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Sharjah rents sizzle; Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah follow
Sharjah rents sizzle; Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah follow Issac John / 6 February 2014 Apartment rents in Sharjah jumped 33 per cent year-on-year while Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah witnessed respective 23 per cent and 18 per cent hikes in 2013. Despite a three-year freeze on hikes, residential rents recorded steep increases in Sharjah in 2013, in line with a general upswing felt across a resurgent UAE leasing market. A two-bedroom apartment at the Corniche now rents for up to Dh70,000. — KT file Apartment rents in Sharjah jumped 33 per cent year-on-year while Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah witnessed respective 23 per cent and 18 per cent hikes in 2013 amid vivid signs of a long-awaited resilience in the property sector, said analysts at Asteco, a real estate consultancy. “Our research shows that the rental law that was created to protect tenants from steep annual rent increases, is being circumvented by some landlords asking for additional fees for maintenance and extra parking spaces, to compensate for the three-year rent freeze stipulated in the rent law,” said John Stevens, managing director Asteco. In March 2013, the Sharjah Municipality warned landlords not to hike rents before the completion of three years in line with the tenancy law. In Sharjah’s popular Al Majaz, Al Qasimia, Al Nahda and Al Wahda areas, residential rents rose nearly 38 per cent in 2013, Asteco said. “Rental rates throughout Sharjah increased, on average, by eight per cent in the last quarter alone. A two-bedroom apartment in Corniche now rents for up to Dh70,000 per annum,” it said in a report. Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Fujairah also witnessed a fourth-quarter growth of up to six per cent. While the annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Ras Al Khaimah has gone up to Dh50,000 per annum, the cost of a similar property in either Fujairah or Ajman is up to Dh45,000. The steepest increases of 2013 were recorded in Dubai with rents on average surging to between 50 and 60 per cent across all residential apartments and villas. While Dubai’s apartment rents jumped by almost 50 per cent, villa rents rose by 20 per cent, Asteco said. Prices of Dubai property also rose by up to 60 per cent in prime residential developments, but current price level is still 21 per cent lower than 2008 peak, Asteco said. However, in 2014, Dubai is forecast to witness slower growth in residential rental rates with the addition of 25,000 new units. The International Monetary Fund, raising its 2014 economic growth forecast for the UAE to 4.5 per cent, has observed a steep recovery in 2013 in real estate sector, with home prices in Dubai having increased rapidly in some areas. Knight Frank said in its Prime Global Forecast that Dubai’s real estate market would be the world’s top performer in 2014, building on the previous year’s rapid price growth. It predicted a price growth of between 10 and 15 per cent this year in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, prime residential rents rose on average by 17 per cent during 2013 amid an eight per cent surge in the last quarter, partly driven by the removal of the five per cent annual rent cap. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, property prices in Abu Dhabi rose by up to 25 per cent last year but the significant gains were limited to prime projects. issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 6 February 2014 Sharjah Education Zone issues circular imposing tough penalties against teachers offering private tuitions. Private tuitions can affect the quality of education provided at schools and add to the financial burden of parents. — Photo used for illustrative purposes Following several complaints from parents about teachers offering private tuitions to students, the Sharjah Education Zone issued a circular imposing tough penalties against such teachers. Offering tuitions to students is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Education, as it affects the quality of education provided at schools and adds more financial burden on parents. Some teachers reportedly force students to inform their parents that they would have to take tuition classes citing lack of time to complete the syllabus in class. Mona Shuhail, Deputy Director of the Sharjah Education Zone, said they received several complaints from parents about tuitions being offered to their children in private schools. Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Education, the authority issued the circular and distributed it to all private and public schools in Sharjah. The circular warned teachers that giving private tuitions would result in tough penalties including warnings, fines and dismissal. “The education zone recently fined some private schools which were found promoting private tuitions for its students after schools hours,” Shuhail said. If a teacher is found violating regulations, a written warning is first issued, and if the teacher repeats the offence, the zone instructs the school to terminate the teacher’s services. “The practice (of promoting tuitions), which is increasing at private schools, affects education development and the financial budgets of parents,” she said. Hessah Al Khajah, Director of Private Schools at the Sharjah Education Zone, said parents and teachers are equally responsible for the practice. Al Khajah urged schools managements to take all efforts to combat it so as to improve the quality of education. The zone had earlier introduced ‘education strengthening classes’ at a little extra charge to combat private tuitions. School principals Khaleej Times spoke to said “poor teaching processes” at some schools force parents to opt for private tuition classes. “Some parents can’t afford to pay for private tuitions in addition to the annual school fees,” one principal said. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Solutions to combat hunger being discussed at forum
