SANAA AND MUSCAT // Yemen's outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has requested permanent sanctuary in Oman as he prepares to travel to the US for medical treatment, said a foreign diplomat in Muscat.
Oman's government has not responded to the request from Mr Saleh, who gave a farewell speech to military and government leaders when he left Sanaa on Sunday, said the diplomat. He did not say when Mr Saleh will leave for the US, but it is believed he will remain in Oman for two more days.
Yemeni government officials said yesterday that Mr Saleh would return to Sanaa after his stay in the US.
A US government official said yesterday that the Yemeni leader would travel to New York this week, and probably stay in the US until no later than the end of February. The Yemeni embassy in Washington said Mr Saleh planned to return home in February to attend a swearing-in ceremony for the country's new president.
As news spread yesterday of Mr Saleh's departure, an old man stared almost nostalgically at a wall in Sanaa plastered with the ever-youthful images of the president in an assortment of regal poses. The posters of the dark-haired, moustachioed president were tattered and faded, but the fixed stares met the viewer's eyes as his gaze wandered over the collection of portraits.
"Our life was peaceful under President Saleh. He kept us safe," said Mohammed Abdul, at a pro-government campsite. "These people who wanted him to leave are liars and just want power for themselves," he said.
Mr Saleh's political career might officially be drawing to an end but, like the omnipresent illustrations, his power clings to Yemen at its highest levels. With his sons, nephews and extended family members still in charge of the army and air force, his influence is expected to continue whether or not he returns to lead his still powerful General People's Congress party, as he said he would in his farewell speech.
Next month's election of the vice president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to officially remove Mr Saleh from office should be a memorable moment in the country's history. But after a year of protests and killings, most are unsure about the future.
"What we have now, the unity government, isn't about unity," the student activist Ruqiya Al Radayi said in Sanaa's Change Square yesterday. "The next two years before the [parliamentary] elections are just an opportunity for all the power players to improve their position and control. Will there be real change? We can only hope," she added.
Even those Yemenis who remained observers during the past tumultuous 12 months - fearful of taking sides in the upheaval that killed hundreds of protesters - admit that change is now necessary.
"I hope it will work," said Ibrahim Al Khawlani, whose family home at Kentucky junction in Sanaa was at the front line of the fighting between the two sides of the divided army last September.
"With cooperation and good intention from both sides, I am optimistic," he said as his cousin, Mohammed, and brother, Ahmed, nodded in agreement.
The fight for change that began with protests a year ago is far from over. Despite Mr Saleh signing a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the formation of a unity government last month, anti-government demonstrations have continued. The tented shantytown in the west of the capital is still home to thousands of activists determined to maintain their struggle for a new civil society and opposed to the GCC deal, which granted Mr Saleh immunity from prosecution.
A second wave of protests, labelled Yemen's Parallel Revolution, separate to but emboldened by the anti-government movement, broke out last month at government institutions across the country. From the police headquarters to the coastguard, workers have picketed the gates of state buildings and gone on strike at ministries, demanding the sacking of corrupt bosses.
In the latest protests, soldiers from Yemen's air force, calling for the removal of the air force chief Mohammed Saleh Al Ahmer - Mr Saleh's half-brother - continued for the second day yesterday.
A meeting at the airbase in Sanaa on Sunday ended with shots being fired after an airman threw a shoe at the senior commander. Yesterday, the mutiny spread to outside Mr Hadi's residence and to three more airbases.
Before his departure Mr Saleh apologised "for any failure that occurred" during his three-decade rule and asked for forgiveness from all his "compatriots, men and women, for any failure that occurred."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Associated Press
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Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Klopp at the Kop
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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.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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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.”
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
