Tag Archives: classifieds
Mohammed bin Zayed reaffirms UAE’s support to Egypt
Crown Prince reaffirms UAE’s support to Egypt (Wam) / 2 September 2013 General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the Egyptian interim President Adli Mansour discussed the fraternal relations and cooperation between the UAE and Egypt on Sunday. The discussions took place as the Egyptian President received the Crown Prince and his entourage at Al Etihadiya Palace in Cairo. Gen. Shaikh Mohammed holding discussions with Egyptian President Adli Mansour and prime minister Dr Hazem El Beblawy in Cairo on Sunday. -Wam During the meeting, Gen. Shaikh Mohammed conveyed to the Egyptian President greetings of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and their best wishes of progress, stability and prosperity for the leadership and people of Egypt. The two sides also discussed ways of bolstering and supporting aspects of cooperation between the UAE and Egypt in the service of their interests and the aspirations of their two brotherly peoples. At the meeting attended by Shaikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, and Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, the two sides also discussed the latest regional developments, and the efforts by Arabs and the international community to contain their consequences and to boost the opportunities for regional and international peace and security. Gen. Shaikh Mohammed affirmed the UAE’s satisfaction with the return of security and stability to Egypt, thanks to the efforts being made by the Egyptian leadership at this critical juncture. He reaffirmed the UAE’s support to the Egyptian people and its choices for determining their national requirements and aspirations. He also reaffirmed that the UAE’s support to Egypt stems from its Arab national affiliation and its own national and humanitarian policy which is based on peace, security, tolerance, love, as well as on urging for cooperation, rejection of division and violence, so as to establish stability and implement development and prosperity for all peoples. He emphasised that the directives by Shaikh Khalifa in this regard are clear and stipulate providing support to Egypt and its people. This emanates from Shaikh Khalifa’s belief that a strong and stable Egypt is a strength for, and a pillar of the renaissance of the Arab Nation and the Islamic Nation. Gen. Shaikh Mohammed said: “The UAE people and leadership will always remain a strong supporter for Egypt and its brotherly people in continuation of the UAE’s unwavering approach established by the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who also established the historic and solid relationship with Egypt and its brotherly people, based on love, friendliness and cordiality and on the principles of fraternity, mutual respect. This approach continues under the leadership of Shaikh Khalifa who is always keen on deepening pan-Arab solidarity in the service of the causes of the Arab Nation and the Islamic Nation.” Gen. Shaikh Mohammed wished Egypt further glory, pride and eminence, and continuous peace and stability. He also wished the Egyptian people success in fulfilling their aspirations for progress and dignified living. For his part the interim Egyptian President Adli Mansour asked Gen. Shaikh Mohammed to convey his greetings to Shaikh Khalifa and Shaikh Mohammed. He thanked the UAE for standing by Egypt and supporting the Egyptian people’s choices. UAE’s support hailed Meanwhile, Sakina Fouad, Egyptian presidential Adviser for Women’s Affairs, on Sunday hailed the support extended by the Gulf states, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, to the June 30 revolution, aborting plans targeting Egypt. The Egyptian senior official also hailed the visit by His Highness Gen Shaikh Mohammed to Egypt on Sunday. She noted that the positive aspects of the UAE’s position on Egypt is represented by an emphasis on the strength of the intra-Arab relations and their coming back to normalcy. The Egyptian Permanent Representative at the Arab League, Amr Abul Ata, thanked the UAE and Saudi Arabia, for supporting and helping Egypt after the June 30 revolution. In a speech at a meeting for the permanent representatives of Arab states to the Arab League, the Egyptian representative said Egypt astonished the world with its January 25, 2011 revolution which was triggered under the slogan, “Bread, Freedom and Social Freedom.” Continue reading
It’s school time again
Sarah Young As school gets back in session and new shoes are on the agenda, getting the right fit is a must for children, says a long-time shoe fitter. An expert on feet and shoe fitting for 44 years, Clarks International global children’s consultant Bob Hardy is visiting Dubai to provide training for Clark store managers, and parents with advice on shoe fitting for children, as school begins. It was extremely important for parents to get the right shoes given the wrong size could do a lot of harm when worn for the whole year, he said — especially considering children would walk about a million steps and spend 1,000 hours in those shoes – absorbing 50 litres of perspiration by the time the year is out. The development of children’s feet was ‘a total mystery’ to many parents, he said, who did not realise how quickly they grew. In the first year alone, a child’s feet would grow 25 millimetres, while from age one to five, they would grow 16mm each year, and then eight to 10mm per year from school age to mid-teens when the feet stopped growing, he said. Shoe companies offered half sizes, and width options, as well as integrating ‘growing room’ into the shoes, he said. Children often did not feel pain from ill-fitting shoes due the large amounts of fatty tissue in their feet, but the damage was still being done and would be felt when they were older, he said. Seventy per cent of adults would have had some sort of serious foot problem by the time they were 30, he said. Only 30 per cent of people actually had a standard fitting, he added. Hardy said a ‘geographical blip’ led him to his profession, as he was born one kilometre from the Clark headquarters. He left school in 1970 at the age of 16 and ended up standing in the Clark’s shoe factory “wondering