From big ideas and giant leaps in space to earthly misadventures, The National reflects on the year that was.
It was a year filled with sadness and tragedy as the world learned more about the growing threat of ISIL, watched as Israel launched a 50-day offensive against Gaza and mourned when 133 children were killed in a Pakistan school.
Closer to home, the UAE community gathered together after a teacher was brutally murdered in a mall toilet by a ‘lone wolf’ attacker.
But the coming year promises major changes, not only in geopolitics but also in arts and culture.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is not scheduled to open until December next year, but there is much to look forward to - from unmissable exhibitions to must-read books - in 2015.
Stories that shaped the region
ISIL - The National's chief columnist Faisal Al Yafai weighs the impact of the Islamist terror group
Iraq - A bitter sectarian divide finally leads to the disintegration of a state, Jonathan Krohn reports
Syria - The violence has worsened while the world looked away. Phil Sands contemplates a shameful failure
Iran - US talks with the region's outcast state have strengthened Gulf alliances, Taimur Khan says
Oil - The apparent reluctance of Opec to stem the fall in the price of oil is examined by Anthony McAuley
Palestine - With independence a more distant prospect than ever, Orlando Crowcroft looks back in anguish
GCC - The six-state alliance had to overcome differences to face a deadly enemy, Justin Vela reports
Pakistan - Tom Hussain reports on a year of political infighting and a bloody terrorist attack
Libya/Tunisia - The very different fates of two neighbouring states interest Eileen Byrne and Chris Stephen
Reem Island murder - The killing of respected teacher Ibolya Ryan united Abu Dhabi in grief, James Langton writes
2014’s biggest stories - in pictures
2014 was a turbulent year. Stories that unmasked despicable horrors - deadly diseases, abductions, suicide bombings - made the headlines this year, but there are bright spots amid the coverage of atrocities, including a change coming in India and hope for an end to piracy in the Horn of Africa. These are the stories that captured your attention this year.
2014 in review
Starting with a rescue at sea in Italy and ending with a hostage situation in Sydney, 2014 was a year of dramatic events. Revisit some of the biggest stories of the year with our timeline of events.
The best images from 2014
- The photo editors at The National selected the best images from around the world in the past year.
2014’s Newsmakers
Qassem Suleimani - Who is the Iranian commander and why has he stepped out from the shadows?
Vladimir Putin - Why Russia's strongman believes he can weather any political storm
Angela Merkel - Love or hate her, the German chancellor is the most powerful figure in Europe
The biggest stories in life and culture from 2014
Space - This year, scientists have made some great leaps in exploring the universe
Books - Predictions of the titles and themes that will keep us turning the pages from this year to the next
Music - Tracking the technology and talent that shaped our listening then and now
Exhibitions - From the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi to the best new shows, we look ahead to 2015
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
