From left to right: Murtaza Vali, critic, historian and educator based in Sharjah; Hassan Khan, artist and musician based in Cairo; Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, staff writer at The National and contributing editor to Bidoun based in Beirut; Maria Fusco, director of MFA Writing at Goldsmiths College in London, and Douglas McLennan, founder and editor-in-chief of ArtsJournal.com in Seattle.

Walk into this year's Art Dubai, and it hits you long before the art does: there are Middle Eastern art publications seemingly everywhere. Bidoun, the old standby, yes, but also Canvas, Brownbook and even the new, Abu Dhabi-based Unfair, its cover, featuring a model in a gold and pearl bolero designed by the Sharjah-born, London-based designer Qasimi, a kind of manifesto about the role that the Middle East and the UAE in particular can play in contemporary global culture.

Bad news this week for British expats who retired to the UAE.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled this week that British pensioners who retire here (as well as most other non-EU countries) are not entitled to inflation-linked increases that they would have received if they had never left their home. Those who never move to another country have their pensions periodically "up-rated" to adjust for the rising cost of living.

The upshot: British expats planning to retire in the UAE should make sure they are not making unnecessary contributions to the National Insurance Fund, says Keren Bobker, a financial planner with Holborn Assets in Dubai. Many expats make voluntary contributions to the fund in order to qualify for the maximum pension when they retire.

But because their pensions will be frozen, those expats may want to consider investing that money instead in a vehicle that will grow over time in order to keep up with inflation.

The case was first brought against the UK government in 2002 by Annette Carson, a British resident who retired to South Africa. She argued that she should be entitled to the same rights as a UK resident who spent the same amount of time working in the UK and made the same contributions to the National Insurance Fund.

The government countered that she made a voluntary choice to live in a country with a distinct economy and paying her the "up-rate" would be an inappropriate use of public funds.

Yesterday's Dubai Lynx debate on the advantages of consolidated regional hubs versus a scattered network of satellite offices did not do much to settle the issue, but it did give a forum for some frank talk about the current state of advertising in the UAE.

One of the highlights were the pleas of Peter Vegas, the creative director of Impact BBDO's Abu Dhabi office, for the industry to please, please, please stop making ads featuring a man in a kandura shaking hands with another guy in suit. Also: no more guys in kanduras staring off into the distance. Seriously.

It's no secret, or surprise really, that young people are obsessed with their phones and online social networking. What do young people do? Socialise, talk about their social interactions and then socialise some more.

The MENA region offers 45 per cent of the world's total energy potential from all renewable sources, but in general is not capitalising on this opportunity.

Dubai utility promotes its clean image. Wallpaper courtesy of DEWA

Saudi Aramco wants to be recognised for it efforts to protect the delicate marine coastal ecosystem of Manifa Bay, the site of its biggest ever offshore oil project.

Sorouh Real Estate is now offering the lowest mortgages in the country for a few months as part of a bid to rejuvenate the sales market in Abu Dhabi. Here is a chart of the offerings available from banks in Abu Dhabi. Thank you to Chris Dommett of John Charcol Dubai for this helpful data.

Michael Lunjevich, a partner at Hadef & Partners, put out a report this morning on the regulations for Law 13, which have yet to be published in the Official Gazette but have been informally given to the law firm. These regulations will have major impacts on the property sector. They hold both the developer and buyer accountable and give much-needed clarity on legal issues that are gripping the whole sector.