Dubai named one of the world’s most influential cities

DUBAI // Dubai has been ranked the world's seventh most influential city by Forbes magazine.

The high ranking was boosted by the city's top spot in the world for air connectivity, Forbes said, with non-stop flights at least three times a week to 93 per cent of global cities outside of its home region.

Dubai also has the world’s largest terminal and an even larger airport being built.

And the financial capital's location and "business-friendly" climate make it a favourite for companies interested in establishing a Middle East presence, Forbes said.

“I was born and raised in Dubai and I have seen it grow and strive before my eyes,” said Noor Ahmed, 23, an Egyptian national who works in media.

“I’m sure that by 2020, Dubai is going to rise in the ranks and be one the top 10 countries to live in.

“Although the cost of living, such as rent and education, has increased in the past couple of years, I still think the city offers a tremendous amount in return.

“The city aims to be a smart one, in which everything will be based on the most advanced technology.

“Being technologically advanced is what makes it a great city now and what will make it one of the best cities in the world.”

The Forbes article said: "As a crossroads of humanity, Dubai is unparalleled among global cities for its diversity: 86 per cent of its residents are foreign-born."

Forbes looked at eight factors for its rankings: foreign direct investment; concentration of corporate headquarters; number of business niches the cities dominate; air connectivity; strength of producer services; racial diversity; financial services; and technology and media power.

Dubai ranked behind London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, but ahead of Beijing, Sydney, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and Toronto.

Dubai had a five-year average of 245 foreign direct investment transactions and ranked 25th in last year's Global Financial Centres Index from the Z/Yen Group, which assessed the competitiveness of the cities.

Dubai has also ranked second in the Middle East for “liveability”, according to a new survey published by the The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

That puts it only behind Tel Aviv in the region. Dubai ranked 78th and Abu Dhabi 79th, the report says.

The survey assessed living conditions based on more than 30 factors including stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

Each factor was then rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable and intolerable.

Dubai scored 74 points out of 100, while the capital scored 73. Higher scores indicate higher liveability.

Abu Dhabi is moving toward best practice in everything and has made significant progress in recent years, said Emirati Mohammed Al Darei.

“In my opinion it is one of the most liveable cities, but there might be some criteria the report is considering that are not tailored to our context,” said Mr Al Darei, 30, who is from Al Ain but lives in the capital.

He considers Abu Dhabi one of the safest cities. “Definitely I think if you look at other cities, what we achieved here is more than what everyone one else achieved in this short amount of time.”

Melbourne, Australia, ranked first for liveability in the EIU’s index for the fourth year in the row.

One of four Australian cities to earn a place in the top 10, it was followed by Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto, Adelaide, Calgary, Sydney, Helsinki, Perth and Auckland.

The lowest 10 were Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Tripoli in Libya, Douala in Cameroon, Harare in Zimbabwe, Algiers, Karachi, Lagos in Nigeria, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Damascus.

lcarroll@thenational.ae

dmoukhallati@thenational.ae

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Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

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