Recommended reads
Business focus
What the future holds for alternative energy
- The world is unlikely to switch substantially to renewable fuels for decades. Instead it will enter a phase in which renewable and fossil sources coexist.
Oasis
Eyes on Abu Dhabi
- The winners of the photography competition Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes were announced last night at a spectacular awards ceremony in Emirates Palace. Here are ten of the top winners.
Cash boost for malaria programme
Abu Dhabi donates US$25 million to boost UN efforts to combat malaria, following setbacks to a programme to rid the Arabian Peninsula of the mosquito-borne killer.
Faulty lift to blame for Dubai tower shutdown
Witnesses and a Dubai rescue official say a faulty lift was to blame for the shutdown of the observation deck on the world’s tallest tower.
Dubai Metro's music causes disharmony
Commuters on the city's Metro system say they have had enough of the repetitive, electronic music track piped-into carriages.
Police raid illegal plastic surgery clinic
Facelifts were carried out on household beds, surgical instruments lay next to kitchen implements – and latex gloves were reused.
New guide to being a better boss
The Ministry of Labour expects this year to issue a guide for employers aimed at reducing labour violations and complaints.
South Africa draw first blood
The Proteas won the opening Test by an innings and six runs to hand top-ranked India their first defeat on home soil in almost two years.
UAE
Gulf rugby chiefs auction sponsorship rights on eBay
The cash-strapped governing body for rugby in the Gulf are selling themselves to the highest bidder in cyberspace.
For Burj refunds, go to Dubai
As tourists continue to be turned away from the Burj Khalifa many wonder when authorities will explain why the tower’s observation deck is closed, and when it might reopen.
Interpol warrant for runaway fraudster
A warrant has been issued for Australian businessman Ian Bruce Simm who left Dubai in 2008 with some unfinished business: two fraud cases and five years of prison time.
World
Taliban have ‘undetectable’ bomb
The Taliban claim to have developed a new bomb which they say is impossible for Western mine sweepers to detect.
Afghan avalanches kill at least 28
At least 28 people are dead and another 1,500 are stranded following multiple avalanches in Afghanistan.
Saudi sex braggart gets five years
Appeals court uphold a sentence of five years and 1,000 lashes for Saudi man who talked about his sexual exploits on television.
Business
On course to mine gold on greens
Abu Dhabi is sharpening its focus on golf courses as a means of bringing larger numbers of higher spending visitors to the emirate and keeping them here longer. By the end of this year, three golf courses will be part of the emirate’s mix of attractions.
Oil giants make case for future role
The world’s biggest oil companies seek Abu Dhabi’s endorsement and hope to fit into ADNOC’s plans to tap smaller fields in the future.
New funds for occupied territories
Riyada investment platform's $50m of Abraaj’s own capital brings hope for economy and employment across the MENA region.
Opinion
Security was the last thing on display in Munich
Emile Hokayem, Political editor: The Munich Security Conference, held this past weekend in the Bavarian capital, is to the security community what Davos’s World Economic Forum is to the business community.
Well-intentioned Americans but an ugly America
Shaukat Qadir: The US must leave Afghanistan at the earliest possible date but not later than 2012, in accordance with the US president Barack Obama’s “announced intent”. I have said this with increased frequency in the past few months. Why?
Repeat it until you believe it: the UAE is my home
Marten Youssef: We are now expats, hyphenated Canadians, a nurse, a journalist, a wife and husband. But wherever we are, Abu Dhabi will always be the place we established our marriage.
Sport
Bollinger pins down West Indies
Australia cruised to another comfortable One-Day International win over a hapless West Indies side for a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Ten Cate admits work in progress
The new coach in charge of Al Ahli concedes he has lots of work to do as Ahli are whipped 5-0 by a resurgent Al Ain side.
Minnows get a shot at big time
Cricket teams from aspiring nations, made up of mainly amateur players, start their quest to share the spotlight with the world’s top sides.
Arts
Time for Spanish music to find its own voice
O’Funk’illo dissolved in 2006, and will commemorate the 10th anniversary of its formation by playing Madrid this month.
Travels With Palin
Michael Palin's easy charms and natural curiosity make him an ideal travel companion.
Mama's Boy
Even a cast with a stellar history can't do much with a film that, well, stinks.
Life
The play’s the thing
The physical fitness of UK children has fallen by eight per cent in a decade, according to researchers who blamed the increase in ‘screen time'.
The swing of things
Abu Dhabi is preparing to host the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first outdoor event, amid the rising popularity of mixed martial arts in the UAE.
Choose a diet that’s low in sodium, but high in health
Week six of our new year diet plan designed to make you slim and healthy.
Video
Review
Follow the money
Cover story When Salah Ezzedine’s alleged pyramid scheme collapsed, it left thousands of Lebanese Shia with empty bank accounts – and presented Hizbollah with a crisis of authenticity. Joshua Hersh reports from Beirut.
Come together
The big idea For the world’s rising powers, Bruce D Jones and Richard Gowan write, co-operation holds more promise than renewed competition.
Eastern promise
Books The West bemoans China’s increasing presence in Africa, writes Howard W French, but Beijing’s engagement with the continent could be more productive and sincere than Europe’s ever was.
Magazine
New films throw light on the Arab world
Cover At the Sundance festival an Iraqi’s road trip film, a New York-set mystery by an Arab-Bosnian and a satirical British comedy about suicide bombers have helped give new perspectives on the Arab world in film.
The young Syrian businessmen making it happen
Feature A new breed of businessman is reaping the rewards of a more dynamic, developing Syria. Entrepreneurs are tapping into a growing wave of demand and changing the country’s commercial and retail landscape beyond all recognition.
The coldest show on earth
Feature At the Winter Olympics, which start in Vancouver on Friday, some of the world’s top athletes will compete in the sort of sports we in the balmy UAE can only dream about.
Weekender
Blows to India’s free speech
As India muscles its way to the front rank of global powers, one of its principal strengths, supposedly, is its vaunted democracy.
Space rat and groundhog
Iran’s successful launch of a rocket, with passengers that included a rat, had the West anxious, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather, and two cubs were born to rare striped hyenas on Sir Beni Yas Island.
In Mossad’s sights: the killers who wait decades
The swiftness and precision with which a Hamas leader was killed in Dubai last month bear the hallmarks of an Israeli hit squad.
Most popular stories
- Education faces up to double challenge
- UAE banks’ debt woes to grow
- Dubai Metro's music causes disharmony
- Police raid illegal plastic surgery clinic
- For Burj refunds, go to Dubai
- The apartheid will end when Israelis have to face its cost
- New guide to being a better boss
- Hunt for mother of abandoned baby
- Interpol warrant for runaway fraudster
- Dubizzle hits top gear with capital site
Business blogs
Beep Beep:
Khaleeji robots, good monsters, and a plea to get rich
Crane Country:
The World is not sinking, says Nakheel
In The Black:
Resources ride again
Mixed Media:
Regional online adspend to hit 4% in 4 years
You make the news
Send us your stories and pictures
