It was good to see my old pal Stephen Jennings, the head of Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank, mixing it with Stephen Sackur on the BBC's HARDtalk this week.
I first met him in Moscow in the heady days of the 1990s, when the city was booming and he and his colleague Boris Jordan were ruling the roost, but also in 1998, when the party had ended abruptly with the sudden collapse of the rouble.
He cut a rather forlorn figure then, as if history had moved on, leaving him stuck in the Russian capital when everybody else had retreated. Mr Jordan had left to set up the Sputnik Group, but Jennings was right to tough it out. When commodities, especially oil, started to boom again, he was well placed to benefit. His bank went into a number of ventures and, as he mentioned on the BBC programme, Renaissance Group is now the largest exporter of timber products to China. Not that it has all been straightforward. The financial crisis in 2008 caught Renaissance on the wrong side of a number of deals, but a swift injection of funds from Onexim Group, which bought a 50 per cent stake for US$500 million (Dh1.83m), kept them afloat. It was probably a terrific investment. Renaissance is also very active in emerging markets, and leading the scramble for Africa with offices in Lagos, Harare and Nairobi among others. Some people find it curious that somebody from New Zealand, the most transparent country in the world, is doing business in some of the murkiest markets. Mr Sackur was especially not impressed by Mr Jennings' involvement in Zimbabwe. His response was to point out Africa needed investment and trade flows. "The old, aid-driven model is clearly broken," he said. And elsewhere, he has pointed out a rather startling statistic: in 1970, per capita GDP in China was less than that of Africa's. Don't bet against him.
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In the car the other day my wife decided to book our summer flights to Europe on the hands-free device. She phoned Emirates - unfortunately Etihad does not fly to Rome - and we implored the children to be silent while the call was in progress.
The phone rang, and was then picked up by a recorded message. "Welcome to Emirates Airlines," said a lady. "For first and business class, press one, for economy press two." A voice from the back piped up: "Press one, Mummy."
It was the 10-year-old. Not only is she quick and funny, but even at such a tender age she is prepared to dislike anybody who makes her turn to the right when she gets on a plane.
We may have to send her unaccompanied, in the hope that by the time we next meet up she has forgotten about the injustice.
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I have spent most of the week on Twitter. It is either a delicious way to waste time or a tremendous opportunity to hear the news first and interact with people you would struggle to talk to in a normal month, either for matters of geography or because of a lack of access. Sepp Blatter has occupied much of the airwaves, but he has learnt the lesson of the Arab Spring: if you tough it out, people will struggle to unseat you. And it also proves once and for all that social media did not cause the Arab Spring, although it did perhaps facilitate it. Blatter has ignored #Blatterout and #Fifafail. For more, you can follow me on twitter.com/rupertus.
rwright@thenational.ae
RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Jawan
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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