The Murdoch Redeemeth, bubble junkies get an IPO fix, and Jordanian geeks get what they deserve

Can Rupert Murdoch redeem us all, or at least keep the media / internet professionals among us gainfully employed

? Today in The National, I ask whether the Sun King's absolutely mind blowing, out-of-the-box concept of charging people for your sevice could be an online game-changer. If anyone can do it, its Lord Murdoq, who like me, started out in the sleepy Australian town of Adelaide.

- Those begging for one more sweet speculative bubble (

and who aren't already buying up .ae domain names

) might have to wait a fairly long time, but if you're desperate for a fix of the good stuff,

there is an IPO coming on the Dubai bourse, Al Ittihad, via Business 24-7, reports

. No details yet on the company, industry or anything, really, but according to the paper, it will happen after Ramadan, and is one of three IPOs that have been proposed to the market regulator.

- In truly shocking news,

"the local PC assembly segment has no potential for growth in the UAE," Business 24-7 reports

, blaming "a lack of government support and changes in customer purchasing patterns." There's a local PC assembly industry? They want government support? As the market floods with cheap laptops and netbooks, the whole idea of a desktop computer is seeming more niche by the day, let alone a desktop that someone goes to the bother of custom making for you.

Orange has won the rights to operate Jordan's first 3G mobile network,

after a long, kind of complicated tender / bidding process. Of all the people in the Middle East who deserve to be blanketed by a lovely high-speed mobile network, Jordanian's take the prize, what, being in the heartland of Arab geekdom and all. As said before, Beep Beep is a big Jordan fan.

According to ITP.net

, Orange has six months to roll out the network, after which it will get to enjoy a one-year exclusivity period.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Electric scooters: some rules to remember

Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
Do not drive outside designated lanes

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

US households add $601bn of debt in 2019

American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.

Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.

In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.

The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.

"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.

Scorecard

Scotland 220

K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35

UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs

C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out

While you're here

Gavin Esler: A no-deal Brexit looks imminent to mark the end of a four-year-long 'fairy tale'

David Frum: What President-elect Biden needs to fix – and preserve – from the Trump era

Damien McElroy: Post-Brexit, the UK should be more pragmatic in dealing with the world

While you're here

National Editorial: What 'Fight Island' means for Abu Dhabi and the world

National Editorial: The UAE looks to cycling for exercise and for the planet

Gareth Cox: Sporting week in pictures, as Covid-19 makes its presence felt

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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