Clothing stores in the UAE stock up on plenty of children's winter clothing at this balmy time of year.
Clothing stores in the UAE stock up on plenty of children's winter clothing at this balmy time of year.
Clothing stores in the UAE stock up on plenty of children's winter clothing at this balmy time of year.
Clothing stores in the UAE stock up on plenty of children's winter clothing at this balmy time of year.

No jacket required


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So, the weather has turned. The temperature is lovely and the glorious UAE winter stretches ahead of us. For those of us with children, now is the time to rediscover parks, long afternoons by the pool and pottering on the beach. Of course, to do this, we need appropriate clothing. My three children are growing at a rate of knots and their summer wardrobe is looking a bit, well, tight. With this in mind I headed off to Marina Mall to replenish their T-shirts, sundresses and, of course, swimming costumes. It should be of no great surprise to me, seasoned Abu Dhabi expatriate that I am, that the shops are by now stuffed to the rafters with woolly jumpers, cord trousers, puffa jackets and fur-trimmed boots. My mission to find summer clothes really did seem an impossible one and, as for swimming costumes, forget it.

Marina Mall offers a range of shops to suit most price ranges, so I started at the least expensive and worked my way up. I needed a T-shirt, a skirt and a sundress for Jessie, my eldest who is nearly seven years old; T-shirts and shorts for Danny, who is four; and T-shirts and a dress for Lizzie, nearly two. Oh, and, swimmers for all of them. Adams did not look promising. From the doorway I could see a marvellous array of fur-trimmed parkas, including a fabulous bright pink one for Dh165. The Barbie sunglasses did seem a bit incongruous next to the woollen scarves, but perfect I suppose for some après-ski. They did have T-shirts and shorts for Danny and Lizzie, not a great selection, but good value. No swimmers, unfortunately. As I left, I caught sight of a fabulous faux leather bomber jacket for boys (Dh165). Surely worth turning the air conditioning up high for that one.

On to Pumpkin Patch. I had high hopes that a New Zealand company would be more flexible in what sort of clothes they sell at this time of the year, it being the start of their summer now. Unfortunately, however, there was still not a great selection and what there was was hidden in with all the winter wear. There were three knee-length styles of shorts for Danny and a few short-sleeve dresses for my two-year-old, but only a couple of styles of T-shirts for each of them. I really had to root around to find the more summery clothes. In line with a lot of the mid-range stores, Pumpkin Patch bring in their autumn/winter range in August and the spring/summer range will reappear in January.

I was curious to see what an antipodean clothes company did in their home market, and logged on to the Pumpkin Patch Australia website. There were pages and pages of children wearing summer clothes. If they can do a summer wear line at this time of year in Australasia, why not here? According to Jane Gammon, the international business manager who heads up the Middle East team from New Zealand, the company is aware of the need for summer clothing all year round in the UAE. As Gammon explains, "This year we developed a complete transition range which featured seasonally appropriate styles (short-sleeve dresses, tiered skirts, short-sleeve fashion tees) in a new fresh early autumn colour palette. This worked extremely well and the concept will be repeated for next year." According to Gammon, Pumpkin Patch's UAE partner "is very careful to only select a few jumpers and coats which they then feed into the stores much later in the season". Together they select styles from the main Pumpkin Patch range and rework them into short-sleeve versions. I had clearly just visited the shop a little too late, or maybe they just need to work on their display. Still no swimwear, though.

It is not just buying clothes for everyday wear that is an issue, it is replacing things lost or worn out. As Abi Hill, who has three boys age six, four and two, points out, "If you lose a sun hat at this time of year, it's really hard to replace it." She has also experienced the challenge of trying to find swimwear. "Bathers are a real problem. They don't last a whole year with all the wear the boys get out of them, so I will have to find some more? somewhere."

