The recent rise in Abu Dhabi-listed energy stocks reflects growing investor confidence in the UAE’s increased strategic flexibility following its exit from OPEC, according to Sam North, Market Analyst at eToro. Iran has blocked oil exports so the UAE has gone around the OPEC block to make a clean exit and ship oil via its own pipeline.

Despite a month or so of missiles and expats fleeing Dubai and Abu Dhabi, confidence in the Emiratis is back. North explained that markets are not pricing in an immediate surge in oil production, but rather a longer-term shift in optionality. “The move is being interpreted as a structural change that allows the UAE to monetise its expanded production capacity more efficiently,” he said. “This creates a clearer growth narrative across upstream activity, drilling, infrastructure, gas processing and dividend potential.”

He cautioned that higher output is not guaranteed in the near term. “Production cannot simply ramp up overnight. Logistics, regional security risks and the broader oil price reaction remain critical constraints. If additional supply materially lowers crude prices, it could offset gains from higher volumes,” he added.

While the UAE’s departure raises questions about OPEC’s long-term cohesion, eToro noted, markets are not yet pricing in a full breakdown of the cartel’s pricing power. Instead, North noted a gradual shift. “This is more than a short-term disruption, but it is not the end of OPEC. The real risk is fragmentation over time if members prioritise individual revenue over collective discipline.”

Investors are increasingly monitoring key indicators to assess whether market control is shifting. These include compliance levels among remaining OPEC+ members, rising supply from non-OPEC producers such as the US, Brazil and Guyana, as well as inventory builds and oil futures pricing trends.

“OPEC’s influence is ultimately measured by whether its decisions continue to move physical barrels and prices, not by official statements,” North said.

Despite expectations of increased supply, oil prices remain supported by geopolitical tensions, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude trading near elevated levels reflects this balance between supply expectations and risk premiums.

“The UAE’s potential output acts more as a stabilising force preventing extreme price spikes, rather than driving a sustained sell-off,” North noted. “Around a quarter of global seaborne oil passes through Hormuz, so any disruption continues to embed a premium in prices.”

Energy equities are responding unevenly to the evolving landscape. Companies with direct exposure to UAE production growth and infrastructure are benefiting from increased activity expectations, while global oil majors face a more mixed outlook.

“Higher volumes support services and investment, but a weaker OPEC framework could lower long-term price floors,” North said. “Investors are rewarding firms tied to UAE expansion while becoming more selective toward producers reliant on high crude prices.”

Lower oil prices, if sustained, could provide support to global equity markets, particularly in oil-importing economies such as India. Cheaper crude typically improves trade balances, reduces inflationary pressure and supports consumer demand.

At a macro level, increased supply could help ease global inflation, though central bank responses will remain cautious. “Lower energy costs are disinflationary, but policymakers will look for sustained trends and broader indicators such as wages and core inflation before adjusting rates,” North said.

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The Dubai Police General Command in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showed off addition of an all-electric Tesla Cybertruck to its tourist police patrol fleet.

Elon Musk responded with “Cool” on social media, as the Cybertruck joins other high-performance vehicles like the Bugatti Veyron and Lamborghini Urus in Dubai’s impressive lineup.

This joins Teslas and Lamborghini patrol vehicles for lucky members of the force, and eco-friendly electric motorcycles. Don’t be surprised to see a white gold Mercedes on the streets of Abu Dhabi or Dubai, UAE cities known for excess.

”The Dubai Police General Command has added the Tesla Cybertruck, the modern electric car with a futuristic design, to its tourist police luxury patrol fleet,” wrote Dubai Police. The Tesla supercar sports a green and white stripe to match the country’s current police cruisers. Its hood also includes the Dubai Police logo.

Today until 10PM the city of Dubai is inviting the public to come and take photos with the Cybertruck outside the Dubai Mall near the Dubai Ice Rink.

This is in stark contrast to the police cars I grew up –- where people in Toronto and York Region celebrated Blinky, photo below.

