Where in the world is there a palm-shaped promontory off the coast featuring a high-end hotel, a shopping mall, a marina and even a place to land one’s helicopter? The answer might seem obvious, but if a developer in England gets his way, Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah will face competition for the title.
The development proposed for Sandbanks, near Poole on England’s southern coast, offers the sincerest form of flattery to the iconic Dubai archipelago, albeit on a rather more modest scale.
Despite the ridicule the scheme has prompted in some media – one report described Dubai as “sun drenched” and Dorset as “regularly drenched” – there are some parallels with the UAE. Land prices on the Sandbanks peninsula, for example, are among the highest in the world and the hotel is designed to look like a bird. In this case, the avian inspiration is a seagull, as opposed the UAE’s fondness for falcons.
But it is the associated mall that should demonstrate just how far the Dubai inspiration goes. Given the existence of Ski Dubai in a city that has never seen real snow, will the mall in Dorset feature an area with artificial dunes baking under heat lamps?
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 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
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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BABYLON
COMPANY PROFILE
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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