Gulf's Business Agenda by K Raveendran

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border-top:1px solid #393939; clear:both; display:none; width:100%!important; position:relative; z-index:999999!important; height:90px!important"> <div class="adCenterClass" style="display:block!important; overflow:hidden; width:916px;"> <div id="footerAd_container" style="display:block!important; float:left; width:728px"> <iframe id="lycosFooterAdiFrame" style="border:0; display:block; float:left; height:96px; overflow:hidden; padding:0; width:750px"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=200 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <IMG SRC="15670770.jpg" border=0 width="112" height="119" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="o1_about_the_author.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="other"><U><IMG SRC="157781e0.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="30" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="o1_other_articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="other"><U><IMG SRC="159781e0.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="30" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=150 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="685" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC33" BORDERCOLORDARK="#FFFFFF" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#333366 HEIGHT= 103 ><NOBR><div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="super_salesmanship_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" >Agenda...</FONT></div> <div>  A comment on issues concerning Gulf businesses</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#333366 WIDTH="172"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="103" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="172" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#333366 HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="496"><div>  By K Raveendran</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#333366 WIDTH="172"><bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=330 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>                                                               </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="681" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 15941 WIDTH="496"><div>  <form method="get" action="http://sitelevel.whatuseek.com/query.go" TARGET="_self"><table border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=0><tr><td align="left" valign="middle" nowrap><font><small><b>Search</b></small></font></td><td align="center" valign="middle" nowrap><font> <select name=slice_title> <option selected>This Site</option> <option>The Web</option></select></font></td><td align="center" valign="middle" nowrap><font size="1">for </font></td><td align="center" valign="middle" nowrap><input type="text" NAME="query" SIZE="17" VALUE MAXLENGTH="100"></td><td valign="middle" align="right"><input type="submit" value="Search" name="B1"></td></tr><tr><td align="center" colspan="5"><a href="http://sitelevel.whatuseek.com?synd=box&chan=4"><font><small><small>Get a Free Search Engine for Your Web Site</small></small></font></a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><input type=hidden name=crid value=04e2c7146ba7806b></FORM><img src="http://sitelevel.whatuseek.com/htmlbox.go?crid=04e2c7146ba7806b" width=1 height=1>  </div> <div> <B>Arabs must make their money work for themselves</b></div> <div> In the backdrop of  uneasiness caused by the  deepening anti-Arab bias in the western mind, Arab investments in the West cannot be considered as politically correct as they used to be. Perhaps for the first time, the political gravitation of money is in the reverse direction.  (September 30, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" >.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_work.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Needed: a campaign against hysteria</b></div> <div> Just as most of the products that are available in the domestic market are not home-made, the war hysteria that is emerging in Dubai is also imported to a large extent. The exporters are mostly the print and electronic media in the home countries of dominant expatriate groups here. (October 7, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_hysteria.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_hysteria.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIC gives New Dubai its capital</b></div> <div> The Internet City along with the Media City has marked out the contours of a New Dubai, distinct in ambience and identity, and drawing strength from the future as opposed to the past. (October 14, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_capital_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Now it's the turn of local businesses for a stimulus package</b></div> <div> City state economies like Dubai and Singapore  are more sensitive to changes in international business due to their greater integration with the global economy. Singapore has announced a package of $6 billion to help its businesses tide over the business downturn. What about Dubai? (October 21, 2001 Khaleej Times)<A HREF="a4_hysteria.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_hysteria.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a4_hysteria.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Western media adopting double standards on UAE banking</b></div> <div> There is no merit in the argument that the UAE banking system is more vulnerable to terrorist abuse than those in the West. Banks cannot treat every customer as a potential terrorist. ( October 28, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a4_western_media.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allfour"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Gulf businessmen debate chances of new balance</b></div> <div> Gulf businessmen now see a great deal of sense in the concern articulated in different parts of  the world that the US has to first behave like a world citizen before it can assume the role of  the world policeman; and that there has to be someone to shout the cop down when he tends to abuse his power. (November 4, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_balance.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai dares to do what others fear</b></div> <div> When airlines around the world are struggling to keep their planes flying in the aftermath of September 11, Dubai's Emirates has ordered $15 billion worth of new aircraft. How dare Emirates do this? (November 11, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_fear.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Strategy Forum heralds refreshing new openness</b></div> <div> The first Dubai Strategy Forum held in November heard the most radical views espoused ever at an official function in the region. The idea was to shock and set the tone for a no-holds-barred discussion on issues. (November 18, 2001 Khaleej Times).<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_openness_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>For Gulf states free trade is a one-way street</b></div> <div> The virtues of liberalisation notwithstanding, Gulf countries gain very little by being able to access markets in developed countries because they simply do not have the products or services to access those markets with. (November 25, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_street.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Emaar Bank: beyond normal banking</b></div> <div> The announcement of the Emaar Bank has created such a sensation in the local banking industry.  Is the banking situation in the country so delicate that one player more or one less to the current tally of 47 will make such a major difference to their fortunes?</div> <div> ( December 2, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_banking.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Havala: why the Central Bank must not budge</b></div> <div> Havala networks operate in UAE not because of  the merit or demerit of  policies followed by the UAE, they are primarily a product of the exchange controls, regulations against outflow of  funds and other policies which apparently oppress capital in other countries. The UAE has no reason to block such funds. (December 9, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_budge.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U> </U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_budge.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Oil prices and Gulf economic reforms</b></div> <div> When oil prices begin to fall, Gulf economic planners start talking about the need to reform their economies. But on the slightest recovery in oil price, reforms talk disappears as fast as it came. (December 16, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_reforms.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It's India versus China in herbal market</b></div> <div> Since medical treatment in government hospitals has ceased to be free of cost, should those who are comfortable with the ayurvedic system of treatment and medication be denied access to their trusted remedies if such access does not create any health hazard to the public at large? (December 23, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a3_market.