One of the nicest little earners in pop-cultural history is entering the home straight this week. In a whirl of hormones and horcruxes, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens in cinemas around the world. It was the penultimate book in JK Rowling's staggeringly popular series and will be the antepenultimate film: Warner Bros, presumably swayed by the $900 million (Dh3.3 billion) that the previous instalment took worldwide, is splitting the last novel into two parts for its cinematic incarnation, so there's a couple more years of fresh Potter product still to come.
It's strange, though, to think what the world will look like once this freakish episode has finally run its course. Enough has been written about how Potter got children reading, or how he united a global generation in a vague, perverse desire for an English boarding school education. Yet none of it really captures the weirdness of the phenomenon. As I remember it, one moment children were collecting Pokémon and happy-slapping one another, and the next they were all peacefully in thrall to the Enid Blytonish adventures of a boy wizard. It was like waking up in Invasion of the Bodysnatchers: the world had been taken over by pod people, forming midnight queues outside disbelieving bookshops and reading children's books the size of cereal packets while their fellow commuters blushed.
Even more surreal, at least from my point of view, was the fact that the suburban weakling at the heart of all this had been given my face. It's true: for years I haven't been able to enter a lending library in the UK without getting stared at with a frank combination of pity and awe. In Japan, strangers have come up to me whispering the cherished name. I am, it appears, the entire planet's idea of what an implausible hero looks like. Give me some superpowers and a thrilling destiny and I'll be set, chiz chiz.
Perhaps it's churlish to complain about this. Few literary characters have found themselves the object of such intense romantic speculation - and so much eye-watering fan fiction - as Harry Potter. If I never found a way to capitalise on any of it, the blame can hardly be laid at Rowling's door. What's more, I'm reluctant to press my wife on precisely what first recommended me to her; I haven't ruled out a Potter connection and I'd prefer not to have my suspicions confirmed. (Ach, but the dreams, the dreams! My own phizog, jaggedly scarred, smirking its confiding smirk back at me... Twisting to deliver its spell: "Obliviate...")
And so I regard the passing of the Potter age with some rather complex emotions. The same seems to go in exaggerated form for the young actors who have become so rich off the back of it. What will become of them? Daniel Radcliffe, we know, is looking over his shoulder at the young bucks coming out of drama school. "They've been learning dance or singing and all that stuff," he told Esquire magazine recently, "and I'm going to need to compete with them because I won't have Harry Potter as my safety net any more."
Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's friend Ron Weasley, sounds even more anxious. "I don't know if I'm good enough to have a long career," he told the Daily Mail. "I've got a bit of an inferiority complex about my acting." As for Emma Watson, she seems actively to hanker for obscurity. She's off to study in America, and has tried to keep her destination secret (Radcliffe, the fink, says she's accepted a place at Brown). "I'm doing this because I want to be normal," she told Teen Vogue. "I really want anonymity."
All three seem to accept that their period of enchantment is drawing to a close, that their fairy gold may be about to turn back to dead leaves and that they must shore up their lives against the coming day. Good luck to them. None of them can act especially well and only Watson could be said to have good looks on her side, but they're appealing scamps all the same. Radcliffe, it was rumoured, used to catch some fairly nasty bullying over his role in the series. One unconfirmed anecdote had him locked in a school cupboard while his persecutors shouted: "Magic yourself out of that, Potter!" No wonder he's jumpy now. Here's hoping he finds a source of power that's really his own.
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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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.
How Beautiful this world is!
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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SPECS
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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.
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.”
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
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