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Two crushed to death in crane collapse in Sharjah
Two crushed to death in crane collapse in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 24 March 2014 The workers were standing under the crane, directing its driver to lift up the concrete, when all of sudden the crane collapsed due to a technical fault. Two Asian workers died on the spot when a crane lifting a container full of wet cement collapsed at an under-construction building in Sharjah Industrial Area No 2 on Saturday evening. The two workers were not wearing their helmets at the time of the incident, the police said. The police operation room received the call at about 4.30pm and an ambulance, rescue unit, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team and patrols were dispatched to the site. The deceased, identified as R.T.A., a 33-year-old Bangladeshi and N.H.F., a 41-year-old Pakisitani, were employed with a Sharjah-based contracting company. The co-workers who witnessed the incident said they were standing under the crane, directing its driver to lift up the concrete, when all of sudden the crane collapsed due to a technical fault and hit their heads. The police shifted the bodies to Al Kuwaiti Hospital. They have registered a case under relevant sections and are trying to ascertain the exact cause of the accident. The police are also investigating if there was any negligence on the part of the company in observing safety and protection procedures for its workers. afkarali@khaleejtimes. com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Scottish prime property market sees strongest year start since 2008
The prime residential market at £400,000 and above across Scotland experienced a strong performance last year, with a 22% annual increase in activity. In this sector there were 2,536 transactions during 2013, according to the latest analysis report from Savills which shows that the market was robust from spring 2013 onwards with deals being done throughout the winter period. A further 188 prime transactions were registered in January 2014 across Scotland, making it the busiest start to the year since 2008. Savills says that the prime market is being boosted by the hubs of Edinburgh, the Aberdeen area and Greater Glasgow, where prime activity increased annually by around 25% in each location. The prime market in Edinburgh was heavily supported by the hotspots of Grange, Morningside and Merchiston. Prime transactions in this combined area increased by 29% last year. The West End of Edinburgh and the northern suburb of Trinity also enjoyed a better market in 2013, following slightly lower activity in the previous two years. Similarly, the prime southern Glasgow suburbs of Pollokshields, Newlands, Giffnock and Newton Mearns experienced a strong market last year with a 31% increase in activity. These areas continue to be supported by top quality education facilities and excellent transport links. ‘We have noticed a change in the buyer age group over the course of the last year. In previous years there was an over reliance on those aged 50 and above driving the market. However, the prime market in the city hotspots of Edinburgh and Glasgow is increasingly being driven by younger professionals aged from 30 to 39, comprising around 40% of Savills sales last year,’ said Faisal Choudhry of Savill’s research team in Glasgow. ‘This target market had been somewhat subdued following the housing market downturn, mainly due to affordability issues. However, there was an ever present pent up demand among this age category aspiring to upsize. This age group is now more active and is enabling the whole of the market to move again following low levels of sales during 2011 and 2012,’ he pointed out. ‘The market strength in the core locations of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow has spilled out to some of Scotland’s provincial locations, such as Tayside, where prime transactions increased last year by 19%. The prime markets in Ayrshire and the Borders also improved The analysis report explains that prime values across Scotland have fallen over the last few years due to the high levels of stock available on the market. However, the significant increase in prime sales has created a net reduction in stock levels. ‘Supply in some hotspots in Edinburgh and Glasgow has been decreasing, resulting in a slight rise in values, particularly towards the end of last year. The rebalancing of supply and demand has started in the country locations of Scotland with values beginning to stabilise during the last quarter of 2013. We expect a gentle rise in Scottish prime values during 2014 when supply and demand eventually rebalance,’ added Choudhry. Continue reading
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit (AFP) / 24 March 2014 Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday Arab League foreign ministers said they agreed on the draft resolutions on Sunday for a summit in Kuwait this week, despite deep rifts among member states. Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Mongi Hamdi speaks with his Qatari counterpart Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during the opening session of the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in preparation for the Arab Summit in Kuwait City on Sunday. UAE Minister of State Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber also seen in the picture. — AFP “There was no tension whatsoever in the meeting. Host country Kuwait in fact has smoothed relations,” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at the end of the one-day meeting. “The subject of the … withdrawal of ambassadors was never mentioned at all,” he said. “There were no controversial issues or problems, and the atmosphere was very positive,” he said, declining to answer if efforts will be made to heal the rifts. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recalled their ambassadors from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar in protest at Doha’s perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood, branded a terrorist organisation by Cairo and Riyadh. Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, however, said: “Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes.” Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs Fadhel Jawad has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences. Morocco’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Mezwar, said the ministers discussed efforts to combat international terrorism and ways to limit its impact on Arab countries. But he said Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood or whether to approve a new inter-Arab counter-terrorism pact were not discussed at the meeting. Zebari said all draft resolutions were unanimously approved by Arab foreign ministers. A draft resolution on the Syrian conflict, which entered its fourth year last week, urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility after the failure of Geneva peace talks between the regime and the opposition. The leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, Ahmad Al Jarba, has been invited to address the Arab summit. But Syria’s seat in the Arab League remains vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. The Arab League said the opposition still needs to meet some legal procedures to take up the seat. On the Palestinian issue, the ministers called on Arab states to provide $100 million in financial aid to the Palestinian Authority every month and rejected recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The ministers approved the basic charter of a Bahrain-based Arab human rights tribunal and recommended that the next summit be held in Egypt. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