Solutions to combat hunger being discussed at forum Silvia Radan / 4 February 2014 Expert says sustainability and efficiency are two of the main reasons why the world needs artificially made meat. The proverbial food pill may well become a reality in the near future given the advanced technology and innovation in food production. The latest solutions to combat world hunger are being discussed during the three-day Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA), taking place in Abu Dhabi until February 5. There isn’t yet a food pill, but there is a ‘lab-burger’. One of the keynote speakers on the opening day on Monday, Dr Mark Post, Professor of Physiology at Maastrict University, presented his project, the world’s first beef burger created in a laboratory. The project became reality last summer, when the first burger was tasted by a London journalist. “She said it had good texture, but the taste could be improved,” revealed Dr. Post. The burger was made from cow cells (no animal had to be sacrificed) from the animal’s skeleton muscles. Altogether, the first ever cultured meat burger required three billion cow cells and Euro 25,000, if commercially produced, the price for the lab-burger would reach $65 per kilogram. The price is still high, but according to Dr. Post that would only be in the initial stage. Sustainability and efficiency are two of the main reasons why the world needs artificially made meat. “Meat production threatens our species! Eighteen per cent of green house gas emissions come from meat farming. If we shift from meat to vegetables, we cut pollution, gain more land and feed a lot more people. One way of doing it is for us all to become vegetarians, but we are a species who loves meat,” explained Dr Post. According to him, lab made meat would reduce the usage of land by 90 per cent, save 70 per cent energy and 90 per cent water. With the world population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, climate change is a serious threat to agriculture, food is becoming a major security issue. Particularly in dry areas, where water scarcity makes food production unreasonable, countries like Saudi Arabia or Qatar have little choice but expensive food imports. “There are a few solutions to food imports,” said Dr Frank Rijsberman, CEO of CGIAR Consortium, a global agricultural research partnership. “First, you can buy farm land somewhere else, but it will take years to get the crops growing. You can store large quantities of food, but that is very expensive. You can buy ready established agri-food lands like I’ve seen in the newspapers countries here do now; or you can invest in agricultural innovation and this is what I recommend for you! UAE should massively invest in food innovation research,” said Dr Rijsberman. Throughout the three-day forum, 160 agricultural innovations are being presented, while the exhibition running alongside has some global 150 stands showing their latest solutions to growing food. silvia@khaleejtimes.com Clean-up drive abu dhabi — Tadweer (Centre of Waste Management – Abu Dhabi) has launched a comprehensive clean-up drive targeting stockyards and farms in Al Wafia, Dharat Al Tayeb and Razeen areas located nearly 45 kilometres east of Abu Dhabi City. The campaign is in line with Tadweer’s strategy of implementing the highest hygienic standards and raising awareness about the need to preserve the environment. The campaign involves the cleaning up of collection sites of animal waste and fallen stock as well as the removal of compost leftovers. More than 50 labours and 20 vehicles were deployed for the clean-up campaign. Mubarak Al Ameri, Waste Collection Projects Department Manager at Tadweer said: “The campaign was launched a week ago and is part of Tadweer’s ongoing efforts to raise hygienic standards in Abu Dhabi’s Eastern Region and contribute to the preservation of desert environment and its development into a vibrant ecosystem.” “The clean-up drive at stockyards and farms comes as part of Tadweer’s effective action plans and ongoing campaigns to provide a clean and healthy environment within the Emirate within the strategic vision of the Abu Dhabi government, and our shared national responsibility to achieve sustainable development.” Al Wafiya, Dharat Al Tayeb and Razeen areas comprise nearly 1,150 stockyards, and throughout the year Tadweer runs various awareness initiatives and clean-up campaigns in the Eastern Region as part of its keenness to protect the health and safety of the public and support the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 which aims to create a clean and sustainable environment in the emirate. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
