The UAE healthcare sector has witnessed rapid development over the past few years and has weathered the global financial crisis relatively well. Despite the economic slowdown, the UAE has attracted major international healthcare players in the market. The UAE healthcare ambition and long-term strategy is to become a preferred destination for domestic patientsand a hub for global medical tourists seeking high quality and cost-effective procedures and treatments.

Tourism OverviewThe tourism sector continues to record solid growth in 2011. After a strong performance in Q111, themost recent available data, figures for H111, show that guest numbers at Dubai hotels totalled nearly4.6mn. We estimate that this represents good growth of about 10% year-on-year (y-o-y). In Abu Dhabi,data for the first seven months of 2011 show a robust 15% y-o-y increase in tourists (including Emiratiarrivals) at hotels to over 1.2mn guests. Key source markets France and Germany recorded sizeablegrowth in visitors of 27% and 17% y-o-y respectively. There was also a surge in arrivals from the GulfCooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly in July. In H111, in Sharjah, there was modest growthof 3% y-o-y in tourist arrivals (including UAE nationals) at hotels to about 0.8mn. In July, visitornumbers went up 18% y-o-y. As in previous years, European arrivals accounted for 40% of total visitorsin H1, while tourists from the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia, and Asia accounted for 29% and 18%respectively. Arrivals from Russia, more than 153,000, which dominates visitors from Europe, by 36% yo-y in H1.HospitalityThe hospitality sector is on course to achieve another good year, after a strong recovery in 2010. BMIestimates that the number of resident nights at Dubai hotels rose solidly in H111 y-o-y. Data for January-July for Abu Dhabi show occupancy levels were up by 10% y-o-y to 70%, while the average length ofstay increased by 11% to just under three nights. The UK remained the most important internationalsource market, with a 21% y-o-y increase in guest nights to 354,155. The second key market, the US,recorded 282,510 nights, up by 26% y-o-y. The third most important market, India, which has beenespecially targeted by the marketing authorities, provided 235,695 guest nights, rising by a robust 52% yo-y. Average room rates in Abu Dhabi dropped markedly, improving competitiveness. In Sharjah, therewas robust

BMI?s Q411 update to the UAE?s telecommunications market report incorporates market data from theTelecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and telecoms providers Etisalat and EmiratesIntegrated Telecommunication Company (du) relating to the end of June 2011. It contains an analysisof the mobile, fixed-line and broadband markets, and recent regulatory developments. It also contains ourfirst five-year growth forecast for mobile ARPUs in the UAE, in addition to updated forecast for themobile, fixed-line and internet sectors.In September 2011, fixed-line incumbent and mobile market leader Etisalat launched its LTE network forhigh-speed broadband services. The LTE-FDD mobile network will cover all major cities in the countryin the first deployment phase, with Etisalat promising data download speeds of up to 100Mbps for itscustomers. More than 700 base stations were upgraded for the LTE network. Etisalat plans to upgrade upto 1,000 base stations by the end of 2011. Second-ranked du intends to launch commercial services by theend of 2011.According to the TRA, there were 11.180mn mobile subscribers in the UAE at the end of June 2011. Thisrepresents growth of 1% q-o-q and 5% y-o-y. Our analysis of the UAE?s mobile market is based onoverall market data published by the TRA. This is because of the regulator?s clear definition of themethod used to calculate the number of active subscribers and the use by du of the same method. We,therefore, calculate the number of active subscribers on Etisalat?s mobile network by subtracting du?ssubscriber base of the regulator?s overall subscriber base. We have upgraded our mobile growth forecastthis quarter following strong net additions during H111, mainly driven by du. We now expect the numberof mobile subscribers in the UAE to reach 12.199mn by 2015, reflecting a penetration rate of 235%.The fixed-line sector recorded positive growth in Q211, albeit it at a significantly slower rate than in the

The measure restricts Jawad and Info Tech from receiving or transferring items that fall under U.S. export controls.

Dubai Investment Group is closing its New York office and transferring control of its $1.1 billion U.S. real estate portfolio to a private equity firm co-founded by Mark Walsh, the former head of Lehman Brother's real estate operation.