Tag Archives: dubai
Pedalling for diabetes
Pedalling for diabetes Asma Ali Zain / 6 September 2013 Three people from the UAE are pedalling across five countries in Europe for 13 days as part of a live observational study on diabetes. The tour is said to be the first of its kind live observational study that will answer important questions on diabetes and exercise as well as raise awareness and funds for the disease. Up to 36 riders from the world over — linked directly or indirectly with the condition — will be checked for the effects of multi-day endurance exercise on blood glucose levels. They will ride 2,100km with more than 22,000 metres of climbs to help demonstrate innovative solutions to the challenges of managing diabetes and enabling people to lead active lifestyles. Data from the ride is being captured using glucose monitors attached to the riders’ skin and transmitted to a research centre in the United Kingdom. The three participants from the UAE are part of a group of eight employees from Etisalat’s global operations who are taking part in the GSMA mHealth (mobile health) Grand Tour that took-off in Europe on Thursday. The UAE team is also representing Dubai Expo 2020. “The cycle tour is aimed at testing mobile technology and raising awareness of diabetes,” explained Stephen King from Etisalat while speaking to Khaleej Times from Brussels, Belgium. The group, led by Mobily’s Ali Al Shehri from Saudi Arabia represented ‘Team Etisalat’ at the starting blocks for the first stretch of the tour. By Thursday, 36-year-old Al Shehri had just headed east from Brussels, riding through Ardennes before crossing Luxemburg and meeting the Rhine near Saarbrucken, Germany. He was expected to hand over the pedals to colleagues from Tanzania and UAE who will take the team onto the next stage through the Black Forest and Alps mountains. Shehzad Ahmed and Mohammed Khairy along with Stephen will be taking over in the following stages until the tour ends in Barcelona on September 18. “The idea is also to raise awareness about mHealth or wellness applications that can be used through smart phones,” said Stephen. “This technology for managing diabetes could, at a later stage, be introduced in the UAE, as well,” explained Stephen. For the tour, Professor Mike Trenell from Newcastle University is working with people taking part in the tour, from elite athletes with Type 1 diabetes to people without diabetes. Volunteer riders are equipped with Garmin bike computers to track performance and a heart rate monitor to track heart rate throughout the tour. They have also been given state-of-the-art continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) to look at how blood sugar levels change in athletes with and without diabetes. Professor Mike and his team will explore how riding affects blood sugar levels during the day and at night; how different athletes manage their diabetes (insulin and glucose); how high-performance athletes with Type 1 diabetes manage their diabetes compared with non-competitive athletes with Type 1 diabetes and how people with diabetes can teach athletes without diabetes about how to prevent low blood sugar levels during a ride. At least 18.9 per cent of the UAE population are living with diabetes. The tour is supported by International Diabetes Federation European Region. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Fundamentals seen driving Dubai’s property rally: Report
Fundamentals seen driving Dubai’s property rally: Report (Issac John) / 5 September 2013 Driven by strong demand and much-improved economic fundamentals rather than speculation, housing prices in Dubai are on the ascent, Standard Chartered bank said. The bank said in a report released on Wednesday that over the past 12 months, residential prices have increased by 38 per cent for apartments and 24 per cent for villas, with rents increasing by 20 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. “Slowly but steadily, confidence has returned to the market. Second quarter marks the fourth consecutive quarterly increase in residential prices,” according to a report titled ‘Dubai housing: Fundamentals not speculation.’ The report said at the moment, the market seems to be driven primarily by fundamentals rather than speculation. Although there is a risk that this could change, it is encouraging that regulators are drafting laws to curb excessive speculation in off-plan properties. Subdued mortgage growth, low off-plan sales and increasing housing regulation differentiate this price rally from the one in 2008, the report said. “We expect housing-market supply to grow at the same pace as demand, with new projects being launched in a more planned and controlled manner than in the past. Dubai’s housing market is comprised of 417,900 apartments and 62,000 villas. Residential supply has been growing at an average compound rate of around eight per cent, with apartments increasing by nine per cent and villas by four per cent,” said the report. By the end of 2013, supply should increase by 19,400 apartments and 3,400 villas, assuming there are no delays in construction schedules. The largest proportion of future stock from 2013 to 2015 will be delivered in the sub-markets of Dubailand (7,900 units); Business Bay (3,800 units); and Dubai Sports City (3,800 units). “We expect the city to expand, with a focus on new developments outside central Dubai, in areas to the south and east,” the bank said. The bank expects Expo 2020 to be a meaningful contributor to the sustainability of the housing market, in the event of a positive bid result in November 2013. According to the report, Dubai’s chances of winning have increased. “In the event it does, close to 300,000 more jobs could be created with 25 million people visiting Dubai. 