It is easy, in a city such as Dubai, which is essentially a series of self-sufficient communities loosely threaded together, to fall into the trap of never straying too far from your 'hood. Humans are creatures of habit – and once you have immersed yourself in familiar surroundings, it is all too easy to become fully entrenched.
I am lucky enough to have accumulated a solid network of friends within my community – largely because our dogs like playing together – so it is not unheard of for me to get through an entire Friday having only ventured as far as a neighbour's house, for an impromptu barbecue or movie session, or the nearest park, for a doggy play date.
Last weekend, I made an effort to travel further afield and go somewhere completely new. Lunch at Bluewaters, Dubai's swanky new island development, seemed like the perfect solution. Having watched it emerge from the sea over the last few years, I was intrigued about what it would look like from within. It has only just opened, so I thought I would be an early adopter – ahead of the curve, for a change. But, it seems, I was a tad too early.
Bluewaters is open, but in the very loosest sense of the word. An empty car park was the first sign that something was amiss. The scores of security guards standing around with nothing to do was another. It was like getting to a party before any of the other guests show up and the hosts are still tidying up. More than 100 shops, restaurants and cafes are scheduled to open at Bluewaters in the coming months, but last Friday we could barely grab ourselves a spot of lunch. Only two restaurants were open on the waterfront, and when we tried to take a seat at one of them, we were informed that they were still undergoing staff training and weren't serving guests yet. The other, being the only place offering any form of sustenance, didn't have any space for us.
We wandered around the expansive, eerily empty space, coming across the odd shop open for business – a Superdry, an iSea and a Discover Dubai. If I had been in the market for a pair of sunglasses or some souvenirs, I would have been in luck. But alas, I was not.
Projects such as Bluewaters, which follows in line from developments such as The Beach at JBR, La Mer and CityWalk, have been essential in creating a public realm in the UAE. They offer a space where people can gather, be outdoors, and engage with each other and their surroundings. They have a filled a hole in Dubai's urban fabric. As local landscape designer Kamela Zaal comments: "Living in a city like Dubai that has grown as quickly as it has, we've had to rethink and design to create a community atmosphere again … it's our responsibility as designers and as artists to bring people together."
Bluewaters adopts the tried-and-tested formula that Meraas has applied to those other projects, and while the format has essentially revolutionised the idea of public spaces in the UAE, it will be nice to see the company trying something new in the future, to prevent this undeniably successful model from starting to feel repetitive.
Bluewaters' main USP is, of course, Ain Dubai, the UAE's answer to the London Eye – just bigger, as is the city's wont. One of the highlights of last weekend's almost entirely wasted trip was standing at the foot of the mammoth structure and appreciating just how impressive it will be when it opens at the end of next year.
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Read more of Selina's thoughts:
From Dubai to Abu Dhabi: some lessons learnt on a long commute
Let’s not be blasé about the range of opportunities Dubai has to offer
Missing out on family milestone events. Is this the real expat tax?
Two performances of 'Swan Lake' show how Dubai's cultural scene has found its feet
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I have no doubt that one day, in the not too distant future, Bluewaters will be epic, but at the moment, it's a ghost town – albeit one with great views. Sign posts indicate that it will be home to a host of new and interesting food brands, including Gunaydin, The London Project and Alici, which currently has a charmingly worded sign emblazoned across its front that says: "We've gone fishing, back soon with the catch."
Unfortunately, Bluewaters has fallen prey to the curse of the soft opening. Instead of launching with a bang, it has kicked off with a slightly disappointing sizzle. Having already made the trip and found myself largely underwhelmed, I’m not sure when I’ll head back. It turns out that it’s better to wait and go with the crowds than be an early adopter with nothing to adopt.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
World Series
Game 1: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3: Saturday (UAE)
* if needed
Game 4: Sunday
Game 5: Monday
Game 6: Wednesday
Game 7: Thursday
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
GRAN%20TURISMO
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The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
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
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
