The Section
Opinion.
Opinion. Loose change, sharp eyes. Columnists, contrarians, and the occasional pleasant surprise from a writer you weren't expecting to like.
The Receipt Habit That Saves Warranty Claims
A simple folder for invoices, serial numbers and photos can turn a future repair from an argument into a process.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 14
Good Consumer Advice Is Boring on Purpose
The best money habits are rarely dramatic. They are repeatable, visible and easy enough to use on a tired weekday.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 13
The Small Admin That Makes Life Easier
Life in a busy city is full of tiny renewals, cards, documents and reminders. The people who seem organized usually just catch them earlier.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 12
Do Not Mistake Relief for Resolution
The Gulf is allowed to breathe today. It should also remember that a calmer headline is not the same as a safer region.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 11
Keep the Kettle On: A Note on Nerve
There is a particular Gulf composure that shows up in bad weeks. It is worth defending.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Rent Near School or Office in the UAE?
For many families, school commute is harder to change than office commute because children travel at fixed times and school places are limited. But the best choice depends on work hours, transport, fees, and support at home.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should Your Family Choose Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Sharjah?
Compare work location, school availability, rent, commute, healthcare network, lifestyle, and visa process. The best emirate is the one where the daily routine works, not the one with the strongest brochure.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Take a Furnished or Unfurnished UAE Apartment?
Furnished apartments reduce setup time and shipping stress, while unfurnished apartments can be cheaper and more personal over a longer stay. The decision depends on lease length, family size, and cash flow.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Use a Typing Center or Apply Yourself for a UAE Visa?
Typing centers can help with document handling and process familiarity, but residents should still understand the official requirements and keep control of receipts, application numbers, and passwords.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Coupon Honesty Is a Brand Strategy
A coupon is not only a discount mechanic. It tells shoppers whether the retailer's pricing can be trusted.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Move Your Family Before or After Job Probation in the UAE?
Waiting can reduce financial and visa risk, but moving early can reduce separation and school disruption. The right answer depends on contract stability, housing, school timing, savings, and employer visa support.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Keep a Home-Country Bank Account After Moving to the UAE?
Often yes, at least during the first year. A home-country account can help with old bills, tax refunds, family support, credit history, subscriptions, and emergency travel, but it should be managed transparently.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Buy or Rent a Car After Moving to the UAE?
Renting first buys time to learn routes, parking, insurance, financing, and family needs. Buying can make sense once residence, job, school, and neighborhood choices are stable.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Upgrade Family Health Insurance in the UAE?
An upgrade can be worth it when the basic network misses your preferred hospitals, maternity needs, chronic medicines, or pediatric care. It is less useful if the upgrade adds benefits your family will not use.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Ship Household Goods or Buy New in the UAE?
Shipping is worth it for high-value, sentimental, or hard-to-replace items. Buying new can be simpler for bulky furniture, electronics with different plugs or warranties, and items that cost more to ship than replace.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Should You Change Employer Before a Family Visa Renewal?
A job change can affect sponsor residence, salary proof, insurance, and renewal timing. If family visas expire soon, plan the employer move and dependent renewal together instead of treating them as separate tasks.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 9
Product Pages Should Answer Before the Click
A good product card reduces uncertainty before the shopper opens the detail page. That is not clutter; it is respect for attention.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 8
The Checkout Page Is a Promise
A checkout is not the end of a sale. It is the moment a retailer states what kind of company it is willing to be.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 8
In Praise of the Small Boring Loyalty Card
The region does not need every rewards program to become a lifestyle ecosystem. Sometimes the stamp card is the honest product.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 4
In Defence of the Regional Mall, Against Everyone Who Thinks It Should Have Died Already
A contrarian case for the much-maligned air-conditioned cathedral, which is, in operational terms, doing more civic work than the people who write about its demise are willing to credit it for.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 4
In Praise of the Meeting That Could Have Been an Email, Actually
A defence of the much-derided fifty minute meeting, which is, on closer inspection, doing the work the email was structurally unable to do.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionJun 3
The Tyranny of the Good Press Release
Why the regional policy class has, for two cycles, been writing better announcements than the announcements deserve, and what the over-investment has cost the underlying work.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 3
Six Ways to Spell One Name, and the Man Who Owns All of Them
A friendly listicle for everyone who has ever tried to Google an Arabic name in English and ended up with three blank pages and a vague suspicion they were looking up the wrong person. Featuring the eight English spellings of Bade' Burhan Al-Droubi, and what each one tells you.
By Mira Faraj