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Dubai Festival of Literature Begins… #Dubai #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/co9rfb

Dubai Festival of Literature Begins… #Dubai #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/co9rfb

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Dubai Festival of Literature Begins… #Dubai #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/co9rfb

Dubai Festival of Literature Begins… #Dubai #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/co9rfb

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#Dubai will now confiscate vehicles with expired registrations… #uaenews http://bit.ly/cSiAh2

#Dubai will now confiscate vehicles with expired registrations… #uaenews http://bit.ly/cSiAh2

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#Dubai will now confiscate vehicles with expired registrations… #uaenews http://bit.ly/cSiAh2

#Dubai will now confiscate vehicles with expired registrations… #uaenews http://bit.ly/cSiAh2

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Will There Be New Elections in the #UAE for FNC… #uaenews http://bit.ly/bsjffv

Will There Be New Elections in the #UAE for FNC… #uaenews http://bit.ly/bsjffv

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Will There Be New Elections in the #UAE for FNC… #uaenews http://bit.ly/bsjffv

Will There Be New Elections in the #UAE for FNC… #uaenews http://bit.ly/bsjffv

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Abu Dhabi is spending 28million to promote Bu Tinah as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Nature #UAE #uaenews http://bit.ly/d1M2Iy

Abu Dhabi is spending 28million to promote Bu Tinah as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Nature #UAE #uaenews http://bit.ly/d1M2Iy

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Dramatic Rescue in Wadi Al Munaei #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/9iM5L6

Dramatic Rescue in Wadi Al Munaei #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/9iM5L6

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CCTV comes to Abu Dhabi #uaenews http://bit.ly/c4awH1

CCTV comes to Abu Dhabi #uaenews http://bit.ly/c4awH1

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UAE is going to get some Dust… #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/b8wG9t

UAE is going to get some Dust… #uaenews #uae http://bit.ly/b8wG9t

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Trapped in the Burj Khalifa

Tourists visiting the Burj Khalifa have told how dozens of people “began to cry” after being stranded on the building’s observation deck for over an hour.

At the Top, a visitor attraction located on the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building, is temporarily closed to the public following “technical issues with the power supply” but is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, February 14.

A senior Dubai Civil Defence official confirmed to Gulf News on Monday there was an incident at the Burj Khalifa on Saturday evening.

Video: Inside the Burj Khalifa

The official said: “This is a minor case; it was not serious at all. Staff members at the Burj Khalifa handled the situation perfectly. Our role was to ensure the safety of the public. It is absolutely normal for a new building to face minor issues such as this, which involved one of the Burj Khalifa’s elevators.”

Gulf News spoke on Monday to several tourists who were stranded on the observation deck for over an hour on Saturday.

In pictures: View from the observation deck
All you need to know about At the Top

Michael Timms, a 31-year-old telecommunications engineer from the US, said: “I was walking around the observation deck when I heard this really loud noise and what looked like smoke or dust coming out from one of the elevator doors. There were at least 60 people on the deck at the time. Employees and security staff were telling people that everything was ok. But once it became clear we were not being allowed back down, some people got really angry while others started crying.”…SOURCE

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Dubai, RTA Considering SALIK Tolls on Emirates Road

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is considering installing a Salik gate on Emirates Road, Arabic daily Al Bayan reported on Monday.

The report said indicators of the general budget for Dubai for 2010 expect the RTA to increase Salik revenues by introducing a new Salik gate on Emirates Road…SOURCE

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How Dubai’s burst bubble has left behind the last days of Rome

The engine of the black Corvette revved to a gasket-popping roar. Its driver leant out of his window. He was dressed in traditional Arab robes but wore a rubber wizard’s mask. He held an aerosol aloft and directed a jet of party foam into the air. Four-wheel drives plastered in pictures of Dubai’s Royal Family roared their engines back in approval. The cacophony was deafening.

On the opposite carriageway smoke billowed from the spinning back wheels of a new Land Cruiser as the driver pressed the brakes and floored the accelerator. This was the favourite way for many of the fervently patriotic and car crazy Emiratis to mark National Day in Dubai this week, the 38th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates, and one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

A mile away at the new Marina Yacht Club, Western expats were also working their way into a party mood. Deferential Filipino staff served a foamy lobster broth as an amuse bouche between courses. Beer and cocktails loosened tongues and a knot of dancers formed in front of the band. Tens of millions of pounds worth of powerboats bobbed at their moorings beneath the revelry on the terrace. Behind the boats a dozen skyscrapers framed the view, a few of the lights in their thousands of flats were on. “It’s so beautiful here,” said a pretty young Anglo-Indian woman clutching a large glass of chilled white wine and taking in the scene.