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Fragrance industry deserves a better deal</b></div> <div> Much  before Dubai emerged as the region's IT or tourist hub, it was widely known as the Middle East hub for fragrance. But this preeminence has not brought adequate recognition to the trade that helped Dubai achieve the honour. Is the expat domination of the business acting as a deterrent?  (December 30, 2001 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a3_fragrance_i.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allthree"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>IMF call for tax: Gulf authorities know more</b></div> <div> The International Monetary Fund has renewed its call to Gulf countries for the introduction of personal income tax to increase their non-oil resources. Is it that the Gulf authorities do not go for taxation becasue they are not familiar with such an option? Or is it because they know more about it?  (January 6, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a2_more.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Private sector jobs: need for a more judicious approach</b></div> <div> Emiratisation has emerged as a national priority in the UAE and undoubtedly the success of the plan will depend largely on the private sector. Is the country's private sector in a position to discharge the responsibility in a sustainable manner?  (January 13, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a2_private_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Capitalising Dubai's confidence in future</b></div> <div> The Dubai government is going to the market to raise resources for the development of even more impressive infrastructure. The product on offer is much more than an international convention centre, which of course will be built using the money thus raised, it is rather Dubai itself -- its confidence in future. (January 20, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a2_future.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Credit card business cries for regulation</b></div> <div> In the absence of adequate regulations, banks are adopting all kinds of practices, some blatantly fraudulent, to fill their kitty. Can the Central Bank turn a blind eye? (January 27, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a2_regulation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Singapore and Dubai: two cities, one approach</b></div> <div> Singapore and Dubai have many things in common. To such an extent that Singaporeans are now worried that they might lose out to Dubai. Are these fears really justified? (February 3, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a2_approach.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Knowledge Village: teaching shops must be kept out</b></div> <div> The racial profiling of Arab students in the US will surely put paid to the amibition of a large of number Arab youth to pursue stuides in the American universities. Where will then they go for the studies. It's an opportunity for Dubai, provided the emirate can offer an alternative.  (February 10, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a2_knowledge.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="alltwo"><U>....more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A more golden DSF in the offing</b></div> <div> DSF 2000 is taking place in the backdrop of a spectacular recovery in the price of gold. With gold being a most active part of the DSF proceedings, the gold trade is anticipating a glittering month of business.  (February 17, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1_a_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Strike in Indian state: an economic view</b></div> <div> Government employees in the Indian state of Kerala, with their notorious aversion to work, were on a strike for more than one month demanding the withdrawal of a government decision to suspend some of their financial benefits in view of a severe cash crunch. (February 24, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1_view.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Gulf customs union: EU tune has jarring notes</b></div> <div> The EU has been seeking to delay a trade agreeement with Gulf countries on the pretext that there is no uniformity in the policies of GCC countries. Are the benefits of a trade deal commensurate with the sacrifices Gulf countries are called upon to make? (March 3, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1_notes_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIFC regulations: answers to some sensitive questions</b></div> <div> The announcement by the DIFC authorities that there were will be a regulatory system of international standards has given rise to a lot of questions on  the role of the UAE Central Bank and the applicability of its regulations on the free zone entities. (March 10, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a1_questions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Times are changing</b></div> <div> Dubai-based Mashreqbank is accused of pressurising Abu-Dhabi based Al Ittihad newspaper by withdrawing some advertisements from the newspaper in retaliation of a report that criticised a company for depositing large amounts of money with the bank. But the bank refutes the charge. Who is right and who is wrong? (March 17, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a1_changing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>WTO does not mean free access to counerfeits</b></div> <div> Counterfeiting is one of the fastest growing industries in the region. But those who are out to make a fast buck are spoiling the image of trading hubs like Dubai, which some people tend to bracket with the infamous Far East and East Asian centres. (March 24, 2002 Khaleej Times) <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a1_counterfeits.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai's success is copy-proof</b></div> <div> By all indications, the   Dubai Shopping Festival 2002 was a big success. The result should provide some comfort for the Dubai businesses, which had a hard time coping with the aftermath of September 11. (March 31, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1_proof.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Chairman who worked like a manager</b></div> <div> Manu Chhabria, whose untimely demise shocked everyone including his bitter foes, was a man endowed with many rare qualities. Among the lesser known traits of the fiery tycoon was an uncommon simplicity, which he revealed only to those who were dear to him.  (April 7, 2002  Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >.<A HREF="a1_manager.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai 2003: all voices will be heard</b></div> <div> Any meeting attended by representatives of developed world is an arena for NGO activisim. With so many new causes in the NGO  armoury, Dubai, which organises the IMF-World Bank annual meetings next year, has a real problem at hand. What happens in Dubai will be keenly watched. (April 14, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1_dubai_2003_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>.</U></A><A HREF="a1_dubai_2003_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>E-commerce: banks have to show flexibility</b></div> <div> Banks are refusing to provide those who run e-commerce sites  the merchant ID numbers that will entitle them to accept online payments. Without this facility, any talk of e-commerce makes little sense. (April 21, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="tw_flexibility.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DMCC: jewellery trade has a strong case</b></div> <div> Dubai is announcing more and more free zones where businesses can operate on the basis of hundred per cent ownership without the need for a local sponsor, which generally means a huge cost to expatriate businessmen. Should the new facility be restricted to just newcomers?  (April 28, 2002 Khaleej Times<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" >)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" >..<A HREF="a1_case.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>.more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>UAE concerns on ILO labour standards</b></div> <div> The UAE authorties have been in consultations with the International Labour Organisation for upgrading the country's labour laws ito correspond to the world body's norms. After a series of meetings, the authorities are now ready with a proposal to allow formation of labour assoications in the country. Is the move adequate?  (May 5, 2002 Khaleej Times)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="a1__ilo_labour_standards.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="allone"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Palm Islands catch the fancy</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" >The Palm islands project has caught the fancy of all those who heard about it. Renowned for their impeccable sense of timing, the Dubai authorities used the Arabian Travel Market to fire  up imagination on the great concept.(May, 12, 2002 Khaleej Times)</FONT>.<A HREF="tw_fancy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>.</U></A><A HREF="tw_fancy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>.more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Bureaucratss need a few lessons in management</b></div> <div> The move to introduce visa bonds was withdrawn as hastily as it was introduced because the bureaucrats responsible for its implementation did not care to see whether the logistics were in place (<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >19-05-2002 | Khaleej Times)</FONT>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="tw_management.