People queueing for the sales launch of the Town Square property townhouses and apartments. Duncan Chard for The National
People queueing for the sales launch of the Town Square property townhouses and apartments. Duncan Chard for The National

Property launch frustrates investors



DUBAI // Hundreds of people who had queued through the night for the launch of a new property development left in frustration just a couple of hours after the official launch.

An estimated 500 people waited for more than 13 hours outside the Town Square sales office on Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai for the 7am launch yesterday.

Most had been eager to snap up large three-bedroom villas at the new community near Arabian Ranches with prices starting from Dh1 million.

“We had someone in line overnight and I got here at about 8am,” said Zaid Qatrabi, an Iraqi businessman who had his eye on a townhouse.

“We’ve just been told that they are only releasing 10 townhouses today, which is very disappointing because they initially said 46 would be going on the market.”

He had a budget of about Dh1 million and was hoping to snag a deal, but was not optimistic.

“Let’s see how it goes,” he said. “The aim was to buy the property as a family home and the project looked like a good one to invest in.”

Mr Qatrabi, like many others on site, was drawn by the relatively low starting price.

According to the developer, Nshama, prices for three-bedroom units started at just under Dh1m. Prices for a three-bedroom apartment were similar, with a two-bedroom apartment going for Dh703,988 and a one-bedroom for Dh503,988.

But as the doors opened, many of those present said they felt misled.

“First they said it was 60 then 46 and then today 10,” said Anant Rastogi, a real-estate agent who had people waiting since 5.30pm on Friday. “There were probably 500 people in line then and it was chaotic.”

His clients wanted to buy a three-bedroom villa but by 8.30am news had filtered through that they had all been sold.

“We haven’t been given any information and are finding out from people who are coming out,” Mr Rastogi said. “The only things now available are the apartments ... being in the queue for most people has been a complete waste of time.

“There are people inside, including my client, trying to see if they can get a villa, but I’m not that hopeful.”

Of the apartments, studios and one-bedrooms were proving the most popular, he said.

“We had people waiting here since midnight last night and it’s all been for nothing,” said another agent. “The vast majority of people have been here for the villas and then the developer decides that they will only put a handful of them on the market. They have not only wasted my time but also my client’s.”

By 9am most people had left the line, leaving only security guards to man railings set up for the crowd the night before.

The Town Square development is at the junction of Al Qudra Road and Emirates Road near the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Nshama said: “We have received overwhelming response for the Town Square sales today. We will continue to launch townhouses and apartments in the coming period.”

nhanif@thenational.ae

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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. 

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

  • An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
  • A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
  • A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%20profile
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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

ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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Monster

Directed by: Anthony Mandler

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington 

3/5

 

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