Financial resolutions made easier to keep in 2019

The pressure on family budgets in the UAE is lessening with costs such as rent now falling while salaries have hardly changed.

But harder times for the local economy are also an opportunity to review what you spend so that you can save more. It’s all too easy to become a high-spender in a consumer society, and some expensive habits may be nothing more than that.

You may find few lifestyle changes that lower costs will actually deliver more happiness for your dirham.

If nothing else, this is guaranteed to boost your bank balance, a better performance than most of the investments in financial markets recently.

Here are a few radical New Year’s resolutions to consider for 2019 that will keep your lifestyle up, but also bring costs down:

1. Declutter your home and move to a smaller unit

Don’t see lower rents as a reason to upgrade. Stop spending on all that unnecessary storage for your unwanted junk. Reduce your rent or mortgage with a smaller home and all your other household bills too, such as electricity, cooling and municipality tax. Life without a garden to maintain and a big villa or apartment to clean may be simpler, and therefore happier.

2. Move closer to community facilities or your job

This will help you save on the cost and time spent travelling around the city. Get to know your neighbours a bit better. Human relations cost little and are worth a great deal.

3. Meet your friends and colleagues face-to-face

This will help you spend less on mobile phone calls and texts and allow you to downgrade to a low-cost mobile package deal. Send more free emails instead of making long phone calls. You will become more efficient at work and have more time for leisure.

4. Change how you drink water

Instead of spending $500 a year on bottled water for your family, buy one of the latest filter jugs available online from the US and Europe. You will get almost identical water for a tenth of the cost and you won’t have to break your back carrying heavy bottles around.

5. Give up on restaurants, even with vouchers

Invite your friends around for lunch and dinner, even if you have to pay a maid to assist you. Use the accommodation you have rather than finance a snazzy new restaurant interior with indifferent food and poor service. If you do dine out, be very selective and only choose the best places so that you do enjoy it.

6. Have a serious think about personal transportation

Do you really need two or three vehicles, or that Ferrari? How much joy does an expensive model really bring if you spend most of your time stuck in traffic, or it sits all day gathering dust in a car park? Who does it actually impress apart from the valet, or the car-wash guy?

7. Try switching to a cheaper supermarket for your shop

My suggestion is Carrefour, unless you have already noticed how expensive some of its rivals have become and how poor their selection of fresh food is. Since taking over the Geant stores, this French supermarket chain has introduced many exclusive lines. It’s the place to go for live Norwegian crab, Canadian lobster and fresh oysters, though its own brands are the best-value products. Nobody is suggesting you should starve to save on food bills.

8. Join the online shopping revolution

When you want to buy a larger item just Google it before buying on impulse in a shop. The chances are you can find it cheaper online, and you won’t even need to go to a shop to buy it as delivery is free. Also check local websites against global competitors for the best deal. Delivery from the US is often almost as quick as the local alternative.

9. Book flight tickets out of Europe or India

Booking return flights with UAE airlines when you are overseas can result in substantial savings. You just need to organise your time and travel plans to make it happen. After you have relocated your starting point once, you don’t have to think about this again, and the savings happen every time you use this route.

Bonus tip: Buy air tickets to multiple destinations using the UAE as a stopover

This helps to reduce the cost of your annual holiday. For example, London-Dubai-Maldives. It’s a lot cheaper than buying separate tickets. Luxury holiday breaks on the cheap? Well, you are living in the UAE, so enjoy it.

By Peter Cooper in TheNational of Abu Dhabi

Ankle tags for criminals common in European countries

Electronic monitoring is used in a number of countries.

The punishment is widely used in the UK to monitor curfews and conditions of a court or prison order through a tag, usually attached to the ankle, which sends location data to a base unit in a place stated in the convict’s court or prison order.

In Italy, house arrest is commonly imposed on felons who are close to the end of their prison terms, or those whose health prevents them from being kept in a prison.

New Zealand uses it extensively to ensure that offenders subject to home detention remain within approved areas.

From TheNational of Abu Dhabi

Electronic bracelets for criminals to be introduced in UAE

Electronic tags for criminals are to be introduced in the UAE, offering an alternative to jail for those who commit minor offences.