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Verdana" >.</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A do-it-yourself job by Rastogi</b></div> <div> There is striking similarity between the frau<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Tahoma" >d committed by Madhav Patel of Sharjah's Solo Industries in 1999 and the $600 million scam aut</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Tahoma" >h</FONT>ored by Rastogi(<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >26-05-2002 | Khaleej Times)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >|</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Tahoma" ><A HREF="latest_rastogi_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>.</U></A><A HREF="latest_rastogi_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Healthcare City: Dubai shortcuts Singapore</b></div> <div> By quickly putting together the  Healthcare City plan, Dubai has outsmarted Singapore, which has been planning for such a facility for quite some time <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >(22-11-2002 | Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Tahoma" ><A HREF="latest_health_care_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIFC and market regulation: the grey areas</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Tahoma" >The well-reg</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Tahoma" >ulated DIFC regime will be rendered ineffective if a totally unregulated 'no man's land' exists outside, giving free play to peddlers of dubious products(</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >29-11-2002 | Gulf News)</FONT>.<A HREF="latest_difc__regulation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Shake-out time for Media City players</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" >After a shakeout in the regional dotcom market, which saw many of the players succumb to a `genetic' disroder, the region's, and more notably Dubai's, publishing business based in Media City is going through an elimination round</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >06-12-2002 | Gulf News)</FONT><A HREF="latest_shakeout_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>.</U></A><A HREF="latest_shakeout_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai's super-salesmanship attracts academic interest</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >A Cambridge University textbook on international tourism has featured Dubai as a case study on the successful development of tourism as an industry and a key driver of economic progress</FONT> (<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >Gulf News | 20-12-2002)</FONT><A HREF="latest_super_salesmanship_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_super_salesmanship_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>..more.</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Tabreed's success lures foreign players</b></div> <div> Impressed with Tabreed's success, global players are entering the fray, floating local subsidiaries to compete with the company and offer the same line of products <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >27-12-2002 | Gulf News )</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_tabreed_s_success_lures_global_players_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_tabreed_s_success_lures_global_players_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Customs Union: Not everything is shareable</b></div> <div> A customs union, no doubt, makes tariff rates uniformly applicable across member states, but that does not make Dubai's advantages sharable. Those attractions will stay with Duba<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" >i (</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >3-01-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT><A HREF="fw_customs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_customs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Legal issues of owning a property in Dubai</b></div> <div> Dubai has not allowed itself to be bogged down by the  legalities of property ownership rights to expatriates. Becasue Dubai has the brand power that neutralises many of these inadequacies, which may not be the case with the competitors (<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >10-01-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_legal.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_legal.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>S</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Tahoma" ><B>overign rating makes a difference</b></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Tahoma" >I</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Tahoma" >rrespective of Dubai's global standing as one of the most fast-paced financial growth centres,  a local bond would only have the status of a provincial offering, or a municipal bond the emirate does not have a sovereign rating</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Tahoma" > (</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > 17-01-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT><A HREF="fw_rating.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><A HREF="fw_rating.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Tahoma" ><A HREF="fw_rating.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Emirates Post: a model public service company</b><B> </b></div> <div> Intiatives by the UAE's postal company Emirates Post to reposition itself in the electronic age are drawing attention from even global giants, including Germany's Deutsche Post <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >24-01-2003 | Gulf News) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_empost.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_empost.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more. </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Jebel Ali stands out as an icon of Dubai's vision</b></div> <div> Long before the celebrated Palm Islands began to be known as the world's largest man-made island large enough to be seen from space, there was another Dubai landmark: the Jebel Ali Port, completed in 1979 as the world's largest man-made harbour.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > 31-01-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_jebel.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Scepticism on Emaar shares is overdone</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The stock market's scepticism on Emaar share is definitely a bit overdone and it may not be long before the market realises it, considering the excellent financial performance of the company </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >14-02-2003| Gulf News )</FONT>..<A HREF="fw_emaar.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_emaar.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Need to regulate local IPO market, issues</b></div> <div> Nothing can be more scandalous than a Dh200 million business going bust because there is an unexpected price crash for the products it was planning <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >21-02-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_ipo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_ipo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>New complexities in approach to loan defaults, bounced cheques</b></div> <div> Don't banks have a responsibility towards their borrowers? How can they rock the boat in the middle, risking the recovery of their own money?<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" > (</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >28-02-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_bounced_cheques_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>....more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Debacles prove relevance of Islamic investment norms</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B> </b></FONT></div> <div> Dow Jones Islamic screens had filtered out companies such as Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing much before these companies turned themselves into scarecrows of misdemeanours in the global corporate museum <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >07-03-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_islamic.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Path-breaking Ajman initiative gets started</b></div> <div> A path-breaking initiative that could bring massive environmental and economic benefits to a quarter-million population in one of the emirates has escaped attention <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >14-03-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_ajman.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_ajman.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Tabreed auction brings out sunny side of foreign equity</b></div> <div> The pickup in the share price of Tabreed highlights how foreign ownership of a stock can impact its market performance and could help form an opinion in favour of opening up domestic companies to expatriate equity <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > 21-03-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" >.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_tabreed_auction.