Congratulations to Qatar. Probably the biggest surprise this afternoon, was the fact that the World Cup is coming to the Middle East. While Qatar is tiny compared to the nations that were vying to be the host, what is more astounding is that there is so much to be done. Fifa wanted to do new things - and by taking the World Cup to Russia and the Arabian Gulf, that certainly brings new ground.



2022 is a long time away, but before you know it Brazil 2014 will be over, people will be preparing for Russia 2018 - and the heat will be on Doha, quite literally. There is so much infrastructure to create, that this is will be a huge boost to the economy. And since the US was in the group that missed out on the 2022 World Cup, expect there to be some Arab bashing along the way - especially if it hasn't started yet - everything that Dubai got over the last 10 years and then some: slave labour, heat, alcohol, sharia, backward laws - rightly or wrongly it will haunt Qatar for the next 11 and half years.



But, this will be a great games and will bring much additional tourism to the region. By 2022, Abu Dhabi will be well established - and Dubai even more so - and so expect combination tours of the Gulf countries, from people travelling across the whole world to be involved in the greatest show on earth.



There will be issues - desert heat of 50 degrees in the sun, and although there is talk of cooling systems in the stadiums, the Gulf is not the best place to be during the heat season. Will there be enough hotel rooms or will fans be flying in from Dubai for matches. From the video, you will see that nearly all of the stadiums are yet to be built. And Qatar has to grow beyond just Doha. There are many more - but no doubt they have already bee solved. If the Qataris are smart enough to land the World Cup, they will be smart enough to get it right. "Expect Amazing" - indeed.

It's been a year since the Dubai buckled, announced that they were in trouble and that there was way too much debt that they couldn't repay. In the words of who want's to be a millionaire - It needed a lifeline. In the end, Dubai phoned a friend - and the rest is history. But here we are one year on, and Dubai continues to feel pain. Last year, we talked about the Dubai Debt Damage and the Double Dip. That double dip didn't transpire, but let's face facts. The world is in trouble. Dublin got a bailout, and more European countries will follow.



The Dubai headlines of the tail end of 2009 were as notorious as the Lehman crash - and indeed stockmarkets plunged - but it is now etched in history as the end of excess. Dubai, today, is a different place to 10 years ago. For years, people couldn't understand how Dubai was sustaining itself. There were talks of bubbles, and then the bubble burst.

But Dubai continues to run. It may be a city without the occupancy, but the heart still beats, but may just a little fainter. Dubai didn't quite get where it wanted to be. It sprinted as hard as it could, and ultimately didn't reach the finish line. And all the time, in the background chugged Abu Dhabi. And, as with the fable - slow and steady wins the race. Dubai was not all conquering, but it still is an amazing achievement - a modern metropolis, built out of sand.

Ever wanted to know what the Burj Khalifa in Dubai looked like from a satellite? Voila. From so far above, it fades to nothingness, apart from the shadow...




From New Scientist

It's the largest indoor them park and has the fastest rollercoaster in the world. It's going to be a driver of tourism for Abu Dhabi and become a must do theme park for little boys and big boys who are man enough...and the girls as well!

It looks like Alonso and Massa enjoyed Formula Rossa - obviously Alonso is not smiling now!



And the world seems impressed. Check out the BBC report:



And it certainly meets the vision: