Blog

If you lived in Dubai in the nineties or early 2000s, you probably spent a weekend or two at Lamcy Plaza. The Oud Metha mall opened in 1997 with five floors and more than 150 stores, and for years it was one of the city’s favourite family hangouts — long before Dubai Mall and Mall […]

Some of the world’s best-known brand names are converging on Dubai tonight. The 14th edition of the Global Brand Awards takes place this evening — Friday, October 2, 2026 — at Address Sky View, where leading brands across real estate, banking, education, hospitality, automotive, technology and lifestyle will take home honours. What the awards are […]

Dubai is filling up fast. Newly reported official figures put the emirate’s population at 4.58 million at the end of 2025 — 332,000 more residents than a year earlier, a year-on-year jump of 7.5%. And the growth hasn’t slowed: recent reporting suggests the city is now closing in on 4.8 million people. For anyone planning […]

Dubai has held its crown as the world’s leading market for branded residences, with 175 live and pipeline schemes — more than any other city on the planet, according to Knight Frank’s Residence Report 2026/27. For a city already synonymous with luxury living, the numbers confirm it has no real rival in this niche. A […]

Kazakhstan’s flag carrier is back at Dubai International. Air Astana is resuming scheduled services to Dubai from both Almaty and Astana, rebuilding capacity through October after the disruption linked to the regional situation. The return is good news for travellers between Central Asia and the Gulf — and it lands right at the start of […]

Two tax dates land side by side this week. The corporate tax filing deadline for companies with a December 2025 year-end has just passed, and amended VAT rules take effect on October 1. Meanwhile, Dubai’s free zone mainland framework is reshaping how small companies trade. Here is what changes, what it means for you, and […]

Planning a trip to Dubai this winter? Before you book your flights, it is worth checking what your own government is currently telling travellers about the UAE. The picture has shifted in recent weeks: the UK has eased its earlier warning, while the US, Australia and Canada are still urging caution as the regional security […]

Sharjah Safari is back. The wildlife reserve at Al Bridi reopened on September 21 for its fifth season, after its four-month summer closure, and will welcome visitors daily from 8:30am to 6pm. This year’s biggest draw is what happens off the usual route: exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, offered at selected times, that give visitors a look […]

A run with giraffes in the background isn’t something most race calendars can offer. The Sharjah Safari Run returns this Sunday, October 4, for its fourth edition, hosted by the Sharjah Sports Council. Four distances, from a family-friendly 1km up to a 10km, with the first races starting at 6:15am and everything wrapped up by […]

A routine morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into one of the most serious in-flight incidents in recent memory on September 30, when flydubai flight FZ1073 diverted to Saudi Arabia after an altercation broke out between the two pilots in the cockpit. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, landed safely at Tabuk, […]