Tyler Brûlé drives me mad. The jet-setting, hyper-hip know-it-all who writes the weekly "Fast Lane" column in the Financial Times, and is also founder of the utterly pretentious magazine Monocle, delivers his opinions on global issues - such as the size of a cappuccino on Capri or the cocktail list in some obscure boutique hotel in Tokyo - as though these trivialities mattered one bit outside the circle of super-smug, wealthy cosmopolites who really care about the number of zip pockets on a new piece of "iconic" hand luggage.
Compulsive reading, though, as a taster of how the monied business classes live.
Mr Brûlé recently produced Monocle's latest "world livability index" - a list of what he and his fellow pseuds regard as the most civilized, efficient and fun cities. The winner was Zurich, followed by Copenhagen, Tokyo and Munich. New York and London were not in the top 25, great cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai and Sao Paulo did not get a mention, and there was no representative at all from the Middle East.
How Mr Brûlé and his team of experts can cover the globe without touching down in the Gulf escapes me, but the survey's results were consistent with his Eurocentric and small-town North American view of the world.
The results kicked off a lively debate in the pages of the FT, with the columnist Michael Skapinker insisting that there was more to "livability" than the quality of the tram service or provision of cycle lanes.
The great metropolitan centres of the world have their own dynamic momentum. If you want to get on in the world, you have to be in New York, Moscow or Beijing. Vancouver - nice place though I'm sure it is - is optional.
Owing to a combination of domestic circumstances and visiting family, for the past couple of weeks I have been seeing Dubai as I have not seen it since I arrived here in 2006 - through the eyes of a tourist outsider rather than a resident. The city regularly scores quite well - respectable middle rankings and usually close to the top of the Middle East section - in other world surveys such as those by Mercer Consulting and the Economist Intelligence Unit, and my couple of weeks of "research" confirmed that Dubai really does have everything to offer even the most sophisticated new Leonardo, such as Mr Brûlé.
Long-term residents take for granted the glut of five-star hotels, the splendid beaches and watersport facilities, the excellent restaurants, and the nightlife. Visitors see these with new eyes and are amazed by what they see. To watch my teenage visitors gaze in awe at the Dubai Fountain in the shadow of the world's tallest building, or see the sun set behind the Burj Al Arab before heading off for the exoticism of a whiff of shisha in a Lebanese café, was to see Dubai with a new innocence, that we hard-nosed residents have long lost. I genuinely liked what I saw, again.
And at present, with the season winding down as the temperature gets stuck around 40°C for most of the day, and with the summer exodus under way, travel around the city is comparatively easy and cheap, thanks to Dubai taxis. Mr Brûlé should visit the city at this time of year, if he ever gets round to it, rather than in the traditional high season winter months.
What shocked me, however, was the cost of it all. As a resident, you rarely shell out for beach hotels or dinners in their posh restaurants, and now I can see why. Even a short stay at one of the big hotels around the Madinat Jumeirah area generated a bill that left me boggle-eyed at the check-out desk. If this is low season, I shudder to think what it would set you back between October and March.
It was the "incidentals" that did it. I negotiated a rate for our stay that seemed reasonable, and my credit card had that amount blocked off as pre-payment. But then the receptionist doubled the amount and blocked off the total to include "incidentals" - some beach drinks, snacks during the day, maybe some trinkets in the hotel shop. In the end, these trifles doubled my room rate, and more. A short "treat" turned into the cost of a full summer package holiday.
Most gob-smacking was the cost of an Indian dinner in one of the Madinat Souk restaurants. For three people (including two teenagers with hearty appetites) a one-course supper - with water and two bottles of beer - came to a staggering Dh700 (US$190). Again, it was "incidentals" - in this case naan bread, raita and aloo gobi.
Maybe it can all be blamed on the recession. The fall in visitors from Europe and North America might prompt hoteliers, restaurateurs and retailers to make the most out of those who do make the trip by marking everything up. If so, that is a bad long-term strategy.
Tourism and its related industries of aviation and retailing are increasingly important revenue generators for Dubai as the global economic downturn restricts other streams. "If you build it, they will come," is the emirate's proud motto. But if they get stung the first time, they may not come back.
fkane@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The%20specs
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
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
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
Company%20Profile
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Results
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VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)