Abdullah bin Zayed and John Baird sign agreement on peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy

            Ottawa: H. H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Foreign Minister and his Canadian Counterpart John Baird yesterday signed an agreement between the Governments of the United Arab Emirates and Canada for cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The signing took place here at the headquarters of the Canadian Parliament and comes within the framework of enhancing cooperation between UAE and Canada in light of the significant growth and development witnessed in their bilateral relations.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mohammed Saif Hilal Al Shehhi, UAE ambassador to Canada and the delegation accompanying UAE's Foreign Minister.

Later, the Canadian Foreign Minister held a luncheon in honour of Sheikh Abdullah and his accompanying delegation. Sheikh Abdullah also witnessed the proceedings of the session of the Canadian House of Commons.

Like other agreements signed by the UAE with a number of technology and nuclear materials exporting countries including Australia, this agreement sets a framework for cooperation between the two countries in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and facilitating commercial exchange of nuclear materials and equipment.

In late July, Sheikh Abdullah and his Australian counterpart Bob Carr signed a strategic cooperation agreement for peaceful use of nuclear energy..

Sheikh Abdullah said at that time the UAE was not considering projects for enrichment and for nuclear waste treatment. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Expo 2020 team launches awareness programs for schools and universities

            In line with its mandate to increase public awareness about the UAE's bid to host the 2020 World Expo, the Expo team this week launched two outreach programs to encourage students and academic faculty to participate in this important nationwide campaign.

The Expo team hosted an informational kiosk at "What Works" - a conference organised by Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority representing 500 educators from every private school across the emirate.

Held at Zayed University, conference attendees learned more about World Expos and how their students can support the bid and be part of this truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The team also opened an Expo 2020 kiosk on the campus of Canadian University in Dubai to generate support for the bid and highlight the many benefits the Expo can provide students, such as increased economic opportunities, a platform for new ideas and a chance to learn first-hand about innovative solutions to the world's biggest challenges.

The Expo team encouraged the academic community across the country to join the campaign, commenting that these ongoing outreach initiatives are key to raising awareness among students and strengthening the UAE's bid to welcome the world in 2020.

Dubai, UAE, is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo, including Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

The winning city will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 161 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions - the international organisation responsible for overseeing the bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos.– Emirates News Agency, WAM

King of Bahrain confers Bahrain First Class Order to UAE Ambassador

            Manama: His Majesty King Hamad bin Eisa of Bahrain has conferred Bahrain First Class Order to outgoing UAE Ambassador Abdul Aziz bin Hadef Al Shamsi in recognition of his efforts to strengthen the relations between the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

King Hamad appreciated the efforts of outgoing UAE envoy in bolstering the historic ties between the two sides. For his part, Ambassador Al Shamsi thanked the king and people of Bahrain for their fruitful cooperation, which facilitated his diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Bahrain. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Sanid and Takatof Programmes joining efforts in support of Syrian refugees in Jordan

            A group of volunteers with the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development's Sanid and Takatof Programmes has joined efforts to support Syrian refugees' camps in northern Jordan.

"The leadership is concerned about the humanitarian situation of the Syrian refugees and endeavours to extend the maximum support to them. Volunteers' energy shall cumulatively add value to the overall efforts exerted. We already have a group there now serving and other groups shall join too in rotation," said Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Programmes Officer at Emirates Foundation.

"This is not the first time that the volunteers are serving internationally. They've been sent to different countries including Tanzania, USA, Thailand and Morocco to perform various missions. They were involved in building and refurbishing houses, clinics, schools, etc. They have also volunteered in Pakistan two years ago to help relieve people who suffered from the consequences of the floods." Al Habsi Concluded: "we were touched with the preparedness of the volunteers who responded promptly to the call for that mission. This crystallises the readiness of young Emiratis who are eager to represent their country anytime and anywhere."  – Emirates News Agency, WAM

First domestic flight takes off from Abu Dhabi International Airport

            Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) witnessed the first domestic flight in the UAE as Rotana Jet flight took off from Abu Dhabi International Airport at 10:00 am this morning flying to Fujairah International Airport.

This inaugural flight comes after the announcement made last week about the launch of twice-a-day services to Fujairah, Al Ain and Sharjah from Abu Dhabi International Airport, in an initiative by Rotana Jet to extend its domestic route network.

Effective yesterday, 19th September 2012, Rotana Jet will be operating two flights a day between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Fujairah. Two flights a day to Al Ain will commence on the 26th September 2012 and flights to Sharjah will soon follow.  – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Etisalat Group finalises sale of 9.1 percent stake in PT XL Axiata Tbk

            The Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) yesterday announced that it has finalised the sale of a 9.1 percent stake in PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL), an Indonesian mobile telecommunications provider.

The sale of the 775 million shares to institutional investors capitalised on the recent rally in XL Axiata's stock price and resulted in gross proceeds of Dh 1,870 million to Etisalat.

Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Group said: "The sale is in line with the Group's strategy to focus on our core operations in order to deliver greater value to our shareholders. This investment has provided Etisalat with excellent returns and, given its recent performance, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to crystallise some of the value created. This transaction further underscores the Etisalat management's commitment towards being a disciplined investor for our shareholders." Following the sale, Etisalat retains a 4.2% ownership stake in XL. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

UAE has world’s 7th largest gas wealth

            An increase in the gas reserves of Iran, the United States and former Soviet Union boosted the world’s total resources of natural gas by nearly 21 trillion cubic metres (tcm) at the end of 2011, with the UAE remaining the 7th largest gas power, According to official Arab data.

Russia maintained its dominance of the global gas map while Iran and Qatar retained their positions as second and third respectively.

The UAE, the second largest Arab economy, controlled an estimated six tcm as it was also preceded by Saudi Arabia, the US and Turkmenistan.

From around 172.9 tcm at the end of 2007, the world’s total proven gas resources surged to their highest level of nearly 193.8 tcm at the end of 2011, showed the figures by the Kuwaiti-based Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), a key Arab League establishment.

A breakdown showed Iran recorded the biggest single increase its gas deposits, which swelled to a record high of 33 tcm from 26.8 tcm.

Turkmenistan’s gas wealth soared to around 7.5 tcm while that of the US grew to nearly 7.7 tcm from 5.9 tcm in the same period.

Group-wise, the report showed the gas reserves of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which comprises Russia and other former Soviet republics, rose to 61.3 tcm from about 57 tcm.

The Arab gas wealth recorded a modest increase to around 54.6 tcm from 54.-6 tcm in the same period after a rapid growth in the previous two decades.

The report showed Russia’s gas deposits remained unchanged at around 47.5 tcm, nearly a quarter of the world’s total gas wealth.

Qatar’s gas wealth slipped slightly to about 25.2 tcm from 25.6 tcm while Saudi Arabia’s gas resources rose to 8.01 tcm from 7.3 tcm.

Those of the UAE remained at around 6.09 tcm, accounting for 3.1 per cent of the world’s total.

As for exports, Qatar emerged as the world’s dominant supplier of liquefied natural gas, with around 77 million tonnes per year. The Gulf country also has the world’s largest single reservoir of non-associated gas in its mammoth offshore North Field, which is now fuelling its economy. – Emirates 24|7

DFSA sanctions Credit Europe Bank Dubai Limited and its former Head of Treasury

            The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) announced yesterday that it has accepted Enforceable Undertakings (EU) from Credit Europe Bank (Dubai) Limited (CEBD) and its former Head of Treasury.

The EUs result from a DFSA investigation into trading conducted by the former Head of Treasury, on behalf of CEBD. CEBD is a firm authorised to conduct financial services in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

In May 2011, CEBD's former Head of Treasury, Ozkan Demirkaya, executed a loss-making foreign exchange transaction on behalf of CEBD. To hide the unrealised loss resulting from that transaction, Demirkaya created a fake forward transaction and caused it to be entered into the accounts of CEBD. The effect of the fake forward transaction was that it concealed the full extent of the unrealised loss arising from the earlier transaction in the accounts of CEBD.

In October 2011, after determining that his earlier position was unlikely to recover, Demirkaya disclosed his misconduct and the loss to CEBD. The matter was later reported to the DFSA by CEBD.

The DFSA's investigation found that the fake forward transaction was not prevented or detected by CEBD because CEBD did not have appropriate systems and controls in place to effectively manage its trading functions and activities.

The DFSA further found that CEBD failed to notify the DFSA of Demirkaya's misconduct within an appropriate time.

As a consequence of the DFSA's findings, CEBD has undertaken not to conduct proprietary trading activities until all of the internal control weaknesses identified by the DFSA have been addressed to the DFSA's satisfaction, and to pay a financial penalty of Dh 183,500 (US$50,000).

In accepting the EU, the DFSA acknowledges that CEBD co-operated fully with the DFSA's investigation and has taken steps to improve its systems and controls.

Demirkaya has undertaken to the DFSA not to perform any functions in or in connection with the provision of Financial Services or Ancillary Services in the DIFC for a period of three (3) years. He has also undertaken to pay a financial penalty of Dh 73,400 (US$ $20,000); of which Dh 55,000 (US$ $15,000) has been suspended indefinitely subject to Demirkaya's compliance with the EU. The suspended penalty reflects Demirkaya's acknowledgement of the DFSA's concerns and his full co-operation with the DFSA's investigation.

Ian Johnston, Chief Executive of the DFSA said: "The action taken by the DFSA highlights the importance of Firms having robust systems and controls in place to mitigate the risks associated with their activities. Importantly, when Firms detect conduct that contravenes DFSA administered laws and rules then there is an obligation on them to promptly disclose that activity to the DFSA. A failure to notify the DFSA is likely to result in regulatory action." – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Dubai set to host int’l events to protect consumer rights

Dubai has once again taken a milestone initiative with the launch of two international events to protect consumer rights. The first Dubai World Conference for Consumer Rights 2013 and the Power Brands Exhibition for trademarks will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 1-3, 2013.

Organised by the Department of Economic Development (DED), Government of Dubai, both the events are supported by Dubai Refreshment Company and Al Fajer Information and Services, a reflection of partnership between the government and the private sector.

“Through this initiative we seek to reinforce the trust and loyalty of consumers, promote the retail sector in line with international best practices in consumer rights protection, and ultimately provide a competitive retail environment that will strengthen Dubai’s position as one of the best shopping destinations in the world,” Sami Al Qamzi, Director-General, DED, said at the launch event on Wednesday.

Qamzi said, “The retail trade sector has played an important role in Dubai’s economic development, nearly as important in terms of its direct contribution to GDP and growth. Its value-add grew in real terms at more than 12 per cent on average per year in the last decade and accounted for over Dh15 billion. The future prospects are quite promising, with growth of the retail value-add forecast to exceed 5.5 per cent annually over 2012-2015.”

The DED is dedicated to raising awareness of consumers’ and retailers’ rights and responsibilities through its Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Division. ECCCP is specialised in proposing regulations, policies and laws on trademark protection, including those related to anti-fraud, trademark infringement and protection of trade names. The division also conducts random and organised inspections.

Satish Khanna, general manager of Al Fajer Information and Services, said that the two events target the entire Mena region. The Dubai World Conference on Consumer Rights will be held under the theme ‘Best practices in consumer protection’. It is targeted at top international and local CEOs and senior government officials, management gurus, enforcement consumer advocates and other professionals in consumer protection and privacy. The Power Brands Exhibition seeks to promote the best consumer oriented brands in Dubai. It will bring under one roof some of the finest consumer brands, and help them gain recognition through the endorsement from DED.  Khanna said that Al Fajer and DED have designed the conference and exhibition keeping in mind the intelligence of consumers in the Mena region and to help them make informed decisions by bringing them face to face with leading brands, as well as throw light on key consumer issues.

“We expect these two events to attract leading retail local and international companies as exhibitors and global luminaries as speakers,” he said.

He said that the two-day conference will focus on the future of consumer protection law, and is a ‘must attend’ event for enforcers and practitioners. The speakers will include top officials from the government, enforcement authorities, legislators, attorneys, scholars, economists, consumer advocates, and other professionals in consumer protection and privacy.

The key objectives of the conference are strengthening consumer protection, increasing consumer education and awareness, and setting the stage for driving revenues of the retail industry. Overall, it will be a forum to facilitate the essential learning process, to network, exchange ideas and information, and discuss the latest trends with peers and industry experts. – Khaleej Times

Prices down for 11 groups of building materials in August 2012 Y-o-Y, reports SCAD

            Prices of several groups of building materials underwent changes during August 2012 compared with July 2012, with the rises ranging between 0.4 percent for paints and 14.9 percent for "construction labour", while declines ranged from 0.7 percent for "power cables" to 12.4 percent for "waterproofing products, according to Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD).

SCAD issued yesterday its monthly report on the prices of building materials for the month of August 2012. The report presents an analysis of the movements in the prices of the various materials used in the construction industry in Abu Dhabi retail market, comparing August 2012 prices with those of July 2012 and August 2011.

The report reveals an increase of 14.9 percent in the average wages of construction workers, in August compared with July 2012. Rises ranged from 7.1 percent for electricians to 25.0 percent for carpenters and metal fixers.

By contrast, prices of the power cables group retreated by 0.7 percent, as result of the downward movement observed in all of the items constituting this group.

The report also indicates a 2.6 percent fall in the average monthly prices of the cement group during August compared with July 2012, reflecting a decrease of 21.4 percent in the price per ton of "Al- Etihad Portland Cement/U.A.E" showing a decrease.

SCAD also reported lower MoM prices for the concrete group, which eased 4.3 percent in August 2012 compared with July 2012, due to proportional falls in all items of this group.

A 4.4 rise was reported in the average prices of the (PVC) Pipes group due increases in the prices of (PVC Pipes\ 2 inch\ 6m\ U.A.E.) and (PVC Pipes\ 3 inch\ 6m\ U.A.E.) by 16.7 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively.

SCAD's report also points to a 4.6 percent increase in the prices of the roofing materials group during August 2012 compared with July 2012.

Prices of building materials during August 2012 compared with August 2011 As SCAD's report reveals, decreases were recorded in the average monthly prices of 11 groups of building materials during August 2012 compared with August 2011. The falls ranged between 0.9 percent for "UPVC pipes" group and 25.2 percent for "wires for residential towers". The "Wires" group displayed one the largest price falls in August 2012 compared with August 2011, led by a 25.2 percent fall in the price of "wires for residential towers", followed by decreases of 18.1 percent and 14.7 percent in the prices of "wires for apartments" and "wires for small buildings", respectively.

The average monthly price of power cables decreased by 11.2 percent y-o-y in August 2012, displaying price drops in the range of 10.7 - 11.9 percent. There has been a consistent downward trend in the prices of this group since the beginning of the current year.

On the other hand, rises were recorded in the average prices of certain groups during August 2012 compared with August 2011, including waterproofing products (up 1.2 percent), reflecting increases in the prices of most of the items constituting this group.

In addition, the average prices of glass and transport equipment increased by 15.2 percent and 4.1 percent in August 2012 compared with August 2011.

Finally, the average price of some sanitary ware items ("bathroom set without accessories" and "stainless steel sink with mixer-single" increased by 10.6 percent and 12.1percent respectively in August 2012, while the price index of  bathroom set with accessories" was stable compared with August 2011. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Retail sector in Dubai to grow by 5.5%

            The retail sector is expected to grow by 5.5 per cent per annum until 2015, Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai (DED), said on Wednesday.

He added that the sector’s direct contribution to Dubai’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP) accounted for 12 per cent or Dh15 billion in the last 10 years.

The retail sector has played an important role in Dubai’s economic development. The future prospects are quite promising with growth of the retail value-add forecast to exceed 5.5 per cent annually over 2012-2015,” Al Qamzi said.

Al Qamzi was speaking at the launching of Dubai World Conference on Consumer Rights and Power Brands Exhibition on the need to strengthen the concept of partnership between the government and the private sector.

Through this initiative we seek to reinforce the trust and loyalty of consumers, promote the retail sector in line with international best practices in consumer rights protection, and ultimately provide a competitive retail environment that will strengthen Dubai’s position as one of the best shopping destinations in the world,” said Al Qamzi.

“The conference will play a vital role in boosting retail sector performance and in enhancing economic growth through adopting appropriate policies and regulations, and identify those sectors witnessing strategic growth,” he said.

DED is working to provide the best solutions and services to traders and investors locally and globally, thus enhancing trade flows and the ease of doing business in the emirate,”

he conference will be held on April 1-3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre and is supported by the Dubai Refreshment Company and Al Fajer Information and Services.

mar Bushahab, CEO of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Division (CCCP) at the DED, remarked that the consumer rights conference and brands exhibition will bring together views from various sectors and encourage best practices in commercial activities, especially transparency in the buying and selling processes, thus safeguarding the rights of all consumers, traders and trademark owners.

CCCP will continue to launch such initiatives of the highest international standards, and provide specialised services to support the business community and the retail sector, which is a cornerstone of the emirate’s economy.”

