 | | |
New forces bring change
 Abu Dhabi was a sand-blown coastal village with only two stone buildings and less than 20,000 inhabitants, in 1966 when Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan became ruler of Abu Dhabi - five years before the birth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of which he is president. ...more
ECONOMY:
Abu Dhabi assets keep UAE afloat in Gulf
Last winter, as oil prices drifted down to $10 a barrel, conventional wisdom had it that the UAE federal government, like those of other Gulf Arab oil states, would have to tighten its belt to avoid another, larger budget deficit, the eighth since 1992. The federal finance ministry warned ministers to restrict spending to the same monthly budgeted levels as in 1998. ...more
DUBAI ALUMINIUM:
Heavy position of light metal
A mere 20 years after the first aluminium was tapped and poured at the Dubai Aluminium plant on the south shore of the city, the western world's largest single site smelter has emerged to set many of the standards in the global aluminium industry. ...more
DIPLOMACY & DEFENCE:
Shifting sands
At first sight, ambiguities and contradictions seem to flourish in the shifting sands of the UAE's foreign and defence priorities.Very small, very rich, and very desirable, in an area packed with predators, the UAE, led by its president Sheikh Zayed, has had to use its canny bedu instinct to survive and thrive in international politics. ...more
OIL, GAS AND PETROCHEMICALS:
Palace politics intrude into oil
There is no more fitting testimony to the political shrewdness of Sheikh Zayed's stewardship of Abu Dhabi than the consistent development of its oil and gas industries and the pivotal role they play in the United Arab Emirates as a whole. ...more
BANKING:
Meeting client needs
Broadening the range of services they offer is at the heart of the strategy of United Arab Emirate's foreign and local banks. But there is concern that the legal environment and restrictions on the activities of foreign banks may prevent them from meeting the demands of an increasingly sophisticated clientele. ...more
DUBAI:
Desert pearls to desert flights
Whether it is by virtue of the talking elevators which apologise for keeping you waiting, or the plan for the world's first Internet University at Internet City, or even the 8,000 square metres of gold leaf coating much of the luxury Burj el Arab hotel, Dubai has stamped itself on the map of the Gulf. ...more
|
|
 | |
