Here’s another set of amazing images from Jeddah-based photographer Thamer Ossra. Moon Mountain is only 45 minutes drive from Jeddah and is named after its stunning landscape. The views from the top of Moon Mountain are remarkable. Enjoy the images and I hope you also get the chance to visit.
Surprisingly, Red Bull has not hit the headlines for what appears to be a number of major events in Kuwait. The company, best known worldwide for popularizing the energy drink concept, has apparently been embroiled in a crisis in Kuwait after a young Kuwaiti passed away after drinking too many cans of Red Bull. I’m going to continually use the word apparently as there’s no information out there in English and the only information in Arabic can be found on chat rooms.
According to Kuwait’s social media scene the Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce has of the end of March banned all sales of Red Bull to those under 16 years of age. The below are a news piece from Kuwait’s news agency Kuna and an image shared over twitter of a Red Bull fridge with a sign in Arabic saying that Red Bull is not for sale to those under 16 years of age. Here is the same info on a discussion forum.
The article from Kuna on Kuwait’s decision to ban Red Bull sales to those under the age of 16. There’s no publishing date on this however (credit: Downtimes)
And a sign on top of a fridge which states that no sales of Red Bull are allowed to those under 16, which is supposedly from a Kuwaiti grocery store (credit: UAEwomen forum)
Kuwait’s Twitter community has also been focusing on the news, but surprisingly the topic hasn’t been trending outside of the country.
Kuwait Banned Red Bull, Hahaha xD , I Didnt Like It Anyways
, Long Live Barbican ♥
— вαѕѕαм αнмє∂™ (@BassamSays) March 26, 2013
Whether this is all true or not, as it always the case with the internet the story is spreading especially in Arabic. The news can now be found on sites across the Gulf in Arabic. The fear may be that other GCC countries will follow Kuwait’s lead (such an action wouldn’t be unusual). However, it’d be fascinating to know what Red Bull has done to tackle this issue. There have been suggestions that Red Bull has upped its ad spending to tackle the issue, and that may explain why there’s little news of this in Kuwait’s vibrant media scene.
However, Red Bull has avoided the spotlight before. If you do read Arabic have a look at this piece on Red Bull apparently employing women to hand out cans in Riyadh back in December. Some would say brave, others would say silly.
Women walking outside of Riyadh’s Kingdom center apparently handing out Red Bull to passing motorists (credit: Murmur website)
Who needs to think about debt when you’re out and about driving a supercar. In their wisdom and in a public relations exercise that is reminiscent of the city pre-2008, Dubai police unveiled the latest addition to their motor pool last week. The US$400,000 Lamborghini Aventador can do speeds of up to 349km/h and will be used to chase down whoever has the balls to think they can speed in Dubai and not get caught. I’m still trying to work out how they’d stop criminals, but I’d assume the very fact that a cop is driving one of these cars would be enough to startle transgressors into taking their foot off the accelerator.
Latest #Dubai_Police patrols, now at your service. http://t.co/rVkJ7JSpFI—
Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) April 10, 2013
In preparation for the hard work of bringing law-breakers to justice, the Lamborghini and its driving team were dispatched to Dubai Mall to drive around the world’s largest shopping center and pose for pictures. The aim? To show tourists “how classy Dubai is”.
But Dubai Police didn’t just stop there. The news was followed a couple of days later by the announcement that they’d be adding a Ferrari as well. After all, just having a Lamborghini alone is so passe, especially since the UK, Qatar and Italy also did the same several years back. The Ferrari FF is cheaper than the Lamborghini and sells for 900,000 Dirhams or just over US$250,000 dollars. The supercar is slightly zippier than the Lamborghini (I’ve been told) and does 0-100km in a 3.7 seconds. And it has more storage space, including room for two Krispy Kreme dozen donut boxes and paper coffee cups.
To your left, the Ferrari FF. And to your right, the Lamborghini Aventador. It’s Dubai’s version of toys for the cops (credit: Emirates 24/7)
With impeccable timing, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority also announced that two new Salik toll gates would be going live on the Dubai-Sharjah border. The gates will collect a toll of 4 Dirhams from each car that passes through them, and the full story plus lots of interesting comments can be read here on ArabianBusiness.com. One adventurous resident posted his take on both stories. I like the idea.
Dubai’s new Ferrari fund, brought to you by the RTA (credit: @danielmarcevans)
On a serious note, most of us could agree that we’re living in an age of austerity. Dubai itself hasn’t been immune from the global economic drop, and the city-state will have to pay US$22 billion of debt next year according to rating agency Moody’s. Most countries worldwide have had to cut back on spending, and if this idea had been ventured in Europe you’d probably find someone losing their job. With so much money to pay off does this send out the right message about debt and responsibility, both on a local and a global level.
While both supercar stories make for great PR, I wonder what thought went into the decision especially with the timing of the two new toll gates. Have the silly days returned to Dubai? For a city that has done so much good and yet still has many challenges to face, I do hope not.
No mention has been made if Dubai Police have insurance for the Lamborghini or the Ferrari.
Saudi Arabia is a fascinating country but unfortunately it’s not the most accessible of places. The BBC’s Frank Gardner returned to the Kingdom after a number of years away from Saudi Arabia. I’m not going to write further about the news piece as my words will not do justice to the programme. Enjoy, turn up the volume, and glimpse into a country and a society that is experiencing a radical change (my only caveat is that I’m more optimistic on how Saudi Arabia is doing).
Is the Gulf’s innovation being hindered by too much government intervention? (credit: techpionions.com)
There’s been a couple of news stories recently that caught my eye. One was an interview on Kipp Report with the managing director of an online website called Tejuri.com. The article, which you can reach here, focuses on how Tejuri.com positions itself as the official online distribution channel for retailers registered with the Emirate’s Department of Economic Development.
Aside from the wisdom of launching an online distribution channel that is government-supported in the year 2013, the piece got me thinking about other areas. One example is non-governmental work, which (surprise, surprise) is often not only regulated but led by government-related bodies. And then you’ve got the ultimate example of government intervention, which is the ownership of the upstream and downstream oil and petrochemical sectors, numerous financial institutions and other businesses. And then there’s the sovereign wealth funds.
My question to these and other government interventions is how much do these activities stunt growth and disrupt innovation? Here I’m going to refer to United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization and Insead that ranks the top ten most innovative countries. The original piece from Bloomberg is here.
Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore are the most innovative countries in the world, according to a study by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization and Insead that found a wide gap between rich and poor nations.
Innovation is an important engine of growth and new jobs, the Global Innovation Index 2012, which ranked 141 economies, showed. The index considered institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure and market and business sophistication as well as as the results of innovation such as patents and software in determining how countries fared.
Finland ranked fourth, followed by the U.K., the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland and the U.S.
Numerous surveys such as the above and this research one by the United Nations University show that governments help foster innovation most through investing in social capital (read education) and through financial funding – the irony in some parts of the Gulf is that education is in the hands of the private sector rather than the government. Governments then have to step back and then let individuals and businesses get on with it. The same can be said of the non-governmental sector, which, pretty obviously, works best without governmental support s groups and communities work to best pinpoint social issues and tackle them.
The argument often goes that entrepreneurs drive innovation and that governments need to reduce their interventions, reduce bureaucracy and increase financial support for small to medium sized firms to drive growth. However, is that what we are seeing in the Gulf? Or are we still not fulfilling our potential due to too much, rather than too little, government intervention?
I was sent these pictures by a great Saudi photographer and friend Thamer Ossra. The location is Wahba or Al Wa’aba Crater, one of the largest craters in the Middle East. The crater is 2.5km wide and the cliffs on the crater’s side drop vertically by 270 meters to the crater’s base. In the center of the crater is an amazing salt field.
Wahba crater is 250 kilometers east of Taif just off the Makkah-Riyadh highway. It’s a remarkable place to visit. If you have the chance, just go!
Bahrain is a wonderful place; it’s a country that is always full of pleasant surprises. My wife and her family told me about a restaurant called Zaafaran, a small place in the heart of Souq Muharraq that is known for its traditional Bahraini dishes. We headed down to Muharraq on a Friday morning and I had to keep my eyes open when looking for the place (Zaafaran is just after Souq Al Qaiseriya a right hand turn after all of the sweet shops on the main road for those who know Muharraq).
After spotting the place and finding a parking spot, which is no mean feat in Muharraq, we headed to Zaafaran. The restaurant itself is tiny, with seating for no more than 30 people. The decor is traditional, and the staff are also dressed to match in traditional Bahraini attire. The setting is almost as impressive as the food, with (comfy) wooden benches to plump yourself down on.
The breakfast menu is set, with a selection of small dishes that include balaleet or sweetened vermicelli with egg, nakhi which is a Bahraini twist on chick peas, mahiawa bread or bread cooked in fish sauce, fuul, spicy tomato beans, and Bahraini kebab sandwiches (which are vegetarian for anyone who’s interested). It’s most fun to eat with your hands and the bread basket which comes as standard.
I wouldn’t be doing justice to Zaafaran by saying that this place is remarkable both for the food and the setting. If you’re looking for both a wonderful eat as well as an amazing time out then head down to Zaafaran. It’s right next to Souq Al Qaiseriya which is one of the oldest markets in Bahrain and an amazing spectacle in itself. And as for the cost? It’s a whole lot cheaper than Dubai’s Biker Cafe’s breakfast for the best local breakfast in the Arabian Gulf and costs about 50 to 60 Dirhams a person including all the chai kerak tea you can woof down. Just down measure your cholesterol levels for a good few days after!
Enjoy the pictures and get down to Zaafaran while there’s still space left at this remarkable restaurant-cafe.
