Tag Archives: dubai
Design District Phase I to be completed by Jan 2015
Design District Phase I to be completed by Jan 2015 Staff Report / 10 June 2013 Phase one of the newly announced ‘Dubai Design District’ worth Dh4 billion will be completed by January 2015. It was revealed on Sunday by Tecom Investments that expanded it’s creative communities base in the emirate after the announcement of new business district. Construction of ten buildings is already under way, Tecom said in a statement. It is expected to be the most connected fashion district in the world, with Dubai being only eight hours flight time from 90 per cent of the countries in the world. The business district will be home to some of the world’s leading brands and talent, as well as showcasing Dubai as an international design, fashion and luxury destination that can compete with the more established global centres. World-renowned luxury brands and educational institutions are already operating in some of Tecom’s nine free zones. Tecom is also providing licensing facility during the construction period of the first phase of the new district. Under Tecom’s existing offering, the legal and commercial framework for licensing specific design-related activities is already available, according to the statement. “The UAE’s resilient and growing retail and tourism sectors, its strong infrastructure and logistic network, and the potential of the Menasa region, have already attracted several of the world’s top design and luxury brands to set up their regional headquarters in Dubai,” commented Ahmad bin Byat, chief executive officer, Dubai Holding. “Dubai Design District will be a dedicated home to the growing and increasingly popular local designer community who are emerging onto the global stage. We are confident that the district will play an integral role in diversifying Dubai’s economy once developed,” Bin Byat said. Dr Amina Al Rustamani, group chief executive officer at Tecom Investments, added: “Extensive market research into the design, fashion and luxury industries, coupled with our track record in creating, operating and growing successful, industry-focused business parks in Dubai has led us to create this new district.” “In the same way that we have supported IT companies in Dubai Internet City — the region’s first knowledge cluster — and media companies in Dubai Media City, we want to give design and luxury goods companies a platform for growth and an appropriate base for their operations in Dubai,” Al Rustamani said. Tecom’s pioneering and industry-focused business parks have helped play a key part in the development of Dubai’s knowledge economy and in growing employment levels across the UAE, she added. — abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Dubai doctor’s bid to solve Kerala’s water problem
Dubai doctor’s bid to solve Kerala’s water problem T K Devasia (news@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 June 2013 The acute drinking water crisis faced by the South Indian state of Kerala during summer this year came as a surprise to many. It is surprising because Kerala, with 50,000 million cubic metres of fresh water in 44 rivulets, 19 lakes, more than 900 ponds, and 300cm rainfall for 120 days in a year in normal conditions, is considered as the wettest state in the country. While most people have been indulging in a blame game, the paradox has spurred a Non-resident Keralite (NRK) based in Dubai into action. Dr Azad Moopen, who heads the DM Healthcare — a leading healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East — is trying to show how the natural gift can be preserved. He believes that the current water shortage can easily be solved even if a small section of the population preserves the rain water that goes into the Arabian Sea due to the peculiar slanting topography of the state. Moopen has decided to test it out in his home village of Kalpakanchery, where the wells and ponds dry by January every year. The people in the village have been sourcing water from far off places in tankers paying Rs600 for 2,000 litres. He looked for a solution that can easily be adapted by the people. Moopen didn’t have to go far. He could find a cheaper indigenous rain harvesting device in the village itself. Developed by Perumalparampil Jaleel, the device seeks to harvest rain water from roof tops. Under the system, rain water from the roof is sourced to a plastic drum through PVC pipes. The plastic drum acts as a filter as it is filled with pure river sand, charcoal and baby metal. There is also a nylon net placed on the top of all these so that leaves and other similar particles are prevented from going inside. After filtering, the harvested rain water is driven to the well through another PVC pipe. In most cases, the water stored in the well is enough to meet the dry season demand. Moopen Institute for Local Empowerment (Miles), an initiate launched by Moopen to strengthen the villages, has launched a campaign to propagate the device with the help of Central Ground Water Board. They explained the conservation measures through a two-day workshop. This was followed by meetings at the ward level. Miles also got devices for rain harvesting with the help of Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Calicut. Irfan Habib, coordinator of the programme, said the efforts evoked massive response from the villagers, who are now queuing up to install the device in their homes. He told Khaleej Times that four to five well recharging filters were being installed on a daily basis now. A group of plumbers are racing against time to install the filters in a maximum number of houses before the monsoon advances. Miles plans to install the rainwater harvesting filter in at least 500 houses at Kalpakancherry, which they hope would bring a permanent solution to the drinking water crisis plaguing the village for more than a decade now. Experts believe that Kerala may not need piped water at all if it taps the wells available in the state. The state has as many as seven million wells as against 7.6 million ‘occupied houses’, according to CWRDM. Continue reading
60% of Emirati borrowers use the money to buy cars
60% of Emirati borrowers use the money to buy cars Haseeb Haider / 7 June 2013 An overwhelming majority of 60 per cent of the Emiratis in Abu Dhabi, who borrowed money, in the first quarter of the year, said in a survey they spent it to purchase a car. A whopping majority of 58.4 per cent Emiratis in Abu Dhabi had borrowed money in the first quarter of the year, says the National Family Status survey conducted in January-March period of 2013 and released by Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. The survey found that 60 per cent of Emiratis spent their loans on buying cars, 25 per cent on building a new home, while 12 per cent spent on tying the knot. Three per cent spent on holidays abroad, according to the survey. The survey reinforces the consumer confidence which is on the rise in the country. Syed Hamayun Alam, AGM at Abu Dhabi-based Al Masaood Automobiles, said: “Consumer confidence has only grown in the country, in recent years, which is reflected by the survey also.” The total industry volume which means the total car sales in the country, he said was expected to grow 8 per cent year-on-year to 350,000 cars in 2013. A spokesman for Lulu Group, one of the largest chains of hypermarkets in the GCC, said the survey indicates the rising consumer spending. The retail group was projecting 15-20 per cent year-on-year growth in the sales of IT, telecommunications and home entertainment products, which includes mobile phones, iPads, tablets, television sets and other electronic gadgets. According to the survey each family in Abu Dhabi have a landline and they have five mobile phones, on average. The average landline phone bill during the three months preceding amounted to Dh919, whereas mobile phone bill was Dh4,414. About 32 per cent of heads of families changed their mobile phones during the three months which preceded the survey. The general price index in Abu Dhabi during the first quarter of 2013, scored 74 points, one point higher year-on-year, reflecting an increasing national families sense of the substantial rise in prices of food commodities in March 2013. The survey coincided with the findings of the consumer price index opinion polls conducted by the Statistics Center-Abu Dhabi, as the consumer price index for food group went up to 138.41 points during the March 2013 compared to 137.6 in March 2012. The consumer confidence index showed improvement in the value of the sub-indicator (for citizens) concerning long-term consumer goods which grew two points to 119.6 points. On an average two persons in an Emirati family work and 41.3 per cent of them have at least one person with additional source of income. The average monthly expenditure for the three months prior to the survey rose 25 per cent to Dh26,393 compared to Dh21,014 in the same period a year ago. The money was used to buy food, drink and tobacco; and housing rental, water, electricity, gas, telecommunications, furniture, maintenance, personal service and other household supplies accounted for 45 per cent of total spending on average, showing a decline by ten per cent, which is normal and in line with drop in rents after the global financial crisis, and the drop in consumer price index during the current period. In the “Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2007-2008” in Abu Dhabi, 55 per cent of the monthly expenditure went on these items. haseeb@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