Satish Khanna, General Manager, Al Fajer Information & Services, said: “We have designed the conference and exhibition as a tribute to the intelligence of consumers in the Mena region and to help them make informed decisions by bringing them face to face with leading brands, as well as throw light on key consumer issues.” – Gulf News

Drydocks World completes conversion and upgrade of NDC Jack-up rig Beynouna

            Drydocks World, announced the completion of conversion and upgrade of Jack-up Drilling Platform, Beynouna belonging to the National Drilling Company (NDC). The Rig arrived at the Dubai shipyard in late July this year, following Rig Delma to undergo major work at the shipyard in 2012. The shipyard has continued in focusing the newly adopted strategy to enhance its services for the offshore oil, gas and energy sectors. Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World said, "We are delighted to have completed yet another successful conversion and upgrade project for NDC this year. This provides us with a firm foothold in the offshore drilling rig maintenance, conversion and upgrade sector and are fully prepared to address this rapidly evolving sector in right earnest. We are working on various major projects and have several others in the pipeline. We are totally and fully committed to HSE and Quality in all aspect of our business."

On his part, Abdalla Saeed Al Suwaidi, NDC Chief Executive Officer stated "we are pleased to work with Drydocks World and express our appreciation for their cooperation and full commitment to HSE and Quality." The conversion of the rig involved the fabrication and installation of new spud cans, upgrade included replacement of shale shakers. The rig underwent major maintenance work, like overhaul of two of its cranes, blasting and painting of hull and tanks, inspection of legs, renewal of steel and pipes and upgrade of accommodation. Hydro-blasting and painting of derrick and legs were carried out using rope access methods. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Etihad Rail announces new CEO

            Etihad Rail - the master developer and operator of the UAE's national railway network - announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Nasser Al Mansoori as the company's new Chief Executive Officer, with immediate effect.

Dr. Mansoori served as a Board member at Etihad Rail for the past three years. He will continue in his Board role, in addition to now taking on his new Chief Executive Officer duties, and brings extensive transport knowledge and experience having previously held the position of Director General of the UAE's National Transport Authority (NTA).

Commenting on this new appointment, Nasser Alsowaidi, Chairman of Etihad Rail, stated: "It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Dr. Nasser Al Mansoori as Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail. He has been working with us at Etihad Rail since 2009 and brings both a thorough understanding of the company and a wealth of transport and rail knowledge to the role. We are delighted to have him on board in this new capacity." Etihad Rail's Dh 40 billion 1,200km route network will connect urban and remote communities throughout the country. The network will facilitate trade, open up communication channels and foster economic development. The network will also form a vital part of the GCC Railway Network - linking the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat in the west and Oman via Al Ain in the east. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

New head, new face for Abu Dhabi Film Festival

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) is expected to take a new turn with Emirati filmmaker and Emirates Film Competition Director Ali Al Jabri taking over the reign of the six-year-old festival from its ex-director Peter Scarlet.

“All I can say is that everything is going well and as planned, but we cannot yet reveal any details about the programme this year,” Al Jabri told Khaleej Times.

What ADFF did reveal, though, is that the screenings this October 11-20 will return to the auditorium-cum-cinema of Emirates Palace from Fairmont Hotel’s outdoors screen combined with Abu Dhabi theatre and Marina Mall’s cinemas.

Signalling a greater focus on Arab films, the opening movie of the ADFF will be “Arbitrage”, produced by Saudi film producer Mohammed Al Turki.

The feature directorial debut of writer Nicholas Jarecki, starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Brit Marling is a taut and alluring suspense thriller about love, loyalty, and high finance.

With already talks of being an Oscar candidate, “Arbitrage” is bound to make an impact at the ADFF, especially since producer Al Turki, writer and director Nicholas Jarecki and two of the film’s stars, Richard Gere and Nate Parker will be walking the red carpet here.

“What better way to showcase the talent that exists in the region than to open with a film produced by the region and starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood? It promises to be a great start to an exciting 10 days of films,” said Al Jabri.

Alongside ADFF’s competitions for long, short and documentary films, as well as the never missing Showcase programme of critically acclaimed movies, there will also be special screenings, which include a programme of Algerian films celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Algerian Independence.

Another big first for the festival is its organiser, which has been shifted from the former Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage to twofour54, as part of the plan to strategically align the ADFF with Abu Dhabi’s other media initiatives and related events.

ImageNation, Abu Dhabi’s film production company, has also confirmed it is currently in talks with the ADFF for collaboration this year. – Khaleej Times

Dubai residential rents up by 2-3 per cent in third quarter

            Residential rent rates in Dubai continued to climb slowly over the third quarter due to a shortage in some unit types, according to a new report by Asteco.

Apartment rents have increased on average by two per cent while villa rents climbed three per cent in Dubai building on their “strong performance” from the second quarter, according to the Q3 2012 report released by the property real estate services firm Asteco.

Apartments on Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai saw the biggest hikes. Annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment on Sheikh Zayed road increased by six per cent at Dh105,000 and those in Downtown Dubai by four per cent at Dh120,000.

For villa rents, Palm Jumeirah saw the biggest increase at seven per cent, the report showed. Renting a three-bedroom house now costs Dh 325,000 per year on average while rents at the Springs increased by five per cent with three-bedroom villas costing Dh 125,000. Similar properties in Arabian Ranches leased for Dh 145,000 a year.

Asteco attributed this increase in residential rents to a shortage in larger three-bedroom units in towers or smaller town houses in villa communities and high occupancy rates, according to Elaine Jones, chief executive of Asteco.

Other analysts also observed a similar trend in residential rates.

Economic growth, employment picking up and residents shifting from the Northern Emirates to Dubai also contributed to this trend, according to Craig Plumb, Director of Research for Jones Lang Lasalle MENA said.

However, some areas such as Dubailand, Silicon Oasis and Mirdif saw flat rents in the third quarter, he noted.

“People want to live in completed communities, where the shops are open, landscape is finished, schools are there, not a housing estate in the middle of nowhere. Projects in outlying areas like Falcon City and along Emirates Road are still a bit remote,” Plumb said.

Going forward, villa rents could well increase as a limited supply enters the market during 2012, said Mat Green, Head of Research & Consultancy UAE, CBRE Middle East.

“Around 14,000 new residential units are set to be delivered during 2012 which is significantly down on historic annual supply figures. Less than 3,000 of these new units will comprise of villas which could lead to further inflationary pressures being felt on rents of well-positioned and good quality villa products,” he said.

Apartment supply in well-established locations will likely be limited in the next two years, meaning rent rates will increase for the best products, he said.

Residential sales prices were stable and the commercial market remains quiet in the third quarter, the Asteco report added.

The office property sales are likely to remain weak as companies remain cautious amid economic uncertainties in Europe and US, said Green.

“Occupiers are typically seeking to avoid significant upfront capital expenditure which has not only inhibited the completion of many major office moves but has hugely constrained an already weak sales market. At this stage, we see no imminent change in this trend with occupiers by and large preferring the flexibility and lower risk of a leasing-based approach,” he said. – Gulf News

UAE job market rebounds

            The employment market in the UAE has been springing back over the past few months with the economy receiving a strong fillip from the hospitality sector in the wake of the Arab Spring, the results of new key surveys showed.

Monster Employment Index Middle East, a monthly barometer of online hiring, jumped 21 per cent on an annual basis in August, but recorded a two per cent drop on monthly basis, underscoring the resilience of the regional economy.

Online jobs in the UAE registered a robust annual growth of 16 per cent propelled by advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment. Hospitality and travel leads in annual growth among the occupation groups within the UAE. Qatar leads all countries in annual growth.

The new Monster report on surging on-line jobs in the UAE is the latest in a string of surveys and researches indicating an upturn in the job market.

On Tuesday, the employment website Bayt.com reported that recruitment is booming in the UAE with nearly 15 per cent more jobs being advertised this year so far. The report said there was an 11 per cent rise in the number of positions being advertised in the UAE in the wake of new buoyancy triggered by the Arab Spring.

The index, a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand by online employment portal , showed that  across the region hospitality continued to lead all industry sectors with 40 per cent annual growth while retail/trade and logistics continued to register strong growth  among occupation groups. Hospitality and travel exhibited strongest growth year-on-year followed by sales and business development; human resources and administrative occupations.

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in Middle-East based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career Websites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.

“While conditions have improved since 2011, recent activity indicates that employers are being cautious about growing their hiring activity.. However, the major labour intensive sectors, especially within primary industry, exhibit robust annual growth,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com for India, Middle East and South East Asia.

Qatar  recorded a growth of  28 per cent followed by Bahrain, up 24 per cent. Saudi Arabia remained the only country that registered a net decline over the past 12 months. Online recruitment activity in the kingdom declined nine per cent from August 2011 level albeit hospitality, up 61 per cent, continues to register the most notable annual growth.

Rabea Ataya, the chief executive of Bayt.com said while the UAE itself has seen great growth this year, it was not just the traditional sectors. The UAE has been benefitting from the Arab Spring. “People across the region are looking for a safe haven, a place to go on vacation and to spend whatever consumer dollars they have.”

The retail and hospitality industries are hiring aggressively, although there are still relatively few opportunities in the construction, property and finance sectors, Ataya said.

Jobs in the construction sector are still at far less than it once was. “The finance sector has also scaled down starting in 2009 and we haven’t seen that sector rebound,” he said. – Khaleej Times

No ban on granting visit visa for low-income labours : MoI

            A top Ministry of Interior official has denied press reports on a ban of tourist visa for unskilled jobs.

Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalisation and Residency, and Ports Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, said departments of naturalisation and residency across the country were processing visit visa transactions for would-be applicants in consistence with standard procedures.

He lashed out at some media outlets which published these untrue news that drawn from unofficial and unreliable sources.

He explained that any new procedures would be announced to the public beforehand and be posted on the Ministry's website or released to the media by the Security Information Department. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

90% of UAE youth positive about future career prospects

            According to a recent survey conducted by Canon Middle East, a leader in imaging solutions, and the International Computer Driving License (ICDL)- GCC Foundation, 90% of UAE youth are positive about their future career prospects.

The results are based on a survey conducted between July and August 2012 with 450 respondents aged between 16 and 23 years. The research was carried out during the ICDL summer camps held at universities and educational centres across the UAE under the auspices of the ICDL-GCC Foundation with support from Canon Middle East.

The summer camps aimed to enhance the youth's IT skills especially with the view of supporting their future career development in an increasingly knowledge-based society. In addition to the UAE, the summer camps were also held in Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. This is the third consecutive year that Canon Middle East has extended its region-wide support for the summer camps.

Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle East said: "Canon's support of the ICDL Summer Camps is in line with the company's corporate philosophy of kyosei which emphasises living and working together for the common good. The initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to inspire people's creativity and innovation, and it highlights our belief that developing the skills and competencies of the youth is critical to future development.

"We conducted this survey in collaboration with the ICDL-GCC Foundation, in order to find out more about the career aspirations of the UAE youth and to better understand which digital skills they deem important for their future career development and everyday life." According to the survey, 47% of the participants were very positive about their future prospects, whereas 43% were positive. In terms of choice of career, science/technology/engineering/mathematics was the most popular category amongst the surveyed students with 13.8% planning to pursue the field in the future.

The second most popular career choice was arts/audio-video technology '&' communications with 9.8% of the student population showing a preference for this field. Health Science was the third most popular career choice with 9.1% of the students aiming to pursue the field in the future. Manufacturing and transportation/distribution/logistics appeared to be the least favourite career choices with only 2.8% and 2.3% of the youth voting for these categories, respectively.

The survey also examined students' perceptions about valuable ICT skills for work and everyday life. According to the survey, the most valuable ICT skill in order to enter work life was using the computer and managing files and folders (21.9%), followed by using the internet and communication techniques (email, chatting, video conferencing) (12.7%) and word processing/formatting texts (10.99%). Interestingly, the least useful ICT skill, according to the students, was protecting their computer against viruses and online threats (4.8%).

When the students were asked which ICT skills they use the most in their everyday life, by far the most popular choice was that of using the internet and communication techniques (email, chatting, video conferencing) which captured 17.9% of the students' responses. This was followed by using the computer and managing files and folders (12.4%) and creating presentations (11%). The least popular ICT skills for everyday life were deemed to be protecting computers against viruses and online threats (5.7%) and connecting and installing devices to a computer (5.7%).

Jamil Ezzo, Director General of ICDL GCC Foundation, said: "We are thankful to Canon for their support to the ICDL summer campaign for the third consecutive year. We are proud to have educated thousands of youth across the GCC over the 11 years of running the Summer Camps and it is clear that digital knowledge has spread in the region successfully. Additionally, we would like to call on all corporate citizens to support the GCC community with funding or in kind support to engage our youth in becoming better learners."  – Emirates News Agency, WAM

UAE School Olympics to involve UAE 288 schools

            The UAE yesterday took its first step towards grooming world-class athletes with the launch of the ambitious School Olympics by Sheikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President, UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC).

“The success of this massive project will lie solely on those who are totally involved with it, be it at the government, the various sports associations and bodies and the students themselves,” Sheikh Ahmad noted in his opening remarks.

“All these bodies and people involved have a duty towards this project, and more importantly towards the youth who are the future of our country. Strive to make this happen,” he added as he launched the nation-wide project in the presence of nearly 1,000 teaching staff here yesterday.

The UAE School Olympics will involve all 288 UAE schools, who will participate at three different levels — school-level, district-level and finally UAE level.

Competitions will be held in six different disciplines with athletics, gymnastics and swimming being made mandatory, while shooting, archery and fencing will be non-obligatory.

An estimated 34,000 students from across the UAE will be involved in the UAE School Olympics when it hosts its first round of competitions in the four age categories starting with the Under-9 years till Under-15 years, on September 23.

There will be a simultaneous process of identifying talent during the course of the competitions with the special students entering the specially set up sports centres in each of the ten educational districts in the UAE.

Present on the occasion were Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education; Abdul Rahman Mohammad Bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development; Yousuf Al Sarkal, Vice-President, UAE NOC; Mohammad Al Kamali, Secretary General, UAE NOC; and Mohammad Al Mahmoud, Secretary General, Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

“This project has taken nearly four years to see the light of day,” Al Sarkal told Gulf News after the launch.

“A great amount of hard work has gone into this project keeping the future of the UAE in mind. We have changed so many things over a period of time so that we can adopt and adapt to sports disciplines that suit a country like ours from the school level,” he added.

With the UAE NOC at the apex body, the active partners for the project include the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW). “The need is to ensure there is a like-mindedness in the implementation of the School Olympics at every stage,” noted Ebrahim Abdul Malek, Secretary General, GAYSW.

“Even though there are these nodal bodies who will overlook the project we will shortly be embarking on a drive to rope in the private sector to be a part of this as well,” he added. – Gulf News

Victory & Team Abu Dhabi set to resume Powerboat season

            Dubai’s Victory Team and Team Abu Dhabi will resume their campaign in the UIM Class One World Powerboat Championship at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix on Lake Como in northern Italy.

Victory will be looking to put their name back on the winner’s list and consolidate their position at the top while Team Abu Dhabi is eyeing their first title on debut in the championship.

Defending and four-time World Champion Arif Al Zafeen and double World Champion Mohammed Al Marri top the overall standings on 54 points after finishing third and winning in Qatar, winning again in Gabon and lead Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori by 10 points.

Since teaming-up for the season finale in Dubai in 2011, Al Zafeen and Al Marri have proved to be an intimidating partnership, winning four out of five races and going quickest in qualifying in three-out-of-three Edox Pole Position outings.

Al Tayer and throttleman Al Mansoori have been a consistent force in Class 1 this season and also hold second position in the UIM Class 1 Pole Position Championship.

The Italian Grand Prix marks the return of Class 1 racing for the first time since the ill-fated Gabon race meeting in the summer, and also marks the return of the two Spirit of Qatar Team boats, with Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and Ali Al Neama bolstering an entry list that also contains several leading Italian, Norwegian, Brazilian and Turkish racers.

The timetable gets underway with registration and administration on Thursday. Teams will be permitted to practice for 90 minutes from 13:30 (UAE) on Friday, before the Edox Pole Position to determine race one starting order gets underway at 5pm (UAE).

The first of the two weekend races starts at 16:30 (UAE) on Saturday afternoon, following a second practice session on the Lake Como course, and a third practice session on Sunday morning precedes the second of the Italian Grand Prix races from 16:30 (UAE). – Sport 360°

Mohammed bin Zayed tours Etihad Airways' Call Centre

   Emirati women working in public, private or voluntary sectors play a vital role in support of the country's comprehensive development march, Gen. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces said.

Sheikh Mohammed made the remarks yesterday as he toured the Etihad Airways Call Centre in Al Ain, which was inaugurated last year. The Centre is exclusively managed and operated by Emirati women.

Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied during his tour by Dr Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Executive Council '&' Chairman of ADWEA, Abdullah Muhayer Al Kutbi and Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court.

Sheikh Mohammed stopped at the operations section of the Centre. He was briefed by Samya Abdul Rahim, Director of the Call Centre about the different sections and the services offered to customers in the UAE, GCC and the Middle East.

He reviewed plans to increase the number of Emirati female employees at the Centre from 180 to 200 by the end of the year and to 300 by the end of 2013.

Sheikh Mohammed met with the Centre's employees who talked about their different tasks at the Centre. He urged the women in the centre and the Emirati women in general to continue their endeavours to develop their capabilities and skills in the light of excellent achievements made by the UAE women, thanks to the unlimited support of the country's wise leadership.

He applauded Etihad Airways initiative of setting up the Centre, providing UAE national women with proper training and preparing them to take up leading roles in its operations.

The Centre started its operations last year with 80 highly trained Emirati women. James Hogan, Etihad's chief executive officer, said: "As the national airline of the UAE we are fully committed to growing our workforce of Emiratis, whilst respecting the culture and ambitions of the country," Employees receive a six-month training programme in customer service, information technology and English, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi University.

The Call Centre won the Best Call Centre Facilities and the Best Quality of Submission Awards at the annual Insights Middle East Call Centre Award ceremony held in Dubai earlier this year. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Average day in Dubai caught on film by BBC

            A personal shopper to the rich and famous and the people who keep the Middle East's first metro on track are among those featured in a BBC documentary spanning 24 hours in Dubai.

The programme airs this weekend as part of the One Day In series, which features 12 cities worldwide including London and Mumbai.

"Dubai is capitalism at breakneck speed," says the programme's narrator. "The city has an attitude that anything is possible."

The show opens with a morning view of the city's distinctive skyline and the start of the working day for the Burj Al Arab's team of window cleaners, before describing the emirate as the "centre of luxury living in the world".

Viewers then meet lifestyle consultant Derek Khan as he spends US$1 million (Dh3.67m) - given to him by one of India's richest men - on clothes and jewellery.

As morning turns to afternoon, attention shifts to Saher Shaikh, who runs the adopt-a-camp charity, as she visits labourers in Sonapur to hand out clothes and other much needed supplies.

We then take a tour of Dubai's souks followed by a trip on the Metro with Emirati Mariam Al Safar, a train crew supervisor.

The programme ends with a look at the city's nightlife and interviews the founders of Dubomedy Arts, which runs comedy classes.

The Dubai episode of One Day In will be broadcast on BBC World News on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30am and 10.30am UAE time. – The National

Emirati doctors ease pain of Syrian war victims in Jordan

            MAFRAQ, Jordan: One victim arrived with a bullet in his head. Another was paralysed from the waist down by a bullet lodged in his spinal cord. Many have war wounds that have festered for months.

As the bloody civil war that has claimed 23,000 lives rages just across the border in Syria, Emirati medical staff have treated more than 7,000 refugees from the conflict at a special centre in Jordan.

The Emirati-Jordanian Field Hospital in Mafraq has cared for up to 600 patients a day since it opened on August 28.

Early yesterday its dozen or so tents were packed with sick and wounded men, women and children, as emergency sirens wailed almost every hour.

Patients undergo a preliminary assessment by doctors, and are referred to specialists if required. Cases range from simple flu to serious war wounds.

Some victims have had bullets in their bodies for weeks, even three months. "It depends on how long it took them to leave Syria and get to the hospital," said Majid Sulaiman, head of the UAE relief team. "That is why the bullets stayed in their bodies for so long."

But amid the pain, there is joy too. Doctors have helped two mothers to give birth to healthy babies. The first, a little girl born last Thursday, was named Fatima after Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, widow of the UAE's founder Sheikh Zayed.

Some of the wounds the doctors are coping have been made worse because they were inexpertly treated by civilians, causing potentially fatal infections. One man came to them with a leg held together by makeshift metal rods, and they were unable to save the limb.

Several Syrian doctors who fled with the refugees are assisting the UAE team, but remain in fear of retribution by the Assad regime against relatives still in Syria.

The hospital also provides psychological support for families and children through play therapy and education. One of the tents is reserved for children to study, but officials stress it is not a replacement for school.

"After the refugees go through all that trouble and reach the camp, they find it difficult to leave their children behind in the camp while they come to the hospital and get treatment, so they bring their children with them and we try to keep them occupied," said Dr Khalid Al Saadi, the Emirati head of the hospital. "This also helps the parents psychologically when they see their children smiling and playing."

The hospital has operated on 80 patients, many of whom are moved to other hospitals nearby when their condition has stabilised.

Local residents have also sought out the hospital, which affects the number of Syrian refugees it can handle. Some Jordanians have pretended to be Syrians to obtain medical treatment.

Mr Sulaiman said the hospital would not reject any patient - of the 8,900 they have treated, up to 20 per cent were Jordanian - but they refuse to operate on Jordanians because their priority must be the refugees.

In the past few days, 18 tonnes of medicines for the refugees have been donated by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Humanitarian Foundation.

Medication is provided free to patients, but only a two-week supply can be given to family members to pass to relatives. After that, they must visit the hospital personally so doctors can check up on them.

The UAE ambassador to Jordan, Dr Abdullah Nasser Al Ameri, and the Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassemi, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, visited the hospital yesterday and spoke to the patients. – The National

KZHF kicks off 2nd phase of UAE President's donation to Yemenis

            Al Hudaida: The Khalifa bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation (KZHF) yesterday distributed food packages in a number of villages in Al Hudaida Governorate in Yemen in the second phase of the Dh500 million grant announced by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The food items included rice, flour, sugar and cooking oil.

The villagers benefiting from the aid expressed their happiness by the donation which affirms UAE's keenness to alleviate their suffering due to the dire conditions they are experiencing.

They also asserted that UAE contributions towards helping Yemenis are the continuation of the march of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. They also wished good health for President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and peace, stability and prosperity for the people of UAE. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

KZHF sends two planes loaded with 18 tons of medicines for Syrian refugees in Jordan

            Amman: The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Humanitarian Foundation (KZHF)'s another cargo plane carrying medical supplies for Syrian refugees landed yesterday at Marka Military Airport east of the Jordanian capital Amman.

The plane was loaded with 14 tons of drugs for various medical uses.

Another plane arrived to Amman three days ago loaded with four tons of medicines to provide therapeutic services to Syrian refugees through UAE-Jordan Mobile Hospital.

It's worth mentioning that the hospital was inaugurated two weeks ago in the Jordanian city of Mafraq and began providing medical services to Syrians refugees in need of different medical services . – Emirates News Agency, WAM

UAE non-oil foreign trade increased to Dh 78.3 b in last January

   The total non-oil foreign trade of the UAE during the month of January 2012 was Dh 78.3 billion as compared to Dh 72.3 billion of the same period last year showing an increase of six billion dirhams and a growth rate of eight per cent.

The UAE non-oil exports increased by Dh 2.7 billion from Dh 7.8 billion in January 2011 to Dh 10.1 billion in January 2012, growing by 30% in spite of the unfavourable political and economic circumstances in the region and the world, the primary statistics of the Federal Customs Agency (FCA) revealed.

In the same month, imports increased by 11% only, raising the UAE non-oil imports from Dh 46.8 billion in January 2011 to Dh 52.1 billion in January 2012. The re-exports slightly declined by Dh 1.4 billion to reach Dh 16.2 billion in the same month last year.

The increasing growth of the UAE non-oil exports reflects better quality and more competitiveness in the UAE national product at the international markets. This growth is an indicator of increasing confidence in the UAE product in such markets. The application of modern technology systems in companies, the producers' compliance with the world quality standards and specifications and the policies and incentives adopted by the good government enhanced quality and competitiveness of the UAE product, the FCA said.

The growth in the UAE non-oil exports at these rates in the light of declining rates of imports will improve the trade deficit between the UAE and the external world, optimising the ability of the national economy.

The total foreign non-oil trade of the UAE climbed up to Dh 78.3 billion in January 2012 compared to Dh 72.3 billion in January 2011 Dh 72.3 b in January 2011, with an increase of Dh 6 billion by 8%.

In terms of weight, the FCA indicated, the total foreign trade of the UAE hit about 9 million tons, including 5 million tons of imports, 3.2 million tons of exports and 868 thousand tons of re-exports. The daily average weights of the customs consignments processed by the different customs outlets (exports, imports and re-exports) reached 38 thousand tons over the day on the basis of official working hours (8 hours, five days a week), with an average of 5 thousand tons per hour.

The region of Asia, Australia '&' Pacific come on top of the array of UAE commercial partners in the area of non-oil foreign trade, as the volume of its trade with UAE reached Dh 36.8 Billion, in percentage of 48% of total trade volume. Next come Europe Region with share of Dh 18.2 Billion, in percentage of 24% of total trade. Then region of North Africa '&' Middle East with share of Dh 10.1 Billion, in Percentage of 13.15 of total trade. And the region of America '&' Caribbean with share of Dh 7.6 Billion, in percentage of 10%.

Then East '&' South Africa Region with share of Dh 2.2 Billion, in percentage of 3%. At Last come the region of West '&' Middle Africa which shared by Dh 2 Billion, in percentage of 3% of the total volume of Foreign Trade of the same month.

FCA said that the total foreign non-oil trade of the UAE with the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) hit Dh 6.1 billion in January this year, including Dh 2.2 billion in imports; Dh 1.6 billion in exports and 2.3 billion in re-exports.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), maintained its top seat among the trade partners of the UAE in GCC during last January. The total UAE- KSA trade reached Dh 2.3 billion. Oman came second with Dh 1.6 billion, followed by Kuwait with Dh 808 million; Bahrain with Dh 681 billion and Qatar with Dh 673 million.

"The total foreign trade between the UAE and Arab countries hit Dh 10.4 in last January, including Dh 4.5 billion in imports; Dh 2.4 billion in exports and Dh 3.4 billion in re-exports", the Federal Customs Agency said.

The primary statistics in last January showed that the gold was at the top of imported goods with Dh 7.8 billion, followed by diamonds with Dh 3.1 billion; cars with Dh 3 billion; aircraft with Dh 1.7 billion and jewellery with Dh 1.7 billion.

Gold comes at the top of the goods exported abroad in January 2012 at Dh 5.1 billion, followed by polyethylene in elemental forms with Dh 491 million; jewellery and its parts with Dh 326 million; petroleum oils and others at Dh 302 million and propylene polymer or polyolefin in its basic forms with Dh 294 million, the FCA said.

Diamond came at the top of re-exported goods in January 2012 with Dh 3.6 billion, followed by mobile phones Dh 1.4 billion; then cars with Dh 1.3 billion and jewellery and its parts with Dh 816 million. The total trade of free markets and zones hit Dh 1.3 billion during the month of January 2012.  – Emirates News Agency, WAM

DCCI members’ exports, re-exports surge

            The economic success of Dubai is attributed to the strong partnership between the public and private sectors.

Hamad Buamim, Director General, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) stated that the two-way communication stimulates an exchange of ideas on key issues and is the most important basis of the partnership, which goes a long way in supporting the economic development of the emirate.

Buamim was speaking at the 3rd Talk Business at Breakfast networking meeting of the year organised by Dubai Chamber at its head office on Tuesday.

The Director General of Dubai Chamber took the opportunity to highlight the growth witnessed by the trade sector as he said that Dubai Chamber members’ exports and re-exports during the month of August amounted to Dhs20.4 billion as 4,829 traders exported goods to 173 markets around the world.

Buamim further said that the upward trend clearly shows the leading role played by the trade sector and the return of the investors’ confidence in the emirate’s vibrant economy stressing that in July, the Dubai International Airport received the highest monthly passenger numbers in its history.

The event brought representatives of the private sector face to face with Eng. Mohammed Al Shihhi, Undersecretary, UAE Ministry of Economy.

The networking meeting focused on Consumer Protection Law, the Ministry of Economy’s role in protecting consumer rights and intellectual property, controlling of food prices and seeking fair competition among retailers.

He also said that the emirate had high hotel occupancy rates and tourist arrivals while the logistics sector was growing fast and development work on infrastructural projects continued unabated.

Highlighting the positive indicators posed by the emirate’s economy, Buamim informed the gathering that Dubai Chamber was constantly working to improve the business environment of Dubai, while strengthening its position as a safe haven for investments.

He called upon the business leaders to benefit from the positive investment climate currently prevailing in the country.

The Director General of Dubai Chamber also lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Economy in supporting the business environment by enacting and updating legislations that regulate and encourage economic activities, developing national industries, providing services and encouraging investments while creating a knowledge-based economy that ensures balanced and sustainable growth in the UAE.

On his part, Eng. Mohammed Al Shihhi, stressed upon the contribution of the retail sector to the UAE’s economic growth in light of the country having established its credentials as a world-class shopping destination while adhering to the highest quality standards in consumer protection and facilitating smooth interaction between businesses, retailers and consumers.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy informed about the crucial role played by his Ministry’s Consumer Protection Department in protecting the consumers from exploitation, fraud and monopoly practices.

He also emphasised on the Ministry’s commitment to enhance awareness about best practices by educating consumers about their rights and duties, ensuring stabilisation of prices and fair competition, and preventing monopoly tendencies by liaising with relevant departments and authorities in the UAE.

Al Shihhi stated that his Ministry does not intervene in certain areas of pricing such as oil and gas, banking and construction work, prices of which are determined by other concerned ministries and departments.

Al Shhihi informed that the Ministry has received 5,002 complaints in 2011, which went up considerably because they introduced a Call Centre in October and resultantly they received about 9,534 complaints from all the emirates until June.

He praised the important role played by Dubai Chamber in supporting business growth and the promotion of Dubai as an international hub for business and finance and its contribution to putting Dubai on the world economic map.

Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub. – The Gulf Today

Abu Dhabi Air Expo in March 2013

            Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) will be hosting the Abu Dhabi Air Expo again for the second year in a row between the 5th -7th March 2013 at Al Bateen Executive Airport, its business aviation airport in Abu Dhabi.

This will follow the success of this year's Abu Dhabi Air Expo in March 2012 which was held for first time in the Middle East. The event then drew more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors, displayed 70 aircraft from light jets to helicopters and attracted more than 10,000 international and local visitors.

The show also hosted a series of conferences focusing on various general civil aviation topics including training, licensing, safety, and aircraft technology.

"Abu Dhabi is witnessing significant growth in the commercial aviation industry across all sectors including general aviation, which in turn supports the Emirate's air transport strategy in building a strong and sustainable aviation environment. ADAC is proud to contribute to this growth through its leading initiatives in the areas of infrastructure development, quality of service and marketing," Yousif Hassan Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Organising Committee for Abu Dhabi Air Expo, Deputy General Manager, Al Bateen Executive Airport, said.

"Abu Dhabi Air Expo is the region's first exhibition dedicated to general civil aviation and ADAC commits today to hosting the show once again in Abu Dhabi in 2013, highlighting the capital's position as an international hub for commercial aviation experts and professionals. This commitment is part of ADAC's strategy to reinforce Abu Dhabi's credentials as the region's premier venue for the commercial aviation and aerospace industry," said Al Hammadi.

General commercial aviation refers to all private and commercial flights other than scheduled airline, military and regular cargo flights.

Al Bateen Executive Airport is the region's first and only dedicated private airport and it is a 'one-stop shop' business jet facility for VIP passengers.

The airport's recently opened fixed-base operations (FBO), DhabiJet, was awarded first place for best FBO in the Middle East and the fourth in Asia, Africa and Europe in the prestigious European Business Air News FBO Survey 2012. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

New signage at Dubai airport

            The Dubai International airport (DXB) has installed a new alpha-numeric system for gate numbering and way-finding, making it easier for passengers to navigate through the world’s fourth busiest airport for international passenger traffic.

Based on the response of extensive customer research and feedback, Dubai Airports, airlines, ground handling and control agencies operating at the DXB applied a new alpha-numeric system across all airport signage and computer support systems during an intense and highly coordinated eight-hour window on Tuesday.

The move impacted everything from flight information display screens to boarding cards and airport reservation systems and required a change in more than 1,500 signs.

Hundreds of airport staff, including Dubai Airports’ May I Help You personnel, was deployed across the airport to support customers during the transition. “Essentially we have looked at this through the eyes of our customers to help them find their flights with ease and convenience,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO Dubai Airports.  “Research shows us that passengers find alpha-numeric system a far easier way to navigate through the airport and locate their boarding gates,” he added.

DXB currently has three terminals (Terminals 1, 2 and 3) that are used for passenger drop-off, check-in, immigration and security clearance — and three concourses (Concourses 1, 2 and 3) that house boarding gates, airline lounges, majority of duty free retails, and food and beverage outlets. While the terminals retain their current numbering, all concourses and departure gates have been renamed.  Concourse 1, which boards over 100 international airlines, has become Concourse C with gates numbered C1 to C50. Concourse 2 becomes Concourse B with gates B1 to B32 and Concourse 3 becomes Concourse A, featuring gates A1 to A24. When Concourse A opens in 2013, it will trigger a second round of upgrading which will feature the use of colour-coding and internationally recognised icons in addition to the use of alpha-numeric gate numbering.

On the other side of the airfield, gates in Terminal 2 have been numbered F1 to F6.

The remaining alpha-numeric sequences are being reserved for future airport facilities that are part of the Dubai Airports’ US$7.8 billion expansion programme, including Concourse D, for which excavation work commenced in June. The updating and conversion of existing signage was the first phase of a long-term project. – Khaleej Times

Dubai to have one of the biggest solar parks in the region

            Dubai will soon build one of the biggest solar parks in the region with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, announced at the Mena Renewable Energy Forum.

The park, named Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, will have a 1,000MW capacity by 2030, and would make a substantial contribution to Dubai’s future energy needs.

The first phase, which involves a 13 MW solar PV plant, will be in operation before end of 2013.

“By 2030, Dubai’s average energy growth is projected to be in the range of four to five per cent per annum and our target, under the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, is to reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent through the implementation of enhanced energy-efficient initiatives and, by the same token, to significantly reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide,” said Al Tayer.

