Get a free night in Geneva with a special package from Luxury Hotels by Dnata. Stay four nights and pay three at Geneva's five-star Hotel D'Angleterre, which is located on the fashionable Quai du Mont Blanc in the heart of the city. Hotel D'Angleterre provides views of Lake Geneva and is within walking distance of shops, restaurants and art galleries. Superb skiing is less than an hour away.
The package costs from Dh10,700 per person, based on two sharing, and includes round-trip air fare from Dubai to Geneva on Austrian Airlines via Vienna, airport transfers, canapés on arrival, four nights in a junior suite, breakfast, early check-in and late check -out, and taxes. The offer is valid until December 31. Visit www.dnata.com or www.dangleterrehotel.com for more information.
California calling
Take advantage of the many winter deals at ski destinations across California. The Mammoth Mountain "lift and lodging" package starts at US$109 (Dh400) per person, per night, based on two sharing, for a minimum stay of two nights in a three-star hotel (choose from Mammoth Mountain Inn, the Village Lodge, Tamarack Lodge and Resort or Juniper Springs Resort). The price includes one lift pass per person, per day. The offer is valid until April 30 (www.mammothmountain.com).
Kirkwood Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe is offering a "cash back bonus" package starting at $94 (Dh345) per person, per night. Book two nights and receive a Kirkwood Cash Card worth $75 (Dh275) to use anywhere in the resort (www.kirkwood.com).
In South Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort has a "fourth night and third day free" offer that starts at $347 (Dh1,274) per person and includes four nights' accommodation, free lift passes and a gift. The offer is valid from January 1 to April 24 (www.skiheavenly.com).
Sierra-at-Tahoe has a "stay, ski and save" package starting at $109 (Dh400) per person, per night, based on two sharing, and includes accommodation at the luxurious eco-friendly 968 Park Spa and one lift pass per person. All prices include taxes.
New Zealand adventure
Exodus has put together a three-week adventure holiday in New Zealand. The trip starts with a city tour of Auckland before going on to the thermal fields of Rotorua, the Whirinaki rainforest and Tongariro, New Zealand's first national park. Visitors also find time to enjoy sea-kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park and hiking by the Fox River.
Other highlights include a helicopter ride around Mount Aspiring National Park and a hike up to a glacial lake, a boat trip down the Wilkin River, a tour of Queenstown, a visit to Fiordland National Park and trekking through Mackenzie Country to Aoraki and Mueller Ridge. The land-only package costs from £3,399 (Dh19,700) per person and includes accommodation, camping trips and all meals listed in the itinerary. Visit www.exodus.co.uk for more information.
Celebrate in Scotland
Ring in the New Year at Loch Ness and take part in a number of events in the villages along the shores of the Loch and the nearby Highlands capital of Inverness. Take a boat trip on the lake or enjoy biking in the mountains, walking or horse riding. Skiers and snowboarders can make the short journey to Cairngorm Mountain near Aviemore or Nevis Range near Fort William. Families can round off the holidays with a visit to Cairngorm National Park for reindeer spotting and dog sledding.
A two-night break for two at the Lovat, Fort Augustus, at the southern tip of Loch Ness, a cosy, eco-friendly hotel, costs from £494 (Dh2,862), including breakfast on the second night and Hogmanay celebrations - a five-course dinner, drinks and canapés, live entertainment and fireworks. Call 0845 450 1100 or visit www.thelovat.com. A two-night stay at the Waterside Hotel Inverness, located on the banks of River Ness, costs from £214 (Dh1,240) per person, including bubbly, dinner dance and a full Scottish breakfast. Prices include taxes. Call 00 44 1463 233 065 or visit www.thewatersideinverness.co.uk for more details.
Shanghai surprise
The newly opened Langham Xintiandi, located in the heart of Shanghai's vibrant Xintiandi district, has an introductory package starting at 2,145 yuan (Dh1,182) per night, including taxes, accommodation in a grand double room, breakfast and dinner for two at Cachet Restaurant and free internet access. The offer is valid until February 28 for a minimum two-night stay. For more information, visit xintiandi.langhamhotels.com.
ciyer@thenational.ae
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
New schools in Dubai
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.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Company%20Profile
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