Start of a royal race



Having led his team to victory over his wife's team in a rowing race during their tour of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Britain's Prince William was exultant, not least because this is a sport in which his wife Kate, now the Duchess of Cambridge, used to compete.

After winning, some say with the help of a slightly early start, the prince did not hide his elation, and told his bride "there is no chivalry in sport". That's true enough, as a glance at the business dealings of any professional sport will tell you. (We say nothing of officiating scandals.)

Still, the comment reminds us forcefully that the prince is a newlywed. Older hands at the marriage game might have advised him, had they been asked, that marriage is not a sport.

To be sure, there's little chivalry anywhere these days, if you use the word to mean a code of honour that demands punctilious conduct, especially towards the weak. To be sure, too, women have been fighting their way out of the category of "the weak", and many women today disdain the relics of chivalry formerly known as courtesy. When was the last time you saw a man stand up, for example, when a woman leaves or joins the table?

Equally, letting your wife win a boat race would be an unwelcome relic of a lost age. But gloating about beating her? As any married man would have warned Will, that's just asking for trouble.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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