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Sharjah Al Jazeera Park all set for grand reopening
Sharjah Al Jazeera Park all set for grand reopening Afkar Abdullah / 23 January 2014 Al Montazah boasts of three main sections- water park, green park for picnics and events and a leisure park offering a variety of electronic games. When the erstwhile Al Jazeera Park reopens to the public in the first quarter of this year, it will feature a first-of-its-kind water theme park, an amusement park, and a park designated for picnics, walking, and other leisure activities. The project, Al Montazah, covers an area of over 126,000 square metres. Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi at the Press conference held at the site of the Al Montazah project in Sharjah. — KT photos by M. Sajjad The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) unveiled the project’s details in a press conference at the site of the Al Montazah project in the presence of Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Shurooq; Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq; Duarte Marques, founder of Amusement White Water (AWW) -— a partner and construction contractor of Al Montazah; and a number of prominent figures and media representatives. Shaikha Bodour said Shurooq works in line with the directives of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to develop and improve the Emirate’s economic, social, and tourist assets. She said Shurooq is currently embarking on a range of new projects to further develop tourist attractions in the Emirate. Duarte Marques thanked Shaikha Bodour and Shurooq for putting their trust in AWW and their continued support, saying, “The purpose of this joint venture is to create an amusement and water park providing world class facilities that caters to the people of Sharjah. The brief from Shurooq was that we should maintain green areas, consider the history of the old Al Jazeera Park and respect the culture and heritage of Sharjah providing families with a safe and friendly environment to enjoy. “Although we faced numerous challenges during construction as we had to take an existing park on an island and turn it into a world-class family destination, we managed to overcome all obstacles with the help of Shurooq. This is just a start and we understand that we will have to make various changes to improve our guests’ experience in Al Montazah once the park opens.” Unveiling the project’s details, Al Sarkal said, “Al Montazah, which covers an area of 126,000 square meters and is situated on an island within Khalid Lagoon, will help stimulate the tourism sector in Sharjah, and is expected to draw more than one million visitors during the first year after inauguration.” He stressed the project’s “full readiness” to receive the expected number of visitors and meet their needs, provide parking slots and transportation necessary to ensure smooth and easy access to Al Montazah. “Al Montazah has the capacity to receive around 3 million visitors a year and we expect the number of visitors will increase considerably over the next few years.” Al Montazah boasts of three main sections, the first of which is the water park covering an area of 26,000 square metres, offering a wide range of aquatic amusement games that suit all ages. Safety services will be provided with safety and rescue staff permanently on hand. The water park includes wide green spaces for holiday makers to enjoy and relax. It will also boast restaurants and other facilities. The second section is a green park for picnics and events, spread over an area of 50,000 square metres. It will include wide green spaces and venues dedicated to hosting entertainment and social events, and a number of world-class restaurants, cafes, a lake for boating, and a mosque. The third section is a leisure park that also covers an area of 50,000 square metres, offering a variety of electronic games for all ages. The leisure park will also include kart racing (Karting) for children and young people, two mini football playgrounds, special areas for sports and a venue for celebrations. Al Sarkal noted that all service-related facilities will be available for visitors, including ATMs, parking lots, a medical clinic and highly qualified rescue teams and skilled paramedics. He urged investors, who will benefit from the expected tourism growth in Sharjah, to participate in the project by leasing spaces and areas dedicated to restaurants, cafes, and kiosks. Al Montazah will be open to the public from 10am to 11pm, from Saturday to Wednesday, and from 10am to 1am on Thursday and Friday. The water park will be open from 10am to 6pm. Entry tickets to the park will be Dh10, and free for children who are less than 80cm tall, while ticket prices for some games range between Dh10-25. The entry ticket to the water park is Dh120 for adults and Dh75 for children between 80-120cm tall, and entry is free for children under 80cm. Tickets for the water park includes the entry fee to Al Montazah Park. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Federal National Council hails army conscription
