Global Village has announced the extension of its 29th season by one week, now running through Sunday, May 18.

The decision offers visitors additional time to experience the destination’s attractions, end-of-season deals, and performances.

The extended dates give guests one last chance to enjoy a wide range of experiences, including over 3,500 shopping outlets, 250 dining options, and more than 200 rides and games across Carnaval, Exo Planet City, and Neon Galaxy – X Challenge Zone.

Several recently launched promotions will continue during the final week:

Kids Go Free: Free park entry for children under 12.

Carnaval Offer: Unlimited rides in the Carnaval area for Dhs50.

Golden Bar Challenge: A chance to win Dhs2,900 in cash by lifting a golden bar, with a total prize pool of Dhs87,000.

Guests are encouraged to take advantage of mega discounts and exclusive bargains across traditional cultural items, fashion, and handmade crafts, available for the remaining seven days.

Entertainment and dining

The destination will continue to host live performances on the Main Stage and Kids’ Theatre, featuring cultural dances and music. Guests can also explore limited-edition food concepts and unique presentations across the 250 food outlets, many exclusive to Global Village.

Season finale fireworks at Global Village

To mark the season’s close, fireworks displays will light up the sky on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, capping off the extended finale with a festive flourish.

Global Village will continue to welcome visitors daily from 4pm to 1am until May 18.

Gold slipped on Monday as positive US-China trade talks alleviated market fears, leading investors to shift from safe-haven assets towards riskier investments.

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Spot gold fell 1.4 per cent to $3,277.34 an ounce, as of 0432 GMT. US gold futures lost 1.9 per cent to $3,281.70.

Dollar index advances

“The dollar index has advanced as the Trump administration touted progress in trade negotiations, with China following negotiations over the weekend in Switzerland which weighed on gold prices,” said Jigar Trivedi, senior commodity analyst at Reliance Securities.

The US and China ended high-stakes trade talks on a positive note on Sunday, with US officials touting a “deal” to reduce the US trade deficit, while Chinese officials said they had reached “important consensus”.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said a joint statement would be released in Geneva on Monday.

US-China tariffs

The US and China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other last month, triggering a trade war that fuelled fears of global recession.

The US will be left with higher tariffs once the dust settles from President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations, a majority of the current and former Trump advisers Reuters spoke to said.

Gold: Hedge against economic, political uncertainties

Gold, traditionally seen as a hedge against economic and political uncertainties, thrives in a low-interest rate environment.

On Friday, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said the Fed needs more time to see how the economy responds to Trump’s tariffs and other policies before figuring out the right response.

Traders are also eyeing release of US Consumer Price Index on Tuesday for fresh signals on the Fed’s monetary policy trajectory.

“In the near term, gold possibly continue to decline as the dollar could appreciate and amid reducing geopolitical risk the haven demand too may drop hence, the yellow metal may decline to $3,200/oz in the near term,” Trivedi added.

Emaar Properties reported its Q1 2025 results,which it said was driven by record-breaking property sales, robust revenue growth, and expanding international demand.

The company posted Dhs 5.4bn ($1.5bn) in net profit before tax, a 27 per cent increase over Q1 2024, as it continues to scale operations and redefine industry benchmarks.

Emaar achieved property sales of Dhs19.3bn ($5.3bn) in Q1, up 42 per cent year-on-year.

Revenue rose 50 per cent to Dhs 10.1bn ($2.8bn), while EBITDA grew 24 per cent to Dhs 5.4bn, with a margin exceeding 53 per cent.

The developer also declared and paid a record dividend of Dhs8.9bn ($2.4bn).

Revenue backlog from property sales stood at Dhs127bn ($34.6bn) as of March 31, up 62 per cent compared to the same period last year, pointing to a strong revenue pipeline.

“These results are more than numbers; they reflect the ambition of a team that refuses to stand still,” said Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar. “At Emaar, we don’t follow momentum — we create it.”

Domestic property development remains core driver

Emaar Development, the company’s UAE-based build-to-sell arm, saw record quarterly sales of Dhs 16.5bn ($4.5bn), marking a 28 per cent year-on-year increase.

Revenue grew 43 per cent to Dhs 5bn ($1.4bn), with net profit before tax rising 49 per cent to Dhs 2.8bn ($753m). Consolidated UAE development revenue reached Dhs 6.9bn ($1.9bn), including Dubai Creek Harbour.

Backlog for UAE property sales stood at Dhs112bn ($30.5bn) by the end of the quarter, underscoring sustained demand for premium residential projects across the emirate.

Emaar retail, hospitality and international segments strengthen

Emaar’s shopping malls and commercial leasing business recorded Dhs 1.5bn ($408m) in revenue and Dhs1.3bn ($354m) in EBITDA in Q1, supported by strong lease renewals, growing tenant sales, and 98 per cent average occupancy.

International property sales contributed Dhs2.8bn ($762m), led by strong performance in India and Egypt. International revenues totalled Dhs626m ($170m), representing around 6 per cent of the group’s total revenue.

The hospitality, leisure, and entertainment division generated Dhs1.1bn ($299m) in Q1 revenue, supported by robust tourism and 82 per cent average hotel occupancy.