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>U.S. set to reap rich oil dividends</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B> </b></FONT></div> <div> There is no need for the U.S. to drill crude out of Iraq to keep its strategic oil reserves to the brim; all that it needs to do is to ensure that Iraq contributes its due share to the market. Once that happens, the oil price has no option but to behave <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > 28-03-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_us_oil.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Set out rules for the global players</b><B> </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >UAE residents, for instance, may not find it particularly amusing when Western companies recall their staff in the Emirates fearing for their safety on the pretext that there is a war going on in Iraq </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" > 04-04-2003 | Gulf News</FONT>)<A HREF="fw_global_players.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_global_players.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Mandate central to Iraqi deals</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >By all indications it is the legal status of the invading forces in taking sovereign decisions that has prompted the US to change its attitude towards the involvement of the UN </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >11-04-2003 | Gulf News)</FONT>..<A HREF="fw_mandate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>..more</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B>It costs money not to be technology savvy</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >You may not have realised it as yet, but every time you go to a teller in a branch of your bank to do something that could have been done on an ATM machine, the bank is charging you money </FONT>(<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >18-04-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" >...<A HREF="fw_savvy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Silicon Oasis - another milestone</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The Dubai Silicon Oasis project is expected to bring unquestionable technology leadership of the Arab world to Dubai, which is already staking such a claim by virtue of clusters such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Knowledge Village, etc </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >25-04-2003 |Gulf News)</FONT>.<A HREF="fw_silicon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>US firms' risk aversion to region growing</b></div> <div> There is increasing evidence of American companies getting out of partnerships in the Middle East in what may be a strategic withdrawal, traceable to the growing uneasiness over U.S. policies in the region <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >02-05-2003 | Gulf News|)</FONT><A HREF="fw_u_s__firms_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>.</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="fw_u_s__firms_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fileweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Time to crack down on misleading bank ads</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >As competition got more and more intense, banks have shown lesser and lesser inhibition to try out new things.</FONT>(Gulf News|<A HREF="tw_ads_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >09-05-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="tw_ads_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai eyes business outsourcing field </b></div> <div> Dubai, the city of cities, might well see the launch of yet another one in days to come. The new city could be for business outsourcing<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News| </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >08-08-2003</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >) </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="tw_field.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Cheque clearing system out of tune with the times </b></div> <div> It is incomprehensible that in the age of instant banking an Abu Dhabi bank cheque issued to a Dubai party should take about four days for the cash to be credited to the cheque depositor's account. But unfortunately that is the time it takes.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News | 22-08-2003 )</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="tw_cheque.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Region's corporate citizens need to get more proactive </b></div> <div> Dubai 2003 is the biggest networking opportunity that the Arab region has ever provided for the private and corporate sector. But one wonders whether the region's corporate leaders are doing enough to make full use of the presence of the most influential leaders of global finance in their neighbourhood.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 29-08-2003</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="tw_region_s.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIFC takes up its biggest promotion </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The DIFC has been running an aggressive overseas campaign to promote Dubai as the new global financial centre. But its biggest endorsement yet is the fact that Dubai is hosting the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of IMF and World Bank Group.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT>(<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News | 05-09-2003)</FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="tw_promotion_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="thisweek"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>UAE plays perfect host with reforms in banking </b></div> <div> UAE set the perfect tone for the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Dubai by announcing an open door policy for foreign banks. This was one of the very few issues that detractors could cite against the local banking sector as out of step with global banking<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" >(Gulf News |15/9/2003)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="f1_uaeplays.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>….more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai: makings of a Brussels in Arabia </b></div> <div> That the fabulous success of Dubai in hosting the IMF-World Bank Group annual meetings will draw in more such mega events to the emirate in future is not in doubt. Similarly, the meetings have provided unprecedented exposure to Dubai as a growing global financial centre.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 10-10-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_arabia_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Digital Dubai has its own version of the Creek</b><B> </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Many people consider projects such as Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City clusters built around real estate. Probably not many of them know that these projects have also produced brilliant success stories.</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>(Gulf News | 17-10-2003)<A HREF="f1__by_k_creek.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1__by_k_creek.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubailand a testament to an integrated approach </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Whenever Dubai launches a new project, one of the first questions that is asked relates to its resources: where does Dubai get the money to finance such mega projects?</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 24-10-2003</FONT>)<A HREF="f1_approach_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U> …more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Emaar's Islamic issue: complementarities at work </b></div> <div> The float of a $50 million Ijarah sukuk facility for Emaar Properties by Bah-rain's Liquidity Management Centre (DMA), launched for the promotion of Islamic instruments, is a signal development both for the premier development company as well as the Bah-rain Financial Harbour.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 31-10-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_complementarities.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Region has a stake in Dubai's success </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >There was a time when happenings in Dubai were mainly a concern of people in the emirate. Today, however, the outside world, particularly the region, has reason to be more than curious. For it too has a stake in the success of Dubai.</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT>(Gulf News | 07-11-2003)<A HREF="f1_stake_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_stake_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Powering Dubai's knowledge community</b></div> <div> Silicon Valley in the US was built around Stanford University. But to say that its Dubai adaptation, the Dubai Internet City-Media City cluster, is founded on the strength of Knowledge Village would be stretching things a little too far.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 14-11-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_community.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Who ultimately pays for credit card rewards? </b></div> <div> As credit card competition climbs to another higher level, banks are packing their cards with more and more features. These offerings are rewarding as long as the customer uses the card as a payment convenience and not as a rollover credit facility.