The End of Eid, The Start of the Beginning
DAVID WESTLEY: This year, the return to ‘normality’ will be significantly harder to achieve for those countries that have gone through their Arab spring; the pathway to success is still far from clear.
TweetNadwa: 140 Seconds to Say It As You See It
MEHRUNISA QAYYUM, CGNEWS: Inspired by Twitter a grassroots Egyptian organisation has set up an online forum that limits participants to 140 seconds air time.
Aqaba: To Boldly Go Where No King Has Gone Before
JUAN COLE: Klingons and Romulans wandering through the souk in Aqaba? Could be sooner than you think if King Abdullah’s ambitious plans come to fruition.
Vimto – The Drink of Choice for Ramadan
MICH CAFE: No-one seems to know how it has happened but a modest, cordial drink from a small village in England is a firm Ramadan favourite.
The Grade Factories of Education: Saudi Schools
ABU MUHAMMED: Eventually I figured out why no one seemed receptive: The first is that most government and private schools are being run for profit.
Saudi Maternity: Good Business, Bad Medicine?
ABU MUHAMMED: I am told that some hospitals and clinics with birthing centers have good reputations in Saudi, but it only takes one to spoil the barrel…
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.
Top Ten Mistakes of the Libyan ‘Intervention’
JUAN COLE: I believe it’s legal but that doesn’t mean that the West’s military intervention in Libya has been wisely handled.
Media Watching: Be Careful What You Tweet
ALEXANDER MCNABB: This distortion of expressed opinion coming, let us not forget, from those who purport to give us ‘context and analysis’…
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?
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
For Real News Tweet All About It…
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Presumably GN felt it couldn’t use the word ‘Jewish’, but I do feel misled… Context and analysis? I’d rather trust Twitter…
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.
Egypt’s Direction Unnerves Israel and the U.S.
JONATHAN COOK: The political sands are shifting a little too quickly in the Middle East for Israel and the United States. Will they be able to keep up?