Emaar added two new hotels with over 600 keys during the quarter.

Recurring revenue grows 11 per cent

Recurring revenue from malls, hospitality, leisure, entertainment, and leasing reached Dhs2.6bn ($707m), up 11 per cent from Q1 2024.

EBITDA from this segment rose by 10 per cent to Dhs 2bn ($545m), making up 37 per cent of Emaar’s total EBITDA.

Strong ESG and credit momentum

Emaar received its third ESG rating upgrade in four years from MSCI and saw its credit rating upgraded by S&P Global to BBB+ with a stable outlook, reflecting investor confidence in its sustainability focus and financial stability.

The company emphasised ongoing investments in talent development, operational efficiency, and responsible sourcing, further supporting its long-term growth strategy.

Huawei hosted a successful media briefing earlier this week at GISEC GLOBAL, the Middle East’s largest cybersecurity event. Under the theme “Establishing a Unified Cybersecurity Foundation to Safeguard the Expanding Digital and Intelligent Landscape,” the discussion addressed the critical cybersecurity challenges of our rapidly evolving digital era.

The session brought together media representatives from across the GCC, underscoring the regional importance of cybersecurity collaboration. The panel featured insights from Huawei’s top cybersecurity experts: Dr Zhu Shenggao, Vice President of AI at Huawei Cloud Middle East & Central Asia; Richard Wu, President of the Security Product Domain in the Data Communication Product Line; and Yongjian Li, President of Data Protection at Huawei. The session was moderated by Colm Murphy from the Huawei European Cybersecurity Center.

The briefing reinforced Huawei’s position as “Your Reliable Partner in the Digital and Intelligent World” through its comprehensive security governance system. Drawing on over 30 years of experience and defending against trillions of attacks, Huawei has developed advanced security models that update in real time and evolve rapidly. These capabilities are integrated into Huawei’s intelligent security system, structured around its ‘one center, seven defenses’ framework.

At the core of this transformation is Huawei’s principled approach to cybersecurity: security that is built-in and based on verification aligned with common standards; a commitment to being a secure, trustworthy provider; comprehensive governance systems; secure technologies developed through collaboration; active contributions to industry standards; and a strong respect for privacy and data sovereignty.

Yongjian Li, President of Data Protection at Huawei, also unveiled the OceanProtect E8000, a next-generation data protection system featuring a 3-in-1 converged architecture. This system integrates backup software servers, short-term retention storage, and long-term retention storage into a single solution.

Key benefits include:

• Five times faster recovery performance, restoring 1TB of data in just 20 seconds
• High-density 2PB/2U capacity, reducing rack space usage by up to 90 per cent compared to conventional solutions

Dr Zhu Shenggao, Vice President of AI at Huawei Cloud Middle East and Central Asia, emphasised Huawei Cloud’s transition from cloud-native to AI-native security systems. Huawei leverages three decades of security operations data and advanced computing power to power its Pangu security model, which automates 99 per cent of threat responses and significantly shortens threat detection and tracing times.

Read-Huawei’s MEA Ecosystem Summit redefines digital bridges, fosters innovation

Key AI-based security assurances include:

• Environment protection through real-time threat detection and rapid resolution
• Data protection via encryption, watermarking, and tracking to prevent leaks
• Model reliability ensured through rigorous training for accuracy and reduced errors
• Content safety upheld by ethical safeguards and attack prevention mechanisms

Unified security framework: Cloud to endpoint

Richard Wu, President of the Security Product Domain, highlighted Huawei’s integrated “Endpoint-Network-Security” platform, designed to combat ransomware and enhance data recovery. The solution unifies cloud, network, edge, and endpoint security under a single framework.

Huawei’s new Xinghe Intelligent Unified SASE Solution addresses growing cybersecurity threats resulting from cloud migration, branch breakouts, and hybrid working. With 85 per cent of enterprises moving services to the cloud and 80 per cent of traffic now directly routed from branches, attack surfaces are expanding rapidly.

Key elements of the SASE solution:

• AI Security Brain with over 8,000 built-in rules handles 99 per cent of alarms automatically
• Ultra-large-scale networking supporting up to 20,000 branches—50 per cent more than the industry average
• AI firewall at the edge detects 95 per cent of unknown threats.
• HiSec Endpoint boosts detection rates by 50 per cent over traditional antivirus solutions

Huawei’s SASE platform has earned Tolly certification, reinforcing its operational and detection superiority.

Advanced threat detection and unified defense architecture

Huawei’s intelligent security system uses a “one center, seven defenses” framework. Its SecMaster unified security operations center enhances detection accuracy to over 99 per cent, reduces investigation time by 83 per cent, and accelerates attack source tracing by 95 per cent.

AI-powered security models are used to:

• Improve classification and identification of sensitive data
• Detect abnormal access behaviors and potential leaks
• Recognise ransomware encryption attempts in databases

Local partnerships strengthen regional security

Huawei continues to deepen regional cooperation. In 2024, it signed a strategic partnership with Jeraisy, a leading network provider in Saudi Arabia, to jointly deliver advanced SASE solutions tailored to the Middle East market.

