A new 10-bedroom custom-built villa on the Palm Jumeirah has been sold for a record Dh280 million in Dubai, the emirate where records are broken almost every other day.
The stylish contemporary white villa features an enormous 33,000sq ft, state-of-the-art living space, seven-star spa hotel facilities (including a gym and a hair salon), and imported and handpicked book-matched Italian marble. The property is furnished by uber-lux Italian furniture houses Giorgetti and Minotti and boasts more than 70 metres of private beachfront.
While the details of the exact date of the deal being sealed in ink are unknown yet, the development comes in the first week since the first quarter of 2022 closed on a very strong note.
According to a Kingsley Properties report, quoting Dubai Land Department figures, property sales hit the 22.55 billion mark in transaction volume for the month of March 2022, almost two years since the start to the Covid19 pandemic.
Among a total of 172 localities that witnessed buying in off-plan and completed properties last month, Palm Jumeirah led the pile with the most concentrated interest among buyers.
Real estate platform propertymonitor.com verified that the sale of this Palm Jumeirah villa sets a new record for the highest value residential villa sale in Dubai.
“To see a transaction of this magnitude illustrates the ongoing strength of Dubai’s property market, particularly in the ultra-high-end segment. The transaction not only beats Dubai’s previous record but closes the gap between Dubai’s luxury market and those of leading global cities such as London, New York, and Hong Kong,” said Zhann Jochinke, chief operating officer of Property Monitor.
Visa reforms, rising population, market situations worldwide and changing geopolitics leading the world’s rich and famous to head to Dubai are some of the reasons cited by the Kingsley report as reasons for the upward trajectory in Dubai’s real estate.
The luxury property market in the emirate had also witnessed steady growth in 2021 with prices increasing an estimated 21 per cent within the first 10 months of the year and over Dh135 billion worth of transactions occurring between January and November 2021.
Palm Jumeirah has always been at the forefront among upscale communities in Dubai, with one triplex penthouse selling for Dh180 million in 2021.
According to a Berkshire Hathway survey of property professionals in the region last month, nearly 80 percent are confident that the trend will continue to grow for the rest of the year.
The Dh280m villa deal only goes on to confirm that.
Dubai Police have warned residents not to fall for fake part-time job offers circulating on social media and messaging apps after uncovering a scam that tricked a young man into helping criminals move stolen money.
In a social media post, Dubai Police shared how the scam typically unfolds. The victim responded to an online advert promoting a work-from-home job with flexible hours and quick earnings. After being told he had been accepted, he was instructed to open a new bank account or use his existing one to receive and process what were described as customer payments.
Money was then deposited into his account, and he was instructed to transfer it to other bank accounts in exchange for a commission.
The scammers claimed he was working for an overseas financial services company, but investigators later discovered the transfers were linked to a criminal network.
The victim told police he believed the job was genuine and had no idea he was helping fraudsters.
How the scam works
Police said these scams usually begin with online job ads offering fast cash for simple tasks.
Victims may then be asked to:
Use their bank account to receive and transfer money.
Pay registration or activation fees.
Share personal or banking details.
Complete financial transactions for a commission.
Authorities warned that scammers often use unsuspecting people’s bank accounts to move illegally obtained funds, which could leave the account holder facing serious legal consequences.
How to stay safe
Dubai Police urged job seekers to:
Verify employers before accepting any job offer.
Never share bank details with unknown individuals or companies.
Avoid jobs that ask you to transfer money on behalf of others.
Ignore employers requesting upfront payments or registration fees.
Anyone who receives a suspicious job offer is encouraged to report it through Dubai Police’s eCrime platform or by calling 901 for non-emergency assistance.
Getting around Dubai without a car just became a little easier.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded its Bus-On-Demand service to Al Satwa, Al Quoz and Mirdif, taking the total number of neighbourhoods covered across the city to 20.
The app-based service is designed to make short trips quicker and more convenient by connecting residential communities with nearby Metro stations and public transport hubs.
The expansion comes as more residents continue to use the service. During the first six months of 2026, Bus-On-Demand carried more than 527,000 passengers, a 25.1 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
June was the busiest month so far, with 105,990 passengers using the service.
To meet growing demand, the RTA has increased the fleet to 55 buses while expanding the service area by 54 per cent.
How to book
Booking a ride is simple. Download the Dubai Bus-On-Demand app, create an account and choose your pick-up and drop-off locations.
Passengers can pay using credit cards, debit cards or nol cards directly through the app.
Areas covered
The service is now available in:
Al Barsha
Al Nahda
Dubai Silicon Oasis
Dubai Academic City
Al Rigga
Port Saeed
Business Bay
Downtown Dubai
Oud Metha
Al Karama
Barsha Heights
Al Mankhool
DIFC
Al Warqaa
Dubai Investment Park
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
Al Qusais
Al Satwa
Al Quoz
Mirdif
The RTA says it will continue expanding the service as part of Dubai’s plan to make public transport smarter, more convenient and more sustainable.
Rain continued to sweep across parts of the UAE on Wednesday, with showers reported in Bada Zayed in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region in the afternoon and early evening in Siji, Fujairah, as unstable weather conditions persisted.
The rainfall comes as convective clouds continue to develop across several parts of the country, creating the potential for more showers through the evening.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said unstable weather is expected until 10pm, with convective clouds likely to bring rainfall of varying intensity, strong winds and reduced visibility in some areas.
Residents in affected areas are advised to stay updated with the latest weather alerts and drive carefully, as sudden rain and blowing dust could impact road conditions.
Weather maps show the heaviest cloud cover over large parts of Al Dhafra, with additional cloud formations developing over parts of Al Ain and the Ras Al Khaimah-Fujairah border.
Videos shared on social media showed rain falling in the UAE on Wednesday afternoon, with local weather trackers reporting good rainfall across the area.
The NCM has advised residents in affected areas to stay updated with the latest weather alerts, as convective clouds can develop quickly and may bring sudden showers, gusty winds and blowing dust.
Forecasters continue to monitor the situation and are expected to issue further updates if weather conditions change.