UAE may allow foreigners to get full business ownership.

The UAE is considering changes in its federal laws that would permit international companies to hold 100% ownership of businesses they establish in the UAE, The National has reported. Currently, foreigners must have a UAE national as a sponsor and are limited to a maximum 49% ownership of businesses in the country, except in free zones. The new legislation, which will be submitted to Cabinet within two months, are aimed at boosting foreign investment. ‘A lot of industries worldwide are very interested to move here to the UAE, providing there are certain terms and conditions they would like to see in the industrial law,’ Sultan al Mansouri, the Minister of Economy, said yesterday.

This will help foreign investment INFLOW, Bahrain is 1st in the region to adopt the Own your business laws.

Dubai Driverless Metro

tonite at 090909 hrs the previliged elites of Dubai – UAE will be riding the Dubai Metro. The selected station to launch the metro is Mall of Emirates on Sh. Zayed Road. Among elite passangers, few of commoners selected through a ballot will be onboard as well. Tonite the Gulf State of Dubai will be 1st one of the region to have driver less mass transport system which is elevated & underground as well.

come 10 09 09 and it will be open for all.

You’ve no doubt by now noticed that the sites got a bit of a re-design and some things got changed around last week. We wanted to highlight two changes to make sure everyone knows what changed.

The first and biggest is COMMENTS! Registration is no longer required to post a comment on any post. Of course if you already have an account you can still login to ensure your comments are attributed to you, but those who don’t can now post a comment without any long term commitment. Also, on the right you can see some of the recent comments so you’ll always know what the active discussions are. This was the most requested thing we’ve heard from people since our last redesign and we’re excited to see where it leads.

The next change is also something that was heavily requested, and that is a change to the ADS on the sites. You’ll immediately notice fewer of them, but what might not be as obvious is those smaller square ones to the right are specific to this city only and are being sold for a flat rate for a period of time rather than a confusing CPM/traffic/network model. Depending on the city, these range from $7-$175 for a full week. If you purchase one, during that time your ad will be the only one in that spot and will show on every page. We set these up both to make it easier for smaller local businesses to get their ads on our site, and also to help us bring in ads that relate better to our local audiences. Also, keeping these sites online is expensive and every little bit helps.

There are a bunch of other things we changed but we’ll leave those to you to investigate and take advantage of. Hope you like it, and we look forward to seeing you in the comments!!

Love,
The folks at MBHQ

Dubai Metro operations begin on 09/09/09 with 10 stations on the Red Line
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President & Prime Minister of the UAE -Visionary Ruler of Dubai, will officially launch Dubai Metro on 09/09/2009, starting with 10 key stations on the Red Line, namely: Rashidiya, Terminal 3 (Dubai International Airport), City Center, Al Rigga, Union, Khalid bin Al Waleed, Jafliah, Financial Center, Mall of the Emirates, and Nakheel Harbour & Tower.

The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) followed the rollercoaster mood at international exchanges and closed 1.45% lower after rebounding 2.30% yesterday. Market bellwether Emaar Properties ended 3.61% lower at Dhs2.94. Investment bank EFG Hermes says upgraded its stance on Emaar from ‘reduce’ to ‘neutral’ in the short-term. EFG says it will reconsider its judgment on Emaar until more details about the possible merger with three real estate subsidiaries of Dubai Holding will be disclosed. Shares of logistics specialist Aramex bucked the trend and added 0.64%, closing at Dhs1.58. Aramex soared 33% during the last three months amid extending its presence in Europe. Trading volumes remained stable at the DFM as three shares gained, 23 declined and one stock remained unchanged.

With the mercury reaching 46 degrees Celsius, food outlets, cafeterias and restaurants have been warned of strict fines if their staff fail to wear caps and gloves while cooking inside the kitchen and are found not using tissues to wipe their sweat.
complaints from residents that small cafeterias lag far behind when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene in their outlets. People even complain about rats jumping from one corner to another while cockroaches creep around freely.

Despite regular inspections – and even fines – by the ADFCA, violations continue, leading to the closure of several food joints. Where does the fault lie? A number of cafeteria owners in the city blamed badly maintained shops.

If you witness any abnormality at any food-joint, GOVT would appreciate people would report lapses by restaurants and cafeterias on its toll free number 8006565

The burgeoning retail industry of the Middle East have tempted many International players to UAE. Current emerging name is WAITROSE with 2 operational stores – @ Dubai Marina Mall & @Mall of Dubai. by 2010 many of the SPINNEYs stores will be renamed to WAITROSE under a partnership agreement signed during End of 2008.

BUT

Pork products will be on sale in a separate room within the store., and that will be a High disadvantage among the local & 90% of Expatriates who come from diversified Muslim backgrounds where Pork is ‘HARAM’ to touch or being nerby.