90 per cent of the job opportunities would occur from 2018 to 2021, with most of the jobs created in the travel and tourism sector. This indicates a good chance that a high percentage of these will be converted into permanent jobs, which would benefit the expanded economy in the post-Expo period.” The report recalled that the sharp increases in property prices in 2008 were driven by excessive short-term speculative activity, especially on off-plan properties. “For these properties, buyers only had to put down 10 per cent deposits (rather than the full price), so the market became highly leveraged. Many buyers never had the intention (or the funds) to pay the future installments as they planned to flip the property before any payments were due. This turned the housing market into an unsustainable, highly leveraged derivatives market. We pointed out these problems in our On the Ground, ’A tale of two housing markets’, published in July 2008. It was therefore no surprise to us that in 2009 there was a sharp correction in housing prices, accompanied by a rapid decline in property transactions,” said the report. The bank observed that Dubai’s housing market is influenced by broader economic trends. “Dubai’s economy has experienced solid and sustainable rates of growth over the past three years. The key drivers are logistics, hospitality and retail. This looks set to continue, particularly when it comes to logistics, which contributes 14 per cent to the GDP. We expect trade to increase in the years to come on the back of the increased spending plans of most governments in the region, including Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.” Tourism is also expected to grow at an average of 6.5 per cent per annum between 2011 and 2021, pushing up employment growth for the sector by 4.1 per cent per year, report said quoting a Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry study. Dubai’s population growth is another driver of housing demand surge, said the report. The city’s population is the second largest in the country, after the capital Abu Dhabi, and is largely comprised of expatriates. “The population increased from 2.0 million in 2011 to 2.1 million in 2012, according to the Dubai Statistics Center. We expect it to reach 2.2 million in 2013,” the bank said in its report. issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Outgoing calls suspended for 3m cellphone users
Outgoing calls suspended for 3m cellphone users Haseeb Haider / 2 September 2013 Telecom providers etisalat and du have suspended the service for almost three million subscribers who were late in updating their information during the last phases of ‘My Number, My Identity’ campaign, launched by the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA). This means that a subscriber cannot make any outgoing calls, however he can receive incoming calls and text messages. Both etisalat and du have started to gradually cease their services for subscribers who were targeted during the previous stages. These subscribers were previously informed to update their information but failed to do so even after their service was suspended for three months. The total number of subscribers whose subscriptions have been cancelled is almost two million. ‘My Number, My Identity’ campaign, launched in July 2012, successfully entered its fifth phase, on schedule with the previously announced timeline, announced the TRA. The campaign was initiated in collaboration with etisalat and du to increase mobile subscriber awareness on the new registration procedures for mobile phone services. It also seeks to highlight the important role the subscribers play in protecting their SIM cards to maintain their privacy to avoid any misuse that may occur, since the registered subscriber of the number will be legally and financially accountable. The subscribers and licensees etisalat and du are participating in the process of updating information and registration in order to put into action the new policies and procedures set by the campaign which has a timeline of 18 months until the beginning of 2014 and divided into six stages in order to successfully include the whole country in the registration process. Etisalat and du have finished targeting four groups of subscribers and will now target around four million subscribers during the remaining stages of the campaign. On the launch of the fifth stage of the ‘My Number, My Identity’ campaign, Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director-General said: “The campaign focuses on the procedures that will be taken by the TRA in order to ensure the transparency in dealing with mobile subscribers and protecting their privacy if misuse occurs by users who use mobile services not registered under their names.” According to latest statistics registered during the month of August 2013, more than 12 million subscribers have registered and updated their data packages. This number continues to increase as more subscribers register. Al Ghanim called upon subscribers to register and update their data in order to avoid disconnection of their service, saying: “The licensees suspended the service for almost three million subscribers who were late in updating their information during the last phases of the campaign. He added: “The TRA encourages e-registration and encourages the licensees etisalat and du to make sure the facility is available to e-register which goes in line with the new registration procedures and to smoothly facilitate the process.” He said: “Companies can arrange with etisalat and du in order to register a large number of subscribers through one visit to the company’s office, in order to facilitate the registration process for subscribers who may find it difficult to do so individually.” The TRA confirmed that the current and targeted numbers mentioned above are approximate numbers that may increase or decrease, as the total number of subscribers in the telecommunications sector is subject to change as it is controlled by several factors such as the decrease due to cancellation of many subscriptions or the recycling of numbers by operators. haseeb@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