People found guilty of crimes carrying a sentence of less than two years, such as theft and dishonoured cheques, can be put under house arrest instead of behind bars under the reform.

The monitoring devices, also called GPS bracelets, track the location of the person wearing it.

The tag, which will be introduced after a federal law was issued in September, can be used for suspects on trial, those on bail and for house arrest. Anyone convicted of the same crime twice will not be eligible.

Legal consultant Hassan Elhais, of Al Rowaad Advocates, said the tagging system “applies only to crimes that carry sentences of less than two years and do not include mandatory deportation”.

More serious crimes, such as sex and drug offences, will not be included.

Prosecutors will be given the authority to replace police custody with house arrest.

Electronic tagging could also be used to reduce fines against defendants.

“If a suspect was found guilty and sentenced only to pay a fine, Dh100 should be reduced from the amount of the fine for each day spent wearing the GPS bracelet,” Mr Elhais said.

If the tracking tag causes any health problems, the wearer can apply for it to be removed by lodging an official medical report to back up the complaint. If successful, the person will be returned to police custody.

Mr Elhais said that the law gave judges the freedom to decide when the tag should be used on a case-by-case basis.

It also grants convicts under house arrest the right to request to leave the country for some time, if they give their destination, reasons for travel and return date.

The matter is subject to prosecution and court approvals and if granted, time spent outside the country will not be taken off the suspect’s sentencing.

Prisoners jailed for between

and five years and who have already served half of their sentence will also have the opportunity to serve the rest of their term under house arrest.

“The request should be filed to prosecutors who will determine the convict’s behaviour during imprisonment and if they pose a risk to community members or national security before filing a report to court,” Mr Elhais said.

If the request is rejected, the prisoner can apply again after six months.

Police from the closest station will regularly visit the prisoner’s home to check the device and submit reports.

Detainees are also required to tell police if they want to move houses or work at a different location.

“Some people who undergo investigation for a crime, but then are excluded after evidence shows that they were not involved, will certainly praise this practice,” Mr Elhais said.

He said the law would be good for a prisoner’s immediate family, who may be affected by the imprisonment.

“UAE laws are designed to punish the person who commits the crime and not those who surround him, like his family, and the GPS bracelet further boosts this principle,” Mr Elhais said.

It is not yet known when the bracelets will be introduced.

The UAE is increasingly turning to technology to dispense justice.

Last week, the office of the Public Prosecution announced it was exploring ways to introduce artificial intelligence into legal proceedings.

In September, it was revealed that courts in Abu Dhabi are to allow trials to take place by video conferencing in cases where it is inconvenient to bring defendants from prison.

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said that the move would speed up the judicial process.

Culled from TheNational of Abu Dhabi

Happy Christmas 2018 to all my Christian readers

Black Santa is on the prowl with your gifts.

Home Alone 2018 edition

http://time.com/5484256/home-alone-google/?utm_source=time.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-brief-pm&utm_content=2018121920pm&xid=newsletter-brief&eminfo=%7b%22EMAIL%22%3a%229SXITz1VyrmcCo6Q3%2fraF6yTrkkPMrpS%22%2c%22BRAND%22%3a%22TD%22%2c%22CONTENT%22%3a%22Newsletter%22%2c%22UID%22%3a%22TD_TBP_508D4D0B-F7FC-49DD-8341-08D6A7D32D81%22%2c%22SUBID%22%3a%2284383882%22%2c%22JOBID%22%3a%22930231%22%2c%22NEWSLETTER%22%3a%22THE_BRIEF_PM%22%2c%22ZIP%22%3a%22%22%2c%22COUNTRY%22%3a%22NGA%22%7d

21 million Africans shopped on line in 2017

According to recent figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) approximately 21 million shoppers in Africa in 2017 helped drive a market valued at US$5.7 billion in sales.

“Digital entrepreneurship is growing in Africa, but at different speed in different countries. While comprehensive data are lacking on the extent to which African businesses are selling online, anecdotal evidence of more e-commerce activity in the enterprises sector is starting to emerge,” stated the UNCTAD Nairobi Manifesto on the Digital Economy and Inclusive Development in Africa.

“More and more micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) recognise the importance of digitalisation to participate in domestic and international value chains,” the report continued.

Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are said to account for almost half of the e-commerce market in Africa, while Mauritius was highly ranked in the E-commerce Index.

“According to the 2018 version of UNCTAD’s B2C E-commerce Index, the African region lags the rest of the world in terms of e-commerce readiness. Mauritius, ranking 55th globally, is the highest ranked African country, while nine of the ten least prepared countries are in Africa,” the report noted.

Even with this below-par performance, Africa is the highest growing ecommerce market globally accounting for 18% surge since 2014, compared to the world average of 12%.

“Growth in ownership of an account at a financial institution or mobile-money service provider has similarly outpaced the global average, and more Africans are using the Internet than ever before,” UNCTAD said.

“Mobile money continues to rise, and Africa boasts the largest share of adults with mobile money accounts in the world. Although mobile money has centered around Eastern Africa, it is spreading fast also to other parts of the continent,” it added.

According to the last quarterly report from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) for April to June 2018, Kenya recorded over 500 million M-Commerce transactions worth Kshs 1.4 trillion.

The UNCTAD report recommended an extension of mobile and internet access to underserved regions, of government policies to enhance e-commerce and the harmonisation of payment solutions across the board.

Culled from nigeriacommunicationsweek

Qatar refused to attend GCC meeting

Invitation to attend the GCC meeting was sent from the King’s palace in Riyadh to the Qatari regime.

The Qataris did not attend and kept mum about it.

Dubai: Egyptian marketers on the prowl

If you have ever been to Dubai then chances are you know what I am talking about. The moment you land at the airport, before you even claim your bags, sleazy Egyptians dressed in suits swarm around you and begin their marketing pitch. These people target Nigerians and with a gift of local SIM card many are lured. These people are in the real estate business and somehow still believe Nigerians are still awash with money: ill gotten or otherwise. After helping you with the SIM card they give you a list of Dubai treats to choose from: visit to Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world), Desert Safari, Dubai tour etc. Most Nigerians can not resist this so a form and a brochure is issued. They now have your local number and details on the form. Next is to extract a promise from you to attend a presentation the following day. And that’s when the real action begins.

In a polarized USA, Rashida is gently enlightening colleagues in the Congress

When Rashida Tlaib ran for her Congressional seat, she did so as a Muslim, an Arab and a Palestinian – a trifecta of identities that can individually elicit distrust and outright antagonism in the US. Her victory was all the more heartwarming because she did not play down those roots but actively campaigned on them. Just weeks into taking up her new role, she is already turning those messages into meaningful action. Ms Tlaib will soon take a delegation of American politicians to the West Bank to counter the destructive narratives spread by the powerful Israeli lobby, which runs its own tours. Hers will include Beit Ur Al Foqa, her grandmother’s village.

That could change the views of more disconnected American politicians, many of whom, sitting in Washington, 6,000 miles away, carry preconceptions of Palestinians that are far removed from the harsh realities of occupation. Politicians and members of the public alike could benefit from seeing the Palestinian territories to dismantle those fallacies. Indeed, it might surprise visitors when they experience firsthand, as Ms Tlaib’s delegation undoubtedly will, the true, genuine warmth of Arab hospitality.

The congresswoman is also an advocate of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for consumers to reject Israeli goods and companies that support Israel. While parallels have been drawn with the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, some members of Congress tried – and failed – to criminalise supporting BDS last year, showing how firmly the mindset of the pro-Israeli lobby has been entrenched at the highest echelons of national politics. At a moment of division, when the US president has imposed a travel ban on certain Muslim-majority nationalities, Ms Tlaib’s positive action will foster dialogue and understanding.

The administration of Donald Trump has already made unprecedented concessions to Israel, moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and slashing vital aid to the Palestinians, despite claiming to be devising a peace plan. Meanwhile, Palestinians are forced to contend with the daily humiliation and brutality of occupation. By exposing the fallacies of a narrative of Israeli moral authority, Ms Tlaib will not solve one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. But she might gently enlighten those with decision-making power and show them a different truth – one that Palestinians experience for themselves on a daily basis.

From TheNational of Abu Dhabi

How religious commitment differ among the three sects: Izala, Tijjaniyya and Shi’a

Qatar gets GCC invitation

Holy Haram