Ghassan El Daye is a partner at global law firm King and Wood Mallesons. Based in the practice’s Dubai office, he handles cases for regional and international clients engaged in litigation in the courts of the UAE and neighbouring jurisdictions. Covering commercial and construction disputes as well as aspects of criminal prosecution and extradition, the Arabic-language litigation and dispute resolution specialist, 44, from Lebanon, has lived in Dubai for 10 years with his wife, Paula, and their two children – a son, 14, and daughter, 13.
5am
I love waking up with the sun, as it is a natural way to give me a head start on the day. This extra hour gives me the space to do some creative thinking and plan the day ahead.
6am
I usually take an hour’s walk along the Palm Jumeirah beach, as the gentle exercise helps oxygen flow to the brain for better thinking and problem solving. Living on the Palm is great because it’s a unique place – I enjoy seeing how the projects there are developing. After my walk I’ll return and review my emails, have breakfast with my family and swipe through some of the main local and international newspapers online. Generally, I keep track of the front page headlines, legal and economic news as well as some other happenings locally and internationally. However, I’ll always skim through the sports section, particularly to see how my other main loves are doing – Ferrari and Real Madrid. I’m a huge Ferrari fan and it’s an exciting time for the team and I think Real will blow the competition away this year – I tip them to win the Champions League.
8.20am
When it’s not my turn to drive the kids to school, I will drive myself to work in my pride and joy – a Ferrari 458, which I am proud to own, as it is my dream car. The half-hour drive to work simply isn’t long enough, as I’m having so much fun every time I get behind the wheel.
9am
The first hour of the day is generally spent meeting with clients. It’s important to meet the client in person as often as possible, particularly when dealing with complex litigation cases. Sometimes I go to the courts to support the lawyers acting for our clients whenever there are important cases. I visit all courts in all of the jurisdictions we operate, travelling to courts in most countries across the GCC, Middle East and Europe.
There aren’t many special challenges here in UAE since the legal system has developed in a very professional and technical way.
10am
Meetings with teams from high-profile clients can often run on, but whenever I can make the time between them and lunch, this is the optimum time to research and carry out due diligence. It’s also prime time to update clients on their cases, which is always my priority – communication builds trust in the firm and myself.
1pm
This is the all-important lunch hour, where I love to enjoy a nice meal with colleagues. Carrying on the Italian theme, I am a big fan of the cuisine and my favourite restaurant at the weekend in Dubai is 101 at the One&Only Royal Mirage. It is really special to eat delicious grilled fish on a pier overlooking the Arabian Sea.
2pm
This is often when the real work happens. We will get together as a team, study, discuss and strategise to ensure we perform to the maximum on every case.
7pm
Whenever possible, before leaving I’ll ensure all emails are read and answered. This can help clear up loose ends and allow more essential relaxation to happen at home.
8pm
I look forward to this time every day – there is no better way to unwind than a bit of exercise, usually a swim or some cardio, before having dinner with my wife and kids. This precious time is where I catch up with their activities during the day. I don't watch so much TV during the week, as it is so filled with work, but I do enjoy a good James Bond film. I'm very much looking forward to Spectre, which is out in November. Daniel Craig is a one of the best Bonds.
10pm
I try to read a few chapters of a book before falling sleep. I'm currently reading Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey. It may seem I have a long and busy day, but I don't feel any stress at all because I'm fortunate to love my work. I do, however, have one eye on my next holiday; my wife and I plan to visit Italy to celebrate 15 years of marriage.
business@thenational.ae
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Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
Innotech Profile
Date started:Â 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size:Â 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financingÂ
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.Â
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss:Â Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result:Â UAE won by 21 runs
Series:Â UAE lead 1-0
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:Â
Baked goods -Â Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks -Â Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough -Â Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine -Â Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sweet%20Tooth
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
CREW
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More from Aya Iskandarani
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection:Â this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