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They crush local black ants (Pachycondyla sennaarensis) and blend the crumbs in tobacco, drop them into a medhwak (smoking pipe) or sprinkle them on regular smokes before lighting up, according to Gulf News. Health officials say the consequences could be far more harmful than smoking marijuana or hashish.

In certain neighborhoods of Sharjah and Dubai, teens can be found searching alleys and parking lots for the native red ants, called samsun. The fumes from the burnt insect produce visual and auditory hallucinations like those induced by marijuana.

“Samsun ants contain highly concentrated formic acid which is used by the insect to ward off predators and kill prey. When heated the formic acid produces toxic gases. They are not addictive but inhaling them can cause pulmonary fibrosis and renal failure besides other conditions including irreversible nervous system damage,” a Dubai-based pulmonologist told Gulf News.

When they bite, formic acid causes necrosis or deadening of the tissues. Mohammed al Ali, 27, believes the trend started with labourers from the subcontinent who roll the ants into their bhindis – pure tobacco cigarettes rolled up using a tobacco leaf. “It’s a social thing for Indian workers,” the Emirati told The National News. “Go to Satwa Square and they are sitting there smoking the ants they rolled up into their bhindis.

Dubai’s Tobacco Control committee said it was aware of the ant smoking fad, although they have yet to gauge how widespread the habit is among Arab teens. “Until last year there would be just two of three boys, but now there are several groups,” a local Sharjah resident told the website.

“For some teens, the acid in the poison glands of ants smells like vinegar and they inhale its pungent fumes to get a kick. It’s very dangerous as it can cause lung and other diseases,” Dr. Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, Ministry of Health, told Gulf News. Dr. Reza Khan, wildlife specialist at Dubai Municipality, said a bite by the ant can be fatal for people with allergies if they are not immediately treated in a hospital.

The fad may have started in labor camps where impoverished guest workers smoke ant-filled beedis (hand-rolled cigarettes made of tendu leaves) as a cheap alternative to illegal drugs.

Smoking ants can cause lung diseases and kidney failure, and in some cases, it can also cause sudden death.

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Long time Green Prophet readers will know that Dubai and other Gulf nations have a thing for artificial islands, despite the overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how their construction is not conducive to healthy marine environments.

In addition to a wild array of fantastic schemes that never properly hatched, some have – including The World Islands, which recently played host to the world’s largest and longest fireworks display.

An Italian design firm, Luca Curci brings something of a social conscience to their scheme for a contemporary city comprised of five land-based buildings and five “moons” placed in varying distances away from the sea shore.

A series of parks and roads connect the various structures to one another, and more than half of the mixed-use development would be devoted to green space.

The architects emphasize that Organic Cities is designed to promote interaction and community, that well-being centers will stand alongside retail facilities, and that hundreds of opportunities to socialize and engage with other community members would be embedded in the city’s design.

However, this project is very much geared towards a wealthy community, and it has a strong materialistic bent. According to the architect’s design brief, 6,300,000 square meters would be devoted to malls, galleries and museums.

The smaller crescent moons are designed for residential use, medium sized moons are used as hotels that can be reached by both air and sea, while the largest are made up of residential units, hotel accommodation and private apartments.

One 470 meter tall building will act as a landmark structure visible from afar, but most of the remaining buildings will reach no higher than 190 meters.

“This [sic] kind of structures will develop again the connections between humans, during everyday life,” writes Luca Curci, “with thousand of common places that will aggregate crowds, to win the alienation of XX and XXI century cities.”

While this concept is unlikely to develop any further, we have been surprised by in the past by projects that seemed far too outlandish to be possible, such as the underwater hotel that is currently underway.

We can only hope that if it does come to fruition, careful attention will be paid to ensure that the artificial “moons” do not have a detrimental impact on the Gulf ecology.

