News Analysis: UAE’s ‘Forced’ Expat Pension Plan
NEWS ANALYSIS: Is it going to be mandatory? If so, do you have control where your funds are invested? What happens if you are only in the UAE for a 12 or 24 month period…?
Audio Analysis: AD Louvre, Egypt Downgrade
AUDIO ANALYSIS: The delayed opening of Abu Dhabi’s Louvre and Guggenheim Museum, Moody’s downgrading of Egypt, and Dubai’s transparency.
News Analysis: Bad Week For Abu Dhabi Projects
NEWS ANALYSIS: It’s been a sobering week for anyone involved in the construction industry in Abu Dhabi. What’s happening and why now?
Eid is Just Around the Corner: So Where to Go?
THE HEDONISTA: Eid al Adha has been my favourite – the last few years it has fallen far enough out of summer it occurs with the change of season.
News Analysis: Nakheel Lawsuits, Investor Confusion
NEWS ANALYSIS: The emirate is a lot further ahead than many of its regional peers, but the hangover after the irrational exuberance of the noughties will take a long time to clean up.
Slurs, Accusations, and the Courts in the Digital Age
ALEXANDER MCNABB: … It does leave you wondering what would happen if a truly complex case of Internet fraud or identity theft did come up for the Dubai courts to make judgment on…
News Analysis: Build It & They Still Won’t Come
NEWS ANALYSIS: CB Richard Ellis delivers another report telling us what we already know – there is simply too much property in Dubai, and investors aren’t having any of it.
News Analysis: Dubai Investors Fall for Niagara
NEWS ANALYSIS: Dubai likes a buffet, big ideas, and anything with the title “largest in the world”. No wonder mysterious Dubai based investors are ‘salivating’ over the Niagara Falls.
Table 9: Time for Dubai to Create Its Own
THE HEDONISTA: Dubai is a city that has both everything and nothing. There’s very little unique, nearly everything is borrowed – and I’m not just talking about the financial crisis.
Emirates Identity Card: A PR Horror Story
ALEXANDER MCNABB: So, three years later, we have a real deadline (“We’re serious this time, we’re telling you!”) with a fine to be imposed upon those not complying,
Saudi Arabia: A Glimpse Through the Myths
STEVE ROYSTON: Received wisdom portrays a backward, oppressive society, dominated by religious extremists and a monarchy whose main mission is self-preservation.
Gulf States Seek to Tap Massive Sport Investments
JAMES M. DORSEY: Spain is rapidly emerging as a model for the offsets Qatar, Dubai and other energy-rich Gulf states hope to reap from their massive investments.
“When A Man Is Tired of The Palm He Is Tired of, Ah, Luxury Life”
JAMES MULLAN: It’s the so-called ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, it’s ‘Iconic’ but for some people The Palm simply doesn’t measure up.
Gitex: Not Just a Trade Show, Part of Dubai Itself
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The miracle is that it’s still with us at all – all the other great horizontal computer shows barring Hanover’s CeBIT have tanked.
Dedicated – and Faithful – Followers of Fashion
SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Bloomberg has estimated the global Muslim fashion market could be worth $96bn. For comparisons, the entire UK fashion industry is valued at £21bn.
The Joys and Chores of Buying ‘Dubai Kitsch’
THE HEDONISTA: ‘No photos’, ‘No Fixed Price’, ‘Come back later?’ Ah yes, the recurrent phrases heard buying ‘Dubai Kitsch’. So what’s the best way to go about it?
GCC: Winds of Change Kept At Bay – At What Price?
JAMES M. DORSEY: Their reluctance to be proactive rather than reactive has so far shielded the GCC from the revolt. The question is for how long, and what’s the price?
Voter Apathy Fails to Take Shine off UAE Elections
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Happiness follows the successful conclusion of the UAE’s dalliance with voting. Shame one UAE paper feels the need to gloss over the mildest of grievances.
UAE Gears Up for Elections – But Will the Voters Show Up?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Gulf News’ editor Abdul Hamid Ahmad points out not all Dubai candidates have been active. “They do not have the motivation..”
Return to Sharjah: My Personal Fuel Crisis
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The UAE’s fuel crisis suddenly became a lot more real for me as I drove the ‘murder mile’ from Dubai to Sharjah with a fuel needle in negative territory