what the hell I had done”. But it has proved a long love affair taking him on training trips to 45 countries. “I’ve been to so many different countries and met so many people … and it’s nice to see people using the things you’ve passed on or taught them on a daily basis.” His first visit to Dubai was in 1989, and much has changed since that time when a tractor drove up to the plane to collect their luggage. The UAE was one of the most challenging markets, given it was one of the most diverse in the world, and like a “mini-United States” in terms of the various population groups and differing lifestyle choices and tastes, he said. The warm weather and the amount of time spent in air conditioning meant customers could want from sandals to heeled, long boots. And, traditional local preferences meant styles exclusive to the Middle East had to be catered for, such as the men’s Arabic style sandal, he said. The biggest mistake he saw here was the tendency for people to wear ill-fitting sandals, and the number of people he saw “shuffling around and not walking properly, curling their toes up to hold their shoes on,” was worrying, he said. Traditional, natural materials such as leather and rubber were still the best for breathing, flexibility and toughness, he added. So what about his most challenging shoe-fitting experience? An Englishman who was convinced he had size 13 feet that were very wide, and no amount of measuring his feet or fitting shoes would make him believe his feet were actually a narrow size 11. “The shoes he walked in with could have held both his feet. “Although this probably wasn’t a foot problem….” sarah@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Mass relocations up housing demand
Mass relocations up housing demand Haseeb Haider / 31 August 2013 The new rule which has forced tens of thousands of Abu Dhabi government employees to move to the capital, has given the property sector a boost with demand for housing shooting up. The government gave a one-year timeframe to employees and their families to find new homes and schools and move to the emirate. Many believe the move will create more economic opportunities in the capital, and macro-economic stability. There are different estimates on how many people have been affected by the new rule — one estimate suggests about 30,000 were previously commuting daily between Abu Dhabi and other emirates, while David Dudley, the Abu Dhabi-based regional head for property consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), thinks the figure is more likely between 10,000 and 15,000 people. A separate study by the Department of Transport stated that 19,000 people commute in the morning from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. The CEO at Abu Dhabi economic consultancy Global Minds, Riad Mattar, said the government policy suggested the number must be really big, otherwise the decision would not had been taken. His own estimate was between 15,000 and 20,000 people — mostly executives — would move to the capital. The relocation has already had its impact on rents as in the first quarter of the year when rents shot up by eight per cent, as families started moving back, Mattar said. Abu Dhabi opened up its property sector to foreign investment in 2007, allowing expatriates the right to own properties in the designated investment zone like Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island and Al Raha Beach and adjoining areas like Al Reef. But, after the financial crisis of 2008, Abu Dhabi residents found rents much lower in Dubai, as thousands of residential units were delivered to their owners much earlier than in Abu Dhabi, where rents plunged significantly. However, due to late arrival of housing units, the rents were not affected in Abu Dhabi. The properties built after the financial crisis, when finally delivered to their owners, created an over–supply situation. Mattar described the government move as a well thought out one. He said first it would improve the occupancy levels in the capital and, secondly, the executive class – the primary people who would be moving back – would spend more money in Abu Dhabi on shopping, groceries and dining out, which will have a multiplier effect on the overall economy. The economist said that many Emiratis would also be affected by the new rule, as an estimated 10,000 or even more had to commute between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Dubai and other emirates. According to JLL, 2,000 residential units were delivered in the first quarter of the year in the up-scale localities of Al Bateen Park, Al Reef Community, Saadiyat Beach Residences and Nation Towers on the corniche, bringing the total residential stock to 2,08,000 units. An additional 14,000 units are scheduled to be delivered to the market throughout the rest of the year in the posh area of Eastern Mangroves Promenade by Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), additional units on Saadiyat Island, Al Bustan Complex on 29th Street and several towers on Al Reem Island. The property consultancy says more developments are coming up within planned areas such as Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Danet, Saraya and Rawdhat. Dudley said the rise in the rental values this year was due to the relocations. Ram, an Abu Dhabi property agent, said the recent surge in the demand for housing primarily related to one and two-bedroom housing units, which triggered hikes in their rental prices significantly. The bigger properties and villas with five and six-bedrooms were not in as great demand, as their rental values had dropped, since one family can stay in a villa. With the estimated 14,000 units delivered to their owners, the housing shortage will most probably be addressed over the year, with another 14,000 housing due to come on to the market next year, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. It also estimates that in 2015, about 17,000 residential units are expected to arrive in the capital, which means Abu Dhabi has to maintain its seven per cent per annum economic growth, so that enough jobs opportunities are created and the existing investments into hydrocarbons bear fruit. haseeb@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
