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History is in the making today for Dubai, UAE and the Middle East.

First, we have the launch of the highly anticipated Dubai Metro. Truly a proud moment to all Emaratis in general and the Dubaians in specific. Good work guys. Live the moment, you’ve earned it.

And 2, i think its the first time ever that we get a middle eastern topic trending as No1 trend on Twitter and that is NOT related to a a plane crash, a controversial celeb visiting, a corrupt election, Israel or Iraq.

This is Dubai making the headlines and making all eyes on it.

Respect goes to the 30k fine men in blue who worked (and still working) day and night to meet their deadlines.

Must also not forget the hard work of Dubai’s twitter community who worked relentlessly to move #Dubaimetro up to become number one.

Here is to Dubai.

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UAE Encouraged By Human Rights Watch to Re-think Media Law

New York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday urged the United Arab Emirates to amend a proposed media law it says will restrict the freedom of the press in the Gulf’s second-largest Arab economy. The group’s head of research for the emirates Samer Muscati told reporters at the launch of its latest report entitled “Just the Good News, Please: New U.A.E. Media Law Continues to Stifle Press,”…SOURCE

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In Response to BBC Documentary, Slumdogs and Millionaires: Ministry campaign to tackle labourer conditions

The Ministry of Labour is carrying out a nationwide three-pronged programme to improve the living and working conditions of labourers, officials said today.

The campaign will target unscrupulous recruitment agencies based abroad that the ministry says are responsible for the exploitation of some labourers.

The ministry also plans to raise awareness within the labourer population by publishing a guide book in eight languages. It will also continue to hold seminars with companies highlighting good health and safety practices.

“The launch of the guide book is imminent and it is meant to raise awareness within the labour population in the country about their rights and what they can do to preserve that,” a high-ranking official said on the sidelines of a meeting between the ministry and business leaders in Sharjah today…SOURCE

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Dubai to launch budget airline, Fly Dubai, on June 1

Dubai to launch budget airline on June 1

04/06/2009 10:41 PM | By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter

Dubai: Defying the economic downturn, Dubai on Monday launched a new low-cost airline, flydubai, which will start flights in June with Beirut and Amman as initial destinations.

The move to launch flydubai as scheduled is expected to boost Dubai’s tourism sector and help residents travel at low cost. The airline will also bolster the emirate’s plans to become a hub for international air traffic as it begins to fly to more regional destinations…

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Emirates A380s Stop Flights to United States

Emirates to drop A380 ’superjumbo’ service to US

03/19/2009 02:17 PM | AP

Dubai: Emirates is cutting capacity on its New York route due to reduced travel demand by replacing the A380 superjumbo with a smaller aircraft, but said the change does not mean an overall reduction in services to the United States.

In the new schedule for the A380, the airline will introduce the double-decker plane to serve its Bangkok and Toronto routes.

Starting June, the aircraft will debut in Canada while the new Thai route extends the aircraft’s presence in Asia after the successful launch of the A380 to Sydney and Auckland in February, Emirates said yesterday.

“As the global economy has affected international air travel, this aircraft redeployment was based solely on a change in capacity demands in these three markets,” a company spokesperson said.

The A380 will be replaced by the B777-300ER on the New York route, decreasing daily capacity by 132 seats.

“When economic conditions improve, we anticipate demand will be restored on the Dubai-New York JFK service, at which time Emirates will certainly evaluate redeploying the A380 on this route,” the airline said…

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Excuse Me, Would You Like Caviar With That iPhone: More Etisalat iPhone Fun For You

The Apple iPhone will remain out of reach for a large number of customers, with Etisalat requiring those who have not had a contract with the company for at least six months to pay the full cost of the device – between Dh2,600 (US$707) and Dh3,000 – up front.

In addition, customers who already own an iPhone could not switch to the special iPhone packages without buying a new handset from the company, said Khalifa al Shamsi, Etisalat’s vice president for consumer marketing.

“Etisalat is providing the iPhone as a bundle with the package,” he said. “Hence, the price plans are available only for consumers who have bought the device from Etisalat.”

The policy is contrary to previous statements by the company reported in the local media, and the advice being given by some Etisalat sales staff in retail outlets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Etisalat offers eight monthly plans for the iPhone. In most of the plans, it subsidises the cost of the handset in return for a higher monthly fee. But such plans were not available to new or pre-paid customers, or those shifting from the du network, the company said yesterday.

