Egypt
As in any part of Cairo, the aghwa, or sidewalk coffee house, is a masculine social fixture in Agouza, a small middle-class neighbourhood on the banks of the Nile.
In the Pearls of Abdel Harith cafe, which has stood in the same drab spot since 1959, the varying prices for food and fuel compete with sports scores as the primary topics of conversation.
But even after Gamal Abdel Harith, the cafe's owner, increased the price of a cup of Turkish coffee - the muddy brew that is often flavoured with cardamom and nutmeg - to 1.75 Egyptian pounds (Dh1.10) from 1.5 pounds each four months ago, few customers seemed to notice.
"For me, it's not that important. I will keep drinking no matter what," said Mohammed Misbah, 45, who is one of the nearly 10 per cent of Egyptians who is unemployed.
Mr Misbah said he drinks two or three cups a day, along with five or six glasses of hot tea - Egypt's staple hot beverage.
"A few minutes ago, I had a headache and I had to drink this coffee," he said.
Mohammed Abdel Harith, Gamal's younger brother and a part owner in the cafe, said he passed off the rising cost of his raw Brazilian beans to customers after the price of a kilogramme rose to 32 pounds from 22 pounds before the summer.
The brothers buy between 15kg and 20kg of beans each month. From each kilogram, the brothers estimate they squeeze about 30 to 35 cups.
Although they have received few complaints, the brothers report a drop of about 20 per cent to 30 per cent in coffee consumption.
- Matt Bradley in Cairo
Kuwait
Mia Ponzo, whose Kuwait-based online business sells traditional Arabian products worldwide, said the increase in the price of coffee over the past two years has been "unbelievable".
"People haven't stopped drinking coffee because prices have gone up.
The coffee shops are jam-packed every day anyway, but it must be affecting the customers' budgets," said the owner of the Desert Boutique. Kuwaitis' love of coffee has provided international companies with a rich market.
When the Starbucks chain opened in Kuwait in 1999, the store became its first of more than 300 in the Middle East.
Other international coffee brands have mushroomed in the country's streets and malls to compete with the traditional shisha cafes.
"People drink a lot of coffee in Kuwait. Turkish coffee is super huge here and trillions of coffee shops have sprouted up everywhere,"
Mrs Ponzo said. The Desert Boutique sells a 18-gram bag of Al Rifai Arabic coffee for US$15 (Dh55), but "it used to be around $11 or $12 less than two years ago".
- James Calderwood in Kuwait City
Qatar
Coffee drinkers at Gloria Jeans Coffee on Doha's C Ring Road were unaware of the sharp rise in coffee prices. And next door at the Coffee Bean, no unusual increase in the cost of their java, either.
"We just raised the prices one to two rials (Dh1 to Dh2) earlier in the year like we always do," said Garner, the manager of The Coffee Bean shop.
Many of the bigger international chains control their entire product chain, so suffer less during price fluctuations.
"We grow our own coffee so we don't have to worry too much about the rise in prices," said Ahmad Hijazi, the Qatar operations manager for Gloria Jeans.
Across town, however, Nedal Ghazal is feeling the pinch.
"There's no way can we live with these prices," said the general manager of Coffee Centre, which distributes gourmet coffee and tea to restaurants, hotels and businesses in Doha.
"Prices keep going up and it seems it will not stop," he said.
Many of its contracts run through the end of the year, so increases cannot be passed on until then. But that is not all.
"The prices for cardamom, which they often use with coffee around here, have gone up more than 200 per cent," he said.
- David Lepeska in Doha
UAE
Coffee shops in the UAE are trying to hold the line on prices even as the cost of coffee beans rise globally.
Most of the large chains would rather absorb the extra cost than risk losing customers in a competitive market.
"We've had talks at the head office, the price of beans is higher, but with the conditions of Dubai, we aren't going to raise prices," said Deepak Gukuyz, a manager at a coffee bar chain with nine outlets in the country.
Their worries may be unfounded.
"The price of petrol concerns me more than the price of coffee," said Leone Engelbrecht, who often works from coffee shops.
- Megan Detrie in Abu Dhabi
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
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 five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now