Welcome to the modern equivalent of the last days of Rome. The failure of Dubai World, one of the Emirate’s flagship companies, to honour a debt due last month has rocked this city state to its foundations. By any conventional logic Dubai is now a busted flush…MORE

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Happy 38th Union Day

Celebrations this year has been different. Most people i know noticed it. The build up to Dec 2nd has been very visible every I go. On the radio, TV.. on the streets, in malls.. People from every walk of life were wearing the UAE flag scarves. Emaratis and Expats alike.

And it wasn’t the white Land Cruisers that had UAE flag decorations this year. Almost every other car I saw over the past week was decorated. Westerners, Asians, Arabs .. all were celebrating this year. And I loved every minute of it.

But it was no coincidence. There was a driving force behind it and it was all driven by Watani by a campaign called Mutahida (united in Arabic)

A campaign launched by Watani for one purpose: to bring together people living in the UAE.
It is to remind them to appreciate what a fabulous country we live in peacefully, irrespective of cast, creed or religion. Basically, Watani is trying to bring about the wonderful spirit of the UAE union.

You can find more about the program thru their facebook page here

I think it is exactly what the country and people living here need these days. A sense of union that brings everyone together.

Happy 38th. UAE

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From Vision™ to nightmare

It was October 2003; the setting was the recently opened Madinat Jumeirah, its lobby strewn with even more rose-petals and incense-bearers than usual. For the weary Dubai hack pack, lured there by the anticipation of free Jumeirah International catering and yet another laser-etched paperweight or pleather business folder, it was clear that Sheikhliness was afoot.

Sharpened pencils and reporters’ notebooks were readied as the crowds descended the elevator into the press conference room. It was packed to the rafters. As well as journalists there were endless VIP guests, businesspeople and white-robed members of the royal retinue.

This was an era of great works of Vision™ – from Dubai Internet City and Media City to Dubai International Financial Centre. The emirate was growing, it was the start of the boom. People were excited about Dubai, they were anticipating great things. So far everything made sense. The direction was clear. Trade, commerce, technology: all areas that Dubai already did or likely could excel at.

And then a lengthy video played, introducing Dubailand. Endless CGI scenes of housing developments were intercut with stock footage of theme parks and shots of Dubai. It was more bewildering than impressive. As it went on, it made progressively less sense. The accompanying speech was no more enlightening.

As the media shuffled out, and started swapping notes, one thing became clear. Everyone had been left with a strange, prevailing sensation of tackiness. (According to one source in a production company that didn’t win the bid, the video was made on the cheap in Asia). Nonetheless, this was an era when everyone believed in Dubai, and when everyone – local or expat – wanted to believe in Dubai.

But no one understood Dubailand. Other than that it appeared to be connected to tourism, it didn’t seem very well defined. And its history has been one of cancellations, cover-ups, shifting goalposts. There was this article by ITP (link goes to archived pdf): “Projects worth billions of dollars have been shelved on the massive Dubailand development” – it was hastily pulled from the web, despite containing quotes from a senior official. Its assertions were never corrected or denied. As one source says in the banned article: “Many [projects] were unfeasible and impractical – the numbers just didn’t work, and they were simply shrouded by the glitz of the idea.”

Looking back, Dubailand is perhaps the defining moment when the Vision™ first faltered. Let us not forget what we were told that day, these are the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum:

“I would like to tell capitalists that Dubai does not need investors, investors need Dubai and I tell you that the risk lies not in using your money but in letting it pile up. It is dormant and dead if it is merely a figure in an account. I tell them not to hold onto it and kill it in safes, let it breathe and be active because money is like water – if you lock it up, it becomes stagnant and foul-smelling, but if you let it flow, it stays fresh. If it does not flow, it will become stagnant and its colour will change. When I encourage you to invest, I am not asking you to put your money into a fire – I guarantee that your money will be invested in carefully studied projects. I want to be frank with you – I have the courage to take decisions and to bear the responsibility for the consequences. Do you have the courage to be frank and decisive?”

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