I am very happy about Dubai's new font (Dubai Font: Sheikh Hamdan unveils Microsoft's first font to be created for a city, April 30). This is excellent news as it demonstrates the rising attention to typography and design in the UAE. Moreover, the typeface created by Nadine Chahine is quite beautiful.
The article’s headline, however, is not correct. Many other cities around the world had their own typefaces specifically designed for them. A trend that actually started a couple of millennia ago in a city called Rome.
Goffredo Puccetti, Italy
Can we please stop it with the misleading headlines? Dubai is not the first city to get its own font worldwide nor even the first city in the Middle East. Amman was branded with its own logo back in 2009.
Zoulfa Khalaf, Dubai
I think that the font is modern and a chic form of branding. Dubai is to be commended for this leadership.
Melanie Nelson, Abu Dhabi
An unexpected fare increase
The Abu Dhabi taxi fare increase was unexpected (Abu Dhabi taxi fares increase for first time in five years, April 30). But I have noticed recently many new taxi cabs and hybrid cars in the city. This could explain the price increase.
Jase White, Abu Dhabi
To be honest, Abu Dhabi taxi fares are relatively cheap. Although I dislike the hike, I think the increase is reasonable.
Fires Barqawi, Abu Dhabi
I can’t cope with all these increases in the cost of living. The Government needs to ask employers to raise salaries to compensate for all this inflation.
Sara Smith, Abu Dhabi
The cost of living is going up for everyone. But it is a natural part of any economy the size of Abu Dhabi’s.
While we might be upset about the increase, we have to hope that some of the revenue will make its way to taxi drivers who work long hours and have a difficult job.
Name withheld by request
It is never too late to swim
I am writing about learning to swim ('Don't be embarrassed, learn to swim', adult learners say, April 27). It can be expensive to learn for adults. It would be lovely to see an initiative both at the beaches and public pools to help less fortunate people to learn the basics.
A child learns more quickly than an adult. How do you expect people on minimum wages to afford such a luxury? Many adults in the UAE have little money left over every month for swimming lessons. If it’s so quick and so cheap then programmes can be provided.
Daniella How, Sharjah
We strongly believe it’s never too late to learn. Swimming is practically the only sport that can save your child’s life. Drowning is still one of the most common causes of accidental death in children, so being able to swim is an essential life-saving skill.
Another great thing about swimming is that children of any age or ability can take part and it is more accessible for children with additional needs than almost any other sport.
Once you can swim it opens so many doors: waterpolo, scuba diving, canoeing, sailing, rookie lifeguard triathlons and so much more. We start teaching children in Abu Dhabi from 6 months old. We start with water safety and then move on to strokes. Every child we teach will learn the fundamentals and be able to jump into the water and get back to the edge safely or float.
Arabian Swim Academy, Abu Dhabi
If it only takes about 1-2 hours to learn to swim, it can’t be that expensive. When I was growing up the older children would teach the younger ones so I’ve taught a few people myself.
Abdalla Ali, Dubai
Yes, I am fond of swimming but I never learnt. This article has inspired me to learn how to swim.
Mohammed Shumayal, Dubai
How to be healthy today
The report about liver disease in children was eye-opening (UAE children as young as 15 suffer adult liver disease, April 29). We need to dr ink more water and juice, increase our intake of vegetables and fruits as well as limit junk food. This is a common sense solution.
The temptation and the craze for fatty foods need to stop but you can’t help it as long as there are fast food outlets in every nook and cranny of our cities.
Matthew Litty, Dubai
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
The Killer
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell
Rating: 4/5
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,400m
5.30pm: Al Anoud Stables – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 2 – Group 3 (PA) Dh 300,000 (T) 2,200m
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,400m
7.30pm: Dames Stables – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
The Crown season 5
Stars: Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Salim Daw and Khalid Abdalla
Written by: Peter Morgan
Rating: 4/5 stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch
EMILY IN PARIS: SEASON 3
Created by: Darren Star
Starring: Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park
Rating: 2.75/5
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
ON TRACK
The Dubai Metaverse Assembly will host three main tracks:
Educate: Consists of more than 10 in-depth sessions on the metaverse
Inspire: Will showcase use cases of the metaverse in tourism, logistics, retail, education and health care
Contribute: Workshops for metaverse foresight and use-case reviews
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 299hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 12.4L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh157,395 (XLS); Dh199,395 (Limited)
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
12 restaurants opening at the hotel this month
Ariana’s Persian Kitchen
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Estiatorio Milos
House of Desserts
Jaleo by Jose Andres
La Mar
Ling Ling
Little Venice Cake Company
Malibu 90265
Nobu by the Beach
Resonance by Heston Blumenthal
The Royal Tearoom
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
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.”
ANDROID VERSION NAMES, IN ORDER
Android Alpha
Android Beta
Android Cupcake
Android Donut
Android Eclair
Android Froyo
Android Gingerbread
Android Honeycomb
Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Android Jelly Bean
Android KitKat
Android Lollipop
Android Marshmallow
Android Nougat
Android Oreo
Android Pie
Android 10 (Quince Tart*)
Android 11 (Red Velvet Cake*)
Android 12 (Snow Cone*)
Android 13 (Tiramisu*)
Android 14 (Upside Down Cake*)
Android 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream*)
* internal codenames
TO CATCH A KILLER
Director: Damian Szifron
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Ralph Ineson
Rating: 2/5
