'This crisis is literally on a countdown clock.'

QUOTES OF THE DAY: Take a tour through the most thought-provoking business content of the day.

Rare earth metals have emerged, suddenly and unexpectedly, as an economic, geopolitical and environmental battlefield in the hoped-for green-energy revolution. Reuters / Stringer

Analytical, informative and provocative, commentators featured in The National's Business section have much to say.

Here is your interactive guide to some of most eye-catching content of the day. Simply click on the author to read the stories behind the quotes:
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"This crisis is literally on a countdown clock." Rare earth metals expert Jack Lifton, the director of Technology Metals Research.
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"We haven't hit any limits on height. The limits are still economic ones." Eric Tomich, Dubai associate director of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the architects behind the Burj Khalifa.
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"Woe to the Indian politician who underestimates the power of the onion." Salil Tripathi, former economics correspondent of the Far Eastern Economic Review
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"The economics of VoIP make it an unstoppable wave in terms of impact it has had in the region by making phone calls cheaper." Eric Benedict, the managing director of AlixPartners, a Dubai business advisory firm.
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"The country often termed the land of extremes seemed determined to press the point." Robin M Mills, Foreign Correspondent for The National.
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"There's a lot of sustenance from the emerging market." Manish Joshi, the chief financial officer at RAK Ceramics.
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"We've got all the Dubai banks' individual ratings, which are stand-alone ratings, on a negative watch." Mahin Dissanayake, a financial analyst at Fitch Ratings.
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"It seems the law is there and it is being enforced and it gives investors the promise of finality." Ludmila Yamalova, a managing partner at HPL Yamalova & Plewka.