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 21-11-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1___.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIFC moving slowly but steadily </b></div> <div> It is better to go for a system that works efficiently, even if its development involves some delay, rather than implement a half-baked plan that will fold up in due course of time.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 29-11-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_steadily_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Offloaded UAE gold reserves could fetch more </b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Whenever the price of gold rises or falls, it produces its share of delights and disappointments. For those who have bought at lower rates, a price increase brings a sense of gain, though notional, just as the sellers might rue their poor sense of timing. And when the quantity is in tonnes, the loss would indeed be substantial.</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT>(Gulf News | 06-12-2003)<A HREF="f1_offloaded.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f1_offloaded.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Air India profits from travellers' lack of clout </b></div> <div> While regional carriers brace for a share of the huge market for low-cost travel, India's state airline clings to unsustainable business practices.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News |13-12-2003) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f1_clout_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>FNC statute amendment paves way for DIFC law </b></div> <div> The draft amendment to the Constitution approved by the Federal National Council this week removes a stumbling block in the finalisation of the law authorising Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to legislate its own rules and regulations<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 20-12-2003)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f1_law_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file1"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Many hurdles stand in way of customs union</b></div> <div> It is a sign of the growing consolidation of the GCC economic bloc that the deliberations of the community's policy planning forums lately are outweighed by economic and business issues than anything else.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News |30/12/2003)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_union.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It was Year of the Banks in UAE during 2003</b></div> <div> If one were to interpret the local business scene using terminology appropriate to Chinese astrology, 2003 could well be considered the Year of the Banks<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 6/1/2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_2003.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Customs Union fails to erode Dubai's hub status</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The numbers are out on the first year of operation of the GCC Customs Union and the results show that Dubai continues to be a winner.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>(Gulf News |13/1/20<B>04)</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_status.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U><B>…more</b></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>English jurisprudence forms core of DIFC law </b></div> <div> Gaps in the local legal system, particularly while dealing with matters relating to commerce and business, have been a major concern for foreign investors in committing their money to the region. But Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the regulatory body for the DIFC, has taken great care to remove this lack of confidence.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > (</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News| 20-01-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f2_difc_law_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Rating agencies often play catch-up</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><B> </b></FONT></div> <div> The role rating agencies play is inherently contradictory. If it is easy to argue that they do a wonderful job with their assessment of countries, companies and industries, it is easier to establish that they mess up much more than they make up.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 27-01-2004 ) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f2_catchup_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>UAE's dormant primary market springs to life </b></div> <div> Amlak's place in any worthwhile portfolio of local shares is never in doubt; and yet the 33-times over-subscription of the initial public offering (IPO) by the region's first mortgage finance player is more an illustration of the market's appetite for new issues than anything else, the fundamentals of the Emaar subsidiary included<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 03-02-2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f2_life.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Banks refuse to share their cash bounty</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><B> </b></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >When businesses make more profit, they tend to show greater generosity. And when they start losing money, obviously the reverse is true: there is a lot of squeezing in. The banks in the UAE are, however, doing just the opposite.</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT>(Gulf News | 11-02-2004)<A HREF="f2_bounty_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f2_bounty_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DSF success an ideal subject for case study</b> </div> <div> It may be some time before the figures are compiled in terms of visitor spending, business volumes, etc, but going by its relevance to the overall strategic context, the ninth edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will go into the records as another super performer. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News| 17-2-2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_study_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Global interest in DIFC soars</b></div> <div> With the presidential assent for the federal law mandating the establishment of DIFC expected to come any time now, there is a dramatic build-up in global interest over the Dubai International Financial Centre.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News | 25/2/2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_soars.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai leaves stamp of quality on the region</b></div> <div> When launched in the 1990s, the Dubai Quality Award was more about pomp and glitter. But over the years, it has become another outstanding programme that carries the Dubai stamp of success<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 3/3/2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_region.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>From DRX to DIFX: The truly Dubai way</b></div> <div> Last July, this column expressed a deep sense of disappointment over a reported move by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to establish a regional stock exchange rather than pursue the plan for an international exchange.  Thankfully, DRX has now become DIFX, standing for Dubai International Financial Exchange.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 9/03/2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_way.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…mor</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f2_way.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>e</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Outsourcing by banks complicates emiratisation </b></div> <div> It is certainly not as hot an issue as it is for Europeans and Americans, but outsourcing is causing its due share of concern locally too.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666666" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News | 17-03-2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f2_complicates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file2"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Rise in infrastructure build-up lifts steel industry</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >What makes rags to riches stories most exciting is the unpredictability of whom it happens to. But imagine something like this occurring all across an industry. And that is the story of steel today.</FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News 01-04-2004)</FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_industry.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A cut above the rest in diamond trade</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The status of Dubai as a leading global centre for gold and jewellery gets no small boost from the fact that the UAE accounts for the largest per capita consumption of jewellery in the world.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>(Gulf News |07/04/2004)<A HREF="f3_diamond_trade.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_diamond_trade.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>UAE tie-ups a model for GCC in EU talks</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >With the next round of GCC-EU talks on the establishment of free trade between the two communities fast approaching, there are signs of increasing frustration on the part of the GCC negotiators about the real intentions of their EU counterparts.