Under the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy, by 2030 Dubai will have diversified its fuel mix by adding new energy sources and about five per cent would come from renewable energy including solar power, he said. He added that 12 per cent would come from clean coal, 12 per cent from nuclear power and 71 per cent from gas.

The Supreme Council of Energy of Dubai was formed as a formal governing body and seeks to ensure sustainable energy resources for the Emirate’s growing economy in a cost-effective manner.

The council developed Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 two years ago and started implementation in January 2011.

“This strategy is driven by our vision to make Dubai a role model to the world in energy security and efficiency. Accordingly, the mission is to support Dubai’s economic growth through a secure supply of energy and efficient energy usage, while meeting environmental and sustainability objectives,” said Al Tayer.

He said it has also been identified that distributed rooftop solar power sources can make a practical contribution of almost 20 per cent to Dubai’s power needs.

“Small scale applications of solar are in use in Dubai, such as in commercial and industrial buildings, street lights and so forth. Recently, Dewa has constructed a building where over 25 per cent of its electricity needs are managed by solar energy.”

Al Tayer said: “We at Dewa share the same goals as the rest of the world to secure a diverse and sustainable energy supply, through the integration of renewable energy into our energy mix, rationalisation of consumption and reduction of our carbon footprint.” – Gulf News

115 million gallons of rainwater collected

            An estimated 115 million gallons of water was collected in dams due to rainfall in the central and eastern region of the UAE from August 29 to September 15.

            The Ministry of Environment and Water said water collected in dams was from various areas including Al Ain and Liwa in Abu Dhabi, Kadra, Masafi and Difta in Ras al-Khaimah, Madam, Felli and Wadi Al Helu in Sharjah, and Masafi, Al Heil and Wadi Mai in Fujairah. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Two gas stations to open on Yas Island

            Motorists on the attraction-filled Yas Island will soon be able to refuel their vehicles before leaving the island at two new gas stations, says Adnoc Distribution (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for Distribution).

The stations will be located on either side of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, the main road running through Yas Island, read a statement issued to Khaleej Times. “The two stations currently are under construction and expected to be opened by the end of this year,” it said. “They will provide fuel and allied services to the island’s residents and consumers.”

Adnoc Distribution also indicated that it sets up mobile service stations to cope with heightened demand during special events, such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit or concerts at Yas Island’s du Arena and du Forum. “Adnoc Distribution is in continuous coordination with all government authorities to establish service stations in all newly developed areas as well as high-density areas,” stated Adnoc Distribution representatives, adding that a gas station is also in the works for Saadiyat Island, home to Abu Dhabi’s developing cultural district.

Yas Island houses six hotels and some of Abu Dhabi’s major tourist attractions, including Ferrari World, Yas Links Golf Course and the aforementioned racetrack and entertainment venues. Yas Waterworld, a 15-hectare water park due to open in November, is expected to increase the number of visitors to the island. – Khaleej Times

Sultan to open lithographic works exhibition next Sunday

            Lovers and enthusiasts of fine arts are on promise to enjoy watching some 171 lithographic works from the Levant belonging to H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member and Ruler of Sharjah at the Levant exhibition.

Sheikh Sultan will open the event next Sunday, 23 September 2012, at Sharjah Art Museum.

The most interesting highlight of the one-month long exhibition will be a rare collection of Orientalists' works, also owned by Sheikh Sultan, to be displayed for the first time in Sharjah.

These stone works were created by more than 30 Orientalists in the 19th century. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Emirati artist secures top location

            An Emirati artist has reached new heights after beating tough competition to display his winning work at the Burj Khalifa’s ‘At The Top’ observation deck.

Hamad Al Falasi’s digital photography art piece will be showcased for six months on the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building and will serve as an introduction to local culture for visitors.

Efforts towards promoting Emirati art were lauded during the unveiling of Al Falasi’s work on Tuesday.

The artist was one of five Emirati finalists of the ‘Art At The Top’ competition, organised in conjunction with The Ara Gallery. The brief for participants was to create an artistic interpretation of the tower.

Al Falasi, a management professional, has a passion for photography and sought to use digital photography to illustrate the experience of a first-time visitor, familiar with the panoramic image of Burj Khalifa in the skyline but with a different experience in close proximity.

The winner told Gulf News: “When I received the theme — ‘What does Burj Khalifa mean to you?’, I thought of presenting myself [in the traditional kandora] with my back to the camera, looking at the Burj Khalifa. I used techniques of staged photography done in two stages and merged these later into one 2.4x1.7-metre piece.”

Of the location for his work, Al Falasi said it would give his work global recognition but lamented the scarcity of Emirati artworks with global appeal. “There has been considerable growth in the Emirati art scene with young Emiratis embracing our culture and tradition through various mediums. Yet there is so much to Emirati culture that needs to be translated into art — an international language so it can connect to a global audience.”

Speaking to Gulf News, Mouza Al Abbar, spokesperson and owner of the Gallery, a dedicated platform for Emirati artists located in Downtown Dubai, said that competitions that promote Emirati art are a testament to the burgeoning local art scene.

“We wanted visitors to see something that is 100 per cent Emirati from a contemporary yet traditional perspective. As a minority [in demographic] it is a wonderful opportunity to show tourists our culture through the intellectual medium of art,” she said. – Gulf News

Emirati wins British Council award for young media entrepreneurship

            Emirati Mohammed Al Otaiba has been announced as the winner of the British Council’s International Young Creative Media Entrepreneur (IYCME) Award in the UAE.

“I am grateful and proud that I have been chosen as the first-ever UAE winner of the British Council Young Creative Media Entrepreneur award. I believe there is wisdom to be gleaned from the UK, and I will be able to draw lessons from the UK’s media sector and share them with my peers in the UAE,” said Al Otaiba.

“I realise the value and opportunities that this award can offer, and how well it fits within what I am trying to achieve today both at Image Nation and as a creative professional working on my own projects. I look forward to the opportunity to meet industry professionals and leaders and learn from their experience,” he added.

Al Otaiba is the Head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which oversees the company’s strategy of local film development. In this role, he is responsible for Image Nation’s local development and production activities for the UAE.

Al Otaiba competed with four other exceptional shortlisted candidates, winning for his passion, experience and knowledge of the media sector in the UAE through his work with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, and his willingness to face challenges and take risks.

Prior to his involvement with Image Nation, Al Otaiba spent 10 years working as a diplomat within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he represented the UAE at the United Nations in New York, Beijing and London.

Al Otaiba received a bronze medal from the New York Festival in 2005 for his documentary Afghan Days. In the same year, his film was screened at the SEE Film Festival in Brighton.

In 2009, he was one of six winners of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s short film contest for his horror film The Orphanage. Last year, he shadowed director Tobe Hooper on Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s latest local film production, Djinn, and acted as the film’s cultural consultant. Al Otaiba is currently working on his next project due to be released in 2013. – The Gulf Today

UAE role in empowering women exemplary, UAE Paper

UAE role in the empowerment of women is exemplary, an English language newspaper commented yesterday.

"Since its founding, four decades ago, the UAE has always recognised the equal role and rights of women," Dubai-based Gulf News said in its editorial.

Statistics from the UAE show that women have equal access to education, professional and corporate access and outperform their male counterparts when it comes to academic achievement and results.

"The lesson is for other Arab and Gulf nations to follow the example of the UAE. Women are equal partners at home and the workplace," the paper wrote. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Sultan bin Khalifa hails UAE's teams participation at UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship

            Team Abu Dhabi and Victory Team are the best UAE's representatives to the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE President and the President of Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club said.

The international stature of Abu Dhabi's powerboat racing team always makes it a favourite winner of international contests, Sheikh Sultan added in remarks ahead of the two teams' participation in competitions of round 3 of the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, scheduled between 21-23 September in Cernobbio city, Italy.

He also hailed the achievements of Victory Team.

"Both teams are for the same target: promoting the UAE at all events. When boats from both teams take part in the same championship, we expect a big return, sport-wise and marketing-wise," he said.

"We are always in an advanced position in this field. Team Abu Dhabi is led by nationals now. When achievements at competitions are made by nationals, it will be double delight for us at any victory they achieve," he added.

Team Abu Dhabi and Victory Team leave tomorrow Wednesday for the Italian venue of the world championship. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Al Ain claim Super Cup

            Al Ain claimed the Etisalat Super Cup with a dramatic, sudden-death penalty shootout victory over Al Jazira in the 2012/13 season’s curtain raiser at Al Wasl’s Zabeel Stadium on Monday evening

The league champions dominated the President’s Cup winners for large parts of this one-sided encounter, although they couldn’t find the decisive strike to make their superiority tell in a 0-0 draw over 90 minutes.

This term’s first silverware was to be decided then from the spot and, following a seesaw showdown, Al Ain finally prevailed 5-4 thanks to Dawoud Sulaiman’s heroics with his boots and gloves.

The first chance of the night fell to Al Ain’s Asamoah Gyan after being put through by Yaqoub Yousef.

He jinked, twisted and turned, but eventually his near-post shot was smartly kept out by Jazira’s Ali Khaseif. The Ghanaian striker had another sight of Jazira’s goal shortly thereafter, yet he could only scuff a tame attempt harmlessly well wide of Khaseif’s goal.

Yousef and Gyan almost linked up again in the 12^th minute, only for Khaseif to make a timely intervention, and an encouraging opening quarter of an hour for the league champions was completed by a Fares Juma effort that sailed narrowly wide.

Jazira’s sporadic forays forwards came from Fernandinho during this problematic period of play and he consistently got the better of right-back Mohamed Ahmad.

However, the subsequent fouls drawn invariably resulted in Matias Delgado free-kicks that failed to pick out their red-shirted targets and Al Ain duly continued to press for the opener down at the other end. Jires Kembo-Ekoko drilled in another shot from the edge of the penalty area that Khaseif held comfortably low down and it appeared only a matter of time before the Garden City outfit took a deserved lead.

If Al Ain needed a reminder of the threat posed by Jazira though, they received it midway through the first half as Ibrahim Diaky clipped a ball over the top for Ricardo Oliveira, who lofted a speculative chip onto the roof of the net.

Gyan and Oliveira then both went close to breaking the deadlock at either end, along with Jazira’s Diaky, prior to referee Ali Hamad Albadwawi’s whistle for the interval.

There was a growing sense that Jazira had come more into the encounter as the first 45 minutes had gone on and that belief grew further when Fernandinho conjured up the initial opening following the break. Al Ain should have gone in front in the 52^nd minute nonetheless as Omar Abdulrahman and Gyan combined to tee up Kembo-Ekoko, who dallied in possession and thus allowed Khaseif to come out swiftly and block from point-blank range.

Another gilt-edged opportunity fell to Cosmin Olaroiu’s men on the hour mark when Gyan fed Omar Abdulrahman, who bore down on Khaseif’s goal and clipped the ball agonisingly beyond the far post.

The presentable chances kept coming for Al Ain too, with Mirel Radoi’s long punt finding Gyan in on Jazira’s goal – though, with only Khaseif to beat – he somehow failed to cash in as well.

Both sets of players began to tire from here on in and, as a result, there were few incidents of note for the remainder of normal time.

The dreaded penalty shootout thus ensued. Al Ain and Jazira both missed three of their first seven spot-kicks apiece to take the tie well into sudden death.

At this point, Al Ain goalkeeper Sulaiman took matters into his own hands and fired in emphatically from 12 yards.

Salem Masoud then needed to score, yet only found the left-hand upright to spark wild celebrations among the Al Ain faithful. – Khaleej Times

Enter your team for the 2012 Abu Dhabi Corporate Games

            More than 2,500 amateur athletes are expected to showcase their talents at the Abu Dhabi Corporate Games 2012 from November 21-24 and you have until October 31 to register your interest and join them. 

Some of the leading UAE and international companies have already entered their teams for the first corporate-based, multi-sport event, to be held exclusively in the UAE capital. 

Offering a choice of 17 popular sports including, football, cricket, touch rugby, shooting, tennis, karting, and basketball, teams are mainly made up from employees of local and international businesses and organisations, as well as UAE schools and university students.

For the first time in a UAE-based Corporate Games there will also be a separate ladies event that will run concurrently to the main competition. 

The event’s base will be Zayed Sports City but other venues hosting the sporting festivities include Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Al Forsan International Sports Resort. 

If you want to run out at any of these prestigious facilities, the deadline for registration of names and organisations has been set for October 31 2012. 

Responding to the high levels of interest and increasing number of organisations that continue to sign up for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Corporate Games, CEO Fanny Marcourt, said: “For the first event of its kind in the UAE capital, we couldn’t be happier with the response and commitment we have received from companies and organisations, so far. 

“Of course, we continue to receive new applications, by the day, and so expect many more to join this growing list of participating companies, and invite others to sign-up before the registration deadline day.”

Having entered a team, a spokesperson from the Spinney’s supermarket chain said: “We are really looking forward to entering our team into the Abu Dhabi Corporate Games, and have even allocated a ‘selection weekend’, for the entire company, in order to identify the best team to compete.” 

Current figures suggest that close to 3,000 individuals will take part in the four-day sports festival, with the size of competing teams ranging from just two participants to over 150. 

According to the organisers, these variances epitomise the “open to all” ethos of the Abu Dhabi Corporate Games 2012. No restrictions are applied on the age, gender, disability, or overall skill level of the participants; equally, the size of the company or organisation looking to take part can, and does, range from small to medium-sized businesses up to multi-national level companies.

Some of the organisations already committed to the event include: GHC, Abu Dhabi Ports Company, Spinney’s, Abu Dhabi Airport Services, Zayed University, and Al Fahim Group. 

So whether you are a big corporation or a small to medium business looking to give their employees a fun weekend, get involved. 

What: Abu Dhabi Corporate Games 2012, registration deadline 

Where: To enter your team go to www.corporate-games.com

When: The deadline for registration is October 31

Cost: Dh495 per entrant. – The Gulf Today

Inspiration behind the forthcoming world's biggest gate in UAE

            It all began with an Arabic Proverb: "Behind every door, there is a story."

Saleh Al Nuaimi's inspiration for the world's biggest door, or rather a gate, came from simply walking through one at his family's house in Al Ain.

"The thick, wooden, traditional front door captures your identity, your history, the story of your home and the country you are from," says the 36-year-old Emirati artist. "It leaves an impression on whoever sees it, for it is the first and the last thing you see as you leave a house."

In an earlier age, before streets had names and buildings had numbers, the front door was the best way to identify someone's home. Each one had its own marks and designs.

Build from wood and metal and about two metres high, doors were carved with a variety of designs, some floral or geometric, some with heart-shaped figures or traditional items such as a coffee pot, or dallah.

One popular design that owes its origins to local traditions is a circle carved within a rhomboid geometric shape, known as the "Ain Al Hasoud" (eye of envy), which is said to offer protection against the evil eye.

Doors were often smaller than those of today to force people to bend in humility when entering a home. Mosques and schools had even smaller doors for this same reason.

Another important distinction in traditional doors was the presence of a "mini" door within the main door, known as Al Farkha. Instead of opening the whole door, residents would open Al Farkha, through which only a single person could squeeze or things could be passed to the residents inside without being intrusive. It was also protection against theft.

"The door is the keeper of secrets. It is the gate through which one goes from the small world into the bigger world, and vice versa," says Mr Al Nuaimi, a trained calligrapher who also likes to paint nature, in particular horses in oil.

"Our traditional doors are beautiful and you will find that many modern houses still have a traditional front door."

On December 2, to mark the UAE's 41st National Day, the world will get a chance to see a inflated version of a traditional Emirati door. It will be "opened" on Abu Dhabi's Corniche, at the end of the Breakwater beside the giant flagpole and Abu Dhabi Theatre. Naturally it will set a new Guinness World Record.

Standing 25 metres tall, more than seven metres wide and 30 centimetres thick, it will be the "biggest heritage gate" in the world, dedicated to, and bearing the name of, Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE.

"It is an acknowledgement of how the UAE opened its doors to the world, as well as the impression left by the people from across the world on the UAE," explains Mr Al Nuaimi. "It is also to signify how our Sheikhs' doors are always open for us and everyone else."

Called the Khalifa Project in World Languages, the development was launched earlier this year by The Sultan bin Zayed Culture and Media Centre, in cooperation with the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, UAE University and the Sheikh Khalifa Fund to support Youth Projects.

"It is a true team effort, and will have local and international artists leaving their mark on the door through writing 'Khalifa' in their own languages and styles," says Mr Al Nuaimi, who is also a member of the culture and media centre.

Held in place by steel, the arched shaped door will be made of teak. Imported from India, it can withstand the high temperatures and humidity of the UAE. Aside from teak, traditional doors were made from wood imported from eastern Africa and Iran, a necessity due to the lack of trees in the emirates.

Heavy iron and copper nails helped keep the wood strong. The same material was also used to make locks and knockers.

For the Khalifa Project door, the nails will be special, flat-headed and about 15cm long. More than 200 of them will be sent across the world for the name Khalifa to be inscribed in different languages. The project's organisers have contacted 45 embassies in the UAE to help them select the artists. They will then come to Abu Dhabi to hammer the nail in place, a gesture intended as a show of kinship and allegiance.

