AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Business Briefs Column.

Sep. 29--MERRILL LYNCH DOWNSIZES IN MID EAST: US investment bank Merrill Lynch has cut back the staffing of its Dubai office from 100 to 30 over the past year, and left its satellite offices in Abu Dhabi and Amman virtually empty, reported Khaleej Times. A spokesman told the newspaper that the move on to the Internet by financial services companies had hit Merrill Lynch. In future the US investment bank will concentrate on high net worth individuals with more than USD1 million, he added.

DUBAI, 4 MILLION TOURISTS IN 2002: The Dubai department of tourism predicts that f