The Dubai Expat Diaries

The Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 4g will finally be available in Dubai from September! The Apple iPhone 4 was released on June 24, 2010 in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. The last time Apple launched the breakthrough iPhone, it took over 6 months before the iPhone was available in [...]

Blackberry users in the UAE have been baffled by the recent news of the imminent ban on its services in the country. The TRA have announced to cut off its services by October 11 later this year until a solution they seek with RIM is reached. This has come as a surprise to the many [...]

With the rising number of Dubai expats losing their jobs, the XPRESS reported that the Ministry of Labour is set to revise the six-month work ban (which is imposed on expats who work outside the free zones and resign or lose their jobs). Abdul Razaq Qamber, training head at the Inspection Department at the Ministry [...]

Another company Istithmar World has laid off 10 percent of its workforce, adding to the growing list of companies in Dubai firing their staff as a result of the global credit crunch. It is but obvious the impact these recent job losses as well as the general state of the economy will have on an ordinary expat’s psyche. A new research by YouGovSiraj shows [...]

A great guide for hoteliers (although the principles remain the same for most professions) on how to leverage the power of the internet and social networks to find a job, especially important during the current recession! View the how-to basics in the viewer below, read it online at HoteleMarketer.com or Download a copy to share.

The Emirates Identity Authority has announced the following schedule for the ID card registration of the expatriates in the UAE. They have been divided into four different categories based on profession/industry; each with its own time frame for registration. Residents and Professionals working for the Government and the Private Sector have been given a deadline [...]

A fascinating look into the state of the US economy and huge economic deficits. This is a 30 minute compressed version of a full-length documentary – IOUSA Official website: http://www.iousathemovie.com Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/IOUSAtheMovie Some argue that the debt situation is merely a result of the Monetary system employed by the USA…i.e. It is based on [...]

The age-old (or maybe not so old) dilemma for corporate tech junkies may finally have a resolution! Dubai and the UAE, like most other urban centres in the world today are filled with Blackberry obsessed corporate types, who’d swear by the little devices…and would rather take the infernal things to dinner and bed than spend [...]

If you still haven’t heard about the compulsory Emirates ID / Emirates Identity Card that all residents of Dubai and the UAE need to obtain, please read carefully… The official website of the Emirates Identity Authority states: As per the law of the Population Registry and the Identity Card Program, all nationals and legal residents [...]

In the latest in a stream of policy changes, Dubai has deemed that all expats living and working in the emirate of Dubai must have compulsory health insurance cover. The plan is to roll out the changes in phases, with the first phase in place by January 2009. Subsequent phases will roll out other categories [...]