Dubai Rental Price Index - 2009

Rera have updated their data again, and everything seems to be going downwards. Is that good or bad? Well, it's good for residents - if you actually belive the data to be real, and so renewals are now moving downwards as people start to shop around. According to bi-me, "But, crucially, the landlord would not be able to automatically bring a very low rent into the range published in the guideline." - so there is some protection for those below the bracket.



The numbers seem a far cry from January - and from last year - are according to Arabian Business - Landmark are to issue even lower figures next month. Compare the date for yourselves - do you believe it?


Dubai Rental Price Index - xls spreadsheet of January and April 2009 data
Dubai Rental Price Index 2009
New Dubai rental index likely to shave market rents
Rera
Dubai’s soon to be official April Rental Index
Dubai rents plummet in new RERA index
Dubai rents seen falling further next week - rival index

The video will be investigated

After the brutality that has been viewed by thousands, if not millions, of a man abusing another human being, this was only going to go one way. The fact that this video has been in existence for some time, the fact that the case had been closed and the fact that you can supposedly get away with something if it is "not part of a pattern of behavior" is worrying. Even more worrying that had ABC and the general media outside of the UAE not exposed this story, there would be no justice. With all that said, it is a breath of fresh air that the UAE government are now reopening the case. Of course, proof is in the pudding but quote:

Official Statement of the Human Rights Office, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department:
The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates guarantees a number of fundamental rights including those set forth in Article 25 providing that all persons are equal before the law, without distinction in regard to race, nationality, religious belief and social status. The Human Rights Office (HRO) of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has viewed the contents of a video containing graphic scenes of physical abuse that has been widely circulated online and reported in international media. The Government of Abu Dhabi unequivocally condemns the actions depicted on the video. The HRO of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department will conduct a comprehensive review of the matter immediately and make its findings public at the earliest opportunity. Based on the statement made by the UAE Ministry of Interior, the HRO of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department understands that the matter depicted on the video was resolved between the two parties and that no criminal charges were brought by either party. However, the HRO believes that the events depicted on the video appear to represent a violation of human rights and therefore these events should be fully reviewed in their own right.

Further:

Today's statement represents a sharp change of course, and one person familiar with the matter told ABCNews.com, "the government would like to put the Sheikh on trial if one his victims makess a formal complaint."

This video was not about the UAE - this video was about cruelty and torture. It was also about people allowing this to happen. What needs to be done now is prevent anything like this ever happening again.

UAE Now Condemns Torture Tape; May Re-Open Royal Sheikh Case
UAE says investigating torture video
Abu Dhabi to probe royal torture claim
Sheikhs, lives and videotape

Ziggurat Dubai - the pyramid of the future

Ziggurat Dubai has been touted as many things, from a new age pyramid in desert, to a monstrosity that will fail. Since it was launched at last year's Cityscape, not much has been heard about this audacious project which falls under the same umbrella as Masdar. It is an enormous project planned at 2.3km square, so it's not one that will form at the side of the Sheikh Zayed road over night.



Indeed, this will be a project for 2020. If it ever does get fulfilled, it could house and sustain 1m people. Yes you read that right. 1 million people.





How do you even fathom something of this magnitude. YOu will already have seen the videos of engineering work and the like being undertaken on Masdar, but this kind of pyramid makes you think of black and white films and Ben Hur and the like.







Forget history - there are even some overlaps with the thoughts of the Matrix trilogy.














It's future fiction becoming future perfect!


Timelinks
Revealing the pyramids of the future

Dubai, street style

A view on why people wear what they wear in Dubai. (old but current) - from Current TV.