Bryant Harris: What Joe Biden did during his first week as US President

Kareem Shaheen: Omar Alghabra outshines the racists who malign him

Kareem Shaheen: Canada is failing those who bear its greatest Covid-19 burdens

• AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
• £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
• £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
• £250m to train new AI models

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

• Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
• Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
• Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
• Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
• HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
• Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
• Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
• Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
• Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
• Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
• Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
• Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
• Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
• Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000

Falcon demand driving region's bird smuggling trade

UAE ranks high for animal trafficking as smugglers target Dubai International Airport, report finds

England squad for the first Test Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (captain), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson, Woakes, Crane

Fixtures

1st Test Aug 17-21, Edgbaston

2nd Test Aug 25-29, Headingley

3rd Test Sep 7-11, Lord's

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Taylor Heyman: Japan's recovery from 2011 tsunami: before and after - in pictures

Lady Gaga sends message of support on 10th anniversary of triple disaster

Richard Smith: Japan now at a crossroads over energy direction

Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

Analysis: How will the pandemic affect children's mental health in the long term?

Watch: A week of family challenges that are fun for all ages

Learn: Antenatal and hypnobirthing classes that mums-to-be can do online

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

BEST FILM

• 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
• THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

• 1917 - Sam Mendes
• THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
• JOKER - Todd Phillips
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

• 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
• BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
• SORRY WE MISSED YOU  - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
• THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
• PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

LEADING ACTRESS

• JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
• SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
• CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
• RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

• LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
• ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
• TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
• JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
• JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
• AL PACINO - The Irishman
• JOE PESCI - The Irishman
• BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
• FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
• JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
• JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
• LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
• THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
• KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
• MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho

DOCUMENTARY

• AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
• APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
• DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

• BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
• MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
• ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
• RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

ANIMATED FILM

• FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
• KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
• A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
• TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

CASTING

• JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
• MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
• THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
• THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

• AWKWAFINA
• JACK LOWDEN
• KAITLYN DEVER
• KELVIN HARRISON JR.
• MICHEAL WARD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 1917 - Roger Deakins
• THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
• JOKER - Lawrence Sher
• LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
• THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

• THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
• JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
• JOKER - Jeff Groth
• LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

COSTUME DESIGN

• THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
• JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
• JUDY - Jany Temime
• LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
• THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
• JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
• JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

• 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
• JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
• LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
• ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

• 1917 - Thomas Newman
• JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
• JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
• LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

• 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
• AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
• THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
• THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

• 1917 - Naomi Donne
• BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
• JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
• JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
• ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

BRITISH SHORT FILM

• AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
• GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
• KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
• LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
• THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

• GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
• IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
• THE MAGIC BOAT  - Naaman Azh

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

UAE coins

Dh5 note

Dh10 note

Dh20 note

Dh50 note

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The Saga Continues

Wu-Tang Clan

(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Why Myanmar couldn't rise to meet the world's expectations

Suu Kyi's unholy alliance with Orban is a new despicable low

The halo that once crowned Suu Kyi has been replaced

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Con Coughlin: To survive, Nato must renew its sense of common purpose

Gavin Esler: Nato summit failed for making news more than it made deals

Simon Waldman: Nato continues to be Ankara’s best security guarantor

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.”

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs

Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets

• Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
• Park in shaded or covered areas
• Add tint to windows
• Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
• Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
• Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat

The flights

Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes

The package

Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January

The info

Visit www.gokorea.co.uk