensioners and the disabled,” he said.
Brothers Ahmed and Mohammed Al Suwaidi, also in Abu Dhabi, said they voted for women, as they are “known to be hard workers”.
Ahmed said he had faith in women and he was sure they will benefit the council.
“They are excellent in their jobs and I hope Allah will bless them with the ability to serve the council,” he said.
Hamel Al Qubaisi, who also voted for a female candidate, said he wished to use his right to vote to benefit someone who deserved to serve the country, “and that is the least an Emirati can do”.
“Her campaign was excellent and I had heard she is doing a great job in her current job and these make good characteristics of a candidate,” he said.
In Dubai, Hamdan Khalaf, 44, arrived to vote with his seven-year-old son, Saeed.
“It’s a momentous day for the UAE. I wanted my son to remember it” he said.
“We were also very lucky to witness His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid cast his vote too. It made it all the more special,” said Mr Khalaf.
In Sharjah, Tariq Khalfan Al Findi said he chose a candidate based on his election manifesto.
“I did not pick the candidate on the basis of tribe or friendship,” said the 40-year-old. “Education, health, and housing are important topics for me.
“The candidate I chose had good plans on them in his agenda,“ said Mr Al Findi, who works for Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.
Mohammed Al Shamsi, 44, an military officer from Al Hamriya in Sharjah, said: “The democratic process in the UAE is smooth and has a freedom in elections which are far from bias and politics.”
Alia Al Yamahi, a 26-year-old engineer from Fujairah, said: “ It is part of our national duty to participate today in this event and take part in the process of choosing the right person that will represent us all.
“The process was very smooth and didn’t take more than two minutes. I look forward to hearing the results and I hope it will be satisfying,” said Ms Al Yamahi
Voting will continue until 8pm after which the preliminary results will be announced. Three days of appeals will then take place, with the National Election Committee responding to each appeal on October 7 and 8.
On October 11, the NEC will approve the final list of successful candidates.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
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.”
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3E%0DElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
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Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
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%3Cp%3EGiven%20its%20remote%20location%2C%20getting%20to%20Borneo%20can%20feel%20daunting%20even%20for%20the%20most%20seasoned%20traveller.%20But%20you%20can%20fly%20directly%20from%20Kuala%20Lumpur%20to%20Sandakan%20and%20Sepilok%20is%20only%20half%20an%20hour%20away%20by%20taxi.%20Sandakan%20has%20plenty%20of%20accommodation%20options%2C%20while%20Sepilok%20has%20a%20few%20nature%20lodges%20close%20to%20the%20main%20attractions.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
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Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
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UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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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
