The construction at Abu Dhabi’s newest hub for the creative industry is 95 per cent complete and the first units are set to be handed over to tenants by the end of this year. Courtesy twofour54 Abu Dhabi
The construction at Abu Dhabi’s newest hub for the creative industry is 95 per cent complete and the first units are set to be handed over to tenants by the end of this year. Courtesy twofour54 Abu Dhabi
The construction at Abu Dhabi’s newest hub for the creative industry is 95 per cent complete and the first units are set to be handed over to tenants by the end of this year. Courtesy twofour54 Abu Dhabi
The construction at Abu Dhabi’s newest hub for the creative industry is 95 per cent complete and the first units are set to be handed over to tenants by the end of this year. Courtesy twofour54 Abu Dh

Yas Creative Hub is 95% complete


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The construction of Yas Creative Hub, Abu Dhabi’s newest hub for the media, gaming and entertainment industry, is 95 per cent complete.

The first units are set to be handed over to tenants by the end of the year, as the emirate continues to focus on developing the creative sector.

Covering more than 270,000 square metres, the sprawling media hub will be home to more than 600 companies including the emirate's state broadcaster and CNN and Ericsson, the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said in a statement on Thursday.

"With the number of jobs in Abu Dhabi’s creative industry expected to triple to 16,000 by 2031, Yas Creative Hub has been purpose-built to meet the future needs of this flourishing sector and is one of the assets being developed under Abu Dhabi’s Dh30 billion ($8.16bn) investment strategy for the Culture and Creative Industries," the media office said.

Other organisations that have confirmed their move to Yas Creative Hub include mobile gaming developer Boss Bunny, music publishing company PopArabia and dmg events.

“Media, entertainment and gaming are growing at an exponential rate globally and in Abu Dhabi, and Yas Creative Hub has been designed with the future of these sectors foremost in mind,” said Michael Garin, chief executive of twofour54 Abu Dhabi.

“It offers industry-leading production facilities, next-generation connectivity, digital technologies and flexible workspaces for firms of all sizes, from start-ups to international powerhouses.”

Yas Creative Hub, which is being built by Aldar Properties, is part of Miral Asset Management’s $1.1bn Yas Bay master development.

The Abu Dhabi government has pledged Dh8.5bn in the past five years to the cultural and creative sector. It has earmarked an additional Dh22bn to develop new museums as well as invest in the performing arts, music, media and gaming sectors in the next five years, the emirate’s Department of Culture and Tourism said earlier this year.

Twofour54 also launched an initiative this year to develop the gaming and e-sports industry in the UAE capital.

Called Abu Dhabi Gaming, it will support game developers, players, consumers and businesses, and will be backed by companies such as Unity Technologies, Flash Entertainment, UAE Pro League, Emirates Esports Association and the Media Zone Authority.

Profile Box

Company/date started: 2015

Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif

Based: Manama, Bahrain

Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation

Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads

Stage: 1 ($100,000)

Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
FA CUP FINAL

Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')

Watford 0

Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

SANCTIONED
  • Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
  • Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB. 
  • Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.  
  • Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
  • Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.

The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
​​​​​​​Princeton

ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019

Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital

Top pick: National Commercial Bank

Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects

 

Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes

Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank

Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates

 

Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank

Top pick: Arab National Bank

Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends

TEST SQUADS

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.

F1 2020 calendar

March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.

Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
MATCH INFO

Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)

Banton 53 no

Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)

Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7

Qalandars win by six wickets

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
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How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Updated: September 23, 2021, 2:11 PM