</FONT> (Gulf News |15/04/2004)<A HREF="f3_eu_talks.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_eu_talks.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai's property boom set to enjoy a long run</b></div> <div> Among the categories of people who have bought freehold property in Dubai, there are those who invested in a home to live in and those who did so for the fun of owning a luxury home in the most happening place. But a significant number put money into these properties as an investment.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News| 22/04/2004</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_property_boom.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Good news for credit-card users</b></div> <div> The next time you set out on your favourite holiday or an important business trip, try to settle your bills in the local currency of the place; or at least avoid paying by credit card if you can. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News| 02/ 06/2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_credit_card_users.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>New accounting standards are a long way away for UAE firms</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >With the adoption of International Accounting Standards having already been made mandatory for banks in the UAE, the next point of interest is whether and when the requirement would be made applicable to non-banking companies.</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT>(Gulf News| 12/06/2004<A HREF="f3_accounting_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>)</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_accounting_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Banks in UAE may be in sight of a level playing field soon</b></div> <div> Recent remarks by the UAE Central Bank Governor have thrown enough hints about the shape of things to come, particularly the implications of WTO agreements on the country's banking sector.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News| 21/06/2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_level_playing_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Istithmar 'eyeing Versace brand'</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Dubai's ambitious Istithmar investment group is bidding for a stake in top Italian fashion brand Versace through a London-based Italian partner. </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News| 1/ 07/2004</FONT>)<A HREF="f3_versace_brand__.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>One-upmanship by Dubai real estate giants produces glitter</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Dubai is fiercely competitive, both in terms of the emirate's own position in the region as well as that between its domestic entities. Competition has become a part of the Dubai milieu. </FONT>(Gulf News| 10/07/2004)<A HREF="f3_one_upmanship.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_one_upmanship.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Conflict of interest: Difference between perception and reality</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >The timely intervention by the Dubai Crown Prince has taken much ammunition away from those who have tried to make a big deal out of the recent departure of two leading functionaries of the DIFC regulatory agency</FONT>. (Gulf News| 01-08-2004)<A HREF="f3__difference.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3__difference.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It's time shareholders moved to the centre</b></div> <div> When the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) authorities cancelled the trading in Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) shares in May this year on the basis of transactions based on privileged information, it was history being made. Such punitive measures were indeed unheard of<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. (Gulf News| 11/8/2004) </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3_shareholders.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Shakeout restores credibility to Media City units</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Dubai Media City has seen something like an elimination round in which those who found the market terrain increasingly inhospitable had to leave, making ground for those with better business models. </FONT>(Gulf News| 22/08/2004)<A HREF="f3__credibility.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f3__credibility.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file3"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Abu Dhabi gains in losing VW stake</b></div> <div> Abu Dhabi's tough posturing in the talks with VW management is a clear message to the world that the oil-rich Arab emirate is no pushover on the negotiating table</div> <div> (Gulf News :24-9.2004)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_stake.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Need to stem flow of speculative money into Dubai real estate</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >A speculative bubble in the Dubai real estate sector would be disastrous and the  developers would do well to exercise caution.</FONT>(Gulf News| 1-10-2004)<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>.</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>..more</b></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai closes a regional gap in business intelligence</b></div> <div> Dubai's integration into the global financial system has added one more layer. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" ><B>Gulf News |08-10-2004)</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_intelligence_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U><B>...more</b></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai takes Islamic finance to new heights</b></div> <div> The $750 million sukuk ijara issue launched by Dubai Islamic Bank to partly finance the $4.1 billion expansion of Dubai International Airport is the biggest sukuk issue ever launched in the history of Islamic banking and finance. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B>Gulf News|15-10-2004)</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </b></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_heights.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U><B>...more</b></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>No imminent respite for local oil retailers</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >The announcement by local petrol dealers of a planned closure of all the 165 stations, quickly followed by a retraction, was an unmitigated public relations disaster. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT>Gulf News | 22-10-2004)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" >.<A HREF="f4_retailers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U><B>..more</b></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>VAT will be a major challenge for GCC</b></div> <div> Whatever may be the compulsions of GCC countries to levy VAT, the system is least suitable for many countries in the region. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News | 29-10-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_gcc.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Negative tendencies in primary market</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Overindulgence has become a trademark of the UAE stock market. But if you do not know when and where to stop, it can really spoil the party. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News |05-11-2004)</FONT>..<A HREF="f4_market.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>.more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>An economic miracle of epic proportions</b></div> <div> Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan's UAE is a creation of epic proportions. There are few parallels in history of such outstanding achievement. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News | 12-11-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_proportions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Global integration moves bring labour law pitfalls into focus</b></div> <div> Companies in the Gulf tend to follow policies that may be irreconcilable to the best interests of productivity and optimisation of resources. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News |19-11-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_focus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U> </U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_focus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>UAE banks attract `phishing' interest</b></div> <div> There has been a noticeable increase in the number of e-mail spoofs directed at customers of local banks. It is nearly impossible to make out the fake from the real. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News |26-11-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_interest.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U> </U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_interest.