Richard Wu noted the region’s rapid growth and the presence of major MSPs and carriers such as Saudi Telecom Company, emphasising Huawei’s commitment to regional collaboration and digital development.

Compliance and cloud security governance

To align with national cybersecurity strategies, Huawei Cloud introduced its Cloud Service Cybersecurity and Compliance Standard (3CS). Based on more than 16 global security standards, 3CS ensures robust governance and facilitates regulatory compliance.

Huawei Cloud holds CSA STAR Certification, covering data protection, risk management, and infrastructure security, among other areas. This validates Huawei’s standing as a globally trusted cloud provider.

Tackling multi-cloud security and sovereignty

In response to growing adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud environments, SecMaster provides unified security operations across endpoints, edge, network, and cloud. It consolidates tools, integrates threat intelligence, and enables national-level threat hunting.

Huawei Cloud’s security governance framework addresses data sovereignty and regulatory challenges by consolidating over 20 global standards and 130 compliance certifications into a unified system, streamlining the path to compliance.

Ensuring data resilience amid evolving threats

To defend against ransomware and ensure business continuity, Huawei Storage integrates AI for enhanced threat detection. The use of all-flash media accelerates backup and recovery, while a 99.9 per cent reliable active-active architecture ensures system uptime and trust in the recovery process.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence tools have seamlessly woven themselves into the fabric of our lives.

These generative AI tools, with their ability to create content and enhance productivity, have become indispensable in our daily routines. As families venture into this new digital frontier, they encounter a labyrinth of potential threats that require careful navigation.

Unlike traditional search engines, AI tools capture and store every interaction; therefore, making it crucial to understand how your data could be used or exposed These tools can collect more information than one might expect, from IP addresses and location data to social media activity.

This treasure trove of data underscores the importance of being judicious about the information you share, as maintaining online anonymity plays a key role in safeguarding both you and your family.

Anonymity in the age of AI and GenAI

In an era where data is currency, taking steps to anonymise your profile is crucial. A good starting point is to create a new, dedicated email address for chatbot sign-ups, keeping it separate from your personal email associated with your financial accounts to maintain a layer of separation.

Enhance your privacy further by using a VPN to encrypt your connections, effectively shielding your device’s IP address and location from being collected. When choosing an AI platform, prioritise reputable services and disable “model learning” to limit data collection, ensuring your digital footprint remains as discreet as possible. These measures help keep your chats, images, and conversations private, allowing you to maintain greater control over your data.

When engaging with AI tools, exercise discretion by using general parameters rather than specifics, opting out of data collection whenever possible, and routinely clearing cookies and history to effectively minimise data retention. For instance, if you’re drafting a resume, refrain from inputting personal details. Instead, find ways to ask for assistance without revealing your identity to maintain a level of anonymity.

Additionally, make it a habit to log off after each session and regularly clear cookies and history. This simple practice can prevent the system from continuing to gather information about you and your activities, helping you maintain a more discreet digital footprint.

Cybersecurity Toolkit: Back to basics

While the digital world continues to evolve, it’s reassuring to know that the basics still offer strong protection for our digital lives.

Multi-factor authentication remains a cornerstone of digital security, adding a strong layer of protection that make unauthorised access to online banking, email, social media, shopping, and other accounts significantly more challenging.

Equally important is the use of strong, unique, and complex passwords across various platforms, which can be efficiently managed with the help of a reputable password manager. Running continuous antivirus software on all devices acts as a vigilant defense against malware and other threats, ensuring your devices remain protected.

Moreover, keeping your operating systems and software up-to-date is vital for closing potential security gaps, reinforcing your defenses against exploitation.

Public AI tools: A new avenue for cyber threats

Public AI tools have opened new avenues for hackers and cybercriminals to profile and target individuals and families. These malicious actors can leverage AI to craft sophisticated malware designed to infiltrate commonly used systems, generate convincing phishing emails in multiple languages devoid of telltale signs like bad grammar or misspellings.

Be especially cautious with any requests to alter payment information or share sensitive data, as these are often tactics used by cybercriminals. To counter these threats, it’s crucial to always verify the sources of emails, phone calls, texts, and even video calls through a separate, trusted channel.

Voices of deception: Navigating deepfakes

An emerging threat in this landscape is the rise of voice deepfakes. GenAI tools can easily capture and replicate voices from social media, webinars, and calls, crafting potential scams when paired with personal information.

As fraud attempts escalate, the need to validate the identity of individuals making requests — particularly those involving financial transactions — has never been more critical.

For families, establishing a “safe word” to confirm urgent requests offers a simple yet effective strategy to ensure authenticity and fortify trust in an age of digital deception.

Raising digital natives: AI safety for children

Integrating AI safety into everyday conversations with young children is as vital as imparting basic life lessons. As children, driven by their natural curiosity, increasingly interact with AI-powered tools and devices, it’s imperative for parents to establish clear guidelines early.

This proactive approach equips children to navigate the complexities of AI technology safely, fostering responsibility and awareness as they explore the digital landscape.

The writer is the EMEA head of wealth Advisory at JP Morgan Private Bank.