It is impossible to know whether this post at Al-Emirati.com on the victims of the recent Air India disaster is intended to be some appalling attempt at humour or satire, but by every single measure it is absolutely beyond the pale:
Not really. Not only do I not care if the victims "rest in peace" but it seems to me that they are, rather, resting in pieces!
I am of course talking about flight IX 812 from Dubai to Balglapour (or some other hell hole, they're all the same) that recently crashed (click here)
I know I know. Mean, blah blah. The way I see it is as follows. The UAE is (about) 50% Indians, Something that I, and 90% of all other Emaratis see as a bad thing.
This plane, carrying Indians who live and work here, means that 160 indians that clog up the roads, cause accidents, fail code inspections at Indian restaurants, speak like this guy, and are a general drag on the security of the UAE, wont be coming back. That is a very GOOD thing!
I can only pray that this happens every week!
Sadly, we'll probably have 160 new VISAs for 160 new Indians issued in 3 hours... And the authority in charge of this will flaunt that, as if it's a good thing.
Emirates has launched a pan-African brand advertising campaign that celebrates the talent and achievements of young More...
The opinion of local Dubai people - the native Emiratis - on Dubai's rapid growth is scarce compared to expat opinion. Partly it's a language issue, many of them probably express themselves more in Arabic than in English. It may be cultural in that they don't like to speak out. But one Emirati shares their view here:
A lot of us Emiratis feel this downturn is exactly what we have needed. The chance to finally slow down and see things as they are without the stink of greed distorting everything. To finally concentrate our efforts where it counts such as improving our schools and colleges, completing the metro, building a stable civil society, and a sustainable economy.
Here are the negatives that I feel the boom brought:
Pollution: I remember when one could see the Trade Centre as a little dot on the horizon when travelling from AbuDhabi to Dubai. Something no longer possible with the haze we have now
Prostitution: Before the boom, people would travel to South East Asia to get their sin fix and bring back AIDS. The only difference being the prostitutes are here, and all the nefarious enablers that goes with it. A great shame
Greed: Not an expat only phenomenon. It's weird when the only things some members of the family would talk about is money, money, money. This flaunting of wealth was once considered unseemly by most Emiratis.
Here are the positives of the boom:
Coverage: Dubai in the international media made us see ourselves from the point of view of others, and what was written usually contradicted our own self image
Culture Change: The boom added a measure of optimism to the somewhat pessimistic culture that is part of our birthright. Emiratis are working in sectors of the economy that before would have been considered beneath them.
Greater Efficiency and transparency in government: Yes, these are halting steps forward. I remember the hair pulling experiences I have had with Dubai government 5 years ago and how much more modern it is.
Metro: Can't wait for it to go live
If you’re planning on filling up at the pump over the next few days you might want to do it fast, as UAE petrol prices are set to increase significantly in April 2019.
In April, drivers can expect to pay Dhs2.23 per litre for Super 98, up from Dhs2.04 in March. Special 95 will cost Dhs2.11 per litre, an increase of 19 fils from Dhs1.92 last month. Diesel will also be more expensive this month than last, priced at Dhs2.49 per litre for April – that’s an increase of 8 fils.
The fuel ⛽ prices for the month of April as announced by the #UAE Fuel Price Committee are out, check them below. #InspiringEnergy pic.twitter.com/g06yxKhXez
— ENOC (@ENOC) March 28, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
All prices include the VAT rate of 5 per cent.
The UAE’s Ministry of Energy first began setting fuel prices based on average global prices in August 2015. Before that, the price of petrol in the UAE was subsidised by the government, which shielded consumers from global fluctuations in the cost of petrol.
January: Dhs2
February: Dhs1.95
March: Dhs2.04
April: Dhs2.23
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Image: Getty
The post Drivers take note, UAE fuel prices are increasing significantly in April appeared first on What's On Dubai.
Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai will go dark for one hour on March 30, as part of the Earth Hour 2019 initiative