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>FTAs hamper regional economic integration</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >The US move for free trade agreement (FTA) with some Gulf countries is putting the clock back on the economic integration of the GCC states</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >. (</FONT>Gulf News |03-12-2004)<A HREF="f4_integration.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_integration.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Banks make merry as leveraging continues</b></div> <div> Profits are sweet, but some ways in which the banks have amassed the surpluses raise questions about their sustainability <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News |11-12-2004)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_continues.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U> </U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_continues.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Currency peg: Free float as an option</b></div> <div> The best option for the UAE may probably be not to link its currency either to the euro or the basket, but a free float. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Gulf News |06-03-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_option.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Compliance with the politics of banking comes at high cost</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Banks have been handed out new parameters to ensure that they are positioned on the right side of international politics </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(</FONT>Gulf News |15-03-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" >.<A HREF="f4_highcost.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Barclays on the way back to retail banking in UAE</b></div> <div> Developments in recent times, including the new boom in economy centred on massive infrastructure investments, have convinced Barclays Bank that it is time for a revisit to consumer banking. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|22-03-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_uae.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Freehold boom bypasses electronics trade</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><B> </b></FONT></div> <div> Any compilation of freehold properties on offer in Dubai is in danger of getting outdated as quickly as it can be put together. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|29-03-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_freehofreehold.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai to strive for regional prosperity</b></div> <div> The re-designation of Dubai Strategy Forum to Arab Strategy Forum has much bigger import than that meets the eye. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News|05-04-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_prosperity.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Blurred lines between DIFC and local market</b></div> <div> There exists a great deal of confusion over the roles of the Dubai Financial Market and the proposed Dubai International Financial Exchange. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|12-04-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4__blurred.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Ras Al Khaimah on course to become another hub</b></div> <div> Ras Al Khaimah is surely headed the Dubai way, changing its profile and transforming itself into an investment hotspot. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News|19-04-2005)</FONT><A HREF="f4_hub.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…</U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="f4_hub.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Why price control moves will find only limited success?</b></div> <div> Much of what has been done so far to control price rises only adds up to going round and round. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|26-04-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_success.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Abu Dhabi makes moves to tap tourism potential</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> It is symbolic that the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is participating in Dubai's Arabian Travel Market for the first time. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|03-05-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_potential.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Telecom sector: Competition is different from division of monopoly</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Etisalat is blocking websites offering cheap calls through Internet telephony on the ground that there was no law in the UAE that allowed IP telephony. But Is there a law that actually prohibits it? <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|10-05-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_division.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Oil IPO from RAK: Market excitement hitting new pitch</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> That markets are mostly about perception is not a bad thing by itself. But perceptions can be as close to reality as they are as afar. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|19-05-2005</FONT>)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_pitch.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Clampdown on leveraging should bring back a sense of realism</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> The decisive action by the Central Bank to tackle irresponsible leveraging by some banks in funding stock purchases is a fitting response to those who complain of a soft approach by the regulator. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|24-05-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_sense.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai plays key role in the growth of new tourist destination</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Hoopla and hyperbole are a regular feature of any high-profile gathering. But that should not take attention away from a real transformation that is under way in Ras Al Khaimah. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|31-05-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_tourist_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai keeps counting the mounting cost of gridlock</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Despite its `made to order' conditions, the growth of Dubai has left out many finer elements of town planning and coordination. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|07-06-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_gridlock.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Party in stock market may be getting over</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> A most fundamental characteristic of money is that it goes away as smoothly as it comes. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|12-06-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_over.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Credit cards: The interest rate game in the offing</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> There are customers who keep hoping from one bank to the other, collecting all the goodies in the process and filling their wallets with newer and newer plastic.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > (Gulf News|22-06-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_offing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Data theft should not be taken lightly</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> It is no small consolation that there are more honest people in the world than there are dishonest, particularly when it comes to security of financial information. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|28-06-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_lightly.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Competitiveness is the key to a business hub's success</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> It is the people who make business models succeed, not the other way around. This fundamental principle should never be lost sight of. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News|05-07-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_competitiveness.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A revisit to Black September looks highly possible</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> The factors that led to the buildup of the UAE stock market's Black September in 1998 are showing up once again, one by one for sure.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > (Gulf News|12-07-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_possible.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Legislative ambiguity leads to exploitation</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Stability in the regulatory and legal regime is very important for businesses so that they know where exactly they stand in terms of their legal obligations. (Gulf News|19-07-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_exploitation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Are petrol price rises necessary in UAE?</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> For a country like the UAE, any increase in the price only means more money by way of revenue and is no reason to hike domestic prices. (Gulf News|06-09-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_necessary_in_uae_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai must switch to screen-based trading</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Stock exchanges are not known to have ever stipulated a minimum floor space for a certain transaction value. Should that be the case, the Dubai Financial Market needs to be relocated to a site ten times bigger than its current premises. (Gulf News|15-09-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_screen_based.