2× Emmy® Award-winning Journalist, Director & Executive Producer. Builder of MonasGuide & Expat TV 🇦🇪
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🇦🇪 THE UAE, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• US and Iran discuss a phased deal to reopen Hormuz and lift the American blockade
• Oil jumped after Thursday’s Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, then eased Friday morning on hopes of US–Iran talks
• The UAE suspends flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country until further notice
• Etihad Rail’s Dubai–Abu Dhabi tickets briefly went on sale before disappearing from the booking platform
• Comparable new Dubai lease rents are around 15% below January levels, according to fäm Properties
• Dubai extends eligible customs-duty suspension periods to 180 days, giving traders more breathing room
• The UAE and Argentina open trade talks covering energy, AI and other sectors
• Microsoft plans more than $10 billion in regional investment, including the UAE, through 2030
• Abu Dhabi’s LODD has orders for over 330 pilotless cargo aircraft, with commercial trials planned for 2027
She’s clocking out 👋
Have a great weekend, everyone.
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🇦🇪 YOU'VE BEEN ASKING ME, IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL TO DUBAI RIGHT NOW?
I can’t make that decision for you. But here’s what I’m seeing on the ground as someone who lives here.
(Travel conditions can change. Always check your government’s latest travel advisory before traveling)
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Good Morning,
Friday showed up faster than expected again.
Another week of creating, learning, adjusting and moving forward.
Now finish strong.
But first… gym, Pilates, coffee. ☕️
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✈️ Who’s flying back to the UAE?
Latest as of 24 September:
British Airways plans its Dubai return on 3 November.
Wizz Air restarts UAE routes from 25 October.
Singapore Airlines is scheduled back on 25 October.
Air France remains suspended through 13 October.
Emirates is running at 93% of its usual capacity.
flydubai is back to 85% of its destinations.
DXB traffic is back to around 80% of last year’s level in early September.
Return dates can still change.
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Breaking🚨 judge orders Trump to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO.
Source @AJENews
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“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
— Matthew 7
Good Morning ☕️
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🚨 LOOK WHAT SYMBOL IS MAKING ITS WAY TO OUR KEYBOARDS...
THE UAE DIRHAM.
Tech companies can now add it to phones, apps and websites.
You’ll get it through software updates once your device and keyboard support it.
No universal rollout date yet.
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82.9% of expats in my poll said living abroad is helping them reach financial freedom sooner.
That’s been true for me too.
One of my biggest reasons for moving abroad was feeling like no matter how hard I worked back home, I wasn’t getting ahead.
Between taxes, healthcare, HOA fees and the cost of living, too much of what I earned disappeared.
Dubai isn’t cheap. But I feel like I keep more of my money here, while still having a high quality of life.
For me, that’s progress.
Keeping more. Living well. And staying motivated to keep building toward financial freedom.
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The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, ‘I can do whatever I want today.
Good Morning, Wealth Builders. ☕️
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97% of affluent UAE expats surveyed say they save more here than they would back home.
But 89% still cite high living costs as a barrier to managing their wealth.
Are you getting closer to financial freedom, or does it still feel out of reach?
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🗳️ EXPATS: Is living abroad helping you reach financial freedom sooner?
59%
Yes, years sooner
24%
Yes, a little sooner
12%
No difference
5%
No, it’s taking longer
41 votes • Final results
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Good Morning, 5 AM’ers,
Planning is important.
But the most important part of any plan is planning for the plan not to go according to plan.
Adjust. Keep moving.
But first… ☕️
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The Expat Brief: Renew or Buy? 🧵
1/10 Many of us expats, including me, are up for a lease renewal. With so much feeling unpredictable, I’ve been asking whether it makes more sense to renew or to consider buying.
So in this week’s Expat Brief, I went down the rabbit hole on what a cheaper Dubai home can actually cost.
ALT Downtown Dubai
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10/10 Then I could judge the bigger home against the money I’d have left, instead of letting a discount decide my budget. I’d want to know I could keep it through a difficult period without depending on the sale of another investment at just the right price.
If you’re coming up for renewal too, what would you need to see before deciding to buy?
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