The UAE summer continues with plenty of activities for children and adults alike – from camps and concerts to foodie experiences. Here, The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates, from July 8 to 14.
Monday, July 8
For parents looking for ways to keep children engaged this season, Circuit X on Abu Dhabi's sports hub Hudayriyat Island is organising the Island Adventures Summer Camp. An array of outdoor activities are on the cards, from kayaking, swimming and other beach activities to climbing, baking and skating. Indoor activities include team-building games and science experiments.
The camp is best suited to children who are active and adventurous. Water, snacks and lunch will be provided.
July 8 to August 23; 8.30am-2pm; from Dh210 for a day pass; Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi; circuitxuae.com
Tuesday, July 9
Restock your bathroom with recently launched handcrafted olive-oil-infused soaps from Cypher Urban Roastery, made from ingredients sourced directly from Palestinian artisans and priced at Dh35 apiece.
One variant combines the richness of extra-virgin Palestinian olive oil with refreshing cold brew coffee. Both ingredients are believed to cleanse and moisturise the skin. Or sample the olive oil with skin-stimulating cardamom and soothing rose.
Delivery across the UAE; bycypher.com
Wednesday, July 10
Take the children, or the young at heart, to Forsan Central Mall, which recently opened popular adventure venue Bounce.
The 3,500-square-metre park includes more than 25 activities designed for safely jumping, flipping and flying. The venue is also home to a new concept called Drop Zone, which is an area featuring nine slides including a 6.5-metre platform. There's also the X-Run, a 36-metre obstacle course as well as a minibounce area dedicated to little jumpers, plus Bounce Cafe for refreshments.
Open Sunday to Thursday, 10am-10pm and Friday to Saturday, 10am-midnight; from Dh80; Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi; bounce.ae
Thursday, July 11
Female thrill-seekers can check out Clymb Abu Dhabi, which is launching the return of its Ladies Night sale. Taking place on select Thursdays over the summer, the package comes with an indoor flying experience complete with an all-female staff for those wanting extra privacy.
Flyers who want to capture themselves with packaged photos and videos will pay an additional fee of Dh40.
Select Thursdays; Dh235 per person; Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; tickets.clymbabudhabi.com
Friday, July 12
Head to Dubai World Trade Centre as two regional artists take to the stage as part of the Beat the Heat series by Dubai Summer Surprises.
The evening kicks off with Jordanian singer-songwriter and social media sensation Siilawy, who is known for his soulful vocals. Following this is a performance by Egyptian rapper, producer and EDM trap artist Marwan Moussa, who was named Best African Rapper at the All Africa Music Awards.
July 12; doors open 5.30pm; from Dh131; Dubai World Trade Centre; dubai.platinumlist.net
Saturday, July 13
Fitness buffs can check out Veo Fitness by Emaar Hospitality Group, at The Lakes. Free day passes are on offer until September, with activities such as yoga, belly dancing and sound healing on the cards.
The venue also feature tennis and padel courts, as well as a swimming pool. Quarterly, half-yearly and annual memberships are available, along with class packages and personal training programmes.
The free day pass must be booked 24 hours prior. Veo Fitness is soon to open new locations at Downtown Dubai and Meadows Town Centre.
Free day pass until September 1; The Lakes, Dubai; veofitness.com
Sunday, July 14
Sushi lovers can head to Japanese spot Sumosan in Dubai Edition Hotel for its newly launched Sushi Sundays.
On the menu are an array of raw maki rolls, including albermale, which is made of salmon, avocado, tempura and flakes; buba with sea bass, truffle jalapeno and tempura flakes; as well as spicy hamachi with crunchy quinoa.
Diners can also opt for cooked maki rolls, such as the signature Dubai roll made with torched salmon, prawn tempura, asparagus, and house dukkah and prawn tempura roll. Vegetarians can sample Japanese mushrooms, asparagus with spicy teriyaki roll and guacamole made of creamy avocado, sun dried tomatoes and crunchy quinoa.
Sundays; 3pm-6pm; Dh199 per person; Downtown Dubai; 056 169 6901
Wonka
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
Company%20profile
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20LEAGUE%202
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MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
Company%20Profile
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Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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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.”
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
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