Tag Archives: entertainment
Senior citizens will get priority for Haj this year
Senior citizens will get priority for Haj this year 10 March 2014 Haj contractors need to strictly abide by set rules and regulations, particularly quota and electronic advance reservation. Expansion project at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. — Supplied photos Aged pilgrims will be given priority for Haj this year, which will take place from October 3 to 6. Mohammed Obaid Al Mazrouie, Director-General of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment Foundation (GAIAEF), said: “The number of pilgrims on previous Haj trips and the time of the nearest pilgrimage will be examined.” Addressing a workshop organised by the GAIAEF, Dr Mazrouie said they will be holding a number of meetings with Haj contractors and other participants concerned to come up with an “excellent” vision and mechanism. All Haj contractors need to strictly abide by set rules and regulations, particularly quota and electronic advance reservation. “However, priority is to be given to first time and old pilgrims,” Mazrouie, who is also the chairman of the UAE’s official Haj mission, said. In late August 2013, Saudi authorities asked countries across the world to cut the number of Haj pilgrims by 20 per cent due to ongoing developments at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. The number of UAE Haj pilgrims was reduced from 6,228 in 2012 to 4,982 last year. Mazrouie urged those who have already performed Haj to give a chance to those who have not. “This will help protect all pilgrims against possible risks of crowding.” Ahmed Shabib Al Dhahiri, Director-General of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, said they will adopt certain criteria during the “electronic election” of pilgrims. “We want to give equal and fair chances to all eligible pilgrims.” The Haj contractors present called for better streamlining of quota distribution in the country. “All Haj applicants are proposed to register in the GAIAEF web portal and key in their details in a unified database for pilgrims using their Emirates Identity cards.” They have also requested clear benchmarks for sorting out and picking pilgrims. “However, priority is to be given to old people who have not performed Haj.” The Haj contractors have called for registering pilgrims in the electronic database by surname and not by the first name. “A unified management has been proposed by some Haj tour operators to provide better services.” ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UAE’s priciest mobile number tops Dh7.8 million
UAE’s priciest mobile number tops Dh7.8 million Kelly Clarke (kelly@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 March 2014 Selling for a hefty Dh7,877,777, etisalat’s Diamond Plus mobile number, 0507777777, was the clear favourite among the 700 bidders on Saturday, and made more than six times that of the runner up. The UAE’s most expensive mobile number has raised a staggering seven-digit figure — or Dh7,440,777 — for charity, after going under the hammer during a live auction across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Selling for a hefty Dh7,877,777, etisalat’s Diamond Plus mobile number, 0507777777, was the clear favourite among the 700 bidders on Saturday, and made more than six times that of the runner up. Seventy of etisalat’s most exclusive number packages went up for grabs at the auction, with the top 10 numbers alone making a hefty Dh13,852,777. Pocketing only the starting prices of all number packages showcased by the auctioneer, etisalat will donate the extra earnings to several charities, including the Khalifa Foundation. Fifty of the 700 bidders were vying for etisalat’s most exclusive digits on the day and Emirates Auction’s managing director Abdulla Al Mannaei told Khaleej Times the atmosphere was electric. “I cannot describe the feeling in the room. It was so different from any other auction we’ve had.” And when the gavel finally hit the rostrum, it brought an end to a very tense few minutes, he said. “The price went from Dh7.5 million to the winning bid in a matter of seconds. One bidder even offered Dh7,777,777, in keeping with the mobile number itself,” a move which didn’t bag the goods he said, after the winning bidder raised the offer by a further Dh100,000. Starting at a price of Dh437,000, the Diamond Plus digits alone will see a number of charities receive donations totalling Dh7,440,777. “With all the events that take place at Emirates Auctions, we give a considerable amount to charity. Etisalat will be doing the same,” Al Mannaei said. Unable to reveal the winning bidders identity, Al Mannaei did confirm that it was a man and said he will be using the number personally. “Although it is the government who own all mobile phone numbers, this bidder has the right to use it himself. He can assign the number to someone else if he wants, but he can’t sell it on.” Back in 2012, a similar auction took place in Kuwait where local telecommunications company, Viva, sold a number for Dh2.8 million, making it the most expensive in the country at the time. “That number was actually better than this one I think, because it was one zero, followed by nine fives,” Al Mannaei said. And although the auction house was expecting the etisalat number to exceed this figure, Al Mannaei admitted many were shocked that it more than doubled it. “I don’t know in terms of the rest of the world, but this is certainly the most expensive mobile number in the UAE now,” he said. A first for Emirates Auction house, Saturday’s VIP mobile number auction took place across two halls at Emirates Palace in the Capital and the Armani Hotel in Dubai. On Sunday Al Mannaei was unable to confirm the total amount raised from the auction. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park construction starts in Dubai
Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park construction starts in Dubai Staff Report (abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 March 2014 The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities. An artist’s impression of Silicon Park at Dubai Silicon Oasis. Dubai Silicon Oasis, or DSO, on Sunday unveiled a Dh1.1 billion Silicon Park that will offer a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors, according to a statement by the integrated free zone technology park. Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, the regulatory body for DSO, launched the first integrated smart city project to be built in DSO, spanning an area of 150,000sqm. “Work has commenced, and the project will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2017. This project is in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world over the course of the next three years. The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities,” Shaikh Ahmed, who is also President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Emirates airline and Chief Executive of the Emirates Group, said in a statement. The Silicon Park project comprises 97,000sqm of office space, 25,000sqm of commercial space, 20,000sqm of residential area, and a 115-room business hotel, in addition to value-added facilities that suit contemporary living such as restaurants, cafes, health and fitness centres, as well as running tracks and cycling trails, prayer rooms, a shopping centre and underground parking for more than 2,500 cars. Shaikh Ahmed added: “We are confident that this project will succeed in offering a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors. The project’s standards are aligned to the Dubai Government’s strategic directions on smart cities that focus on six pillars: life, society, mobility, economy, governance and environment.” The project is compliant with the UAE Green Building Regulations and Specifications and the international Leed standard, and seeks to enhance environmental sustainability. The project will be built with green building material and control mechanisms as well as solar panels and double-glazed windows to reduce heat absorption. As a smart community, Silicon Park will feature intelligent solutions from charging-docks for smart devices on the street to smart pop-up furniture and digital play tables, as well as optimally-designed bus shelters, piazzas shading, and other public amenities. The Silicon Park complex will be completely devoid of vehicles. Instead, electricity-powered vehicles will serve as the primary form of transportation. A number of charging stations will be set up across the area that can be accessed by all residents and visitors with electric vehicles. The project will also include other means of transportation such as smart rechargeable electric bikes. The project will consist of a control centre that collects and analyses data and information gathered through the sensor devices available at the project’s site. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, said: “The Silicon Park project reflects the vision of Dubai Silicon Oasis to compliment Dubai’s ambition to offer harmonious living for individuals through endorsing smart criteria across the services and facilities that we deliver.” For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
