Tag Archives: dubai
Entire Dubai Metro cabin for women and children
Entire Dubai Metro cabin for women and children Lily B. Libo-on / 27 August 2013 From September 1, the Roads and Transport Authority’s Rail Agency will extend the Metro cabin capacity for women and child passengers to meet the growing demand during peak hours. A cabin of the Dubai Metro reserved for women and children during peak hours from September 1. — KT photo by Leslie Pableo Peak hours are from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 8pm during which one cabin will be allocated entirely for women and children from Sundays to Thursdays. Currently, only half of the cabin is dedicated as special Dubai Metro compartment for women and children to provide, in addition to privacy, more space to allow strollers and bags. Ramadan Abdullah Mohammed, Director of Rail Operations, said that every Metro train has five cabins, of which half a cabin has been allocated to women and children and the other half for Gold card-holders, and the rest for all other passengers. “With the extension of the Metro cabin capacity for women and children, only three-and-a-half cabins will be for other passengers during peak hours starting September 1. “The number of women and children Metro passengers have noticeably increased primarily due to the growth in the public transport culture among the public from different social cross-sections, including women and children. Such a rise in the number of these commuters has prompted us to extend the current capacity of their Metro cabin to reach half of silver cabin.” He said that this Metro cabin capacity is being extended to make the Metro trip smoother and more comfortable for women and children, especially that this segment of Metro passengers needs to be given privacy. The Rail Operation director appealed to all male Metro commuters to respect this new cabin allocation during the peak hours and help women and child travellers enjoy riding in the Metro with more privacy. Dubai Metro, which was launched on 09-09-2009, is servicing 400,000 riders a day, with 46 trains on the Red Line and 10 trains on the Green Line during peak hours. Dubai’s is the world’s longest driverless Metro at 75km. – lily@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Dubai shares at 5-year high
Dubai shares at 5-year high Issac John / 26 August 2013 Led by two leading property developers, Dubai shares jumped to the highest since November 2008 on Sunday. The benchmark Dubai DFM General Index surged 1.8 per cent to a five-year high to 2,748.27 points at the close as Deyaar Development and Union Properties surged amid a significant bounce back in property prices over the past few months in Dubai. In the first half of 2013, a stead upswing in Dubai property prices continued along with a surge in rents as more buyers from turmoil-hit countries entered the market amid increased investor confidence and mortgage availability. Year-on-year apartment rents and sales prices jumped 20 per cent and 38 per cent respectively. Villa rents were up 17 per cent as sales surged 24 per cent. According to market analysts, the price of luxury homes in Dubai rose by more than six per cent in the second quarter of 2013. Prime real estate prices in Dubai have increased by 21.6 per cent over the past year, making it the second best performing market in the world. Harald Finger, mission chief of International Monetary Fund to the UAE, noted that listed Dubai property prices soared 35 per cent from a year ago in June. The drastic jump in prices had prompted a warning from IMF that Dubai might need to intervene in its property market to prevent another boom-and-bust cycle. “It is too early to speak of a bubble, but should price increases continue to take place at this pace, action will need to be taken to prevent a bubble,” he said last month after annual economic consultations between the IMF and the UAE. On Sunday, Deyaar shares jumped the most since March 2012 as trading volumes climbed to more than 10 times the three-month daily average. Union Properties jumped 15 per cent to the highest since January 2010. Sunday’s gains brought this year’s advance for Deyaar to 63 per cent and for Union Properties to 58 per cent. That compares with a surge of 67 per cent for Emaar Properties, and 69 per cent for Dubai’s benchmark index. Deyaar and Union Properties trade at about 0.8 times book value, compared with a multiple of almost 1.2 for Emaar. Deyaar soared 15 per cent to 57.2 fils, while Union Properties closed at 62.4 fils. Emirates NBD, Dubai’s biggest bank and the largest shareholder in Union Properties, rose 2.7 per cent to Dh5.75, the highest since May 20. Air Arabia, a leading low-cost carrier, advanced 4.3 per cent to Dh1.45, the highest since September 2008. Abu Dhabi’s benchmark index advanced for a fifth day, gaining 0.3 per cent, while Oman’s measure added 0.2 per cent and Egypt’s EGX30 increased 0.9 per cent at 12:27pm in Cairo. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index lost 0.7 per cent, led by Riyadh-based Al Rajhi Bank, which declined 1.3 per cent. Kuwait’s measure fell 0.4 per cent, Qatar’s 0.3 per cent and Bahrain’s 0.2 per cent. issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Youth Spot: Breaking down the barriers
