Tag Archives: opinion
1,326 to get Al Falah houses today
1,326 to get Al Falah houses today (Wam) / 14 August 2013 The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City will hand over the keys of new housing units today to 1,326 citizens whose names have been approved in the third phase of the residential project of Al Falah City. The project is being implemented on the directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, from their keen interest to provide a decent living for all citizens and ensure the stability of the Emirati family. The municipality has dedicated 25 counters at the main centre on Shaikh Zayed Road for the beneficiaries to complete the procedures swiftly, and there will be a mobile car service for the beneficiaries with special needs. The Falah City project is being implemented in phases and includes 4,857 villas spread over five districts. The project is part of a citizens’ housing initiative launched by the Government of Abu Dhabi in 2010 to strengthen the societal ties. Continue reading
Seven warehouses gutted in Sharjah
Seven warehouses gutted in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 13 August 2013 Huge amounts of thick black smoke billowed in the Sharjah sky on Monday morning after a massive fire completely gutted seven car and furniture warehouses, with eight firefighting teams from four emirates needed to control it. Eight firefighting teams from four emirates took part in the operation to put out the blaze in Sharjah on Monday. — KT photo by M. Sajjad Two workers suffered smoke inhalation, with one being treated on the scene and the second at Al Qasimi Hospital. No further injuries were reported but financial losses were incurred in the blaze, which hit old buildings in Sharjah Industrial Area Number 5. A Khaleej Times photographer said he saw about 100 cars out of a total of several hundred that appeared to be damaged as a result of the inferno, while nearby warehouses were evacuated and workers were told to leave the area due to the risk the fire would spread further. He saw about 50 firefighters and 30 police officers on the scene, handling the blaze. UAE Civil Defence Director-General Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi told Khaleej Times five firefighting teams from Sharjah, and one each from Dubai, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain were in attendance. He said the entire firefighting operation started about 10.30am and finished six hours later, at 4.30pm. Emergency services were still cooling down the area by 7.30pm. Sharjah Civil Defence Deputy Director Colonel Nasser Juma bin Hindi said the Civil Defence operations room was notified about the accident about 10.50am, with the fire spreading rapidly due to the huge amount of car tyres and other flammable materials stored at the warehouse. “Fire fighters immediately rushed to the fire site to douse the flames which spread to neighbouring warehouses and the rapid spread of the fire required the intervention of Dubai, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain Civil Defences in addition to water supplied by Sharjah Municipality to control the blaze.” The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Sharjah Police forensic laboratory, who were handed over the premises after the cooling process was completed. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
It’s a pricey affair
It’s a pricey affair Staff Reporter / 13 August 2013 Students in the UAE continue to opt for engineering and business programmes, new research confirms — though the UAE is the most expensive place to attend university in emerging economies. According to the research by HSBC Bank, business and engineering are the two most popular degrees amongst university students in the UAE. The research was done in eight key markets around the world and it examined the most popular university courses, the cost of studying and comparisons between different social and economic factors driving these choices. It revealed that students in new or emerging markets were much more likely to study vocational subjects at university than their counterparts in developed countries. The UAE, in particular, has among the highest proportions of individuals choosing vocational subjects, with 84 per cent of students in the country’s top ten courses selecting Business, Engineering, Law, Medical & Health Sciences and IT to study. In the UK, USA and Canada, the trend is opposite with more students opting for non-vocational courses, including humanities and social sciences with fewer than 60 per cent choosing vocational courses. Economic activities in each country appeared to affect the choice of programmes opted for. Students in the UAE tend to enroll in courses that lead to specific in-demand jobs in the country, which is seen as an important route to good careers and financial prosperity over the course of a lifetime. With infrastructure and construction spending to reach more than Dh480 billion by 2016, nearly double the amount in 2011, students are looking to be part of the UAE’s ongoing growth, which is driving interest in Business and Engineering courses. One of the key insights highlighted by the research is that while the cost of Higher Education is higher in developed countries, notably 81 per cent of GDP per person in countries such as Canada, there is less emphasis on studying courses that lead to a greater “return on investment” in terms of long-term job prospects. Students in economies such as the UK, USA and Canada are being drawn to courses that support their ageing demographic populations, such as Medicine, Nursing and Social Sciences. In contrast, students in emerging economies such as the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong are more interested in courses that develop skills to meet the growing needs of boom sectors such as Engineering. In the UAE, the cost of studying is equivalent to 51 per cent of GDP per person and an average of $27,375 per year including university fees and living expenses — the highest amongst the emerging economies. When considering the costs of education in the country, students look to reap the benefits of a degree that provides a greater “return on investment” in terms of graduate employment. HSBC Bank Middle East Limited’s head of retail banking and wealth management in the UAE Rick Crossman said: “As higher education increasingly becomes one of the most important investments people can make in their lifetimes, either for themselves or their children, they have to realise the importance of being financially prepared for this goal. This is particularly pertinent in the UAE where we see a greater focus on vocational degrees, which require significant investment.” – muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