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Dubai's impressive development model</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Every dirham that the authorities planned to spend on the prestigious Dubailand project has produced 10 dirhams by way of private investment. (Gulf News|20-09-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_model.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>It's time for evacuation</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Investors causing traffic jams on the roads, desperately overbooked cross-border flights, unruly scenes at bank counters distributing IPO applications are all strong signals to the build of a hurricane in the market. (Gulf News|29-09-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_evacuation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>DIFX opening was remarkably low-key</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Dubai's day on the global financial stage will come when it is possible for anyone to talk about DIFC without an introduction. That, at present, seems to be a long way off. (Gulf News|04-10-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_low_key.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Real estate and the gathering clouds</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> Central Bank Governor Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi's comment on the dangers of asset price inflation caused by Dubai's property boom showed him as blunt as he could get. (Gulf News|12-10-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_clouds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Success brings along its share of troubles</b><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> While things have generally improved in regular government departments, matters have become more complicated and time-consuming in the knowledge economy eco-system that the DIC and DMC represent. (Gulf News|18-10-2005)<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="f4_troubles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="file4"><U>…more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>GCC must put its foot down in free trade talks with EU</b></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >It takes a great sense of humour to appreciate the progress in the European Union-GCC talks for a free trade agreement. The two sides have been talking, talking and talking for the past 17 years. </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 1-12-2005)</FONT>.<A HREF="latest_gccfoot.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>..more</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Hotel sector headed for mild slowdown</b></div> <div> A just-released report by leading hotel consultancy HVS International has spoken about the risk of market-wide oversupply emerging in Dubai.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 6-12-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_hotelsector.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Role of gold as safe haven grows stronger by the day</b></div> <div> Even from a trader's point of view, offloading of the gold reserves by the UAE Central Bank was ill-timed.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >(Gulf News |13-12-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="latest_safe_haven.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>.</U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><A HREF="latest_safe_haven.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>..more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The one-way street called free trade</b></div> <div> Free trade for the Gulf countries has remained a one-way street, where the developed countries get full access to all their domestic sectors, while there is very little that can flow in the reverse direction.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News |20-12-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_oneway_street.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Retail IPO investors need more options</b></div> <div> The UAE's 2005 IPO year can be deemed to have ended with a festival. The Dh2.1 billion Dana Gas issue had all the trappings of one: action, entertainment, and like the Dubai Shopping Festival, impressive statistics.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News | 27-12-2005)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_retail_ipo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Shrinking IMF loans: A new army may be heading towards Gulf</b></div> <div> If any one had doubts on the conflict of interest between the multilateral aid agencies and their so-called beneficiaries, there is new confirmation available now. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 3-1-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_loans.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Makeover of federal bureaucracy on the cards</b></div> <div> No matter which country or society it belongs to, bureaucracy is least amenable to change or anything that is new. It is the bane of any civil society that yearns for progress, but no society can manage without a bureaucracy.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 10-1-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_makeover.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Clash of two emerging titans</b></div> <div> Dubai first started copying the Singapore model. The replication was orchestrated so well that the Gulf business hub soon appeared to be outdoing the pioneers in many ways.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News | 17-1-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_titans.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>E</b><B>very setback in region turns out to be an opportunity for UAE</b></div> <div> An island of tranquility in an ocean ravaged by political tsunamis: this is what the UAE has been in the regional context of instability, conflicts and confrontation. And this role has served the emirates very well.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(Gulf News| 24-1-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_every_setback.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Saudi partnership with Asian giants a trailer</b></div> <div> The new warmth in the relations between Saudi Arabia and India as well as China is perceived to be the manifestation of the kingdom's desire to move away from the situation of 'one big friend', meaning the US and the West, and 'one big product' that is oil.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News| 31-1-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_trailer.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>ESCA needs to address conflict of interest issues</b></div> <div> The decisive action by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA) to bring offenders in the infamous DIB share scam to book went a long way in establishing the credibility of the UAE regulatory body<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. (Gulf News| 12-2-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_esca_needs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Weather-beaten, well and truly</b></div> <div> How some of Dubai's new constructions have stood up to what the weather office prefers to call 'wet weather' with hardly a couple of centimeters of rain raises serious issues about the local construction standards.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News| 3-3-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_weather_beaten.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Free trade as a matter of convenience</b></div> <div> First it was P&O and now the Doncasters Group. The US phobia over the potential security risks in the two Dubai acquisitions exposes the Americans' typical approach towards free trade and globalisation.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (Gulf News| 12-3-2006)</FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latest_convenience.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="lastweek"><U>...more</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#333366><NOBR><div>      </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="78" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#333366 HEIGHT= 76 ><NOBR><div> email</div> <div> feedback</div> <bR> <div>   <a href="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/feed/control.feed?a=render&i=3&u=k.raveendran.agenda"> <img src="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/img/feedback/badge1.gif" border="0"></a><BR><a href="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/specs/feed.html"><img src="http://htmlgear.lycos.com/img/log/fb_i_getgear.GIF" alt="get this gear!" border="0"></a>   </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div>   <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://hits.nextstat.com/cgi-bin/wsv2.cgi?111569"></script> <noscript> <a href="http://www.webstat.com"> <img src="http://hits.nextstat.com/scripts/wsb.php?ac=111569" border="0" alt="Website Analytics and Website Statistics by NextSTAT" /></a> </noscript>   </div> <bR> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table> </body>