Although the requirements were not announced during the launch of the phone, and cannot be found on the company’s sales materials and contracts, potential customers have told The National that they were turned away after attempting to sign up for iPhone plans in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah…SOURCE

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Dubai Sells Bonds to Raise Money for Government Projects

Can you say piling debt on debt?

Dubai bonds to service debt needs

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/02/24/10288939.html

02/24/2009 10:01 AM | By Babu Das Augustine, Deputy Business Editor

Dubai: The $20 billion bond issue announced by Dubai government on Sunday is expected to meet all the immediate debt obligations of Dubai government and government owned entities and ease the tight liquidity situation in the economy, according to economists and analysts.

The subscription of 50 per cent of this unsecured, $20 billion, five-year notes by the UAE Central Bank at an annual interest rate of 4 per cent, is expected to boost the confidence global financial markets in Dubai.

“The launch of the Dubai bonds is another move by the government to assure the markets that the emirates are working together. The bond issuance, with $10 billion already purchased by the central bank, gives Dubai the ability to refund all its needs for this year, which we estimate at $14 billion. We expect markets to respond positively,” said Marios Maratheftis, an economist with Standard Chartered Bank.

Global rating agency Moody’s estimate Dubai’s refinancing needs at $15 billion. Considering the global financial environment, earlier this month, the rating agency had hinted that it could downgrade the credit ratings of the key Dubai government owned entities. Responding to the bond issues, Moody’s said yesterday that this development will have a positive impact on the credit outlook of these entities.

Moody’s analysts said yesterday that the statement from the Dubai Government’s Department of Finance suggests that there will be no restrictions on how the Dubai government uses the proceeds from the bond.

“Assuming that there are no such restrictions, this news is clearly supportive for the ratings of the six Dubai Inc.,” Philipp L. Lotter Senior Vice President and Tristan Cooper Vice President – Senior Analyst and Moody’s in an emailed statement…

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Thumbs Up to Dubai Police’s Effort Against Jaywalking

This is so dangerous here in the UAE!

Dubai Police fine 490 jaywalkers in more than one week

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/02/17/10286903.html

02/17/2009 06:33 PM | Staff Report

Dubai: Around 490 jaywalkers were fined since the launch of the pedestrian safety awareness campaign last week after detecting a 13 per cent rise in accidents involving pedestrians.

According to Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zaffin, Director of the Dubai Police Traffic Department, statistics revealed that most pedestrian violations were found (302) on Oman-Hatta Road.

Al Murqabbat Road followed with around 164 fines issued to jaywalkers and Emirates Road with 24 fines.

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Are You a Tour Guide?

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LG Redefines TV Design with its Latest LB9 Series

LG Electronics has announced the launch of its latest LB9 LCD TV range, the first in the company’s Design Art series. With tempting black pearl-inspired LCD TVs, LG hopes to build its reputation for design-focused TVs with quality to match. A unique ring-shaped stand is the key feature of the LB9 series. The ring, available in red and black, is utilitarian as well as stylish. Perched atop a ring, the LB9 series incorporates the high glossy piano black frame and a wave-design at the bottom of the panel.

The LB9 series offers viewers a vivid and lifelike viewing experience with LG’s exclusive XD Engine and enhanced 10,000:1 contrast ratio, which creates deeper black levels and provide a fuller range of colours. The LB9 series incorporates LG’s intelligent Eye technology to optimise brightness and contrast, accounting for ambient light.

LG’s proprietary Simple Link technology allows greater control of other compatible equipment such as DVD players and home theatre systems. Also incorporated into the LB9 series televisions are LG’s Dimple Speakers, which create a complete movie watching experience by providing dynamic and powerful sound through minimised air flow turbulence, without disrupting the television’s sleek aesthetics. The LB9 series is currently available in 32-inch, 42-inch and 47-inch models.

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Samsung Launches the U3

Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of its latest in its range of MP3 player, the Samsung U3. Samsung U3 is driven by flash memory and equipped with USB that weighs only 22.8-gms. The U3 is available in five colours such as white, black, green, pink and blue, with colour-matched EP360 earphones and reel. Models range from 1GB to 4GB with 12 preset equaliser settings to suit the users’ tunes or customise their own settings.

Samsung claims that its U3 has removed the need for cables, cords or docks, or the need to install programs. Its USB allows easy charging and managing of music files by simply dragging and dropping them to the player. The U3’s Samsung Media Studio (SMS) provides Automatic Mood Playlist that enables songs to be organized according to the users’ mood. Other features included in the MP3 players are voice recorder and flash drive with up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge. The U3 is available in all major electronics outlets and is retailed at $199 for 1GB, $299 for 2GB and $399 for 4GB.

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