The Dress – yes, that one – made it to the Middle East’s political situation and Dubai’s planned Museum of the Future got everyone talking about tomorrow’s world. Meanwhile, the relationships between GCC countries got a friendly look in. It’s been a chatty week on social media.
That Dress
I’m sure that everyone knows about The Dress by now, but in case you’ve been on another planet, it’s about optical illusions. Photographs of the dress – some see it as white and gold and some as blue and black – went viral all around the world.
Here too, but in a very special way. Hashtagged #TheDress in Arabic, the topic is still trending, mostly because it’s been linked to politics. So, several twitter-users put out a photo of a Palestinian woman whose clothes were covered in blood. @mohamed_mdn tweeted: “What is the color of the dress for this lady who is waiting next to the operation room, waiting for who is left alive from her family.”
There was black humour in a video, created by someone and tweeted by many, which incorporated the debate over the dress colour into one of ISIL’s brutal videos. The video, which can be found on YouTube shows a militant asking hostages what colour dress they see. When one says “blue and black”, he pulls out his knife but the prisoner manages to turn the tables by introducing doubt in the jihad’s mind about the real colour.
Many were not amused. Rotana magazine tweeted the link to the video and and asked: “How did ISIL hostages’ destiny become tied up with the color of the dress?”
@iPhoney_ad used a photo that caricatured an ISIL fighter with a mannequin wearing The Dress, except that it is blood red. They tweeted: “ISIL specifies the color of the dress.”
Tomorrow’s museums
Dubai’s Museum of the Future has been getting a lot of attention in the here and now. The plan for a curving, oblong, futuristic complex of innovation labs that develop ideas and systems for tomorrow’s cities was praised by many.
Using the hashtag #museumofthefuture @Abdullkhaleq_UAE tweeted: “Dubai doesn’t just plan for the future but live it and the Arab world sees its future in the UAE.”
@KowkyAS said this was just one step forward and there were many more to come.
@atyaf_Q was quite simply amazed by the project, which is scheduled to open in 2017. She tweeted the simulation video released by the Dubai authorities, drew a friend’s attention to it by adding their twitter handle and said: “Museum of the Future is a new brilliant scheme in Dubai.”
She followed this with the frank confession: “These Dubai schemes amaze me.”
Best friends forever
In a re-run, if in a minor key, of a three-month old incident, Foreign Minister Dr Anwar Gargash took to Twitter to express sorrow at the impolite attack on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces by a former member of the Kuwaiti parliament, who’s a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Back in late December, soon after Mubarak Al Duwailah, attacked this country and its leadership, Dr Gargash tweeted prolifically to reject the allegations. Now, he has addressed the issue again but in terms of norms of propriety in our region. “This doesn’t represent Gulf people morals and this must stop,” the Minister tweeted.
“Freedom of speech doesn’t mean that you are allowed to attack UAE, Kuwait or any other Gulf country leaders, these insults have to stop and the UAE doesn’t accept such actions to its leaders,” he said in another.
A friendly hashtag #UAE_is_the_country_for_all has sprung up as a result.
Ebrahim, an Egyptian living here, tweeted: “If you have not lived in the UAE then you are missing out on a lot.”
@buFahood wrote to recall how the late Sheikh Zayed embraced people of all nationalities in the UAE. “Sheikh Zayed once said, they are all my kids,” he tweeted.
@iAlsa3di pointed out that 208 nationalities live here in peace and harmony. “UAE is an open country and fits for all.”
@SBAlketbi suggested that the “Brotherhood members tried to show themselves as patriots to gain trust but they failed that we belong to our country and the UAE is country for all.”
Sarah Khamis is The National’s social media editor
salalawi@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @SarahKhamisUAE
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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World ranking (at month’s end)
Jan - 257
Feb - 198
Mar - 159
Apr - 161
May - 159
Jun – 162
Currently: 88
Year-end rank since turning pro
2016 - 279
2015 - 185
2014 - 143
2013 - 63
2012 - 384
2011 - 883
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
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.
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FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
The%20specs%3A%20Macan%20Turbo
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E639hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C130Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E591km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh412%2C500%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDeliveries%20start%20in%20October%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Madrid Open schedule
Men's semi-finals
Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm
Women's final
Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
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The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars