Dec28: The American oil company Noble Energy signed a letter of intent to provideIsrael with natural gas from the Tamar field, discovered in January 2009 and located some 90 kilometers offshore ofthe country’s northern coast. The field, which may run into Lebaneseterritorial water, can potentially produce up to $750 million worth of naturalgas annually, according to Noble. Jan4: The world’s tallest building, theBurj Khalifa, officially opened in Dubai with a spectacular display of 10,000 fireworks, light beams, music andsound effects. Formerly known as the Burj Dubai, the 828 meter-high buildingwas renamed after the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi, who bailed outdebt-ridden Dubai at the end of 2009. Jan9: In 2009, Abu Dhabi’s economymade a significant turnaround withjust 0.8 percent inflation, down from 14.8 percent in 2008, according to theStatistics Center of Abu Dhabi, the official body concerned with the collectionof statistical data in the emirate. A fall in commodity prices