Youth Spot: Breaking down the barriers Dhanusha Gokulan / 25 August 2013 For someone who has not been to any country in the Middle East, clichés about the cultural workings of the place may be natural. Dubai, according to a handful of international students, is impressive, overwhelming, full of high-rises, and “slightly opulent”. Student delegates attending the HPAIR Asia Conference at the American University in Dubai.— KT photo by Mukesh Kamal However, three days into the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) being held here, 23-year-old Korean national Soyoung Lee said that the experience of being part of the five-day student-run conference, broke several of those prejudices that were previously formed in her mind. The Korea University student majoring in finance, was on her first visit to the Middle East. “You would assume that people here act differently or are generally biased one way or the other. You read about the political crises, the Arab Spring, and several other problems in the region. But being in Dubai sort of broke several prejudices that I had about the region in general. People here seem so much more casual,” said Lee. Jointly hosted by the American University in Dubai and Harvard University, this is the first time that the HPAIR is being held in the Middle East since its inception in 1992 in Taipei in Taiwan. Students at the American University in Dubai won the bid to host the conference, which opened on Thursday amidst a ceremony with almost 500 schools from 54 countries, last year. Prominent speakers shed light on the question of Asia’s increasing impact on the world. Together, they partake in dialogue bridging global perspectives through plenaries, seminars, and workshops by more than 150 speakers from the Middle East and other parts of the world. One of the biggest student-run conferences in the world, it has been previously hosted in cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, Mumbai, Kuala Lampur, Sydney, Shanghai, Seoul, and Beijing. ‘Not a very challenging environment’ Apart from panel discussions and speaker sessions, a career fair was also hosted for the students on Saturday. Most students Khaleej Times caught up with said the inter-cultural atmosphere made the exchange of dialogue healthily challenging. However, they said they found Dubai overwhelming, slightly opulent, and far too fancy for their standards. Though some of the international delegates were really impressed with the high standards in Dubai, they said that they would not like to kick-start their career here. Lee, and Filipino national and De La Salle University student Meg Lindt Olea, 20, said Dubai did not provide a very challenging platform for their talents. “I might eventually come to Dubai looking for international prospects, but I would not look to start my career here,” said Lee. Hongjun Wang, the chief catalyst at the Singapore-based startup The Art of Taking Personal Responsibility (TAOTPR) and one of the speakers at the conference said: “I think part of my work is relevant to the region.” ‘Cultural Diversity, biggest asset’ Student executive directors of Harvard University and AUD said cultural exchange helped dispel cultural prejudices. “Students nowadays attend conferences all across the world. What the world needs…is a bridge between the East and West,” said AUD student organising committee executive director Krisha Mehta. The third year finance student said: “On a global platform we have a lot of talk about the Middle East going on, especially about the opportunities available and challenges being faced by the people here. There are a wide variety of topics and controversies prominent in the western media that we have tried to highlight here at the conference it self.” Harvard University student organising committee executive director Willy Hoang said involving youth in development dialogue was critical to “inclusive growth and sustainability”. “Me and my team, we felt that it was time that HPAIR itself identify Middle East as part of Asia. By bringing it here, it opened a lot of doors for discussions.” Abdul Basit Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, the agency of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise sector, was a keynote speaker at the conference. “At Dubai SME we try to ensure youth participation in economic and social development through entrepreneurship promotion. We are particularly delighted to be part of HPAIR 2013 since it is being held in a region where a sizeable youth population is redefining growth strategies.” HPAIR 2013 also includes tours of Dubai, a career fair, university day, gala dinner, international night, and entertainment night. – dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
