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English Newspapers in the UAE
Probably the most read broadsheet in the UAE is the Gulf News as, reportedly, it is largest read UAE daily in 'English'. One of the newer newspapers and based out of Abu Dhabi is The National. It's not as thick as the other papers, but they have good quality writers. The Khaleej Times, is another broadsheet, targeted at the Indian Subcontinent expats and although criticized with regards to quality, has some comprehensive local business commentary that is syndicated in numerous other publications. There have been in the past a number of newspapers that could be consider tabloid, but man have shut done for pure economic reasons.7 days is the free paper distributed all over the UAE. As with all freebies, it has a wide following and the letters section that has become more and more amusing over time. It is possible to get some international papers in the UAE, some which are locally printed, e.g. the FT and The Times of London, and some delivered at a later date. Check with your hotel. There are obviously a large selection of Arabic papers, the most popular of which are Al Ittihad, Al Bayan, and Al Khaleej.
Trying to get a handle of what is going on with regard to news in Dubai had been a little tricky in the past. However, standards are slowly increasing, and the prominence of the English speaking press is growing, in some part to firms operating out of Dubai and the freezones as well as the modernisation of the government. Many would say the the quality of the English speaking press, although having improved with competition, falls short of the standards of the Western Papers.There are also those who aliken some of the papers to government mouthpieces. Nevertheless, with the Internet at your disposal, you can get a selection of the news and filter through what is actually of interest to you. With the prominence of Dubai on the world stage, a number of leading world publications also regularly cover the region in increasing detail, which may give you a fairer view to the news. Furthermore, with significant syndication of articles, you can expect to see numerous articles from all over the world.
There is regular talk regarding freedom of speech of the press, and while officially, the press is relatively free to report as they wish, there is probably less critique or hard hitting editorials than you may see in other countries. Nevertheless, if it is simple information that you require to understand what is going on, you can get all that you desire. More often than not, leaders in the papers are completely different, depending on the actual paper's access to information, their perception of the real stories that matter and who their actual audience is. Newspapers cost between 1 and 2 Dirhams, a couple are free and many are distributed for free. The Friday papers usually come with additional supplements, such as lifestyle type magazines.
Other News
WAM is the Emirates News Agency, where official announcements are usually relayed. Further, UAE Interact publishes the official news from the UAE. Other Arab publications covering the region in English include: Dar Al Hayat, asharq alawsat, and Al Jazeera. Another site worth checking out is Mosaic which takes clips broadcast by the region and provides a translation of the footage - giving an viewpoint of region from a uniquely regional perspective.
Business News
AME Info is a central web resource for all business related information in the region. There is a wide coverage and is a good starting point for anyone researching the market. They usually summarise the main news headlines of the day and many companies choose to make announcements through their site. Trade Arabia is also an excellent source of information for the region while, MENAFN collates the key financial news very effectively. Gulf Base is focused on the markets and has some excellent tools to understand the data. Strategiy, from Maktoob, is a good resource with a slant towards advertising and marketing, as well as Maktoob, the now Yahoo company. And last but by no means least, ITP have numerous publications that cover the diverse markets in the region, from business to construction to technology, to name a few. Paid for business intelligence includes Zawya, Noozz, covering emerging markets and Meed which has a slant towards oil and gas and construction.
Further Resources
Of course there are many other international sources including fee based offerings from the Economist Intelligence Unit and Business Monitor International. In addition there are a number of collators of which Google (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE ), Yahoo (Abu Dhabi , Dubai , UAE ), and Topix (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE ) are the best giving differing but wide ranging coverage of the stories covered by the press, worldwide.
Keeping updated on information is a given when moving to a new region. There are all sorts of newsletters available covering a variety of industries and areas. We have provided you with the ones that give you the best data.
Grapeshisha
You know we had to include ourselves in this category. You want the real deal about Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the UAE - sign up for blog updates at the top of the page. Go on - you know it makes sense! Also, check out our news section about . Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE
ITP Newsletters
ITP supplement their print magazines with online versions sent directly to your email box! These newsletters cover everything from business to consumer information. In a market with a thirst for quality information, ITP seem to quench both online and offline.
The MENA Report
Crucial issues sent weekly.
Maktoob
News updates from Maktoob/yahoo.
AME Info Company News
AME Info Watchlist
Get their company newsletter to find out the scoop. The watch list instantly tells you about only the companies that you are interested in.
Eqarat
Really want to know what is going on with the property market? Eqarat provide the answer.
Business Monitor Daily Brief
News and Analysis for the Middle East and Africa. The newsletter is free, but the detailed analysis requires pre-purchase.
Oxford Business Group
The Oxford Business Group cover emerging markets, including the UAE. Their weekly newsletter covers one main issue, usually highlighted in the week's press.