DUBAI// Tennis stars Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic took some time out from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to see what the emirate has to offer.
Ms Wozniacki, the world No 5, tried her hand at sandboarding, Ms Ivanovic, the Serbian world No 6, prepared for her tournament with a relaxing trip to the Dubai Miracle Garden.
The pair are in town along with a host of other tennis players for the annual tournament.
Ms Wozniacki, the world No 5, tried her hand at sandboarding, Ms Ivanovic, the Serbian world No 6, prepared for her tournament with a relaxing trip to the Dubai Miracle Garden.
The pair are in town along with a host of other tennis players for the annual tournament.
Ms Wozniacki, the world No 5, tried her hand at sandboarding, Ms Ivanovic, the Serbian world No 6, prepared for her tournament with a relaxing trip to the Dubai Miracle Garden.
The pair are in town along with a host of other tennis players for the annual tournament.
Ms Wozniacki, the world No 5, tried her hand at sandboarding, Ms Ivanovic, the Serbian world No 6, prepared for her tournament with a relaxing trip to the Dubai Miracle Garden.
The pair are in town along with a host of other tennis players for the annual tournament.
Ms Wozniacki, the world No 5, tried her hand at sandboarding, Ms Ivanovic, the Serbian world No 6, prepared for her tournament with a relaxing trip to the Dubai Miracle Garden.
The pair are in town along with a host of other tennis players for the annual tournament.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
"It's a very peaceful and beautiful location, with so many flowers. It's a great way to relax," Ms Ivanovic said of the Miracle Garden.
Usually seen in the confines of a tennis court, Ms Wozniacki's sense of adventure took her to the outskirts of Dubai and the pristine sand dunes in the desert.
"I really enjoyed it, it was definitely fun and I nailed a couple of runs," she said.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships run until February 28.
* Nadeem Hanif
All photos courtesy Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
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PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
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
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The%C2%A0specs%20
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THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge