More celebrities than ever have decided to call Dubai home. From footballers and tennis aces to movie stars and singers, we round up the famous names who have chosen to make the move to the UAE.
Amir Khan
This week, British boxer Amir Khan announced that he is moving to Dubai.
“I’ve tried to keep it a secret, but I thought it would be a good change. I’ll still be going back and forth between Bolton and Dubai, but I want to do a lot more in Dubai,” he said at the OJ Lifestyle brand launch on Tuesday, September 15. “Maybe one day we could have a boxing arena in the Coca-Cola Arena! Moving here is definitely a challenge, but also an opportunity to open more doors for boxing in Dubai.”
The former unified light-welterweight world champion was last seen visiting Dubai at the end of July to celebrate his wife Faryal Makhdoom's birthday. At the time, the pair were spotted at Marbaiya Restaurant and Cafe in Dubai Marina. Khan also shared a picture with his 1.3 million followers of himself relaxing at Jumeirah Al Naseem, with Burj Al Arab in the background.
Lindsay Lohan
In April, Lindsay Lohan confirmed that she lives in Dubai during an interview on Lights Out with David Spade, when she talked a lot about living in the emirates and how the country is tackling Covid-19.
During the 14-minute interview, Lohan opened up about life in the UAE at length.
“So, I am in Dubai … kind of like the Wall Street area, it’s like downtown,” Lohan explained of her whereabouts to Spade.
Spade then proved that he is yet to visit, asking: “So, Dubai is a place and that is in where?” To which she replied, with a laugh: “The Middle East. It’s a city built on desert.
“I first came here in 2008 when they just finished building the Atlantis [The Palm] hotel, and there was none of this here that there is now,” she said. “There was no DIFC, Downtown, Dubai Mall … anything that there is now.”
Spade then asked Lohan if she lives in Dubai, and she clarified that she does, and has done for the past six years now.
“I live here, yep. I have been here for about six years. But I go to New York a lot to see my family … and I was in London before this,” she said, later adding that she “hadn’t been to LA in over 10 years.”
Later the same month, she decided to give back to the UAE, thanking the government and Dubai Police for their ongoing support amid the Covid-19 crisis.
"I wanted to thank the government of the UAE and the Dubai Police for their continued support during these uncertain times and keeping this country safe," Lohan wrote on Instagram.
She also added: "Wishing everyone a blessed month and God bless".
Roger Federer
Tennis ace Roger Federer is a Dubai regular. For years he is said to have owned an apartment in Dubai Marina's Le Reve tower, which he spends part of the year in.
In December 2017, the Swiss tennis player was spotted at Avli by Tashas, a chic Greek restaurant in Dubai's DIFC.
"Great having this true gentleman back at Avli by Tashas! The one and only Mr Roger Federer," chef Mateus Coelho wrote on Instagram, posting a photo of the sportsman with the team of kitchen staff.
Yusuf Islam
Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, now calls Dubai home and in May spoke to Rolling Stone about celebrating Ramadan in the emirate.
“Normally in Ramadan, you like to go to the mosque for the last prayer of the day. That wasn’t possible since all the mosques are shut,” he told the magazine from his home in Dubai.
“We had to do everything at home, but that was good for me because it made it more intense and more concentrated. It’s a spiritual month and you don’t have to be going out and gallivanting everywhere. It kind of suited the month. I became more reflective. I read more during this Ramadan than I have during previous ones.”
He also spoke about the way the UAE has handled the Covid-19 pandemic: “It’s actually not too bad here. You need to wear masks and have gloves, but they’ve just eased things up a little bit and some shops are open," he said. "It’s quite well organised in the shops. I haven’t gone in myself, but they apparently monitor you and measure your temperature. It’s quite well controlled. Everything here is not too bad, to be honest.”
Huda Kattan
One of Dubai's most famous residents is beauty entrepreneur, Huda Kattan, who lives in the city along with sisters, Mona and Alya. In August, her conversation with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was released as part of the model's Quibi series, About Face.
Of living in Dubai, she said: "We are lucky because we are in Dubai, and Dubai is super progressive, especially compared to other parts of the Middle East. And they love beauty here [so] that is great."
"But it is challenging as a woman. When we first started, people treated me, constantly, like it was a hobby, objectifying [me], not making [me] feel like [I'm] capable of it, that was a hard thing, to be honest," she says. "They would constantly make eye contact with my husband [and ask], 'How do we do this?' and my husband would be like, 'Ask the big boss'."
Kattan has been married to Christopher Goncalo since 2008; the couple met at high school. They have a daughter, Nour, 9.
Michel Salgado
Spanish footballer Michel Salgado lives in Dubai with his family. The former Real Madrid and Blackburn Rovers player is now director at Football Academy Dubai.
"I came to Dubai for the first time in 2003 and fell in love with the city and the opportunities it offers," he told Sharp Magazine in 2017. "I have seen some first-class youth footballers in the Arab world who are hungry for the chance to play professionally. We know these kids need professional training to help realise their dreams of becoming professional football players, and this reflects my commitment to developing the future of sports in the UAE."
Nicolas Anelka
In August this year, Dubai provided the backdrop for Netflix’s new documentary on retired French footballer Nicolas Anelka.
The former Arsenal striker is the subject of Anelka: Misunderstood, which came out on the streaming service last month.
The documentary explores the ups and downs of Anelka’s career, during which he played for Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.
The Frenchman now lives in Dubai with his wife and three children, and much of the 94-minute Netflix documentary is filmed in the city.
The opening sequence shows wide shots of a lone Anelka walking through the Dubai desert, while many scenes show him going about everyday family life with his children in his apartment, as well as shots of him out and about in the city, including an evening playing football close to a mosque at Kite Beach.
Dwight Yorke
Another footballer who calls Dubai home is Dwight YorkeThe former Aston Villa and Manchester United player is regularly spotted improving his swing playing golf at Emirates Golf Club and out for dinner at restaurants including Hell's Kitchen.
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pathaan
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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.”
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
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