"We are in the process of looking for people to write Sheikh Khalifa's name in ancient languages, like Egyptian hieroglyphs and Sumerian cuneiform," Mr Al Nuaimi says. "It will truly be unique."

Organisers are also studying the possibility of creating the largest crystal in the world, also bearing the name of Sheikh Khalifa, to be part of door.

The project will also include a website with a biography of Sheikh Khalifa in various languages, along with a history of the UAE and its relations with other countries.

Residents of the Emirates will be invited to participate in the encyclopaedia by writing Sheikh Khalifa's name and expressing their love for the President and the UAE in their own language using touch screen computers, which will be distributed by November to different centres across the country.

An operetta has also been commissioned, to be performed at Abu Dhabi Theatre beside the door.

"This project is unique, there is nothing like it in the region," says Khadija Al Shehhi, the project's supervisor. "It is the UAE's way of saying 'I love you Baba Khalifa', and showing the world their great love for him."

There will be a computerised screen near the door where visitors can "leave their finger print" and their overall impressions of the Emirates.

Mr Al Nuaimi hopes this project is just the beginning when it comes to ventures being commissioned just for their "artistic soul".

"A good example are the massive roundabouts in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia that have magnificent artistic structures and figurines," he says.

"You always see people sitting near them just to admire and enjoy the view of the structure.

"It will be the same for the Khalifa Gate. People will come to just walk through it and admire it for what it represents." – The National

Three draft law introduced in FNC

            The Federal government has tabled three draft laws in the Federal National Council (FNC) pertaining to compulsory education, plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and amendments to the federal decree no. 2 for 2004 on the establishment of the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA).

According to the letter sent by Minister of State for FNC Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash to the FNC Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, the drafts were tabled following endorsement by the cabinet during its session, held on 22 July 2012.

The explanatory note for the proposed compulsory education law states that education is one of the fundamental elements of progress. The note quotes article 17 of the constitution which emphasises that education is compulsory at the primary level and that it is free at all levels.

The proposed law on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture is aimed at ensuring conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic as food for humans or as feeds for animals.

The note on the proposed amendments to EIDA establishment law provides for changing the frequency of EIDA board meeting from monthly to quarterly. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

RCA sends planeload of relief materials to displaced Syrians in Jordan

In keeping with the directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the Women's General Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation and Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, a plane carrying relief materials left Abu Dhabi yesterday to Jordan.

The materials will be distributed by the UAE Red Crescent Authority to the displaced Syrian citizens in Jordan.

The plane carries 45 tonnes of clothes and other materials to assist Syrian families displaced from cities of Hasaka, Aleppo, Hama and the villages on the borders with Jordan.

The RCA, Etihad Airways and the 'Emirati Helping Hands' Initiative joined efforts to transport over 140 tonnes of aid and relief materials to Amman. The materials will be transported by land from Amman to the Emirati - Jordanian Field Hospital in Al Mafraq area. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Abu Dhabi CP orders launch of polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan

            SWAT: General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has ordered the launch of a humanitarian campaign to vaccinate 20,000 Pakistani children against measles and polio in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan.

The move follows the directives by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE’s Pakistan Assistance Project Administration commenced the campaign yesterday, which will run till Sept. 21.

The administration said on Monday in a statement, “The implementation of a vaccination campaign is a genuine translation of the directives by Sheikh Khalifa and orders of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to enhance health programmes and curb the spread of epidemics in areas hard hit by floods, and in support of the concerted international efforts to eradicate measles and polio disease.”

It added that the vaccination campaign against measles and polio is carried out in co-operation with the Pakistani Army, the Ministry of Health and specialised medical cadres. Five health centres have been set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region to provide the vaccination for 20,000 Pakistani children.

The statement said according to Unicef reports “measles is prevalent among Pakistani children”.

The statistics show there are 2.1 million cases of measles reported annually that claim the lives of 21, 000 children every year.

“One third of children in Pakistan do not receive immunisation against measles.”

Regarding polio, Pakistan had registered last year the highest cases over last 10 years, 198 cases. Pakistan is one of four countries worldwide in which polio has been reported. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

UAE- British Teamwork holds 8th meeting

            The UAE- British Teamwork held here yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs its 8th meeting chaired by both Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Alistair Burt, Minister for Middle East Affairs, South Asia at the British Foreign Ministry.

Present was Dr Hadef Al Dhahiri, Minister of Justice.

The two sides welcomed in a statement the growing relations between the UAE and the UK, indicating that they were looking forward to further boosting cooperation in next months and years. They also welcomed effective cooperation in the areas of defence and security.

The two sides welcomed the setting up of Centre for Combating Extreme Violence, to be hosted by Abu Dhabi. They expressed the importance and functions of the centre. The UK stressed commitment to recruit experts to work at the centre.

Both sides also discussed how best to ease travel procedures between the two countries, citing that the visitors to UAE from the UK were higher compared to any other country, while about 190, 000 Emiratis had visited the UAE in the same year.

Gargash and Burt hoped for early signing of the Criminal Extradition Agreement between the UAE and UK. They also discussed issues of illegal financing.

The two ministers said there were many opportunities that could bolster trade and investment between the two countries. The UAE is currently the biggest host for the UK exports in the Middle East and North Africa. The two countries are working to reach the trade exchange volume of Dhs65billion by 2015.

They also welcomed viability of the UAE- British Business Council, which includes CEOs of companies from both countries. It will hold its third meeting soon since it was set up in 2011.

The two sides also look forward to the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum to be held in London on Oct. 16, and the meeting of Joint Economic Committee on Oct. 15. They also discussed cooperation in the areas of education.

Regarding the clean energy, both sides exchanged views on next UN talks about the climate change, known as the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which will be held in Doha in November.

Dr Gargash and Burt expect the conference would be successful under Qatari leadership.

The two sides welcomed convention of "Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week" during January 2013. They agreed that the event would be a platform for business sector leaders and governments to work together to tackle one of the greatest challenges in the world.

In accordance with a memo of International Development Cooperation signed in March 2012, the ministers welcomed the visit of UAE officials of international assistance to the Department of International Development in the UK to acquire more experience on tackling the management of assistance programme.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation regarding special assistance programmes to Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The UAE minister greeted the UK for successful hosting of Paralympics, referring to Dubai's bid to host Expo 2020, and citing the UK's support in this respect. He added that Dubai is qualified to host the international event given its advanced infrastructure and strategic location.

On the regional issues, the two ministers expressed their concerns about the violence experienced by the Embassies last week- the incidents were denounced by both sides. They called for religious tolerance.

The two sides welcomed the recent political development in Somalia, which resulted in formation of new federal parliament and the election of president. They expressed their support to the new government to restore stability nationwide.

The ministers also referred to progress in Yemen in accordance to the initiative drawn by the GCC, which specified the roadmap of political transition in Yemen.

They also welcomed the donors conference held recently, indicating that they were looking forward to next meeting of Yemen friends in New York.

About the Iranian Nuclear Programme, the two sides stressed the need for Iran to take measures to reassure international community about its programme, expressing hope about progress of talks with Iran.

Regarding the Syrian standoff, the two ministers expressed concerns about continuous violence and dire humanitarian situation. They expressed concerns about risk of sectarian violence. The two sides expressed hope about coming Syrian friends meeting in New York. They urged international community to continue support to Syrian people. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

NCCHT has made tangible achievements in combating Human Trafficking, says Gargash

            The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT) in its 28th meeting under the chairmanship of Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Federal National Council Affairs has reviewed the memorandum from UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regarding the international report on human trafficking.

The meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Dubai, was briefed on the letter from Ministry of Interior which includes the report concerning the participation in the workshop entitled ''Building the capacity of Law Enforcement agencies in the field of combating Human Trafficking'' held in Doha last May where the committee was supportive of the permanent initiatives which serve to raise awareness as well as mechanisms of combating human trafficking and the participation of all specialists on the state level as well.

''The Committee's work over the past years has resulted in many positive things in particular to the state's reports on human trafficking at the international and regional levels," Gargash said. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Razan Al Mubarak stresses importance of nature conservation at prestigious international congress

            Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has joined leading minds in the world of conservation and environmentalism at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress which took place in Jeju, Korea.

Al Mubarak was the only representative from the Arab region to speak on the panel, Nature+: Saving nature, why bother?'.

The IUCN Congress, which takes place every four years, provides decision-makers with a platform to discuss how to invest in nature, increase environmental resilience and reduce the vulnerability of people to the impacts of climate change.

Invited to participate as a panel member to discuss if the importance of conserving biological diversity is being overestimated, what biodiversity means for development and who is responsible for conserving nature. Al Mubarak joined panellists Dr. Yoo Young-sook, Korea's Minister of Minister of Environment, Sir Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Secretary General of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Andre Hoffman, President of the MAVA Foundation.

She presented a nuanced argument for species conservation consistent with the policy work of the EAD which advocates a balanced approach to environmental regulation.

Speaking at the Congress, Al Mubarak shared her thoughts on the matter from two different viewpoints. "The intrinsic perspective views nature as inseparable from being human - nature is around us and a part of us. Every creature is important, no matter its economic or practical value, and, therefore, we must work diligently to conserve all nature and every species.

"On the other hand, the utilitarian perspective views nature as a resource to be conserved for future use. Without nature, we cannot build our cities, grow our food, or drink our water. We conserve that which is necessary to ensure our survival into perpetuity," she said.

The dualistic perspective, to which Al Mubarak subscribes as a policy-maker at EAD, views nature conservation from both the utilitarian and intrinsic perspectives, and that one must carefully balance the two perspectives in all decisions regarding environmental regulation.

She concluded: "I view nature as inseparable from being human. And, therefore believe nature must be protected as we protect ourselves. However, it is unrealistic to expect that every area of land can be protected, and that every human activity fully friendly to nature, but we have a duty to make the best effort we can." EAD is a member of IUCN, and a framework partner along with the countries of Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, France, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. The IUCN World Conservation Congress is the world's largest and most important conservation event which gathers international government leaders, NGOs and top professionals to discuss environmental conventions, scientific discoveries and global initiatives. This year, around 8,000 delegates attended the Congress, covering new insights and key agreements on how to manage our natural environment. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

30% increase in H1 2012 in visiting aircraft movements at Al Bateen Executive Airport

            Al Bateen Executive Airport, the dedicated business aviation airport of Abu Dhabi Airports Company ( ADAC ), yesterday released its traffic performance results for the first half of 2012. The traffic report revealed a strong 30% increase in visiting aircraft movements to the executive airport over the period between January and June 2012 compared with the same period in 2011, registering a total of 1,100 visiting flights during those six months.

Al Bateen Executive Airport continues to register a positive increase in traffic as the airport witnessed a 10% increase in overall commercial traffic in the first half of 2012, handling over 5,000 based operators and visiting aircraft movements.

"Al Bateen is again seeing double digit growth of business jet movements, especially from visiting international aircraft that have not used the airport before. And, with the Formula One season nearing, there is no doubt that Al Bateen is positioning itself, stronger than ever, as the perfect stop location due to ease of access, short turnarounds and top quality services," Deputy General Manager at Al Bateen Executive Airport Yousif Al Hammadi said.

"In addition, traffic will continue to grow at Al Bateen as more business aircraft operators join the airport and base their aircraft at ADAC 's dedicated business aviation airport, and as Abu Dhabi continues to grow as a leading business, leisure and aviation hub in the region", Al Hammadi added.

Al Bateen Executive Airport continues to develop and expand its services and has recently revamped the uniforms for the DhabiJet crew, the main food '&' beverage operator at the executive airport of the capital, to add character and identity to the brand. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Dubai Helicopter Show 2012 to attract major manufacturers

            Dubai Helicopter Show 2012 will draw over 80 International and domestic corporate exhibitors taking part in the coming Dubai Helicopter Show 2012, including International Contributors from U.S.A, Canada, U.K, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Turkey, Australia, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Qatar along with representatives from UAE will meet all together in the show's new venue- the Grand Stand, Meydan Racecourse.

The Domus Group, a leading international exhibition specialist, said the event, which would be held in November, would be the third largest International civil and military helicopter technology and operations exhibition.

Through their participation, exhibitors are going to display the latest helicopter additions, showcase cutting edge technologies and latest product offerings in addition to discussing new developments and services in the industry.

The accredited experts from each corporation are expected to evaluate the market, network with prospective customers and senior level organisations, and most importantly, settle high-end business deals in the three-day-event.

In its fifth edition, the show will witness the presence of key helicopter manufacturers, missiles and fire control manufacturers, Global Aerospace and defence avionics-electronics producers, and civil and military aircraft spare parts suppliers.

This year's show will host as well distributors of advanced information and communications technology systems, commercial and air medical retrieval operators in addition to technical developers of the latest navigation, surveillance, rescue and reconnaissance equipment for airborne, maritime and ground applications. Key exhibitors include: Sikorsky, Russian Helicopters, Hawker Pacific Airservices, Bell Helicopters, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, PHI Air Medical, ARMA-Global, Aerogulf, Aviahelp, HR Smith group, Enterprise control systems, Gulf helicopters.

After their tremendous success in settling the 60 BlackHawk utility helicopters business deal worth an estimated US$300m with the United Arab Emirates Air Force in 2010, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation has confirmed its attendance to this year's show with a huge potential of attracting the region's leading stakeholders again.

Team Seahawk (Sikorsky- Manufacturer of helicopters, and Lockheed Martin- Helicopter missiles and fire control manufacturers) along with the U.S. Navy will promote the MH-60R and MH-60S multi-role helicopters.

Operational with the U.S. Navy, both aircrafts are equipped with systems that provide interoperability with allied forces.

The MH-60R (Romeo): Designed for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, the MH-60R helicopter is the U.S. Navy's most advanced maritime rotorcraft.

Sikorsky and mission systems integrator Lockheed Martin have delivered 150 Romeos of 300 to the U.S. Navy. MH-60S (Sierra): Designed for troop transport, cargo resupply, combat search and rescue and airborne mine countermeasures, the aircraft is armed with Hellfire missiles and a variety of machine guns. Sikorsky has sold 220 MH-60S aircraft of a 275 aircraft program of record.

Key Helicopter Manufacturer, Bell Helicopters and their U.A.E independent representatives Hawker Pacific Air services, has announced displaying and promoting the innovative twin helicopter "the BELL 429".

The 2012 trade show continues to attract the attention of the best in class in the helicopter industry. The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, 50 year-old helicopter manufacturer, will participate for the very first time in the 2012 trade show. In addition to showcasing a state-of-the-art "480B Light Turbine Helicopter", Enstrom senior executives will be in attendance to evaluate the market and meet with potential customers and supporting organisations.

"With the expected growth in the Middle Eastern market, this couldn't have come at a better time. Enstrom is a growing company and to fuel that growth, we are developing new markets through turning our focus to Russia and the Middle East. The decision to attend this year's event was made, primarily, because we are looking for potential representatives and service centres in the region; Enstrom is committing to this market," commented Tracy Biegler, Enstrom's Director of Sales and Marketing.

For his part, Abdulla Abulhoul, Director of Dubai Helishow at the Domus Group said: "Under the deep vision and wise policy of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai has become the leading centre for the most significant international exhibitions for the last 10 years. The increase in the number of exhibitors for 2012 confirms that the Dubai Helicopter Show opened the door for potential customers, governmental, semi-governmental, private and commercial organisations to direct their eyes into a new emerging global aviation hub located in the G.C.C. region of the Middle East," he added, "We have witnessed a tangible growth in the business deals signed in 2010, and looking forward to seek further opportunities between exhibitors and VVIP buyers in 2012".

The Dubai Helishow provides the perfect platform for networking with fellow industry specialists and opens up chances to interact with various potential customers from the commercial, military and civil defence authorities in the region. It facilitates the trading process of helicopters and its associated products and services. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Emirates starts flights to Arbil

            Emirates Airlines on Monday commenced its new non-stop service between Dubai and Arbil city in Iraq, making it the 11th destination launched by the airline this year and the third gateway in Iraq after Baghdad and Basra.

Speaking to Gulf News, Andrew Jones, commercial development advisor for the Arbil International Airport, said that it marks an exciting day for the fast-growing airport.

“Emirates Airlines’ supreme focus on quality customer service helps us raise our own standards,” he said. Travelling aboard the inaugural flight, which follows the operational start of services on August 12, were Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ senior vice president, commercial operations, Gulf, Middle East & Iran, Hiran Perera, Emirates’ senior vice president, cargo planning and freighters, Abdullah Ebrahim Al Shehi, UAE Ambassador to Iraq, Esmat Seddiqi, Iraq’s Ambassador to the UAE, other government officials, prominent members of the business community and representatives from the media.

Arbil is said to be the world’s oldest continually inhabited settlement, established, some believe, almost 6,000 years ago. Aided in recent years by the construction of Arbil International Airport, the city of around 1.3 million people is fast becoming a flourishing business and tourist hub.

“Arbil’s free trade zone, similar to the Dubai model, is attracting foreign investment with opportunities across numerous sectors, including construction, property development, oil and gas,” Shaikh Majid said. “This is a good time for us to enter this market and once again Emirates will be a catalyst for trade and tourism.”