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A new campaign attempts to stop a hunting deal in Tanzania forcing 48,000 members of Africa’s Maasai tribe off their land so Middle Eastern royalty can hunt lions and leopards in the Serengeti

The Middle East’s love affair with wild animals has hit the headlines again. No, there haven’t been sightings of cheetahs on the streets of Dubai or dead wolves and owls on parade, rather Middle Eastern royals are being accused of aiding a massive sell-off of the Serengeti. And in a new twist to the land-grab meme, this land sell-off is not to secure access to precious food supplies but, rather, to indulge in the hunting whims of the Middle East’s elite.

The campaigning group Avaaz has launched a online petition to ask Tanzania’s President Kikwete to reject the hunting corporation’s big deal and stop the sell-off of the Serengeti.

“The last time this same corporation pushed the Maasai off their land to make way for rich hunters, people were beaten by the police, their homes were burnt to a cinder and their livestock died of starvation” explains Avaaz via email to Green Prophet.

“But when a press controversy followed, Tanzanian President Kikwete reversed course and returned the Maasai to their land. This time, there hasn’t been a big press controversy yet, but we can change that and force Kikwete to stop the deal if we join our voices now.”

Oxfam, an international charity, also reported on the eviction which took place in July 2009 in Tanzania leaving nearly 2,000 people homeless. They aded that “two of the most infamous land conflicts are with Emirates hunting company Ortello Business Corporation and American-owned Thomson Safaris Ltd.”

As of August 13, more than 400,000 people had signed the petition in just 24 hours and Avaaz reported that President Kikwete’s inner circle was starting to react: “ a few hours ago, the President’s close confidante, Mr. January Makamba MP, tweeted saying he would send our voices to the President himself. Keep up the pressure by signing now and forwarding to others.”

The Maasai are semi-nomadic herders who have lived in Tanzania and Kenya for centuries, playing a critical role in preserving the delicate ecosystem and wildlife of the Serengeti. As such, a deal to evict the Maasai to make way for rich foreign hunters is as bad for wildlife as it is for the communities it would destroy.

For more on wild animals in the Middle East see:

Dubai Porsche Driver Walks Pet Cheetah on a Leash

Africa’s Most Dangerous Animal to Greet Eid Visitors at Gulf Zoo

Gulf Country completely Bans Ownership of Wild Animals

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The UAE is well on its way to rid the country of plastic bags by 2013, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, said on Saturday 9th January.

“The UAE and the GCC are on the forefront of countries preserving the environment when it comes to producing plastics. The UAE will be free of plastic bags in 2013. The national plastics and petrochemicals companies are adhering to the environmental measures […] to enhance the environment friendly approach of the UAE as part of their corporate social responsibility towards the community. Their adherence to environment measures also enhances their global competitive edge,” he said during the inauguration of ArabPlast and Tekno/Tube Arabia 2011, a trade platform for rubber, plastics and plastic processing in the Middle East.

Organisers of the ArabPlast show revealed that the UAE currently consumes 20 billion bags out of a global figure of 500 billion bags.

The Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) launched a nation-wide the ‘UAE is free from plastic bags’ campaign in October 2009 to reduce non-biodegradable plastic bags in four phases, after a survey conducted by MOEW showed that plastic bags and other plastic material added to 10.9 per cent of the total amount of household waste a year.

The four phases involved education and awareness at the public and academic levels, finding alternatives to plastic bags and setting of legalities by authorities. The final phase involves the actual move to reduce and prevent the manufacture of plastic bags by year 2013.

Plastic bags pose danger to the environment because the petroleum product, polyethylene, present in the material is highly toxic and takes a thousand years to break down.

Alternatives to plastic bags such as jute bags, canvas, paper bags are widely available in the UAE and some supermarkets have already replaced non-biodegradable bags with bags made out of oxo-biodegradable plastic that eventually break down into non-poisonous materials.

The Gulf region dominates the world when it comes to petrochemicals production. The demand outweighs supply and this industry is always linked to the prices of oil. Plastics comprises 40 percent of materials we use in life thus creating a huge demand all over the world. Referring to the World Cup 2022, Dr Al Mulla said that sports industry needs lots of plastics in the establishment of sports cities.

:: Khaleej Times

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