The most expensive residential property in the United States is now on the market. The stylish and storied Beverly House is priced at an eye-watering $119 million and is described as “one of America’s finest mansions and estates”.
Owned by the couple who inspired ‘Citizen Kane’
The Beverly House was built in 1926 by architect Gordon Kaufmann (the man who designed the Hoover Dam) for banking tycoon Milton Getz. Actress Marion Davies bought the property in 1946 for her partner, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, and it remained the couple's Beverly Hills residence until Hearst's death in 1951. The duo's love affair is the inspiration behind Citizen Kane.
JFK and Jackie’s honeymoon spot
In 1953, the estate was the honeymoon destination for JFK and Jackie Kennedy, and it later served as Kennedy’s West Coast presidential election headquarters.
It’s easy to see why it proved such an alluring, and private, bolthole. Tucked away in 3.5 acres of landscaped grounds, the striking pink terracotta stucco mansion is designed in classic Italian and Spanish palatial styles, with long colonnades, wide balconies, several grand entertaining rooms, panelled walls, intricately carved ceilings, French doors and arched floor-to-ceiling windows.
Filming ground for ‘The Bodyguard’, ‘The Godfather’ and Beyonce
Accessed by high-security gates and an 800-foot driveway, the property lies a couple of blocks away from Los Angeles’s Sunset Boulevard.
It has also featured in numerous films over the years. Viewers of The Bodyguard – starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston – might recall scenes featuring a swimming pool bordered by pillared Roman temple facades, in the style of the famous Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle.
The Godfather's notorious "horse head in a bed" scene was also filmed in one of the 18 bedrooms, and eagle-eyed Beyonce fans might recognise the pink stucco background in her album Black Is King.
Opulent interior with an Art Deco nightclub
Few can claim such a history, with fewer still boasting Versailles-style landscaped grounds filled with Venetian columns and cascading waterfalls, designed by landscape architect Paul Thiene and inspired by Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, built by the Roman emperor.
Inside, it's a long walk along the 25-metre-long entry hall, which leads to a state room with a hand-painted arched ceiling and a two-storey library with hand-carved panelling, plus a wraparound galleried walkway.
A buyer could be highly likely to come from Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Saudi Arabia ... there has been a long association between nationals from these three states buying homes in Beverly Hills
The grand hallway upstairs boasts a 12-metre wide and almost three-metre tall Dennis Abe mural. The billiards room features herringbone parquet flooring, and an intricately designed ceiling and carved fireplace, both almost identical to ones at Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The tiled formal dining room is surrounded by terraces able to seat 400 guests, although there is a cosier breakfast room and family room.
Downstairs, an Art Deco-style nightclub has been likened to Hugh Hefner's former Beverly Hills club Touch. More than 3,250 square metres of living space includes staff accommodation and a four-bedroom gate lodge. Lit tennis courts and an eight-car garage make this the ultimate trophy home.
Aimed at the Gulf market
The property was on and off the market for some years, having been owned by financier Leonard M Ross, for more than four decades. London agency Beauchamp Estates is marketing the estate and managing director Jeremy Gee says this is the first time the focus hasn't been on a US buyer. Gee intends to aim for "clients and contacts" in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
There are just 20 families in the world who have the resources to buy The Beverly House as a holiday home
“A buyer could be highly likely to come from Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Saudi Arabia, quite simply because there has been a long association between nationals from these three states buying homes in Beverly Hills.”
Gee also finds that many Saudi and Emirati families own holiday mansions in California, where their children are educated, and where a pleasant climate and retail opportunities often seal the deal. “The luxury shopping boutiques, hotels and resorts of Beverly Hills have always appealed to families from the Gulf,” adds Gee.
However, he admits that the holiday home market is a small gene pool. "There are [very few] families in the world who have the resources to buy the Beverly House as a holiday home and use it perhaps once or twice a year," Gee explains, but adds that while Dh460 million may seem like a lot, it's all relative.
“In London, a home may cost anything that’s the equivalent of Dh205 million to Dh1 billion, and in the South of France anything from Dh128 million to Dh767 million.”
The Beverly House is for sale for $119 million through Beauchamp Estates. More information is available at beauchamp.com
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
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
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Canada
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Singapore
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Panipat
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Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
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'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
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Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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Castle in the Sky (1986)
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Pom Poki (1994)
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
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.
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
