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?
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..”
Positive Signs in UAE Election Campaign
MATT J. DUFFY: Some concerns have been raised about the stringency of the rules relating to public discourse in the UAE elections. Comments from a senior official, however, seem to have assuaged these concerns.
Emirati Women: As Portrayed in Western Media
DAVID ROBERTS: It’s always interesting to see how Western media choose to represent women from the Middle East. A slideshow published on U.S website ‘Salon’ featuring Emirati women is instructive.
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
’46 Degrees? Quick, Open the Car Window!’
ALEXANDER MCNABB: I’ve been here more than twenty years but there are still a few things to learn about how to survive a Dubai summer.
UAE Footy Team’s Backheel Penalty – Tut Tut…
DAVID ROBERTS: To those that perhaps don’t understand football culture, this is a shoddy thing to do. And it’s far worse if you’re already 6-2 up.
Emirati Voting Numbers: It’s How You Look At It…
DAVID ROBERTS: Around 129,000 or 14% of Emiratis will be eligible to vote, 1.6% of the entire population, but a lot more than the 7,000 eligible to vote in the last elections…
UK-UAE CEO Forum Should Focus on Vibrant SMEs As Much As Big Business
PAUL MALONEY: While both nations have trumpeted the importance of a vibrant SME sector, too often it is often the little guy who overlooked.
The, ahem, ‘Joy’ of Summer in Dubai
THE HEDONISTA: It’s hot enough to melt a credit card left on a car seat, even though the A/C is set to max. Everyone is lethargic, moody and possibly sick. Hooray for Summer in Dubai.
New Convention ‘A Major Boost’ for UAE Workers
MATT J. DUFFY: The mistreatment of domestic staff in the UAE has long been a major concern inside and outside the country. Thankfully the issue appears to be rising up the political agenda.
The Story behind the UAE’s Fuel Shortage Is..?
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s yet more bad publicity for the country (the oil producer that ran out of fuel – wait for the internationals to pick that one up).
Applause For the UAE’s Telecoms Regulator
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Elephants may still not be flying, but the TRA can actually be responsive. No, don’t laugh – it’s true… and here’s proof.
For the Love of Biryani: Judging the Region’s Favourite Dish
THE HEDONISTA: It’s a simple, humble dish beloved of hundreds of millions of people. So how can you judge something about which you know very little?
GCC Clings to ‘Comfort Blanket’ Status Quo
ABDULKHALEQ ABDULLAH: The situation in Bahrain has seriously unnerved other Gulf states and has significantly undermined attempts to promote democracy throughout the region.
A Compelling Case for a UAE State of the Union Address
SULTAN AL QASSEMI: This year is an ideal time for the UAE, the only successful union in the Arab world, to institutionalise a State of the Federation address.
The Ongoing Saga of the Emirates ID Card
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The big news, however, is that the National ID card is ‘to be mandatory’, a card we were first told would be mandatory three years ago, back in 2008
GCC: Muslim Brotherhood Fears Over Arab Spring
SULTAN AL QASSEMI: UAE national observers commented in private that many names on the UAE petition calling for an elected parliament were UAE members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
UAE First Arab Nation on Trend Countries
RACHEL MCARTHUR: This week, Twitter announced it was expanding its local trends feature, adding 70 new countries and cities – one of which is the UAE.
