On a hot, sticky morning, Bobby Lerma wades through dusty, ankle-length grass to reach the pink stucco mausoleum that sits on his family ranch outside of Brownsville, Texas.
“That’s my dad up there,” says Mr Lerma, pointing to a white marble engraving on the wall. “Then we have my mom, who is over here on top, and that’s her brother, and then my late wife is over there, so we’re full.”
Well, not quite. The 64-year-old retired municipal judge and lawyer says he intends to be buried next to his kin on the property his mother’s family has owned since the start of the American Civil war in 1861.
Quiet south Texas town adapts to life with Elon Musk and SpaceX
The only concern is that, 11 kilometres from Mr Lerma's sprawling 485-hectare ranch, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has built a Jetson-like space facility called Starbase, which has transformed the tranquil area into a bustling hive of rocket scientists and engineers.
They are working on building the largest rocket ever created, the 120-metre-tall Starship, a reusable craft that Mr Musk hopes will one day be able to carry equipment and people on missions to the Moon and Mars.
Starbase rises above a pristine wildlife refuge and abuts one of southern Texas’s last remaining public beaches.
Driving along Texas State Highway 4, the shimmering futuristic rockets loom over an expanse of relatively untouched land, appearing like an alien aberration.
Beneath them in the surrounding wildlife refuge, hundreds of birds and insects buzz through the air only a few kilometres from where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico.
When SpaceX launches its powerful rockets, the company has to close down Highway 4 - the only road leading to Mr Lerma's property and Boca Chica Beach.
“We have trouble getting home, because every time they want to do something, the road gets closed and the beach gets closed,” Mr Lerma told The National.
Under Texas state law, public beach access is a constitutional right. But in 2013, the state's legislature amended the law to allow for closures during SpaceX flight operations.
A 2014 agreement between SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) stated that the company must limit road closures to 180 hours per year, spread out over 12 launches.
But many residents complain that SpaceX has far exceeded that original agreement.
Beyond the nuisance of road closures, there are environmental concerns as well.
“Just from that land being developed, we've already seen harsh declines in different bird populations," said Emma Guevara, an organiser with the Sierra Club in Brownsville, who blames the deaths of ocelots, a type of wild cat that only lives in two parts of Texas, on SpaceX's activities.
Along with other environmental groups, the Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit against the Texas General Land Office and Cameron County, where Brownsville and Boca Chica are located, over road closures and restricted access to the beach.
A recent environmental assessment report conducted by the FAA found that SpaceX had to make 75 adjustments to mitigate its environmental impact to move forward with the Starship programme.
In addition, the assessment called for the company to limit weekend road closures to five per year and said SpaceX should not restrict beach access during 18 federal and state holidays.
SpaceX did not respond to repeated requests for comment. So far, their only public comment on the FAA report has come in the form of a tweet.
“One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship,” the company said.
Boca Chica sits in the southernmost corner of Texas near the gulf of the Rio Grande, a few kilometres east of the city of Brownsville and the US-Mexico border.
The very remoteness that makes it attractive to local residents and visitors alike made it an ideal location for the SpaceX launch site.
“It’s always possible that something goes wrong and so you want to have a good clear area,” said Mr Musk at a SpaceX event in February 2022. “You want several miles around the launch site unpopulated or at least clearable.”
It is also the farthest southern point in the continental US outside of Florida, which means it's close to the equator, making it easier for rockets to reach orbit.
Texas also offered a hospitable business environment for the billionaire entrepreneur to build and base one of the world’s largest private space companies.
In 2014, Rick Perry, then governor of Texas, offered more than $15 million in incentives for Mr Musk to set up shop in Boca Chica.
"SpaceX is excited to expand our work in Texas with the world's first commercial launch complex designed specifically for orbital missions," Mr Musk said in a statement at the time.
In the years since, Mr Musk has found an agreeable partner in the state, choosing not only to move SpaceX there, but his electric car company Tesla as well.
“I think Texas has the right amount of rules and regulations,” Mr Musk joked to an audience back in February.
Mr Musk has even made Boca Chica his home base, reportedly living in a bungalow worth only $50,000.
Since SpaceX first arrived in Boca Chica in 2014, the company has been buying up land at a ravenous pace in hopes of creating its own Starbase city.
