I met up with an old pal in Dubai recently, a former journalist colleague who rose high in the profession in the UK, then left newspapers to try his hand at public relations, setting up his own firm: swapping hackery for flackery, you might say.
His specialism as a journo was politics, and he had cracked some pretty big scoops in his time, and damaged some big reputations.
Senior political journalists in the UK get plenty of access to the corridors of power, and he decided to leverage up his contacts book in PR, but in a specialist field: the defence of people that some considered indefensible.
"I'd knocked them down over the years, so thought I had the skills to help build them up again," he said over a beverage in Barsha.
I cannot tell you who his clients are specifically, because that would identify him, and he is involved in a pretty sensitive case in the Middle East at the moment, but you might imagine the kind: Asian politicians who'd fallen out of favour in their own country and were seeking to rebuild their reputations from abroad; former Soviet states that wanted a better image in the court of world opinion.
Compared with some of them, his new Middle East client represents a slightly lesser challenge, but a challenge nonetheless, especially in western liberal circles.
We chatted for a while about the morality of the reputational PR business. Was there anyone he wouldn't take on? "Well, I wouldn't touch Qaddafi. Dictators and murderers are where I'd draw the line personally," he said.
I thought this was rather simplistic. After all, plenty of dictators paid good money in the past to have their world image finessed, and would continue to do so. Reputational PR is a bit like the legal profession in this instance, I argued. It has the duty, even the moral obligation, to provide a service of advocacy for anybody who can pay the fees. "You're just like taxi cabs. If you can pay the fare, you've got the ride," I said.
We agreed in the end that one man's murderous dictator was another's misunderstood statesman, and left it at that.
But I'll be interested to see how he goes with the new Middle East client. It'll be quite a test case.
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Twenty-four hours after this is published, I'll be in the UK for a break with my family there. I seriously wonder what I'll find this time.
Those gruesome pictures of riot-torn Britain that hit the world's TV screens a couple of weeks back have now gone, morphing into images of stern retribution on the part of the authorities and contrition by (some of) the looters.
I'll have a front-row seat to gauge the temperature of post-riot Britain. My mother, now in her nineties, lives right on the route of the Notting Hill Carnival, billed as "Europe's street party", this year as ever, and I'll be staying with her for the duration.
I've had many happy times at the carnival, but also witnessed some pretty disturbing scenes of violence and damage. In the current climate, with fears that such a large public gathering might be used by troublemakers to (literally) reignite the fires that have been doused over the past couple of weeks, there was some thought given to cancelling the event.
But it's big business these days too, and with the backing of most of the UK's political establishment, the carnival is going ahead. There was a general feeling that to cancel it would be a costly admission of defeat in the face of violence, and a serious knock to Britain's image in the world.
It's a gamble, but I hope they're right. I'll report back from the joyous scenes, or from the war-torn streets, whichever is the more appropriate.
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The other reason for going to the UK is to celebrate my 60th birthday in the bosom of my family. It feels strange being 60, and I've approached this one with more trepidation than any before.
But a couple of comments have cheered me recently. "Don't worry, 60 is the new 48," was an enigmatic one from a Dubai friend.
The other, from my teenage daughter, was even better: "OK, dad, so you may be 60 - but that's 16 in Celsius."
fkane@thenational.ae
Company%20profile
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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.
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).
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Price: Dh469,000
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
