Leaders of Manchester spent last week complaining that their city had lost out on a Japanese-style high-speed train to London.
Perhaps the low point of the debate, triggered by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cost-cutting decision, was a TV guest suggesting that the line was no great loss, as its greatest value was to enable people to take a 90-minute trip for dinner in London. The guest was obviously not based in Manchester, and it was an unfair bit of London-centric taunting.
England’s third city is these days a place transformed. Every street seems to have a high-rise building project in progress. There is a strong local leadership capable of bringing its unique identity to the world. And the world, particularly its students, is coming to Manchester.
I won’t be patronising here and saying that Manchester doesn’t really need the £100 billion ($122.3bn) HS2 line, as the guest on TV tried to argue. But I will say that if you read headlines decrying the lack of vision in scrapping a once-in-a-generation public infrastructure investment, don’t let that imply that Manchester’s prosperity agenda has been knocked out for the count.
It would not be the first time that Manchester’s success has come in spite of the national government
Even a fleeting visit last week was enough to demonstrate the city as youthful, vibrant and building on its strengths.
Among those decrying the decision, alongside Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, was a handful of former prime ministers. David Cameron took to X, formerly Twitter, to say the UK was heading in the wrong direction. Big infrastructure projects show countries on the rise, he said, calling the decision an opportunity lost.
Mr Burnham held a streetside news conference to make the same point. He lined up behind him representatives of industry, education and culture to show the breadth of feeling in the city. He could have added sport, life sciences, AI and advanced technology to the mix.
Alongside sport, these are the pillars of the city. While I do not doubt the depth of their dismay, I also can see their fundamental strengths are only affected, not diminished.
One of the aspects of co-ordinated growth of the type that Manchester has thrived from in recent decades is a multitude of analytical reports to breakdown what success looks like. Sport is the city’s passion whether blue or devilish red. It’s no surprise that the rise of Manchester City and the urban regeneration around its ground has been so instrumental in the success story.
One of the local authority’s brochures makes some points as to why the city has the heritage to be a leader in the field of AI.
A new accelerator for AI technology is named after the father of computing Alan Turing, who lectured in the city. Ernest Rutherford and the team that first split the atom in Manchester too. More recently, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov fashioned the first layer of graphene.
Alongside one of the canals is the Manchester University sign that is paired with the UAE’s Masdar. The Abu Dhabi-based clean technology and renewable energy contributed £30 million to a graphene institute in 2014 and has seen its potential grow into the billions.
Thus, the Manchester City team is but one of the links with the UAE. The proposition has been described as a wrap-around interest in the northern metropolis. Development is anchored by the rise of the club and the partnerships in life sciences and advanced technology.
In the past decade, the economy of the city has grown by more than one third. It already has connectivity advantages with 7.2 million people living within one hour of the city centre.
Manchester has worked to create a structured relationship with China and India and that openness means that over 100,000 students attend its institutions. While the city’s politicians are broadly on the left, it feels like its traditions of free trade and international openness are more deeply entrenched here than most parts of the UK.
As the HS2 row was unfolding, certain Conservative politicians at its conference in Manchester were coming up with a new villain. The 15-minute city approach to urban living was being described as “sinister” by Transport Minister Mark Harper.
The concept is being likened to a form of creeping control over ordinary lives. Carlos Moreno, the man who coined the term, hit out at the attacks on his vision.
“Associating the ‘15-minute city’ again with so-called ‘liberty-restricting’ measures is tantamount to aligning with the most radical and anti-democratic elements,” he said in a statement. Mr Moreno has worked with Manchester on some of its neighbourhood designs.
It would not be the first time that Manchester’s success has come in spite of the national government not as a result of policies. The same is true of those other great cities Liverpool and Newcastle.
That is because they have something to offer the world that is valuable and dynamic. Even if their progress is not always honoured by their own homeland.
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
SPECS
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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
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
