Goodbye Dubai!

Nicholas Warner, a British man who had been living rough on the streets of Dubai, is travelling back to the UK.
With help from locals and an expat sponsor, he obtained the release of his passport from the authorities.
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United Arab Emirates Insurance Report Q3 2010

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “United Arab Emirates Insurance Report Q3 2010″ report to their offering.

The United Arab Emirates Insurance Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, insurance associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the United Arab Emirates’ insurance industry.

The development of the UAE, Dubai in particular, as a regional hub for insurance and other financial services will likely be complicated by the volatility in the markets following the problems of Dubai World in late 2009. Nevertheless, the UAE’s physical infrastructure, the willingness and ability of the government of Abu Dhabi to continue to provide support to Dubai and the UAE’s competitive advantage in logistics and pharmaceuticals mean the insurance sector should continue to develop. Read the story »

Accor announces a major European real estate transaction

In line with its asset right strategy, Accor has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a major €367 million real estate transaction in Europe involving the sale of 48 hotels (31 in France, 10 in Belgium and 7 in Germany). Representing a total of 6,300 rooms, the hotels operate under the Novotel, Suite Novotel, Ibis and Etap Hotel brands. They include six hotels opened in 2009-2010 – the Novotel Munich Airport, Ibis Stuttgart Airport, and three new Etap Hotels in Belgium and France, as well as a 216-room extension to the Ibis Roissy Charles de Gaulle. Read the story »