That leaves WAITROSE with a big Question mark, as Ramadan is already around the corner.

Dubaisat-1 successfully launched on July 30 2009. The UAE’s first government satellite was successfully launched into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan last night. Dubaisat-1 will orbit 680km above Earth and is expected to beam back its first images in a matter of days. The satellite was developed by a South Korean firm with the cooperation of 16 UAE engineers from the Emirates Institute of Advanced Science and Technology.

This is another achievement by the Govt of UAE to occupy International space in Space allocation segment for the UAE. Further details for the transponders & the specs are still unknown.

Tahhan the endurance runner horse belonging to HRH Sheikh Mohammed PM of UAE & Ruler of Dubai, was tested positive for dope and banned substances. In Januray & February the HRH rode the horse in the endurance races. He has been fined for the event and banned for six months.

Trainer Abdullah bin Huzaim was also fined and banned for a year after admitting to doping the horses.

Women in the UAE have voiced their opinion and made their views clear: they know sexual discrimination occurs in the work place and are ready to seek action if it happens to them.

When it comes to marriage, most women in the UAE have the freedom to choose their husband and if they are ever at the receiving end of spousal abuse, taking action is their first gut reaction.

Women in the UAE realise how important it is to be to financially independent and are motivated to work in order to advance their careers.

This is not to take away from the harsh reality of many whose financial burdens are what push them to go to work.

A total of 605 female UAE residents answered our questions; 57 per cent of the women were from the subcontinent (India/Pakistan); Arab expatriates constituted 15 per cent of the respondents and 10 per cent were Western expatriates.

The minimum Metro fare for a short trip for up to three kilometres will be Dh1.80 if a passenger is using a prepaid card. It will cost Dh2 if the passenger uses a standard single journey paper ticket.

The maximum fare for a single journey will be Dh6.50 when using a paper ticket and Dh5.80 when using the card.

The fares will be valid for trains, public buses and the water buses for a single journey. This means a passenger using the metro can continue his or her trip on buses without paying any additional fare.

The Roads and Transport Authority has provided various fare options to passengers including daily and monthly passes.

The daily pass will cost Dh14 for unlimited trips on the metro and public buses all over the city. The monthly passes range from Dh100 to Dh270.

Dubai Metro

Redha Salman, the director of public health and safety at Dubai’s municipality has said that city officials have seized dozens of types of pills and purported health supplements from shops over concerns that they could be dangerous, according to the National. Salman said increased use of the supplements and pills, most of which are priced at less than $1.40, had triggered the move. ‘These products were confiscated as they claimed to be a medicine, which was not approved by the Ministry of Health,’ he said.

Egypt court sentences tycoon to death for Suzan Tamim murder

Cairo: A Cairo court on Thursday sentenced an Egyptian tycoon and a former policeman to death for the murder in Dubai last year of Lebanese pop star Suzan Tamim.

The judge ordered businessman Hesham Talaat Mustafa and retired policeman Mohseen Al Sukkari hanged for the brutal slaying of the singer in a luxury Dubai apartment in July, 2008.

Palm Jumeriah Monorail is now operational
click link to see the video coverage by gulfnews

Mono Rail

Property owners get six-month visit visas

ABU DHABI/ DUBAI — Foreign owners of property in the UAE will be able to stay in the country for six months with a renewable multiple entry visa under a decree issued by the Minister of Interior on Saturday.

The visa, tied to ownership of a completed property valued at Dh 1 million, had been expected after the government ordered a federal law on the issue when property companies promised residency visas with ownership. The resolution is effective immediately.

Property developers and investors on Saturday expected the visa to encourage foreign investment into the nation’s real estate sector but some said the law should have a longer time frame and should not be tied to a property value.

According to the amendment made to the residency law, the property owner and family can stay for six months from date of entry and then must return to his home country or a GCC state.

The property owner must also earn more than Dh10,000 a month and the property must also be ready to live in. The visa does not cover the owners of plots.

A Citibank report last year put Pakistanis and Iranians on the top of the list of foreign property buyers with a total of 37 per cent property ownership.

The visa will ease travel for investors from India, Pakistan, Iran and Russia, who had faced tighter visit visa rules. Now, they will be able to visit frequently to manage their properties. Passport holders from the US and Europe some Asian countries receive a visit visa upon arrival.

Syed Mohammed Ali, chief executive officer of the Fortune Group, a property developer based in Dubai, said that the policy initiative would boost the morale of investors, who were demoralised by a slump in property prices.

Finance professional Mohammed Azam said many property buyers sought to stay in the country for a long term.

“Those who want to buy property here or have already purchased property in the UAE want to stay here or whenever they wish they can come. Property life is about 20 to 30 years, while six months’ permission to stay is very less and won’t benefit the owners.”