ABU DHABI // Sixteen school pupils on their way to their prom had a lucky escape on Thursday night when the limousine they hired burst into flames.
The teenagers, all pupils at the British School Al Khubairat, in Al Mushrif, arrived at the Eastern Mangrove Hotel at about 7pm, in a limousine hired by parents.
On their way, there was a little smoke in the vehicle but the group, most of whom had never been in a limousine before, did not make much of it.
“They could smell smoke and just thought there was a smoke machine in the car,” said Amanda Clarke, whose daughter was one of the 16 pupils on board.
The car arrived at the hotel and “five minutes later, it just burst into flames”, said Ms Clarke.
Parents had heard about the fire on the night but did not realise how severe the blaze was until they saw photographs from the scene.
“It was not until the morning that we realised how serious this was,” she said. “They just feel lucky that they were not in the car at the time the fire started.”
Police are investigating the incident, Ms Clarke said.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Company%20Profile
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RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
