Twitter Makes a Good Call: No Boycott Needed
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Twitter’s new censorship policy has turned up a hornet’s nest of ire throughout the social media world. But have they done the right thing?
The Modern Way to Announce A Baby’s Arrival
MICH CAFE: Facebook and Twitter, it appears, have taken over from newspapers in a key area of life. The recent arrival of a Royal baby in Dubai underlines this fact.
Emirates ID Card: Some Good News…Perhaps
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The New Year has brought a welcome announcement from the UAE authorities – the ID Card procedure is to go online. Cautious optimism then.
Radio: UAE, Home of the World’s Worst Ads?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s becoming a problem for my radio listening life: I turn the radio off as soon as the adverts come on, and then often forget to turn it back on again.
Full Moon Drumming in the Desert: Not to be Missed
THE HEDONISTA: Drums, desert, camels and Santa, a heady mix which produced an unforgettable night at Dubai’s Full Moon Drumming session.
Wadi Wurayah Defaced: The Outrage is Overdue
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s a site of outstanding natural beauty which, with improved access via paving, has attracted spray paint wielding vandals.
The UAE’s National Day, the Emirati Way
THE HEDONISTA: It’s a source of much chagrin – it’s easy to find food from the middle east, but something essentially Emirati? Nigh impossible.
News Analysis: The UAE Five, A Closure?
NEWS ANALYSIS: “This has become a very dividing case in the U.A.E.,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdullah… He’s not wrong: On Twitter some Emiratis called for the death sentence to be applied to the five.
News Analysis: The UAE’s new bankruptcy law
NEWS ANALYSIS: The UAE is in the early stages of implementing a new bankruptcy law that will allow companies the time they need to restructure their business…
‘Shock’: Crowds Line Up in Support Of An Arab Government
ALEXANDER MCNABB: We’re still over a week away from the UAE’s National Day but it’s clear that this year’s 40th anniversary is going to be a ‘big one’.
One Saudi Woman Drives Badly So That Means…
SUSIE OF ARABIA: If one Saudi Arabian woman runs a red light and accumulates a huge number of speeding fines then it follows that all Saudi women are bad drivers. What nonsense.
The Formula 1 Con Trick: There are Alternatives…
JAMES MULLAN: It’s F1 week in Abu Dhabi and don’t we know it. Everywhere you look the hype is louder than the F1 engines for the 3-day bore-fest.
The Pros and Cons of Being an Expat in Dubai
THE HEDONISTA: Written from an Australian perspective – Vegemite and Tim Tams feature – I think there’s enough here to give everyone a flavour of what they’ll gain and lose as an expat in Dubai.
The Unappealing Prospect of ‘Western Democracy’
ABU MOHAMMED: If there’s one thing calculated to get up the nose of just about every Arab it’s the supercilious lecture by a Westerner on the superiority of their democracy over all other forms of government. ‘Oh really?’
News Analysis: Emirates and FIFA To Split?
Emirates Airline is one of the top sponsors of the football World Cup. But the less than sure-footed management of the beautiful game by FIFA means the two parties may be about to part company.
Emirati Female Writers Finding Their Feet
M. LYNX-QUALEY: A collection of writing from Emirati authors, showcased in the journal ‘Banipal’, demonstrates the wide variety of female voices in the UAE…
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?
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.
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,
“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.
