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Lifestyle

Lifestyle and entertainment news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

The sky’s the limit for cloud kitchens in the Gulf

While many businesses suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic, cloud kitchens – companies that prepare food solely for home delivery without having sit-down restaurant space – were beneficiaries of the online ordering boom. The GCC has been a hotspot for this growth with companies including Sweetheart Kitchen, Kitopi, KLC Virtual Restaurants and kaykroo overseeing delivery […]

Water, Waterfront, Watercraft

Kuwait City leads the world for billionaires

Kuwait City is home to more billionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world, according to the latest data. The Gulf capital boasts one billionaire for every 33,090 inhabitants, making it the most densely populated city for those with more than ten digits of wealth, reports the Billionaire Census 2022 from New York-based consultancy […]

Dubai record label launches as Arab music appeal grows

Galaxy Racer (GXR), the media giant focused on e-sports, music and sports, has announced the launch of GXR Records, an independent music label based in Dubai.  GXR and Empire, the global independent label, distributor and publisher, said the new venture will be led by Elia Mssawir and will focus on developing talents in West Asian […]

Female, Person, Human

Sonal Vara-Parmar, founder IAM Entertainment

What does your company do?  Based in Dubai, IAM works at the forefront of events and live shows across the Middle East, bringing together the biggest stars on the planet.  What do you look for when hiring talent?  We look for dynamic creators – innovative and versatile, trustworthy individuals willing to go the extra mile […]

Turkey’s $800m robotic dinosaur amusement park lies desolate

Giant dinosaurs and robot models abandoned among decrepit fair rides create a dystopian atmosphere in a defunct amusement park in the Turkish capital, which its opposition party mayor is now highlighting as a testament to past government profligacy. Three years ago, President Tayyip Erdogan opened the massive theme park with great fanfare ahead of local […]

Arabic club music takes off in New York

A music venue and nightclub in Brooklyn, New York, is putting the spotlight on music from the Middle East and North Africa. Laylit, or “the night of” in Arabic, is a party night at Elsewhere with Syrian resident DJ Saphe Shamoun. Launched last October, the event had become popular, attracting over 800 people. On the […]

Erika Blazeviciute Doyle, managing director at Drink Dry

Gulf firms tap thirst for no-alcohol drinks

On St Patrick’s Day this year Irish drinks brand Guinness seized the opportunity to promote one of its biggest innovations since its launch in 1759. Four years in the making, Guinness 0.0, a non-alcoholic version of the famous stout brew – first launched in the UK and Ireland in 2020 – has now gone global. […]

Kuwait City: looks nice, but would you want to live here?

Welcome to Kuwait, the world’s worst expat destination

They say they are unhappy with career opportunities, fed up with the poor quality of life, find it difficult to settle and rarely talk to “unfriendly” locals. It’s no wonder that expats in Kuwait have voted it the worst place in the world to live and work. Kuwait not only ranks last of all 52 […]

Arab music streaming service expands into live events

Abu Dhabi-headquartered Arabic music streaming service Anghami has expanded into the live music sector through its acquisition of Dubai-headquartered events and concert organiser Spotlight Events. The partnership will bridge the online and offline sector, giving Anghami music fans opportunities to see their favourite acts live, access to exclusive private concerts, VIP lounges, artist meet-and-greets and […]

$500-an-hour sobriety coach helps Dubai’s big drinkers

Dubai’s work-hard, play-hard expat party lifestyle, and its famous all-you-can-drink weekend brunches can be the perfect breeding ground for potential alcoholics, according to the founder of a new $500-an-hour sober coaching service. British sober and recovery coach, David Golding, relocated to Dubai nearly four months ago and has launched Sober Lifestyle Coaching, a 13-week recovery […]

Reviving the ancient tradition of wine-making in Egypt

Egypt’s revival of its tourism sector following the coronavirus pandemic impacts on its wine industry as well as its expanding hotel sector. Today, popular wine brands in the country include Omar Khayyam, Ayyam, Shahrazade, and Beausoleil, which are served in many of Egypt’s hotels, resorts and the bars in some of the more upmarket neighbourhoods. They’re […]

Asim Amin, the founder and CEO of Plumm
  • Exclusive

Mental health as important as salary in the Gulf

Companies offering robust mental health support programmes will secure the best talent in the Gulf, according to the founder of a workplace wellbeing platform. Asim Amin, founder and CEO of Plumm, said that while businesses in the region have started to realise the importance of their employees’ mental wellbeing, there is “still a long way […]

Heidi Shara, CEO and founder of Wear That

How I got to the top: Heidi Shara, CEO and founder of Wear That

What does your company do? Wear That is a digital platform that creates personalised looks for women to try on before they buy in the comfort of their own home, with a real-life personal stylist. What inspired you to develop your idea? Having styled thousands of women all over the world in both luxury and […]

First multifaith gathering held on Arabian Peninsula in 1,000 years

In contrast to a rhetoric of conflict, the forum proposes a unifying vision The Muslim World League held the Forum on Common Values Among Religious Followers this week in Saudi capital Riyadh. A multifaith event with leaders from around the world, the forum included 90 faith leaders in all, with Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and […]

Emmanuel Macron learns the art of compromise the hard way

Jupiter has lost his thunder. Emmanuel Macron, whose first presidential mandate was marked by a top-down government style he compared to that of the almighty Roman god, will have to learn the art of consensus-building in the second. Deprived of an absolute majority by voters on Sunday, the French president can no longer count on […]

Erika Blazeviciute Doyle, managing director at Drink Dry

How I got to the top: Erika Blazeviciute Doyle, Drink Dry

What does your company do? Drink Dry is the UAE’s first and only non-alcoholic drinks marketplace. We aspire to open the world to new and better ways of drinking. We sell and distribute premium non-alcoholic drinks in the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. What inspired you to develop your idea? The business idea […]

Staying in five-star hotels would have hurt the bank balance

Poor us: Dubai’s richest suffer 19% increase in cost of living

A report this week found that the UAE is expected to gain an extra 4,000 millionaires this year, but another study reveals that the cost of living for Dubai’s wealthiest rose 19 percent in the past 12 months. The Henley Global Citizens Report forecast that the UAE would see 4,000 high net worth individuals or […]

Hollywood actor Chris Evans voices Buzz Lightyear in the movie

‘Lightyear’ banned days after Disney streaming launch

The UAE has banned the latest Disney animated blockbuster from showing in cinemas in the country, just days after the American entertainment giant launched its long-awaited streaming service across the region. The Media Regulatory Office, part of the UAE Ministry of Youth and Culture, said in a tweet on Monday that the “the animated film […]

How I got to the top: Aidan Christofferson, co-founder, Flashy

What does your company do? We are a 10 month old startup tech company, based in Dubai, which provides a platform for scalable photography solutions for GCC customers. Whether you’re a sole entrepreneur looking to capture images for your product, or a multinational enterprise looking for thousands of images a week, our platform takes care […]