Dubai Travel Guide

Buckingham Palace has not disclosed the location of the postponed five day trip at the end of next month.

But the Daily Telegraph can disclose that the trip was to Dubai, which is a seven hour flight which might have proved too much for the Duke who has cancelled three engagements this year because of back problems.

The Duke, 87, pulled a muscle in his back last month and his doctors have advised him to “take it easy” for the next three months.

Buckingham Palace has denied that the cancellation of the trip is linked to the health problems of the Duke of Edinburgh and insisted that there is “just too much on”. But one palace official said that the Duke was “relieved” the trip was not going ahead.
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Abu Dhabi’s unilateral move to recapitalise its own banks has sparked fears among investors that the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates may hesitate to support Dubai as the impact of the credit crunch worsens.

A senior Abu Dhabi official said this week’s decision to inject Dh16bn ($4.3bn, €3.4bn, £3bn) of extra Tier 1 capital into its five banks, but ignore other banks of the seven-emirate federation, was meant to add an addition layer of protection for its own local houses.

Bankers warned that Abu Dhabi’s go-it-alone attitude could mean the federal government might not be as willing as expected to rescue Dubai entities facing default.

Investors in Dubai bonds jumped to that conclusion as the cost of insuring against its default jumped to record highs yesterday.
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Ahmed, clad in an elegant black suit, smiles from behind a fine display of cosmetics at a department store in Dubai, but most shoppers glance quickly and dash away, with only a few reaching the cashier.

Like many retail workers in the Gulf Arab emirate, Ahmed feels the Dubai Shopping Festival — an annual month-long sales extravaganza starting in mid-January — is not the same this year due to the global financial crisis.

“During last year’s festival, customers used to buy a whole set of perfume, shower gel, body lotion and other additions. Instead, this year, we would be really thankful if they bought just the perfume,” Ahmed says as he adjusts his tie. “You just have to do a lot of convincing for them to actually buy stuff.”

This year even enticements such as raffles for luxury cars, apartments or even gold are failing to make people open their purses and wallets.