• The tower is 50-storeys high. All photos: Damac
    The tower is 50-storeys high. All photos: Damac
  • Damac Tower Nine Elms comes with fine views across London.
    Damac Tower Nine Elms comes with fine views across London.
  • The project has Versace interiors.
    The project has Versace interiors.
  • The property will have studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
    The property will have studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
  • A rendering of the Nine Elms project.
    A rendering of the Nine Elms project.
  • Floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of the expansive London views at Damac’s Aykon Nine Elms development.
    Floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of the expansive London views at Damac’s Aykon Nine Elms development.
  • A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
    A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
  • Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
    Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
  • The resident’s lounge at Aykon Nine Elms offers 360-degree views of London.
    The resident’s lounge at Aykon Nine Elms offers 360-degree views of London.
  • Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
    Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
  • A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
    A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.

Damac Towers Nine Elms in London: Dubai developer completes first European project


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai developer Damac Properties has started handing over units at its Damac Towers Nine Elms (DTNE) project in London, marking the completion of its first development in Europe.

The 50-storey development of 450 units including studio and one, two and three-bedroom apartments near the centre of London is a tie-up with Italian fashion house Versace, which has provided the interiors.

As well as 8,010 sq ft of communal gardens, it also has four levels of office space in its South Tower.

“We are delighted to have completed our first project in Europe,” said Niall McLoughlin, senior vice president at Damac. "DTNE is very special to us and we are beyond pleased with the end result."

Average house prices in the UK increased by 12.4 per cent over the year to April, the Office for National Statistics said last week.

The average UK house price was £281,000 ($344,919) in April, which is £31,000 higher than in April 2021.

Damac previously said that Britons, Chinese and Gulf buyers made up the core of the UK customer base for the DTNE development. Homes were on the market from slightly more than £900,000 to £14 million.

“It's an exciting time for Damac and we are rapidly expanding our global footprint by looking at JV [joint venture] opportunities across the world," Mr McLoughlin said.

As well as Versace, Damac has collaborated with various other global brands such as Cavalli, de Grisogono, Paramount, Rotana, Radisson and The Trump Organisation.

The developer last month won a $120m bid to acquire land in the upmarket Miami district of Surfside, where it plans to build a luxury Cavalli-branded condominium project. It will be Damac's first project in the US.

Damac is also developing a luxury resort in the Maldives to be operated by global hotel brand Mandarin International.

In April, it announced it will accept certain cryptocurrencies for property transactions as part of efforts to offer more flexibility to investors, while Damac Group, parent company of Damac Properties, said it plans to invest $100m to build “digital cities” in the metaverse.

Damac's Lagoons project in Dubai - in pictures

  • The Damac Lagoons project in Dubai. All photos: Damac Properties
    The Damac Lagoons project in Dubai. All photos: Damac Properties
  • Damac Lagoons is adjacent to the Damac Hills community.
    Damac Lagoons is adjacent to the Damac Hills community.
  • It will feature eight different clusters.
    It will feature eight different clusters.
  • The eight clusters are inspired by countries based on the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
    The eight clusters are inspired by countries based on the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
  • The community is built around one million square feet of lagoons with white sandy beaches.
    The community is built around one million square feet of lagoons with white sandy beaches.
  • The community was announced late last year.
    The community was announced late last year.
  • The clusters include Venice, Morocco, Santorini, Costa Brava, Nice, Malta, Andalucia and Portofino
    The clusters include Venice, Morocco, Santorini, Costa Brava, Nice, Malta, Andalucia and Portofino
  • The Costa Brava cluster will feature ziplining, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle surfing and wave riding features.
    The Costa Brava cluster will feature ziplining, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle surfing and wave riding features.
  • The project is scheduled to open in 2024.
    The project is scheduled to open in 2024.
  • There will be plenty of entertainment for children.
    There will be plenty of entertainment for children.
The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

Who's who in Yemen conflict

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

The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

At a glance

- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years

- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills

- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis

- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector

- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes

- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government

How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
SAUDI RESULTS

Team Team Pederson (-40), Team Kyriacou (-39), Team De Roey (-39), Team Mehmet (-37), Team Pace (-36), Team Dimmock (-33)

Individual E. Pederson (-14), S. Kyriacou (-12), A van Dam (-12), L. Galmes (-12), C. Hull (-9), E. Givens (-8),

G. Hall (-8), Ursula Wikstrom (-7), Johanna Gustavsson (-7)

Naga
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Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces

 

  • Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
  • Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
  • Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
  • Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
  • Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

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.”

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RESULT

Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Marathon results

Men:

 1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13 

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50 

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25 

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46 

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48  

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30 

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01 

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30 

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43 

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01  

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Updated: June 30, 2022, 10:44 AM