One of Arbil’s most notable attractions is the mysterious Citadel or Qala’t Arbil, containing a collection of bazaars, an ancient bathhouse and a labyrinth of narrow alleyways. Other sites of interest include the Bradost Mountains, the Sami Abdul Rahaman Park and the Shar Garden Square with its cooling fountains, trendy cafes and charming teashops.

Emirates SkyCargo, the air freight division of Emirates, has been operating freighters out of Arbil since February 2011. With the demand for transporting machinery and parts for the oil and gas industry, the airline operates three weekly B777F freighter services, each with a capacity of 103 tonnes. Combined with the 13 tonnes of belly-hold capacity on each passenger flight, the overall weekly cargo capacity rises to over 400 tonnes.

Passengers in all cabin classes aboard the A340-300 can expect gourmet-chef prepared cuisine, served by multi-national cabin crew donning one of the world’s most iconic airline uniforms.

EK949 departs each Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from Dubai International Airport at 06.45hrs, arriving in Arbil at 08.45 hrs. The return flight, EK950, departs Arbil at 10.10hrs and lands in Dubai at 13.50 hrs. Emirates currently operates a daily flight to Baghdad and four weekly flights to Basra.

Aside from Arbil, Emirates has launched flights to a host of exciting new destinations this year: Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dallas Fort Worth, Seattle, Lusaka, Harare, Ho Chi Minh City, Barcelona, Lisbon and Washington DC. Adelaide, Lyon, Phuket, Warsaw and Algiers will also join the Emirates’ network in the coming months. – Gulf News

RAK Airways set to double fleet size

RAK Airways will double its fleet size in the next 12 months to help the airline explore more markets in addition to increased frequencies, according to chief executive officer John Brayford.

The airline will get its third aircraft delivery by the end of March next year and fourth in November 2013, Brayford told reporters at a media briefing on Monday. He said that these deliveries will help the airline to launch more destinations and frequencies on its existing routes.

Brayford said the carrier will start its domestic service to Abu Dhabi from October 3 with a fare of Dh410 for a return flight. A one-way travel will take about 45 minutes. “We are proud to be the first UAE flag carrier scheduled domestic carrier,” he said, adding: “Initially, there will be four flights per week and then daily from December 12 and double daily from March 13, 2013.”

Brayford said the third aircraft delivery will help the airline to double its daily flights to Abu Dhabi, daily flight to Calicut, new route of Dammam, and increased frequency on other existing routes. The fourth aircraft will enable the airline to double the number of flights, he added.

RAK Airways has already signed a code-share agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways that will allow the former to book passengers for five international sectors — London, Manchester, Dublin, Bangkok and Geneva.

The first ever agreement between two UAE carriers will see Etihad Airways place its EY code on the RAK Airways flight between Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi. In return, RAK Airways will place its RT code on Etihad’s five agreed routes. “We hope to add Germany and the US shortly and agreed that we would not compete with Etihad,” Brayford said. The airline serves nine destinations with two aircraft at the moment. It will add Abu Dhabi as a 10^th destination and then five new international sectors. RAK Airways has already started bookings for five new sectors, according to the company officials.

“We believe in putting the customer at the centre of everything we do and, with this exciting partnership, we are able to offer residents of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Fujairah a much wider choice of destinations and also, for the first time, a direct link to the capital city,  Abu Dhabi,” he said.

Since its relaunch in October 2010, RAK Airways has worked on building passenger numbers, filling 250,000 seats in 2011 while gradually expanding its destination network to Africa, Middle East and Asia.

This month Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry and RAK Airways signed their first ever GDS participation agreement. – Khaleej Times

Abu Dhabi to host UN World Summit Award - Mobile Content in 2013

            Abu Dhabi is set to host the best producers, developers and designers for mobile content between 3-5 February 2013 at The Abu Dhabi Systems '&' Information Centre (ADSIC) has signed an Agreement of Cooperation with the World Summit Award (WSA) to bring the world's best to Abu Dhabi.

The Agreement was signed at ADSIC HQ by Rashed Lahej Al Mansouri, ADSIC Director General, and Prof. Dr. Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the WSA Board of Directors.

The World Summit Award is a follow-up activity of the United Nations World Summit on Information Society which will be reviewed by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

"With more than 6 billion mobile connections worldwide, content and value added applications are central to the modern functioning of the economy and the transformation to a knowledge society," said Prof. Bruck.

"The World Summit Award demonstrates the importance the UN places on the global level on closing the content gap and narrowing digital divides by promoting best practice in mobile content creation. Abu Dhabi is leading the way with its hosting of the winners of the WSA-mobile Award Conference and Gala." Al Mansouri said that cooperating with World Summit Award will help promote excellence in content and further support the development of the digital culture in Abu Dhabi, as the foundation for a knowledge-based society.

"ADSIC is eager to host the world's most creative and innovative producers and developers as part of its mandate to coordinate with all governmental institutions, adopt new applications, and ensure that Abu Dhabi keeps pace with rapid technological developments," said Al Mansoori.

"We at ADSIC know that effective and efficient use of e-government services is strongly supported by value-adding content and innovative applications. Mobile content plays a critical role in social progress and the successful implementation of government strategies aimed at building a knowledge-based economy. The support for WSA events reflects the continuing commitment of ADSIC to gather the best experts in the world and to learn with and from them. We support a global network which enables us to make best use of expertise in line with the prudent vision of our leadership," added Al-Mansouri.

"WSA-mobile is the only global award that takes place in the framework of the United Nations and its World Summit on the Information Society. It is unique in its focus on content richness. Hence the WSA-mobile categories reflect all parts of social and cultural life," concluded Prof. Bruck.

An international jury of eminent experts will select the best products and innovative applications from over 100 UN member states on the basis of content depth and creativity. The best m-Content producers and designers will gather in Abu Dhabi and receive the World Summit Award-Mobile from February 3 to 5, 2013. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Central Bank to make access to funds easier

Banks will have easier access to funds in the event of a financial crisis after moves by the UAE Central Bank to ease short-term borrowing, Moody's Investors Service said yesterday.

The introduction of a new discount window is "credit positive" for lenders, according to the ratings agency. Last week, the Central Bank said it would allow UAE banks to borrow intraday or overnight funding to shield money markets from liquidity shortfalls. The framework is called the marginal lending facility, or MLF.

"This new monetary policy tool will improve local banks' liquidity management practices, a credit positive," the report said.

"The MLF will clarify the framework within which local banks can access collateralised funding from the [Central Bank]. The Central Bank will publish a list of assets eligible for the MLF and we also expect the terms and conditions of borrowing to be agreed upon in advance, enabling UAE banks to maintain a portfolio of eligible assets for the provision of liquidity in stress scenarios."

Of about Dh100 billion (US$27.22bn) in domestic securities held by UAE banks, a large portion is expected to be sovereign-linked and eligible for the facility.

It also expects longer-dated bonds will be eligible under the facility, encouraging banks to borrow funds with a longer tenure.

During the financial crisis, in September 2008, a sudden withdrawal of liquidity from UAE banks resulted in the Central Bank taking the unprecedented step of providing billions of dirhams of liquidity support to local lenders.

The nod of approval for the Central Bank comes as the Bank for International Settlements points to deposits flooding into the international banking system for the UAE.

A total of US$10.8bn was deposited during the first quarter of the year, representing a 14.9 per cent increase over the previous quarter to US$83.7bn.

During the summer, Moody's downgrades of 15 global investment banks put six Arabian Gulf lenders on an equal or stronger credit rating than many international lenders, with the regional banks' strength largely attributable of their governmental ownership. – The National

EMAL celebrates latest additions to its Phase II expansion

            Employees of Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) celebrated the latest additions to its Phase II expansion: the arrival of the completed first Potshell and the Superstructure. These are the two main components in the aluminium reduction process and key elements in EMAL's plan to almost double production to 1.3 million tonnes upon completion in 2014. The components were manufactured and delivered by a local UAE supplier.

EMAL's President and CEO and Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Vice President - Projects Yousuf Bastaki were joined by employees to witness the latest EMAL milestone on route to become one of the largest smelters in the world.

"Piece by piece EMAL's Phase II expansion is coming together. Today we are another step closer to our goal of making EMAL a global leader in the aluminium industry," Al Mazrouei commented.

The Potshells are designed to use the new DX+ Reduction technology developed by DUBAL and are longer, wider and lighter than EMAL's existing pots. As a result of their design, the new Potshells are more productive and efficient. 444 new pots will be installed as part of Phase II, each is capable of producing 3.2 tonnes of metal per day, a 10 per cent increase on Phase I Potshells. While the Superstructure provides support for a variety of functions enabling the pots to fully function. Once completed the pot line will be longest in the world at 1.7 km.

"Phase I project plan has provided a solid foundation for EMAL's expansion. We are on time, on budget and on course to deliver a prosperous future for the Emirates," Bastaki added. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Wi-Fi on 5 Dubai-Abu Dhabi buses

In a pilot scheme, the Roads and Transport Authority has introduced Wi-Fi internet service onboard five deluxe coaches shuttling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Passengers will now be able to surf the Internet using their laptops, tablet PCs or even smart phones, getting more out of their travel time between the two emirates.

Eisa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said: “The Wi-Fi internet service is being tentatively offered to passengers commuting onboard buses shuttling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in cooperation with the two telecommunication providers in the UAE (Etisalat and Du), featuring the latest telecommunication technologies.

“We launched this service on a trial base in a single bus by the end of last June, and recently expanded the service offering to cover four other buses, bringing the total number of buses in which the pilot service is offered to five, and the agency is braced to the full launch of the service early next year.”

The service is provided as a value addition to commuters of inter-city buses in general and deluxe coaches shuttling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi emirates in particular with a view to raising customer satisfaction, said Al Dosari.

“The Wi-Fi internet service onboard the five coaches deployed on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi line will be subject to a continuous and precise assessment to prepare well for broadening the scope of the service to span the entire buses operating on this line.” – Khaleej Times

Abu Dhabi makes streets more people-friendly

            The Urban Planning Council (UPC) is integrating pedestrian health and safety measures into its street-design manual after feedback from more than 300 stakeholders.

The UPC yesterday said it upgraded manual would help to make streets more people-friendly, with safety benefits for pedestrians.

Its Urban Street Design Manual was introduced in 2010. Since then renovation projects have been carried out across Abu Dhabi, including Salam Street, Khalifa Street and Saadiyat Island, as well as areas in Al Ain and the Western Region.

The design of Salam Street has turned junctions there into some of the safest pedestrian crossings in the emirate, the council says.

The new right-turn lanes reduce the chances of pedestrian fatalities from 25 to 5 per cent, said Amer Al Hammadi, director of planning and infrastructure at the UPC.

The manual updates include a section on the health benefits of designs for Emirati neighbourhoods and refitting existing streets and junctions.

The authority has upgraded the urban street design in Emirati neighbourhoods to make footpaths wider, buffering them from traffic and providing for the possibility of street cafes and trees.

Lower-density neighbourhoods will also help to reduce road fatalities by slowing traffic and encouraging residents to walk to local services.

The upgrades were developed by the UPC in cooperation with the Department of Transport, the Department of Municipal Affairs, the three Abu Dhabi municipalities and other authorities.

"Because all trips begin and end with a walk, walking should be made as comfortable as possible all year round in Abu Dhabi," Mr Al Hammadi said. – The National

Leopard cub born in Sharjah

A leopard gave birth to a female cub at the Breeding Centre in Sharjah recently.

According to Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Natural Reserves in Sharjah, this cub is genetically important as she is the first female cub that is not from the Omani line.

“The Breeding Centre is currently home to 30 Arabian leopards of which 25 were born here,” she said. 

Leopards are shy solitary animals that only come together to mate. “They are mainly nocturnal, hunting usually at dawn and dusk. The hot hours of the day are spent in a shady spot, usually with an unobstructed view of the area.”

“These cats eat a wide range of animals including hyraxes, hares, rodents, foxes and other small mammals. However, medium-sized mammals form the bulk of its prey. Unfortunately natural preys such as the Tahr and mountain Gazelle are virtually extinct, so leopards have turned to goats and sheep for food,” she said.

Earlier this year, the centre witnessed the breeding of an Arabian Oryx. “This is added to 26 Nubian Ibexes, 10 mountainous deers and 26 sand gazelles. – Khaleej Times

Cycling fans allowed to ride around UAE's only velodrome

Cyclists were allowed to ride around the country's only velodrome for the first time last night.

Once exclusive to the UAE Cycling Federation, the outdoor Zayed Velodrome opened to let cycling fans test its oval track.

The federation said making cycling more accessible would make residents healthier, in line with the Dubai Pulse initiative.

It provided 30 bikes for visitors to try the Olympic-standard, 250-metre looped and slanted track.

"The federation has opened its doors to non-members to enjoy the facilities," said Stewart Howison, who sits on the federation's board.

Mr Howison said the federation wanted to open the facility to new members, regardless of nationality. Previously, membership was available only to Emiratis.

Membership is Dh250 a year, including access to the velodrome and injury insurance.

The federation is tapping into an increase in cycling participants over the past four or five years.

With the addition of the bike lane on the Al Quadra Road and the eight-kilometre loop around Nad al Sheeba, Mr Howison said cycling was proving to be a sport anyone could enjoy.

"I think the indication is to try and focus on sports that have an easy entry level, and if they develop they can compete in it," he said.

Visitor Stuart Rich said the velodrome added to what was a growing sport in the UAE.

"It adds more variety to what we've got already," he said. "It's great to get an opportunity to ride a fixed wheel on a track."

Josh Stemm, 27, brought his track bike from Australia a year ago but knew it was difficult to get on to the track and took it over for some training last night.

"I just used it for training on the roads," said the engineer.

Martin Harris's first impressions was a well maintained but under-used facility.

"It was something that was lacking," he said.

Mr Harris, 44, said the velodrome completed the experience for enthusiasts as mountain biking was available in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, and road riding in Dubai.

"However, the riding was harder because there was no rest when on the bike and no peloton to coast in either," said the facilities manager from Britain. – The National

Dubai Cares partners with GAIN to inaugurate community led pilot school feeding programme in Bangladesh

            Dubai Cares, in partnership with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition 'GAIN', recently inaugurated a pilot school feeding programme supported by the Government of Bangladesh to improve the education and nutrition of children 5 to 11 years old from vulnerable families in approximately 45 schools in the capital Dhaka and in Mymensing District.

According to the latest national statistics, less than 65% of the approximately 20 million children of primary school age attend school and around 40% are hungry during their lessons. Good quality nutrition is critical for physical and intellectual development.

The programme represents a US$2.5m (Dhs9.2m) commitment from Dubai Cares, a UAE-based philanthropic organisation founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and will be implemented locally with GAIN.

The nutritious food that will be provided to the children will be prepared in 8 centralised cluster kitchens which will be operated by local leading civil society organisations BRAC and Banchte Shekha, as well as PRAN Group, one of the country's largest food processing companies.

Speaking at a high-profile event to inaugurate the programme, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, said, "Much thought went into ensuring the effectiveness and long term sustainability of the programme which, we hope, will allow future generations of children and their communities to enjoy the benefits of this programme. This is another innovative programme that will not only feed school children, but empower local communities as well, which will eventually help promote local economic growth. We hope this launch will be the beginning of the end of poverty, malnutrition and a start to overcoming the challenges that prevent children and their communities, here in Bangladesh, from enjoying a healthy education which will lead to more prosperous lives." "Today I smiled at the enjoyment and happiness I saw on the school children's faces when they received the hot cooked meals," said Ms. Angela Gomes, Magsaysay award winner and Founder Director of Banchte Shekha.

"It is a pioneering programme, which has potential to set many milestones in the country. The commitment and leadership we have seen to date, from local mother's clubs, school management committees, parent teacher associations, community food monitors and local government bodies are exciting," said Dr Safiqul Islam, Director, BRAC Education Program (BEP).

The school feeding model we are working to build with our partners has high potential to be replicated both nationally and globally," added Marc Van Ameringen, Executive Director of GAIN, an international independent organisation with a focus on nutrition, with its headquarters in Switzerland.

"The cost-effective initiative will empower local civil society and marginalised populations, integrate different health sectors and give children the dignity they deserve through increased access to quality education and nutrition," he concluded.

The programme will provide schools in rural areas with culturally appropriate nutritious and energy rich hot cooked meals (i.e. rice, vegetables and pulses cooked with fortified edible oil and salt). It will also supply schools in urban areas with both hot cooked nutritious meals and fortified processed foods.

Foods will be sourced and produced locally and quality control measures will ensure food safety and quality.

BRAC and Banchte Shekha are responsible for the programme's implementation, including training of cooks and mothers in hygiene, monitoring of food quality and sanitation.

PRAN Group, one of Bangladesh's largest food processing organisations, will supply the appropriately fortified processed foods to schools. GAIN is providing management oversight, plus financial and technical support. The project will be overseen by high-level government representatives, civil society and the private sector.

By integrating cross-cutting interventions such as nutrition, sanitation, good hygiene practices (i.e. hand washing), and de-worming, as well as focusing on important themes that promote sustainability for example of community empowerment, gender and governance, the programme is expected to deliver positive impact.

