DUBAI // He’s brash, he’s bold and he was in town to unveil the latest golf course and luxury residential development to add to his global portfolio.
Such is the frenzy that accompanies US businessman Donald Trump, it was no surprise that his visit to Dubai was proceeded by a bow wave of television crews and photographers angling for a shot as he breezed into sales centre for The Trump International Golf Course, which his is building with Damac.
The developer and TV star had arrived from Scotland hours earlier on his private jet before attending Monday’s press conference with Hussain Sajwani, Damac’s chief executive. As the media thronged around a giant model of the estate, the 67-year-old, accompanied by his daughter, Ivanka, turned on the charm and the superlatives.
“This is going to be the best golf course in the region, if not the world,” said Mr Trump. “I think it could be a possible venue for various international competitions, including the Ryder Cup.”
The billionaire is hoping it will be second time lucky in the emirate after his previous attempt to get a foothold in the property market with the Trump International Hotel and Tower on The Palm Jumeirah floundered after the global financial crisis.
Dubai is on the path to “extraordinary” growth and is a completely different place after the credit crunch, said Mr Trump.
“We were fortunate that no work was started on the previous project, so nobody got hurt,” he said. “Dubai is a very different place now, and there are plenty of checks and balances in place to prevent that from happening again.
“But if you look at the levels of the market now, they are still well below what they were at the peak a few years ago so there is much more room for growth.”
The golf course at the Akoya by Damac master development will be spread over 42 million square feet and include 104 villas and mansions ranging in price from US$1 million to $10m, as well as more than 650 apartments.
“We have built the best golf courses around the world, and this one is no different,” said The Trumpster. “In Scotland, the media have described the tourism increase in Aberdeen as a ‘Trump boom’ and I think something similar will happen in Dubai.”
Ivanka also played a role in the interior design of the villas and apartments.
“This is an incredibly exciting development and we have really tried to bring that luxury style here with oversized bedrooms, sweeping views of the golf course and the finest fixtures and fittings,” she said.
After posing for pictures and interviews, Mr Trump and Ivanka were whisked on to the course in a buggy leaving the media pack eager for more.
In his element when on the course or in front of a camera, The Donald wasn’t about to disappoint when the two were put together.
Displaying the showmanship that has made him one of the world’s most recognisable businessmen and TV personalities, he hit the first ball off the tee with ease before turning to spend almost 20 minutes chatting with photographers, posing for more pictures and doing more interviews – his public couldn’t get enough.
His “you’re fired” phrase from The Apprentice TV show also got an airing for the cameras.
Construction on the course and homes is still continuing and could be complete in a year or so.
The centre piece will be the Trump Golf Clubhouse building, set to feature a luxury spa, restaurants, professional shop and a lobby lounge.
The private, gated Trump Estate will overlook the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th holes.
Although he would not provide details of the cost of developing the project, Mr Sajwani said Damac had not borrowed from banks.
“We do not have any debt,” he said. “All the land we have has been paid for and we have something like US$1.4 billion in reserve.”
Now that’s business even Donald would be proud of.
nhanif@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The end of Summer
Author: Salha Al Busaidy
Pages: 316
Publisher: The Dreamwork Collective
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
MANDOOB
Director: Ali Kalthami
Starring: Mohammed Dokhei, Sarah Taibah, Hajar Alshammari
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
RoboCop: Rogue City
Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Nacon
Console: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Rating: 3/5
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
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