Mohammed Sharaf, the chief executive of DP World, made a perceptive point at a recent investor meeting: London, he said, was not representative of Britain. While the rest of the country is in the grip of the austerity economy, London remains an island of prosperity.
After a brief trip to Spain last weekend, I have to report the same about the city of Barcelona. All the main Spanish indicators - unemployment, national debt, GDP - paint a picture of almost terminal decline. In contrast, Barcelona seems an oasis of commercial health.
Much like Dubai, the three Ts - trade, transport and tourism - are in evidence. Super large container vessels berth next to huge cruise ships in the harbour. The streets around the old city are thronged with tourists. The queues to get into the incredible Sagrada Família cathedral and the Picasso Museum were daunting.
Cafes, restaurants, and hotels were all trading briskly, and judging by the volume of business at the airport, Barcelona is firmly on the international tourist trail at all levels. Backpackers lined up side-by-side with the Louis Vuitton brigade in the check-in queues.
Whatever Spain is doing wrong in terms of economy does not seem to have infected Barcelona too much.
Visitors from the Arabian Gulf were much in evidence. The flight from Dubai was packed both ways, and the boarding line for the flight to Doha snaked around the airport departure lounge.
One thing attracting them - and maybe this is the factor that gives Barcelona the edge over the rest of the country - is the city's fantastic football club, FC Barcelona, or just Barca as everybody calls it.
"More than a club" is the slogan at the near 100,000 seater Camp Nou stadium, and it certainly is that: a symbol of Catalan pride, a social institution and a major tourist attraction are its other roles. What a place.
I was there with my son Patrick to celebrate his 16th birthday. Although he's a fervent supporter of Tottenham Hotspur (like dad), he believes Lionel Messi, Barca's Argentine superstar, is the best player in the world, and the Barca style of football the most attractive to watch. So a trip to Cam Nou was a great birthday present, I thought.
But alas, no Messi. He had been injured in the previous match, and was being rested to get ready for the big European match against Paris Saint-Germain tonight. So we had to be content with the rest of Barca's team of all the talents, soak up the atmosphere and watch hapless Majorca get beaten 5-0.
There is a major Middle Eastern influence at Camp Nou. Advertising hoardings for Turkish Airlines ring the stadium, and the teams emerge through an archway branded by the Qatar Foundation, which is also a shirt sponsor. I heard much Arabic spoken in the part of the ground where our seats were located. Obviously many Gulf residents make the trip a couple of times a month to watch the best football in the world.
The following day, after a pleasant tapas lunch by the beach, we took off to the Picasso Museum. Now, as I've said before in this column, I know nothing about art, but appreciate seeing the great masters.
But it was surely the only time I've been to an art gallery where the majority of visitors were wearing football shirts, all with the name Messi on the back. Barcelona has got its tourist marketing just about perfect, I reckon.
fkane@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
more from Janine di Giovanni
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Tuesday results:
- Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
- UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
- Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets
Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong
SPECS
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
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Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
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
SPECS
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Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
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.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press