The programme will provide important learning and best practices for national scale up. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

DFSA action in the Financial Markets Tribunal to be made public

            The DIFC Courts, on an appeal from the Financial Markets Tribunal (FMT), delivered its decision in the matter of Arqaam Capital Limited (Arqaam) versus the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

The decision allows publication of the FMT's interim decision of 11 January 2012 and allows the proceedings commenced by the DFSA against Arqaam and Ernst and Young (E'&'Y) in August 2011 to be heard in public.

The DIFC Courts' decision results from an appeal by Arqaam against a decision of the FMT in January 2012, to, amongst other things, make the proceedings public.

The hearing of the substantive matters before the FMT is set down for 17 to 20 September 2012.

The FMT's interim decision and directions orders are published on the FMT page on the link below: http://www.dfsa.ae/Pages/FinancialMarketsTribunal.aspx The DFSA will not make any further comments about the proceedings until after the conclusion of the hearing. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

High oil prices widen UAE’s credit status

Net foreign assets surge by around Dh72 billion in 4 months

            A surge in oil exports more than quadrupled the UAE’s current account surplus and this sharply boosted the central bank’s foreign assets and contributed to a large increase in the country’s creditor status, official data showed.

The surge in the central bank’s foreign assets allied with a similar rise in the foreign assets of the country’s 51 banks to boost the net foreign assets of the UAE’s financial system by nearly Dh72 billion at the end of April.

New figures by the central bank showed the net foreign assets, the difference between foreign assets and foreign liabilities, climbed to one of their highest levels of around Dh164.6 billion at the end of April from Dh92.4 billion at the end of 2011. They had already swelled by around Dh14 billion through 2011.

The report showed the combined foreign assets of the central bank and the 51 banks grew to nearly Dh450.4 billion at the end of April from Dh382.4 billion at the end of 2011 and Dh350 billion at the end of 2010.

Their foreign liabilities slipped to about Dh285.7 billion at the end of April from Dh289.4 billion at the end of 2011 after rising from Dh272.3 billion at the end of 2011, the central bank said in its April statistics bulletin.

A breakdown showed the total foreign assets of the banks surged to around Dh297.7 billion at the end of April from Dh248.8 billion at the end of 2011 and nearly Dh233 billion at the end of 2010.

The central bank’s foreign assets also soared to Dh151.2 billion from about Dh137.8 billion at the end of 2011 and Dh132.2 billion at the end of 2010.

The central bank said the rise followed a sharp increase in the country’s current account surplus due to higher oil revenue.

“The overall balance of payments remained negative at Dh22.5 billion in 2009… it then became positive in 2010 and 2011, standing at Dh 26.9 billion and Dh16.6 billion respectively, thereby adding to the net foreign assets of the Central Bank.”

The report also reported a surge in the current account surplus to nearly Dh112.6 billion in 2011 from Dh26.5 billion in 2010. It said the rise was a result of a sharp increase in the country’s hydrocarbon income to a record high of around Dh409.8 billion last year compared with 274.1 billion in 2010. – Emirates 24|7

Emaar to build another Address Hotel in Dubai

            Emaar Properties will build the sixth addition to its The Address Hotels — The Address The BLVD, a five star premium hotel and serviced residences, the property developer announced Sunday.

Featuring 200 hotel rooms and 542 serviced residences, and billed to be another sterling addition to Dubai’s skyline, the 63-storey hotel is 340 metres high, and will be the second tallest building in Downtown Dubai, next to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Work on the project will commence shortly and is scheduled for completion in early to mid 2015.

Arif Amiri, chief executive of Emaar Retail, told reporters:, “The launching of this project is underlining the positive growth of Dubai’s property sector and the robust gains recorded by the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors.”

Amiri refused to reveal the value or the cost of the hotel referring that it will be inclusive with the total value of Emaar Downtown projects which worth US$20 billion (Dh73 billion).

Moreover, he remarked that the financing of this project has been managed through the pre-selling of the serviced apartments.

“There is a very strong appetite of investors from GCC, Middle East, India, China and Europe which we would like to capture,” he said.

“The sale of serviced residences in The Address The BLVD builds on the success of Emaar’s project launches earlier this year. With the new project, investors have the opportunity to become part of Downtown Dubai, one of the city’s most sought-after lifestyle destinations, described as ‘The Centre of Now.’”

“In addition to the option of staying or renting out, they can also benefit from Emaar’s rental programme,” Amiri added.

Pointing to the robust tourism growth, he said that this year, Dubai has already recorded historic growth in passenger arrivals with the Dubai International Airports welcoming over 27.9 million people in the first six months.

“The hospitality sector, simultaneously, has witnessed an impressive growth of nine per cent in guest arrivals and over 22 per cent in the number of guest nights in the first quarter of the year.

“Address occupancy has recorded by 90 per cent while Emaar’s retail and hospitality sector represent 41 per cent of Emaar’s total revenues in 2011.”

As well as Emaar properties sales grew five times in 2011 comparing to the previous years, he said.

Emaar will launch sales of the studio, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom serviced residences on September 22, at Emaar Sales Centre, Emaar Square – Building 3, in Downtown Dubai.

The Address The BLVD serviced residences offer unprecedented views of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain, and Burj Khalifa. It will also provide direct access to The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, through a new air-conditioned bridge link, in addition to easy access to The Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa Metro station. – Gulf News

More homes hit Abu Dhabi property market

            The number of new homes built in Abu Dhabi increased by 15.4 per cent in the second quarter of the year as a glut of new housing stock continues to hit the property market.

New figures from the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (Scad) published yesterday reveal a total of 3,565 homes were completed in the emirate during the three months to June, up from 3,088 in the first quarter.

Abu Dhabi city region accounted for the majority of the homes, where the total number of residential completions increased 17.3 per cent to 3,302. In Al Gharbia, the number of new homes built rose 42.2 per cent to 118 units. However, the number of new homes completed in the Al Ain region during the same period fell 23.3 per cent to just 145.

The figures also show the number of new homes finished has grown by 3.8 per cent in the emirate compared with the previous year when total home completions in the first quarter stood at 3,435 according to Scad. Figures for the second quarter were unavailable.

And property experts predict the number of new homes is set to continue to rise for the next 18 to 24 months as building projects started before the global economic downturn come on stream. The property services company Jones Lang LaSalle predicts 16,000 new homes will be completed in the emirate this year alone.

"These figures from the Statistics Centre confirm our forecasts," said Craig Plumb, Jones Lang LaSalle's head of research for the Middle East and North Africa region.

"And over the second half of the year we expect to see even more new homes completing in the emirate. We think this will continue for the next 18 to 24 months with significant levels of supply hitting the market, which is likely to increase vacancy rates for residential stock."

Scad reported, in total, 1,516 buildings were completed during the second quarter, a decrease of 72 compared with the first quarter of the year. Of these, 1,144, or 75.5 per cent, were intended for residential use. The number of additions or extensions to existing buildings decreased from 136 in the first quarter of the year to 89 in the second quarter. In Abu Dhabi Scad said a total of 1,023 buildings were completed during the second quarter, a 27.2 per cent decrease compared with the first three months of this year.

The number of completed buildings in the Al Ain region stood at a total of 138 for the period, down from a total of 180 during the first quarter. But in Al Gharbia, the number of completed buildings increased to a total of 355 compared with just 50 during the first quarter.

In Abu Dhabi 921 of the buildings completed were for housing. Another 44 were for industrial use and 12 were designated as commercial buildings.

The estimated average construction cost in the emirate stood at Dh3,128 per square metre during the first quarter, a fall of about 14.9 per cent compared with the same period last year when it stood at Dh3,597.

Scad found buildings with a construction area of between 300 square metres and 599 sq meters had the highest cost at Dh3,382 per sq metre. Buildings with a total construction area of more than 1,200 sq metres had the lowest construction cost of Dh3,013 per sq metre. – The National

(.ae) Domain Administration celebrates 100,000 registrations mark

            Signifying another milestone for the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, the number of registrations for the .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA) has reached 100,000 under the UAE national top level domain. This achievement makes the UAE the leading nation in terms of the number of registrants in the Arab region.

Commenting on the achievement, Mohammed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General, said: "The UAE continues its accomplishments and promotes its regional status in the ICT sector with today's announcement on reaching the 100,000 registration mark in domain names. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the TRA in implementation of leadership directives that support modern technological trends and the adoption of the latest development reached in the sector."

He added: "We have presented all the required facilities aiming to make the (.ae) registration process easier and convenient to all clients, including providing 18 Accredited Registrars to complete the process, and the 100% availability of (.ae) DNS and registry services to promote competition. We also adopted well designed policies to use domain names in the country, protect registrants and achieve the widest level of participation by concerned parties through organising a number of awareness campaigns on (.ae) domain names. We, at the TRA, are determined to continue our support to the internet society in the country for further achievements." The UAE was able to achieve this number through the support extended by businesses and individuals on domain names, despite the comparatively short period since the registration had started. The TRA aims to reach the highest levels of transparency in terms of resolving disputes related to domain names; it is also keen to protect intellectual property.

Other vital elements that contributed to this achievement were offers and promotions were made by registrars helping to encourage larger numbers of registrants to take this step. Additionally, the enthusiasm by registrants to complete the registration process successfully by utilising the online facility. The registrars explained the benefits of obtaining a domain name and underscored the fact that a specialised domain name allows registrants to better reach their targeted audience in a more professional manner. Registrar: InterNetX GmbH - International Registrar said: As the United Arab Emirates form one of the most important markets worldwide, .AE holds an important position in our TLD portfolio.

Registrar: aeServer - Local Registrar comments: The aeDA/TRA has taken a giant leap in order to renovate and publicise the national domain name of the UAE since launch. They have taken care of the socio-cultural factors in order to educate the local internet population about the importance of internet, websites, social media and the domain name.

Registrar: TALAL ABU-GHAZALEH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - Local Registrar: we find that the .ae Domain Administration has successfully and effectively managed the .aeDA operations through its initiatives and professional services.

The .ae Domain Administration (aeDA) was established in 2007 by the TRA as the regulatory body and registry operator for the (.ae) domain name. aeDA is responsible for enforcing all policies on the operation of the (.ae) country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) as well as overseeing the operation of the registry system. Its role is to develop and execute the domain administration policy; grow, develop and market the (.ae) namespace; accredit and manage (.ae) registrars; educate the public on the domain name, deliver and promote the domain name; facilitate the (.ae) Dispute Resolution Policy; and represent (.ae) at international forums. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Masdar in tie-up to design cost-efficient micro-grid

            A new public-private partnership will pilot a cutting-edge micro-grid powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity in Abu Dhabi.

Global Green Growth Institute, an intergovernmental organisation committed to promoting green growth in the developing world, on Sunday announced it is joining hands with Masdar Institute (MI) and the Research Institute for Industrial Science and Technology (RIST) in Pohang, South Korea, to design a robust and cost-efficient micro-grid operating on 100 per cent renewable energy.

The project is supported by approximately US$1 million from GGGI and POSCO, the world’s fourth largest steel producer.

The announcement of this innovative collaborative UAE-South Korea research project, which is led by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Directorate for Energy & Climate Change and coordinated by the GGGI, was made during the project launch event held at Shangri-La Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Launch event

The launch event was attended by high-profile guests from the UAE and Korea, including Dr Tae Kyun Kwon, Korean Ambassador to the UAE, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, director of Energy and Climate Change, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, president of Masdar Institute, Dr Hee Don Chun, executive vice-president, RIST, and Jeong-Won DOH, executive vice president, Daewoo International Corp.

During the event, the joint project team between MI and RIST revealed a conceptual design for an island-based renewable micro-grid.

The conceptual design consists of a control system, energy storage and a high-efficiency DC distribution system. It is designed to incorporate renewable energy sources such as solar PV, small wind power and biofuel production from waste and algae.

Micro-grid system

The micro-grid system can be linked to local seawater desalination and electric powered boats for island access.

The project is coordinated by GGGI and will tap the expertise of Masdar Institute in the design and simulation of micro-grids with renewable energy and the RIST team’s established expertise in commercialising technologies demonstrated by the project on Jeju Island, South Korea.

The Masdar Institute proposed an initial concept for the project to GGGI in October 2010 and the GGGI UAE country team provided MI an essential link to an industrial partner within GGGI’s partnership network-RIST.

The 100 per cent renewable energy micro-grid project features new research collaboration potential between the UAE and South Korea. Korea is expanding smart grid technology rapidly and already hosts a successful demonstrations project on Jeju Island. The project island in the UAE will become a “sister” island, featuring advanced micro-grid and smart renewable technologies.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s special envoy for Energy and Climate Change and CEO of Masdar, said: “This project is another powerful example of the leading role Abu Dhabi and the UAE are playing in clean energy innovation.

“Masdar has funded development projects on small islands that can potentially benefit from micro-grids, and we are interested in their potential role in supporting renewable energy deployment in rural areas.”

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh said: “The first UAE-South Korea collaborative research project under the GGGI programme reflects the common interest between the two countries to partner with each another on clean energy ventures.

“It will benefit from the synergy between Masdar Institute and RIST, which already has a track record in implementing a similar project in Korea.

“We believe the micro-grid project will bear testimony to our expertise in furthering research and innovation in sustainability while developing the UAE’s human capital as directed by the country’s leadership.”

Dr Hee Don Chun said: “The UAE project will benefit from the outcomes of research already conducted on Jeju Island and we are confident the expertise from Masdar Institute will further stimulate innovation in micro-grids which is optimised in the Mena region environment.

“In addition, RIST will seek further opportunities for collaboration with MI in terms of green technology research based on each institute’s core competence.”

Dr Scott Kennedy, dean for Research, Masdar Institute, said: “Micro-grids are gaining increasing popularity as a key enabler of smart grid infrastructure and an important technology in expanding electricity access to areas with weak or non-existent power infrastructure.

Control systems

“Such grids are essentially small, low to medium voltage power systems that can operate in isolation or connected to a larger transmission system.

“Featuring advanced control systems that allow them to operate in grid-connected or isolated mode, they can also include up to 100 per cent renewable energy, therefore providing zero-carbon power.”

The joint team had already conducted a pre-workshop in Pohang, Korea in July this year and visited a potential demonstration site in Abu Dhabi in August to set up the conceptual design.

The team will develop a UAE tailored micro-grid model and an action plan for the subsequent implementation project until March 2013.

The developed micro-grid model will be highlighted during the World Future Energy Forum in January 2013 in Abu Dhabi.  – The Gulf Today

Emirates Consumer Price Index Goes up by 0.33% in August 2012

            The overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 116.86 in August 2012, and with comparison with the base year (2007 =100); it increase by 0.33% compared to its value at the end of July 2012, while it increased by 0.95% compared to its value at the end of August 2011, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.

The findings of the CPI for August 2012 at the national level indicate increases in the following major expenditure groups: Food and Soft Drinks at 1.91%, Recreation and culture 0.28%, Furniture and household goods 0.09%, Miscellaneous goods and services 0.07%, Textiles, clothing and footwear 0.07%, Transportation 0.03% and Health 0.02%, the Bureau added in its monthly report.

At the same time, there were decreases in other major expenditure groups: Restaurants '&' Hotels at - 0.02%.

At the Emirate level, the CPI fluctuated considerably in the various emirates as shown below: - Abu Dhabi -0.09% - Dubai +0.44% - Sharjah +0.79 % - Ajman +0.38 % - Umm Al-Quwain +0.47% - Ras Al-Khaimah +0.31 % - Fujairah +0.25 % – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Dubai International's cargo facilities to undergo a major expansion programme

            Dubai International's cargo facilities are set to undergo a major modernisation and expansion programme that will see cargo capacity increased to 3.1-million tons by 2018.

Over the next few months, as part of Dubai Airports' US$7.8bn Strategic Plan 2020, construction is set to begin on a 30,000m2 addition to Dubai International's 1.2 million tonne Cargo Mega Terminal 'CMT', increasing capacity by 25% to 1.5-million tonnes a year.

Dubai International's original cargo facilities, Hall A and Freight Gate 1, located adjacent to the CMT, will also undergo a complete refurbishment.

Together these facilities will be dedicated for the sole use of Emirates airline.

A new transhipment facility with capacity for 400,000 tonnes of freight a year is also under construction.

Once complete, it will handle about 60% of cargo transferred between Dubai International and Dubai World Central, Dubai's second airport. The new facility will be erected on the former site of the Airport Expo building which was partially demolished earlier this year to make way for it and a new baggage processing facility.

The new infrastructure responds to growing volumes of freight being transported through Dubai. Total annual cargo volumes across both airports are projected to surge from the 2.19-million tonnes recorded last year to 4.1-million tonnes by 2020.

While the greater flexibility at Dubai World Central is attracting an increasing number of dedicated cargo operators, Dubai International will remain an important cargo hub with growth in belly cargo driven by Emirates airline's ongoing network expansion.

"Construction of the new facilities at Dubai International will take place in several stages to ensure the day-to-day working of the airport is not disrupted," said Jeff Gould, VP Development at Dubai Airports.

Chris Garton, SVP, Operations at Dubai Airports, noted, "The continued growth in cargo volumes as well as the size of the airport meant that cargo facilities could no longer be clustered into one area. The new infrastructure will not only increase our capacity but go a long way to simplifying what has become an increasing complex cargo operation as the airport has grown. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

ZU Early Childhood Learning Centre to open next February

            A new early learning centre will be open by Zayed University (ZU) next February in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, to serve for toddlers with course in both Arabic and English.

