Former Lunch Columnist Goes Shabby Sheikh
In a particularly strange twist, the prickly Pranay Gupte, formerly the writer of numerous "Lunch at the Four Seasons" puff pieces for the New York Sun, has picked up stakes and taken on the business editorship at Dubai's Khaleej Times. From his announcement:
My specific assignment is to create and launch a weekly review-magazine whose focus would be both regional and global ... I've also been asked to help streamline — and possibly re-invent — the daily usiness [sic?] section of the newspaper, which was founded three decades ago. In time, the "Gupte touch" may be applied to the entire paper.
Say what you will about the Gupte touch, it couldn't but improve the Khaleej Times, an English-language paper widely regarded as a joke. The paper is necessarily muzzled by Dubai's autocracy from doing much besides repeating the oracular pronouncements of Dubai officials; its Wikipedia page is constantly edited to reflect either rabid enthusiasm or sarcastic mockery, depending on the editor. Perhaps Gupte can revive his intellectual property for a new "Lunch at the Burj al Arab" column.
Defamed 'Four Seasons' Sun Columnist Heads To Dubai [FishbowlNY]