Tag Archives: dubai
RTA could bring Dubai Metro expansion forward
Leaders at Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have confirmed that plans to expand the city's Metro network could be brought forward if the emirate's bid for the World Expo in 2020 is successful.The organisation is hoping to complete an AED 5 billion (£866 million) upgrade of the Red Line, but the project could be fast-tracked if the high-profile international event is staged in Dubai.Organisers of the city's bid have outlined potential sites to host the conference and it is likely to end up next to Dubai World Central Airport. If the showpiece is awarded to the sheikhdom, the RTA will be under pressure to provide Metro links between the airport and the rest of the region.Mattar Mohammad Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA, said plans to expand the Red Line out towards the airport have been in place for some time, Gulf News reports.”As soon as the bid results are out and if we win – which we will Inshallah (God willing), we start the planning and development of the project,” he was quoted as saying.Dubai World Central has only been used to transport cargo to date, but the aviation facility is scheduled to launch passenger flights in October 2013.Conveniently, organisers of the World Expo 2020 are expected to announce the host city just one month later.Mr Al Tayer said the new-look Metro servive will also cover Jebel Ali, which is close to the Expo site, thus enabling even more people to travel to the venue.”We have already floated the tenders for the next stage of Etihad Rail's development. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2017, and that will bring additional traffic to the area,” he added.Earlier this week, the Bureau International des Expositions scrutinised each Expo 2020 bidder and confirmed that Dubai has moved on to the next stage of the process. Thailand's Ayutthaya has withdrawn from the competition, leaving just four contenders, including Izmir in Turkey, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Yekaterinburg in Russia and Dubai. Continue reading
Is Dubai set to be the next big technology hub?
Most people immediately think of the US or Japan when the subject of technology is raised, but Dubai is also building itself a strong reputation in this area.Indeed, Dubai Internet City has already attracted some of the leading companies on the planet – not least Google – and this is a trend that is likely to develop over time.Speaking to Al Arabiya, Omar Christidis, chief executive of ArabNet – a forum for technology start-ups – said the emirate is a “growing hub for digital business”.His comments were made during the ArabNet Digital Summit, which poignantly has been switched from its usual location of Beirut to Dubai, further emphasising just how powerful the city has become in the technology sector.Mr Christidis said the interest in digital corporations has “exploded” since 2010 and this is reflected in the growing number of people attending the summit every year.”We're seeing global companies establish their Middle East – and often their Middle East and Africa – headquarters in Dubai, sometimes even managing Turkey and India based out of Dubai,” he was quoted as saying.”This year we decided to shift the Digital Summit, our biggest international event, from Beirut to Dubai, as Dubai is the hub for digital business in the Arab world.”Earlier this month, a study conducted by the Economic Intelligence Unit on behalf of Citi bank concluded that Dubai is an excellent place to do business, describing the city as an “all-round performer”.Aside from the plethora of technology organisations that have moved to the sheikhdom, plenty of enterprises in other fields have been keen to set up a new base in this part of the Gulf. This is partly attributed to the favourable tax laws in the UAE.The Hot Spots 2025: Benchmarking the Future Competitiveness of Cities report showed Dubai is the leading business destination in the Middle East and is set to be the 23rd strongest market in the world over the coming years. Continue reading
DM delegation visits Paris for Expo2020 official mission
DM delegation visits Paris for Expo2020 official mission (Wam) / 12 June 2013 A delegation headed by Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality participated in the official mission related to Expo2020 held in the City of Paris on Wednesday. The delegation included Eng. Mohamed Noor Mashroom, Director of General Projects Department and Eng. Marwan Al Mohammed, Head of Engineering Supervision at Buildings Department. The delegation will also be visiting some new world-class projects implemented by the city of Paris including Futuroscope Theme Park and Science Museum. It is worth mentioning that Dubai Municipality has good relations with the French cities, especially the city of Lyon, with which the civic body has signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation aimed at strengthening bilateral relations by finding ways to cooperate in the field of municipal work. The agreement is aimed at encouraging and facilitating exchange of information and experiences in the fields of economic and cultural relations, particularly in construction and infrastructure, which includes the exchange of the lightening system for modern and historical buildings applied by the city of Lyon. Continue reading