When I visited, Mothercare had only the remnants of their summer sale all back on at full price. Only a couple of T-shirts for Danny and a handful of reasonably priced cotton tops for the girls. But, oh joy, they did have swimmers for babies and some very sensible wet suits for six- to 12-month-olds to take you through swimming to Christmas. I upped the ante and headed in to Burberry. Ramzi Hamaoui, the manager, explained that they bring in their autumn/winter collection in June to satisfy demand for warmer clothes: "Our customers are mainly locals and they need clothes to take with them on their summer holidays." Hamaoui explained that the Abu Dhabi market for Burberry was very different, even to the Dubai one. "In Abu Dhabi, 90 per cent of our customers are local. In Dubai, 97 per cent are tourists, so we have to alter what we sell and when, to work to that." I complimented Burberry on their flexibility to cater to different markets across the world and even in the country, while my hands brushed lovingly over a Burberry print sun dress in Lizzie's size (a mere Dh845). Time to move on.

For new arrivals in the UAE, the dearth of summer clothes can be quite a shock. "I was stunned to see all the winter clothes in the shops," said Sophie Hooton, who arrived here in October with her husband and one-year-old son, William. "Before we knew we were moving here, I had bought William his winter wardrobe ready for the UK. By the time we had it confirmed we were coming, the shops in the UK had already switched from summer to autumn clothes. I didn't worry at the time as I thought I would be able to buy him the next size up in summer clothes in Abu Dhabi. He's now growing out of his summer clothes and I can't find him any new ones." Sophie sympathises that if you are used to summers where the temperature tops 50 degrees, a temperature of around 17 degrees will feel chilly. "I can already feel I've acclimatised. It's feeling lovely and cool now and yet in the UK this would be summer weather." But still, she wishes the shops wouldn't go to such extremes. "Some summer clothing all year round would be good."

Claire Cox, mother of Millie, eight years old, and Isabelle, six, has lived in the UAE for three years and has all but given up shopping for clothes at this time of year. "I just don't try to buy at this time of year. I buy in the sales in September or October, then wait till Easter to look again." Cox has had particular difficulties buying swimwear for the girls. "It's difficult all year round to buy decent UV tops. Quite staggering in such a hot country. I order them online and get them delivered to the UK."

It does seem bizarre to have the international stores impose their idea of suitable winter wear on us. Although I confess I do have my nose pressed up against the shoe shops' windows convincing myself that I need those Dh1,000 boots, is it really necessary to have such heavy winter clothes in the UAE? The average low temperature in December ranges from 15C to 17C, with the average highs still up between 24C and 26C. Even for those who have acclimatised to great heat, surely there is no need for so many winter coats.Is there really such a huge demand from people holidaying abroad that justifies an entire shop's stock being more suited to Oslo than Abu Dhabi? Given that the majority of people living in the UAE do not go abroad to such cold climates, there must be sense in maintaining a decent range of summer clothes all year. I am sure retailers would find there is the demand for it.

Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.

THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

Recycle Reuse Repurpose

New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to  handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors

Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site

Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area

Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent  organic waste  and 13 per cent  general waste.

About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor

Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:

Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled

Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays

Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters

Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill 

MATCH INFO

Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)

Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)

 

MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

The biog

Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.

His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.

“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.

"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”

Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.

He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking. 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO

Sheffield United 3

Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90

Manchester United 3

Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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'Dark Waters'

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper 

Rating: ****

RESULT

Wolves 1 (Traore 67')

Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')

Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)

Virtual banks explained

What is a virtual bank?

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.

What’s the draw in Asia?

Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.

Is Hong Kong short of banks?

No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year. 

The Light of the Moon

Director: Jessica M Thompson

Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David

Three stars

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envision%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarthik%20Mahadevan%20and%20Karthik%20Kannan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Netherlands%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%2FAssistive%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204impact%2C%20ABN%20Amro%2C%20Impact%20Ventures%20and%20group%20of%20angels%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Generational responses to the pandemic

Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:

Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

RACE CARD

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200

7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m

7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m

8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m

8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m

9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m

 

The National selections:

6.30pm Underwriter

7.05pm Rayig

7.40pm Torno Subito

8.15pm Talento Puma

8.50pm Etisalat

9.25pm Gundogdu

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).

7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.

8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m​​​​​​​
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m​​​​​​​
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m​​​​​​​
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea