Imagine living in a neighbourhood where residents can take a leisurely stroll from Spain to China before travelling from Morocco to France on foot.
All this is possible in one of Dubai’s brightest and more affordable districts, International City, a bustling spot with global appeal.
It has pink, yellow and sand-coloured three-storey buildings, divided into clusters that represent different nations.
Unlike most Dubai communities, where a car is a necessity, residents here can walk to the supermarkets, restaurants and cafes found on the ground floors of most buildings.
Another ingredient contributing to the international flavour is the well-known Dragon Mart, a Chinese mall that attracts huge numbers of visitors from across the emirate thanks to its competitive prices and wealth of goods.
Many residents have lived in International City for more than a decade, choosing apartments which range from studios to two-bedroom homes.
Syed Yaseen, 40, lives in the England section and remembered a time when there were few options to eat out.
“The England and China cluster were ready first but shopping was restricted to Chinese products in Dragon Mart,” says Mr Yaseen, a Pakistani who works for an entertainment company.
“The location is unbeatable because it is the only community connected to two major roads – Al Khail and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Plus, for movies we can go to Dragon Mart 2, so it’s really very convenient.”
A magnet for bargain hunters, Dragon Mart is packed with Chinese products including garments, jewellery, furniture, electronic goods and home interior offerings.
Its popularity led to the opening of Dragon Mart 2, an expanded zone that includes entertainment and more dining options.
People from a diverse range of countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Egypt and Morocco are long-time residents in clusters from the Spanish zone to the English sector. But the busiest and most popular section is the China cluster.
For many Chinese families, hearing a familiar language spoken on the streets encouraged them to make the move from Bur Dubai and Deira.
Groups of women carry light-coloured parasols to shield themselves from the winter sun and walk to cafes, stores and salons that have display large Chinese-language signboards.
Grandparents with toddlers push strollers and stop to chat on street corners with other elderly residents.
It is a world in one city in which people from an array of cultures and nationalities feel right at home.
“My in-laws don’t speak English so it would be very difficult for them to live in any other place,” said Huafei Li, a Chinese father of three boys aged two, five and seven.
“The children play together in the evening and are taken care of by grandparents. My in-laws have made friends with other grandparents and they go out within the area. It would not have been possible anywhere else.
“As Chinese people, we like our tea and since we have good friends who live near by, they can go over for tea to see each other.”
Mr Huafei, 41, practises acupuncture in a medical centre in Umm Suqeim and eats in restaurants near home when his family is on holiday in China.
Apart from Chinese people, residents from Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand head to the busy Wenzhou Supermarket.
It stocks fresh produce such as plump green chillies, extra-long cucumbers, broad beans and shelves stacked with sheets of dried soy bean, varieties of shiitake mushroom, kelp, roasted fish and squid.
For Yan Li Liu, a luxury goods saleswoman, being able to find food from home and seeing her son Aiden, three, speak the Chinese language gives her a sense of being back in her native province of Hebei near Beijing.
“My son’s English is good because he speaks the language the whole day in the nursery,” Ms Yan said. “But I was concerned about his Chinese. In no other place would I find so many Chinese people.
“My neighbours are Chinese so my son can practise regularly. We speak Chinese all the time on the street and in restaurants. Living in International City to me is like living in China.”
Residents say easy access to Asian cuisine keeps them loyal to the community despite a lack of parking, and the need for more green spaces and a convenient hospital.
Security has improved, with guards posted at each building and patrol cars cruising the streets.
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Catch of the day at Ajman Fish Market
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Some people find reasons to grumble, but International City’s low rents and sense of community keeps most here for years.
“Car rental companies took over the parking areas because there is no assigned parking per apartment,” said Ophelia Mendoza, a Filipina who works with a travel company a few minutes away from her home in the Spanish cluster.
“So when my husband returns home at night, he needs to search for a long time to find parking and usually finds a space far away from our building.”
Rent for a one-bedroom apartment is about Dh32,000 and a two-bedroom home costs about Dh52,000.
But the low rental prices have also attracted groups of bachelors, with some companies buying several apartments to act as labour accommodation and then packing in as many as eight men to a studio.
“I would prefer my neighbours to be other families and not groups of men,” Ms Mendoza said. “We argue with some people about cleanliness every day.
“But then, I think in every place there will be some complaint. As long as the men are not loud and don’t make a nuisance, it is OK.
“This is a very reasonable and convenient place for us and also for them, so we will continue to live here.”
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Racecard
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
