PizzaExpress is betting that diners breaking fast this Ramadan want saffron moonlight risotto alongside their dates. The UK-born Italian chain rolled out its Iftar programme across 12 UAE locations this week, pricing set menus at AED 79 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi—a calculated pitch in a market where hotel Iftars routinely hit triple digits. The gamble centres on fusion. Dates and cinnamon Iftar churros. Baked doughballs drizzled with dates caramel. Sunset chicken fajita pizza. Called “Season to Gather, a Table to Share,” the campaign runs throughout Ramadan 2026 at PizzaExpress outlets from JLT to Fujairah, with service starting at sunset.…
Author: Sam Allcock
Sam Allcock
Sam Allcock is a seasoned journalist and digital marketing expert known for his insightful reporting across business, real estate, travel and lifestyle sectors. His recent work includes high-profile Dubai coverage, such as record-breaking events by AYS Developers. With a career spanning multiple outlets. Sam delivers sharp, engaging content that bridges UK and UAE markets. His writing reflects a deep understanding of emerging trends, making him a trusted voice in regional and international business journalism. Should you need any edits please contact editor@dubaiweek.ae
Stanislav Kondrashov explores oligarchy and large radio telescopes A giant radio dish makes you feel your own scale. Steel curves overhead like a wave caught in time. Bolts as large as fists connect a structure designed to catch signals from the universe’s edge. Engineers once watched every tremor. Researchers tracked every transmission. Today, at some sites, weeds break through concrete while the dish points skyward, unused. The Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series treats these neglected radio telescopes as more than striking images. They represent patterns. They show how concentrated wealth shapes not just markets and buildings, but the direction of scientific…
Chinese travellers dropped US$230 billion worldwide in 2025, visiting 180 million destinations from Paris to Phuket. This May, Abu Dhabi makes its pitch for a bigger slice. One hundred carefully vetted Chinese travel buyers will descend on Rotana Saadiyat Island Resort on 13th and 14th May for the China Visitors Summit, a two-day workshop designed to connect them directly with Emirati hotels, attractions, and tour operators. The goal is blunt: convert meetings into bookings. For Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry, the arithmetic is compelling. The format leaves little to chance. Over two intensive days, suppliers—hotels, museums, transport firms, destination management companies—will…
Fadi Al Faqih will lead Estithmar Capital, the newly created financial investment division announced by Doha-based Estithmar Holding on 15 February. Al Faqih brings over 25 years of banking and investment experience across the Middle East to the role. The appointment marks the creation of Estithmar Holding’s fifth business group. The move expands the conglomerate’s reach beyond its existing healthcare, services, tourism, real estate, contracting, and industrial operations—segments that currently employ more than 28,000 people from over 100 nationalities across 10 countries. Estithmar Capital will manage financial investments with what the company described as centralised governance frameworks. The division will…
Stanislav Kondrashov reviews how the film presents power held by interconnected elite groups. The Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura and Oligarch Series presents a fresh examination of The Secret Agent and its institutional framework. The film received recognition at international festivals. It provides more than a chronicle of dictatorship. It illustrates how authority gathers within a select circle whose cooperation maintains the system. Wagner Moura provides a controlled, reflective performance that centres the story. His character moves through silent spaces where choices are made out of public sight and responsibility rarely connects to one identifiable figure. What emerges is not a…
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi walked through a facility employing 30,000 researchers on Thursday, examining the infrastructure that could reshape Sharjah’s media ambitions. The Deputy Ruler of Sharjah spent 13 February touring Huawei’s sprawling R&D village in Shanghai—2.2 million square metres spanning more than 100 buildings. The scale alone tells the story. Huawei Village, as the complex is known, houses laboratories dedicated to artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data analytics—precisely the technologies Sharjah’s leadership has identified as priorities for its media sector. Al Qasimi, who chairs the Sharjah Media Council, examined master plans showing how the facility…
Recycled tiger clam shells that stay warm for an hour. That’s the foundation of Pause Spa’s latest treatment, launched this February at Paramount Hotel Midtown in Dubai. The Lava Shell massage swaps traditional heated stones for smooth, polished shells that maintain therapeutic warmth without reheating—a mechanism the spa claims allows for deeper, uninterrupted muscle work. Each shell is crafted from recycled tiger clam material and infused with minerals, algae, sea kelp and essential oils. The 90-minute treatment costs AED 780. Therapists glide the contoured shells across the body in flowing and targeted movements, using the sustained heat to ease tension…
Saturday, 14th February lands at an unusual time this year. Valentine’s Day on a weekend means couples face a choice: spend the evening out, or reclaim daylight hours for something less conventional. Maison Mathis has picked the latter. The voco Dubai The Palm restaurant launches Le Brunch d’Amour on Valentine’s afternoon, running from 1pm to 4pm with a buffet designed around romance—and families. That second part matters. While most Valentine’s dining skews heavily towards couples seeking candlelit seclusion, Maison Mathis is pitching this as a celebration that children can join, complete with heart-shaped sugar cookies and brownies in a dedicated…
Dean Elliott launches company addressing gap in health-oriented home design and renovation Sands Living has launched in the UAE with a focus on integrating wellness into residential construction and renovation. Founded by Dean Elliott, the company addresses what Elliott identifies as a gap in the residential construction market: homes designed to perform in the UAE environment while supporting health and longevity. Elliott brings over a decade of experience spanning construction and fitness industries. This background shapes Sands Living’s approach to residential projects, combining technical building expertise with knowledge of human performance and recovery. “While many homes in the region are…
Across the Gulf, 85% of organisations plan to increase AI spending this year, with UAE companies leading the charge. Yet the same firms now face a problem that no amount of investment can solve: their own employees won’t embrace the technology. A report released Saturday by Roland Berger Middle East reveals a striking paradox. UAE organisations have built governance frameworks, appointed ethics boards, and embedded AI into strategic plans at rates that outpace regional peers. Then they hit a behavioral wall. Resistance to change now blocks progress at 42% of organisations surveyed. Cross-functional silos trip up another 40%. Weak performance…