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The National
18-04-2025
- Business
- The National
Lebanon's AI minister says $50m can transform government to make it more accountable
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE) Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman) Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman) On sale: Now Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman) Global events: Much of the UK's economic woes were blamed on 'increased global uncertainty', which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump's tariffs. Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise '£6.5bn per year' for the public purse Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances Director: Matty Brown Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea Rating: 2.5/5 Results Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs Oman beat United States by six wickets Nepal beat United States by 35 runs Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets Fixtures Tuesday, Oman v United States Wednesday, Nepal v United States The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month. The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said. Dubai's real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate's total property transactions, according to the DLD. Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham Rating: 3.5/5 Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades Improve the appearance of textbooks Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy. A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF. Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF. A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg. On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection. The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples. Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient. The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. Engine: 1.5-litre turbo Power: 181hp Torque: 230Nm Transmission: 6-speed automatic Starting price: Dh79,000 On sale: Now UAE coins Dh5 note Dh10 note Dh20 note Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010 Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from 'tax collection' around Marseille Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise 'two-digit million amounts' Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 Updated: April 18, 2025, 6:02 PM
The National
15-04-2025
- Business
- The National
Shadi's take on the talks between Iran and the US
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young 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.' 1. Fasting 2. Prayer 3. Hajj 4. Shahada 5. Zakat Saturday, October 26: 'The Time That Remains' (2009) by Elia Suleiman Saturday, November 2: 'Beginners' (2010) by Mike Mills Saturday, November 16: 'Finding Vivian Maier' (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel Tuesday, November 26: 'All the President's Men' (1976) by Alan J Pakula Saturday, December 7: 'Timbuktu' (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako Saturday, December 21: 'Rams' (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson Engine: Duel electric motors Power: 659hp Torque: 1075Nm On sale: Available for pre-order now Price: On request Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE) Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman) Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman) Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman) Cheat's nigiri This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger. Easy omurice This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette. Deconstructed sushi salad platter This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side. SPECS Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo Transmission: nine-speed automatic Power: 306hp Torque: 450Nm Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500 Creator: Mike White Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell Rating: 4.5/5 • Goals • Penalty decisions • Direct red-card incidents • Mistaken identity %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Buck%2C%20Fawn%20Veerasunthorn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ariana%20DeBose%2C%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Alan%20Tudyk%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
