Bored with Dubai Mall? Mall of the Emirates? Ibn Battuta, BurJuman and all the rest? Don't panic. There's another mall to add to the rota: Mirdif City Centre.
It's been two years in the making, cost more than Dh3 billion to build and has 196,000 square feet of space. Can't work out how big that is? Well, it's just vast. Brought to you by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, the same group that built Deira City Centre (as the original names might imply), it boasts more than 350 stores over two airy floors.
During a spot visit last week, however, it seemed that many of these stores are still to open, with plenty of shopfronts still covered by hoarding.
Still, two of the biggest names there, Pottery Barn and American Eagle Outfitters, are up and running. The latter is a kind of Abercrombie & Fitch. This is its first opening outside North America, and it's a great place for bright T-shirts, demin shorts and fantastically comfortable and colourful, soft-cotton underwear. It's ripe for summer wardrobes, in other words, with prices hovering around those that you would find in Gap. (Also in situ at the new mall.)
Pottery Barn comes in two incarnations, as a grown-up store and as Pottery Barn Kids. Last week, mostly female customers drifted through the store, running their hands over everything, their eyes glinting with longing. Think white clapboard America meets Caribbean home. Shells, candles and glass hurricane lamps sit on almost every surface, cream and beige sofas line the floor, mounds of fluffy towels are shelved in one corner. There are thick patched quilts and cushions too. It's like a grown-up, more expensive Zara Home.
Other notable stores at Mirdif include a Lakeland, crammed with Good Grips kitchen utensils and other knick-knacks that you might think useful (banana guard, anyone?) and then, once home, chuck in the back of a cupboard. There's a second Hamley's, a well-laid-out Boutique 1, a big Uterque (with well-made leather belts, shoes and bags from the same group that owns Zara), a Fitness First (due to open in June), a Cinestar cinema and various other entertainment options including a bowling alley and a children's play area called Aquaplay, which didn't seem to have any water in it last week.
Best of all, the mall is on only two floors and escalators are thoughtfully placed so you don't traipse around working how to get from one floor to the next (ahem, Dubai Mall). Since Mirdif is new and less central than other malls, there were fewer people clogging it too. There are huge food courts and restaurants everywhere you turn, including More Cafe, Carluccio's, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Tiffinbites. That traditional mall smell of stale fries lingers in certain areas, but that is a small gripe, all things considered.
A bigger complaint would be the car park - it's easy enough to get in, but like trying to escape a maze on the way out. Exiting took seven minutes and involved going down a level and then up again like something out of Running Man. Better signage is needed.
Within a 20 minute drive of Mirdif City Centre is another big recent opening: Iconic, a stand-alone men's and women's fashion store in Deira City Centre featuring more than 200 brands. If you can, picture Urban Outfitters. Also laid out on two floors, it's divided neatly into sections including clothes, shoes, jewellery, electronics and cosmetics. It's a good place to shop for gifts, too, with stacks of coffee-table books, cookery books, novelty luggage tags, board games, badges and pretty notepads. And there are two cafes and a salon.
And thundering music. In short, it's a teenager's fantasy.
The delightful thing about Iconic is that the clothes are quirky, which is a quality often lacking in other identikit Dubai malls. Plenty of the products are inexpensive, too. Floaty, patterned summer dresses from the British label Lucy in the Sky started at around Dh100, floor-length party frocks by Philip and Laura started at Dh300. Sportswear comes courtesy of brands such as Rip Curl, Vans, Paul Frank and Billabong. The shoes are mostly like what you would find in New Look, and again will go down well with Dubai's teenage population.
The boys in particular have a vast denim section, with 16 jeans labels including Diesel, Catch Denim and Cheap Monday. A wide range of suits is available (albeit some slightly shiny-looking), as well as wittily sloganed T-shirts and several pairs of eye-catching swimming trunks by the Californian surfing brand Maui and Sons.
The only blot to lay at Iconic's door is that the smiley, dungaree-wearing staff are so enthusiastic it borders on irritating. Do they loiter in your personal space because they think you're stealing something, or merely to be there should you have a question? But it's early days for the store, and given a few more customers, they may relax. Take your teenagers there and abandon them. They will be well entertained for an hour or so.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
AUSTRALIA SQUAD v SOUTH AFRICA
Aaron Finch (capt), Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Company%20Profile
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THREE
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Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Company%20Profile
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