It is easy to spot the differences between Starbase employees' homes and those that belong to locals unwilling to sell. The first clue is often the Tesla parked in the driveway.
A city on the rise
About 1,600 people work at SpaceX in Boca Chica, which has helped to vastly improve the area's economy.
Brownsville, the nearby city of 188,000, has long been considered one of America’s most impoverished.
The 2020 US Census revealed that the city had a median household income of $40,924, compared to a median income of $67,521 across the US. More than one quarter of the city's residents live in poverty.
The frontier city, which borders Matamoros, Mexico, is most often associated with immigration issues along the southern US border, but that narrative has started to change with the arrival of SpaceX.
The city has an abundance of 19th century historical buildings in various states of disrepair. The years of economic downturn are evident in the hardscrabble streets and dilapidated facades.
But a revitalisation project partially funded by Mr Musk has helped to restore a stretch of the Brownsville city centre to its former glory.
Hip restaurants and bars line several blocks and offer upscale cuisine to the city’s newest residents and SpaceX employees.
At Terra's, a popular new eatery on Washington Street, diners chow down on $18 tacos in a cavernous, exposed-brick dining hall. It is a scene straight out of New York City or Austin, Texas, a city often considered one of America’s hippest.
“[SpaceX] has put us on the map in terms of our potential and it provides just a lot of hope and aspiration,'' said John Cowen, a Brownsville city commissioner. “We're at the centre of innovation now.”
But SpaceX has also sent Brownsville’s house prices soaring.
The median house price as of April 2022 was $239,000. That’s almost $100,000 more than it was in April of 2019, website Realtor.com reported.
Mr Lerma said SpaceX approached him to see if he would be open to selling his property. He immediately declined.
"It's not for sale. No, it means too much to the family," he said.
Driving through a new subdivision on the outskirts of Brownsville, Craig Grove, a local real estate agent, pointed out homes he had recently sold.
“I sold that one right there last year for $329,000,” he said, pointing to a large home with a two-car garage.
Mr Grove, who considers himself the city’s biggest cheerleader, believes SpaceX has offered a much-needed injection of capital and hope into Brownsville.
“There's definitely been a bump - it's something that we never thought we would see, these people coming from California, Seattle, Denver, some parts of the East Coast coming to work at SpaceX, and these high-tech jobs, you know, specialty welding, computer programming, robotics, all these kinds of things,” he said.
Mr Grove even created a subsidiary of his main business to cater specifically to SpaceX employees called Starbase Realty.
He said SpaceX employees tend to buy three- to four-bedroom homes in newer developments that sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Those prices are a far cry from what they would pay in Los Angeles or Seattle, he explained.
“It's historically way more affordable,” he told The National. “And when you're looking at it from the perspective of Los Angeles, or these other big metros to Brownsville, it's crazy.”
The influx of new wealthier residents in a city that has a large population that lives on the margins of poverty has upset some locals.
“We’re seeing overcrowding in the city,” said Ms Guevara, the Sierra Club organiser.
“We're having a real housing crisis; it's really really difficult to find affordable housing or even to find housing in general.”
While Mr Musk has brought in a great deal of money, excitement and business to Brownsville - winning him the support of many local politicians - the same cannot be said of the whole community.
On a hot June night, a middle-aged man wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt, walks by a large mural of Mr Musk that adorns a building in Brownsville and raised his middle finger at the billionaire.
But Mr Cowen, the city commissioner, was adamant that the city was in a much better place now that Mr Musk is a nearby resident.
“Elon provides a better future for everyone," he said.
Mr Lerma was less diplomatic about Mr Musk's presence in the area, criticising local politicians for “worshipping the altar of King Elon".
While he admitted there could be benefits to having Starbase as part of the community, he worried about its influence going unchecked.
“I'm not in the way of progress - progress is here,” he said.
“Maybe one of my kids might get a job at SpaceX. But will my kid not be able to go to the beach one day?”
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
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.”
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Race%20card
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20%2450%2C000%20(Dirt)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Dubai%20Racing%20Club%20Classic%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(D)%202%2C410m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Dubawi%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Jumeirah%20Classic%20Trial%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Al%20Fahidi%20Fort%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24180%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Ertijaal%20Dubai%20Dash%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(T)%201%2C000m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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)
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
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