Property Investment Opportunities in the Middle East

A recent survey conducted this past September (2008) showed that property investment opportunities in the Middle East are expected to outnumber and outperform all other property markets for the next 2 to 3 years. According to the Jones, Lang, and LaSalle survey, the market will remain bullish on Middle Eastern property investments with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates being the top performers.

Interestingly enough, there is not a consensus of opinion and some market analysts do not share the survey firm’s enthusiasm

Middle East flags and presidents pictures

Asia to become economic powerhouse by next decade

Islamabad: Pakistan Economy Watch has said that only regional cooperation can provide relief to 50 crore poor living in South Asia. Political differences, if set aside, will spur new era of growth and Pakistan will reap dividends as Asia will be world’s centre of economic activity by next decade.

Pakistan will be world’s leader in textile and banking
Pakistan needs to avail this chance and initiate preparation as we have missed many opportunities in past, Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President, Pakistan Economy Watch said. “No doubt that Pakistan will be world’s leader in textiles and banking,” he added. He said 500 million people are living below poverty line in South Asia and their plight will only end if region can grow at a rate of eight per cent which is only possible in presence of enhanced regional trade.

Islamic beliefs honor Women

Los Angeles District

Have you ever walked through a mall and seen a woman with a veil covering her hair? What crossed your mind? Did you think she was one of the many wives of a rich Saudi Arabian oil sheik? Did you feel sympathy for her because some man forced her to dress that way? Or did you shrug your shoulders and decide it was just one of life’s mysteries? The veiled women are Muslims who have adopted the Islamic dress code for modesty. Islam is one of the world’s largest monotheistic (belief in one God) religions. Almost one billion people in 40 countries are Muslims, with Arabs less than 20 percent of the total.
Contrary to popular belief, women and men are regarded as equal in Islam, but with different responsibilities. This difference, however, doesn’t mean women can’t undertake similar tasks or responsibilities. A woman is recognized as an independent individual entitled to work, own a business, obtain an education, and participate in government .In fact…

Emirates wins ‘Best Middle East/African Airline’ award

DUBAI, U.A.E. – Dubai-based Emirates Airline has added another set of highly coveted accolades to its impressive trophy collection, winning the ‘Best Middle East/African Airline’ award at the 2008 Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards, Hong Kong, and the ‘Best First Class’ title at the Golden Wing Awards 2008, Shanghai.   Over 400 travel and hospitality professionals celebrated Emirates’ triumph as it notched up its eighth consecutive ‘Best Middle East/African Airline’ prize title at the Asia Pacific region’s most prestigious travel and tourism industry event, held in Hong Kong.   The airline’s ultra-luxurious

The Middle East’s Water Crisis: Will the Jordan River Run Dry?

The River Jordan has flowed freely for thousands of years, its name immortalized in the Hebrew Bible and its lush upper reaches once known as the gates to the Garden of Eden. This summer, however, large sections of this storied river were reduced to a trickle, the water so low that grass fires spread freely across the Jordan Valley between Palestine and Jordan. Steadily drained over the past half century to quench the thirst and grow the crops of the people of Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian territories, the Jordan River has been dealt a deathblow recently by a severe drought and by yet another tributary dam, this one on the Jordanian-Syrian border.

Modernisation of Islam the only way to the victory for Muslims

MUSTAFA AKYOL, contributing author to www.WauBebas.org, is a Turkish columnist based in Istanbul.

Not long ago I ran into a quote from Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Egyptian Muslim scholar and Al-Jazeera televangelist, in Turkey’s controversial Islamist daily . The 80-year-old cleric was saying, “Victory is only possible by returning to Islam.”

DubaiSat-1 ready for space launch

The UAE’s first earth observation satellite has been developed by SatrecI in South Korea with in depth participation of UAE engineers from the EIAST and is ‘space ready’ according to an official in Dubai.

Dubai Sat-1 will provide the UAE with its first dedicated Eye in the Sky, and now awaits its launch later this year onboard a Russian Rocket through the Moscow-based International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras.

Designed and developed by a dedicated team and built in collaboration with international entities, DubaiSat 1 will be one of the most advanced small size satellite of its kind when it is launched at the end of this year.

Democracy meets moderate Islamists wishes

A quick look at the Islamic countries reveals the fact that moderate Islam coordinates democratic values. In fact if democracy establishes in these countries, moderate Islamists will gain more than anybody else. They will receive the freedom of activities and get ride of cruel dictators which limits their freedom. here is more concrete examples:
In Egypt if a free and just election happens, moderate Islamists will surely achieve at least their minimum rights. Maybe they can win majority of seats of parliament.
In Turkey the situation of Islamists is better. Any time that a free election is performed the winner is an Islamic party like Adalat, Fazilat and Refah. And whenever the military forces prevent free election, the Islamists stand in weaker position.
In Pakistan if general Mosharaf issue the permission of a really free election Islamists will gain more benefits and the freedom of activity.
In Europe Moslems gain a lot of the democratic atmosphere and whenever an undemocratic decision”n like the laws against Hijab” is taken, Islamist will lose more than any body else.
Who is against democracy in Islamic countries?
1- The dictator rulers who feel unsafe about free democracy. They know that in a free democratic election they won’t win.
2- The United States of America! It is surprising if one says that the U.S.A is always at the side of dictators and stands against democracy in Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and any other Islamic country.

Middle East Electricity Exhibition & Conferences Dubai 2008

Industry estimates suggest that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are likely to invest US$320 billion to meet the energy demands of their fast-paced economies. US$217 billion has already been earmarked to expand power generation capacity.

Economies around the globe are being hit hard by effects of the credit-crunch. Despite this, the Middle East remains comparatively untouched and continues to be an attractive prospect for international companies looking to increase revenue from emerging markets

Middle East internet Broadband Forecast

High demand for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products and services in the Middle East is making the region an attractive proposition for the development of high speed broadband access market. The governments across the region are adopting policies to promote the uptake of broadband technology. In particular, aggressive development by the Gulf countries in the field of technology in their quest to break their image of ‘oil-rich’ region has created many opportunities for foreign as well as domestic players looking to access new markets. Variations in the speed with which this is occurring has led to wide disparities in broadband penetration rates from state to state, said “Middle East Broadband Forecast to 2010”.

Country of the Week- United Arab Emirates

Hi, everyone. I’m gonna post every Monday a different country profile. I think this is a good way to help  post regularly: Leave responses! If anyone has a country they want to see up here let me know and I’ll profile it!

United Arab Emirates

Population:  circa. 5,400,000

Capital: Abu Dhabi

The UAE is a hotbed of capitalism right across the Gulf of Oman from Iran. Traditional Islamic values mingle with a western lifestyle. This is especially true in the UAE’s largest city Dubai. Dubai is by far the most audacious example of boundless developmet …