What we’re loving: 10 must-have items for the new school year



Here are the top 10 must-haves for the new academic year – from luxury backpacks to secret diaries.

Step up

Scandinavian brand Ecco’s 2015 collection of shoes for boys and girls are crafted in soft and durable leather. We love the classic brogues and high-performance trainers. Pumps for girls in black leather start from around Dh400 and slip-on shoes for boys cost approximately Dh450.

Visit www.ae.ecco.com. and www.shoemartgulf.com

Sound idea

Philips has rolled out a colourful range of headphones priced at Dh76. Designed especially for little ones aged 3 years and upwards – the volume is capped at 85 decibels – and are available in blue and pink. Also check out the portable PD7006 DVD player, ideal for road trips and even the school run. It is durable, resistant to spills, and the easy-to-use interface is especially designed for children; Dh279.

Both gadgets are available at leading UAE electronic retailers and at www.mea.philips.com

Wheels smart

It’s where most mums love to do their back-to-school shopping – Splash at Centrepoint has a vast selection of Hello Kitty, Batman, Ferrari and Barbie-themed socks, shoes, notepads, mugs and lunch boxes. A smart addition to the store’s range this season are backpacks on wheels by JanSport. Each comes with a waterbottle pocket and the all-important tablet sleeve. Available in small, medium and large sizes. Basic backpacks start at Dh135.

Visit www.landmarkshops.com/splash

Cut above

This September, the Jazz Lounge Spa in Dubai is offering two haircuts for the price of one. Book a cut and blow-dry at the male-only salon costing Dh75, and you’ll receive a junior haircut and blow-dry for free. The offer is available for boys aged 13 years and under.

For appointments and your nearest branch, visit www.jazzloungespa.com

Art attack

Little Things boutique in The Dubai Mall has film-themed stationery sets for school-starters this term: Dh99 will get you a Disney Frozen Ultimate Fun Pack containing gel pens, colouring pencils, a pencil case, colouring book and secret diary. It also comes with a free shoulder bag, eraser, pencil sharpener and ruler. For little artists, there’s a Frozen watercolour set containing a palette of six colours, soft brushes and stencils for just Dh89. For Michelangelos-in-the-making, adjustable travel easels can be found in-store for Dh99 too. The kit includes an easy-to-mount easel, felt-tip pens, wax crayons, pastels and a sponge.

Little Things is in The Dubai Mall, call 04 330 8717

Get ahead

Ideal for the walk home from school is New Era’s latest range of 9 FIFTY caps. The limited-edition Dubai Cap fuses New Era’s distinctive silhouette with cityscape graphics. The official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era has a loyal following of celebrity fans who clamour for its accessories and apparel lines. The range of Dubai caps is available for Dh185 at www.namshi.com, Sun Sand & Sport, and Go Sport.

For more information go to www.neweracap.com

Bubble trouble

For a soothing bath before nursery or kindergarten the next day, Kiehl's has developed a collection especially for tiny tots. There's a Gentle Foaming Hair & Body Wash which is safe for sensitive skins, paraben free and paediatrician-tested, for Dh90. There's also a Nurturing Baby Cream for Face & Body, containing shea butter and a unique blend of oils including rice bran, apricot and olive fruit. Fragrance-free and suitable for newborns too, the product costs Dh151 and can be found at Kiehl's stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Visit www.en.kiehls-me.com

Flash back

For discerning girls and boys looking for a luxury backpack to show off in the schoolyard, Tommy Hilfiger's autumn/winter collection is all about highly individual backpacks in lambskin, gold-studded patent leather and heavyweight yarns. There also are sportswear and accessories such as extra-long scholar scarves, wedge-heel football boots and sequinned Mary Janes. Prices upon application.

Tommy Hilfiger is in The Dubai Mall, call 04 143 3980

Designer downtime

School uniforms aside, there’s plenty of party and play wear on offer for children this season. Versace’s autumn/winter 2015/16 line has just hit the UAE and it’s full of fun. There’s manga-inspired graphics and vibrant graffiti for boys and kaleidoscopic prints and florals for girls. The range includes dresses, skirts, capes and fleeces for girls, while young men can choose from a selection of jeans, T-shirts, bomber jackets and single-breasted tuxedos. There are also hoodies and tracksuit combos, for both, in jewel tones of sapphire blue and emerald green.

Go to www.versace.com for more information

Fun in the sun

Poupette à la Plage boutique in Dubai has cool sun-safe essentials for the kids – soft fabric hats with printed car designs for boys cost Dh295, while pretty printed headscarves for girls in sorbet shades start from Dh180.

See the full range at www.poupettealaplage.com. The brand is also running a competition on its Instagram account until September 5. To enter and stand the chance of winning a Dh400 voucher, follow @poupettealaplage and upload a picture of your "happy" kids. Call 04 342 7720 for more details

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

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.”

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

INFO
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
RESULTS

Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.

Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.

Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.

Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.

Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.

Catchweight 80kg​​​​​​​
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.

Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.

Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.

Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.

Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.

Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.

Company%20profile
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'Gold'

Director:Anthony Hayes

Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes

Rating:3/5

Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now