The Early Childhood Learning Centre (ECLC) will seek excellence in the care and education of young children between 6 months and 4 years with full-time highly experienced teaching staff and caretakers.

A special environment supportive of language development, cognitive social-emotional growth, motor and skills and innovation of children will be provided at the new centre, according to assistant professor at ZU's College of Education Lydia Barza.

The Centre will also foster the educational development of young children in the bilingual and inclusive program, supports the training of early childhood teachers, and serves as a research environment to study language and child development.

Ages Early Toddler 1 (12 months to 18 months) Early Toddler 2 (18 months to 2 years) Toddler (2-3 years) Pre-school (3-4 years) Operating Hours The operating hours are from 7:30 am to 5:30pm, five days a week with pick-up times at 12:30pm, 3:00pm and 5:30pm. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

NMC, U.S. Embassy organise workshop on news editing

            A veteran media expert conducted yesterday a training workshop on news editing for journalists working with Emirates News Agency (WAM) in Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Qaiwain and Ras Al Khaimah.

Magda Abu Fadil, Director of Media Unlimited, is leading the five-day training event, jointly organised by UAE's National Media Council (NMC) and U.S. Embassy.

Media Unlimited was founded to establish and maintain high standards for professional journalists and organisations or individuals dealing with the media across the Middle East/North Africa region.

Jeffrey Ladenson, Press Attaché, US Embassy, told the event that media in the UAE maintains advanced level of progress and transparency. He praised the constructive cooperation with the NMC in training and knowledge-sharing, adding that continuing partnership demonstrates the depth and ever-growing bonds between the two countries.

Jamal Nasser Al Suwaider, WAM Managing Editor, said training programmes the NMC and U.S. Embassy jointly conduct aim at providing journalists with basic skills and practices for professional media, evolving social media and code of ethics.

''The workshop is part of an integrated training programme the NMC is carrying out in collaboration with stakeholders within the UAE including the U.S. Embassy, '' he added.

Trainees will get knowledge about history of journalism, online journalism, social media and ethics of bloggers and tips about covering conflicts/wars/disasters and safety for journalists. The workshop will also lend attention to integrity and clarity in reporting events. They will also acquire skills on access to resources through social media like Twitter. Other topics include the need for online research, reliance on archives, establishing an extensive network of good sources and learning how to deal with them in a crisis. The participants will learn about proper coordination between editors and field reporters and newsroom dynamics.

For her part, Ms. Abu Fadil called for a genuine media revival in the Arab World so as to catch up with latest technological developments and build media persons' capacities to improve their performance.

The veteran media professional said that she is still interested in participating in such training workshops to further develop her skills and get acquainted with advanced media trends.

Magda Abu-Fadil boasts of years of experience as a foreign correspondent and editor with international news organisations such as Agence France-Presse and United Press International. She headed the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, which she founded. She wrote for Arab dailies Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Riyadh, Washington-based Defence News, was Washington bureau chief of Events magazine, and was Washington correspondent for London-based The Middle East magazine. Abu-Fadil served as director of the Institute for Professional Journalists at the Lebanese American University. She taught journalism at her alma mater, American University in Washington, D.C.

She conducts seminars and workshops in English, Arabic and French for professional journalists across the Arab world, collaborates with international organisations on media projects, consults on media education programs, and speaks regularly at international conferences. – Emirates News Agency, WAM

National Geography’s Megafactories show to feature Almarai food, beverage company

            National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s Megafactories will feature a Middle Eastern company for the first time.

Almarai, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Riyadh, is the region’s largest food and beverage producer.

They use ingenious techniques to keep cows cool in the desert heat and deliver milk to shops across the region every day through the highly acclaimed series ‘Megafactories’ on September 17, after featuring major global brands like Coca-Cola, Ferrari, and IKEA, KSA.

Tune in on Monday to discover the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company, in an in-depth exploration of the processes that take milk from the cow to the customer.  – Gulf News

Al Qasba received 1.3 million visitors in H1, 2012

            Al Qasba, the premier tourist, leisure and cultural destination in the emirate of Sharjah and the region, attracted 1,376,676 visitors in the first half of 2012, according to the findings of Al Qasba Development Authority.

Around 379,193 people visited restaurants and cafes in Al Qasba, while Etisalat Eye of the Emirates received 54,245 visitors. The Play Area and Kids Fun Zone came third and fourth in number of visitors, followed by Al Qasba Musical Fountain, Masrah Al Qasba- Theatre, Multaqa Al Qasba (Meetings '&' Conference Halls), Maraya Art Centre and the walkways, respectively.

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer at Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), attributed the growing number of visitors to Al Qasba's ability to meet the varied recreational, cultural and artistic needs of visitors and to offer diverse programs and an ideal environment for all members of family to communicate and socialise. He added that the increasing prominence of Al Qasba as a landmark tourist destination in the UAE and region has also helped grow the number of visitors.

He added that Al Qasba continues its steady growth toward achieving its target of attracting a higher number of visitors in 2013.

Al Qasba is managed by Al Qasba Development Authority, a subdivision of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq).  – Emirates News Agency, WAM

Khalifa University student’s masters paper bound for US

A Khalifa University masters student has been invited to share the results of her research paper at a university in the US.

Sohailah Makhmasi, who is pursuing a Masters in Engineering by Research with Khalifa University, has been asked to share the results of her research project at the upcoming Frontiers in Education Conference in Seattle, Washington, next month.

Her last paper, identifying the reasons students are not going into STEM majors, won best paper at the recent Annual Global Engineering Education Conference in Morocco in April.

The survey of 1,000 students, including expatriates, found that only one in three students in the UAE are keen in pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM) subjects compared to arts and business.

A lack of effectiveness of teaching has been cited as one of the major reasons for this trend, according to the recent survey of pupils from Grade 9 to 12.

This lack of interest, however, is not unique to the UAE, as many countries are currently attempting to improve their school systems and make STEM classes a key part of their curricula.

Talking to Gulf News, Sohailah said: “It is important that more students go in for STEM subjects as it would help us build a technology driven economy with highly skilled people.

“During the survey, it was found that the students, many times, lose interest in STEM subjects due to the way of teaching and, at other times, they face problems due to language issues. These issues need to be addressed.”

“Many students felt that their teachers lacked the capability to teach the subjects. They find them too difficult to pass. Also, especially amongst male public school students, their lack of English proficiency played a big part.

In order to major in STEM in university you have to have a high level of English. These students didn’t possess the necessary scores to get into the programs. These are issues that really need to be addressed.

“I was surprised to find out that students agreed on the usefulness of STEM subjects and were quite aware that these lead to high profile careers.”

Recommending ways to improve the situation, based on another survey by her, she said: “I found that many schools do have the latest technology but they did not focus enough on development of the teachers.

“The teachers also complained about frequent change in curriculum.

“When the teachers are not able to make STEM subjects interesting, the students lose interest at an early stage. So it is important to focus on regular professional development of teachers so that more nationals can opt for these streams.” – Gulf News

UAE shows the way to workplace gender balance

            The role of women in the workplace still needs to be clearly defined in the Middle East to address the lack of women in management positions, experts say.

Dr Sven-Olaf Vathje of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), who completed a recent study into gender diversity in the workplace, has highlighted an “Achilles Heel” among leading companies on the issue.

And he believes the UAE could play a leading global role in greater integration of women as statistics show that young Emirati women are better educated than their male peers and often demonstrate stronger work ethic.

He said: “GCC countries like the UAE could play a leading global role in the full integration of women in the workplace. Also, unlike their Western peers, Emirati women typically marry and have children early in their lives so they could rejoin the workforce as management talent without a further family break, given the strong domestic support system in most GCC countries.

“It is BCG’s experience that companies that successfully advance qualified women into leadership positions benefit from an overall increased attractiveness as an employer. Also, such companies typically outperform their industry peers — diversity pays off commercially,” Vathje said.

The recent BCG study shows that 85 per cent of leading organisations view gender diversity as a top priority yet only one in five companies have targeted recruiting strategies for female talent.

The BCG surveyed some 100 human resources managers in 44 international companies for its study, ‘Shattering the Glass Ceiling: An Analytical Approach to Advancing Women into Leadership Roles.’ The companies surveyed include Adidas, BMW, Qantas, Cisco and American Express.

The study highlights the major institutional and personal barriers preventing women from achieving leadership positions, the best-practice examples, and presents a systematic approach to promoting women in management.

Dr Vathje, who is a partner and managing director in BCG’s Abu Dhabi office, said: “In the Middle East, the role of women in the workforce has not been clearly defined yet. This is surprising in light of government ambitions to further nationalise the work force.”

He added that the scarcity of leadership talent can only be resolved by fully tapping into the female talent pool.

“It’s not about random percentages or yet another diversity training programme,” Vathje explained. “It’s about getting a complete grip on how an organisation recruits, retains, and promotes its diverse talent so it can identify its Achilles’ heel in terms of gender diversity.”

The study also shows that most executives see a connection between diversity and corporate success.

However, only 35 per cent of the companies analysed included diversity in their managers’ target agreements, and only one in five offered managers financial incentives for achieving diversity targets.

In many GCC countries, basic measures like women’s networks, mentorship programmes, or diversity training for managers — that are catching on in more mature markets — are deficient.

Even in countries where such initiatives are being promoted, such as in the UAE, these measures alone will not turn gender diversity into a competitive advantage, the study indicated.

The greatest challenge for organisations lies not in a lack of awareness about the diversity topic, but rather in an inability to appropriately identify a company’s own glass ceiling,

Vathje explained. “The lack of women in leadership positions is primarily a problem of internal talent management, women receive considerably fewer promotions.” – Gulf News

Expatriates line up to learn Emirati dialect

            There has been a significant increase in demand for local language lessons from expatriates, according to the Sheikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).

“The demand to learn our programme, which we call GCC and Emirati dialect, has increased, that is very true. This could be because with our programme you can learn to speak the dialect right away and there’s no need to learn the language as a structure, or the grammar,” Nasif Kayed, SMCCU’s general manager, told Gulf News.

The programme focuses on the spoken Emirati colloquial dialect which is what locals use when they converse informally. Those signing up attend 12 two-hour Saturday classes held over a period of three months.

Kayed said admissions for a new three-month programme to be held from September to November had filled up as soon it was announced just with word-of-mouth publicity. The situation was a complete turnaround from when SMCCU first started teaching the Emirati dialect in 2003, he said.

“Before in 2003, when we had three or five students, that was considered good. Then we had about seven to eight students. But now we have 20 people, because we can only accommodate 20 per class, yet there are still 400 people in our waiting list. When we roll out a programme, it has to go on a ‘first come, first served’ basis,” Kayed added.

One of the many reasons why the programme has seen such high demand is that it is taught by an authentic speaker in Shuaa Zainal, an Emirati English teacher.

Zainal told Gulf News that many expatriates sign up for the course for three reasons: “Some are learning this dialect for their career, for their social life because some are married to Emiratis, some are doing it for their appreciation of the UAE and its culture because they live here.”

Mashuk-ur-Rahman, 37, a banker from Bangladesh, is one of those who is learning the language to boost his professional life. “I think it is very important in my profession to communicate with my clients. It builds extra level of confidence when you communicate with colleagues and clients in their language.”

Japanese national Kenji Miyanaga, on the other hand, said he prefers Arabic to English when communicating to his friends from the region. “Since I’m here, I need to learn Arabic to communicate with my Arab friends. I prefer Arabic to English.”

New Friday classes will be introduced to the public on October 19. For more information, visit http://www.cultures.ae.  – Gulf News

Shakbout bin Nahyan among contenders at GCT

Lusanne: Sheikh Shakbout Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan is taking part in hors jumping contests at the Global Champions Tour.

The final Global Champions Tour (GCT) running between 14-16 September in Lausanne, Geneva.

Sheikh Shakbout attributed the prestigious stature of the UAE in equine sports to the support extended by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE President and the Chairman of the Emirates Equestrian Federation.

Yas Marina to increase berths ahead of Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

            Yas Marina is set to increase its size by 20 per cent as sinking berth prices have dramatically buoyed demand this year.

The marina, which cut its berth fees at the end of last year to stimulate demand, has more than doubled its annual members in the past year as demand for berths among small-boat owners has swelled.

In the run up to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, the marina is creating an additional 32 berths on top of its current capacity of 143 to cater for the growing number of boat owners seeking space for their vessels.

"People are a bit more confident now and started spending a bit more money," said Cedric Le Rest, the general manager at Yas Marina. "We really saw strong demand from [smaller boats]."

The marina has been managed by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, a global yachting company, since July last year.

"The addition of these 32 new berths is in response to the growing demand for annual berths for the 8 metre to 10 metre category over the past 15 months, as well as higher than expected interest in this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix," said Mr Le Rest.

The marina is still not 100 per cent full but Mr Le Rest expects it to be at full capacity for the racing weekend and said it could extend its volume above capacity to squeeze in more vessels for the weekend.

Berths for yachts up to 150 metres are still available for the Grand Prix weekend, including some with trackside views. "The demand is as expected, we will have more boats than last year," said Mr Le Rest. "We have less berths available because we have so many annual tenants. We can always find a corner for an additional boat."

Yas Marina was charging annual rates starting from Dh68,850 (US$18,744) for a 15 metre berth but slashed these prices at the end of the year.

Emirates Palace also began offering rates at a third off at the end of last year after opening in May.

At Yas Marina, one-year berths now start at Dh16,455 for an 8 metre boat, which includes space at the F1 weekend. Prices go up to Dh491,400 for a berth that for a 120 metre yacht.

Mr Le Rest said more people had been buying smaller boats this year for recreational use and the industry was looking more positive.

"Hopefully, you start with a smaller one and in a few years you get another and add a few more metres to your boat," he said.

Earlier this year, Seawings, a seaplane operator based in Dubai, said it had partnered Yas Marina to run aerial sightseeing flights from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. – The National

UAE’s top cueists advance to Snooker Championship last 16

            Impressive victories saw leading UAE title contenders Mohamed Shehab and Mohammed Al Joaker through to the knockout last-16 stage of the 7th Arab Snooker Championships 2012 at the Dubai Snooker Club.

However, there was dejection in store for young Abdulrahman Saif who was crushed 4-0 in his last Group C encounter by on-song Bahraini Habib Subah.

UAE veteran Eissa Ali Sayed, who despite a 4-1 loss to reigning African champion Wael Talat of Egypt, however succeeded in booking himself a place in the knockout stage.

Al Joaker continued his winning ways by handing a 4-1 rout to Ahmed Bin Bashir of Oman which assured him the first place in Group E. Al Joaker had breaks of 52 and 74 in the match.

Ahmed Saif of Qatar finished second in the group. Shehab’s 4-0 thumping of Sadiq Al Farsi of Oman late on Saturday night was of great significance for the UAE camp.

Earlier in his opening match against Mohsen Bukshaisha of Qatar, Shehab had trouble in converting opportunities into frame-winning breaks.

The top-ranked UAE cueist and winner of the 2007 Asian Indoor Games gold medal was back to his best in the night session where he had a run of 94 points, the highest break of the tournament so far.

Saif Al Kitbi put up a strong fight against Mubarak Khalid of Kuwait but still went down 4-3 in his second Group D game.

He was left with the formidable task of beating experienced Syrian Karam Fatima in his debut event.

Fatima, one of the pre-tournament favourites, however, suffered a shock 4-3 defeat at the hands of Firas Kamil of Iraq.

Unsung Hani Kanaan of Palestine emerged as the surprise package of the men’s singles event as he marched into the last 16 stage from Group B with an unbeaten run.

He beat both Ahmed Al Aqaili of Jordan and Yousuf Al Wadi of Saudi Arabia in an impressive manner.

Meanwhile, Khalid Kamali continued to impress in the youth (under-21) singles event as he recorded his second straight victory in Group A, his latest victim being Haider Abdulsattar of Iraq, who he beat 4-0.

The men’s singles last 16 round matches will be played at noon and quarter-finals at 19:00 on Monday at the Dubai Snooker Club. – Sport 360°

Super Cup 'Fan Zone' aiming to attract more supporters to the stadium

            The anticipation and excitement is certainly building for the start of the new Pro-League season as the curtain-raising Etisalat Super Cup gears up for kick-off. 

Pro League champions Al Ain will take on President’s Cup winners Al Jazira at Al Wasl’s Zabeel Stadium on Monday evening, and it promises to be a great football spectacle. 

While many of you will prefer to watch the clash on Al Jazeera Sport from the comfort of your own home, there will be incentives for those fans heading down to the stadium to catch the action first-hand. 

A number of surprises await fans prior to the match at the ‘Fans Zone’ starting from 5pm, where there will be several stands including food and beverage stands, one for the Pro League committee, and a Sport360 stand where you can grab a copy of our latest newspaper. 

There will also be a number of competitions where members of the crowd can win a selection of prizes. 

Organised by the PLC, the "question and answer" competition will be presented by TV presenter Saeed Al Mammary. 

The effort made at the Super Cup is part of a big push from the PLC to get more people attending UAE Pro League games during the upcoming season.

Al Ain boss Cosmin Olariou believes Al Jazira will be favourites for the clash despite leading The Boss the Pro League title a full 20 points ahead of their rivals. – Sport 360°