UAE

ENG Media, the Dubai based publishers, as stopped publication of its titles as it fights a legal case with Fujairah Media, the free zone through which the magazines are licensed. Local media has reported that Fujairah Media and ENG are suing each other over financial disputes.

ENG (Emirates Neon Group) publishes Media Week, lifestyle magazine Insider, men's title IQ and the beauty magazine BH&W (Beauty, Health and Wellbeing).

ENG has been facing financial problems, and staff members have salary overdues dating back several months. Many employees have left the publishing house and taken up jobs elsewhere.

Rehan Merchant, group CEO of Emirates Neon Group, in a letter to advertisers is believed to have said that they 'will be re-launching the existing titles later down the year from another emirate as a lot of money and effort has been put into building brand equity in the market. We see this market jumping back and we are sure about our existence in such a magazine market.'

Another Dubai based publisher, The Media Factory (TMF) has also been announcing layoffs. The publisher produces Dot Commerce and the regional edition of Haymarket's Autocar and Thai Airways' inflight magazine, Sawasdee. The publisher has blamed ' a lackluster second quarter and the anticipated lean period over the summer months' as the cause of its problems.