Federal National Council hails army conscription Nissar Hoath / 22 January 2014 Members say move will ensure citizen’s participation and help serve national interests The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday overwhelmingly welcomed and supported the government decision to make it compulsory for Emirati males aged 18 to 30 to serve in the UAE’s armed forces. National service will also cover military training, and high school graduates will have to be part of the military for nine months, while those who have not completed high school will serve two years. However, it will be voluntary for women. Most of the members hailed the move saying it will serve and protect national interests. “All these young trained men and women will always be there to provide their services in all kinds of natural and unnatural disasters,” said a member. The session chaired by Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr was also attended by Mariam Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, and Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of FNC Affairs. In his remarks during the debate on the compulsory military service for Emiratis, the Speaker hailed the directives and decision by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for issuing a Federal Law on the compulsory national military and reserve service. “This kind of guidance comes in the framework of our wise leadership to recognise the importance of citizens’ participation in defending their homeland, further protect national security and serve national interests,” said Al Murr. The Speaker also hailed His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for launching the UAE’s National Agenda during the next seven years to achieve the “Vision 2021” making the country one of the best in the world in various fields. The other issue that came under debate on Tuesday was the new child law protection, which was approved by the council during its last session. Members further reviewed the law called Wadeema’s Law by the government. The council during its last session passed it with minor amendments, including changing the name of the law from Wadeema to Child’s Right Law. The bill was drafted by the Federal Government after a girl child was brutally murdered and dumped in the desert by her father and his girlfriend in 2011 when a children’s protection law was awaiting approval. nissar@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UAE court convicts 30 Muslim Brotherhood men
UAE court convicts 30 Muslim Brotherhood men Staff Reporter / 22 January 2014 State Security Circuit at the Federal Supreme Court orders the convicts to be jailed for terms ranging from three months to five years. Thirty people accused of links to the Muslim Brotherhood, and charged with setting up a branch of the organisation in the UAE, were sentenced by the State Security Circuit at the Federal Supreme Court to jail terms ranging from three months to five years. The verdicts were issued in the presence of 24 accused. Six others were sentenced in absentia. Fair trial, says human rights association In a statement, the Emirates Human Rights Association said it had followed up the trials of 20 Egyptians and 10 Emiratis, who were allegedly involved in the Egyptian Muslims brotherhood cell, at the Supreme Federal court in Abu Dhabi. “The prosecutions were held in a transparent, clear and open aura,” the statement said, noting that the defendants, throughout the trial, were defending themselves and through lawyers. The trial was attended by representatives from Egypt’s embassy and Egyptian Journalists Syndicate. In reply to a question on the arrest and torture, Jameela Al Hamili, member of the board of directors of the association said the procedures of arrest are legal, and no complaint on torture was sent. news@khaleejtimes.com Earlier, the court heard statements from the accused, the defence team and witnesses and reviewed the reports of experts. The court also ordered the dissolution of the Brotherhood in the UAE, closure of all its offices, as well as confiscation of seized equipment. It also ordered the deportation of the foreign national accused after completion of their jail terms. According to a copy of the verdict which has been obtained by Khaleej Times , Medhat Rajab Abdellah Ammar was sentenced to five years in jail, while Saleh Faraj Daifallah Al Malhatani, Salah Mohammed Rizq Al Mashad, Ibrahim Abdel Aziz Ibrahim Ahmed, Murad Mohammed Hamid Othman Badawi, Othman Abdel Rahman Suliman Matkees, Al Sayyid Awaad Hifni Moussa, Hamada Abdel Aziz Abdel Maqsood and Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Dhufairti were each sentenced to four years in prison. Ahmed Mahmoud Taha was acquitted of the charges. Ahmed Labeeb Jaffar , Hassan Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Al Shaiba Al Nuaimi, Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait, Ali Saeed Al Ghandi, Rashid Omran Al Shamsi, Mohammed Ali Saleh Al Mansour, Tariq Ibrahim Abdel Rahim Al Qasim and Hussein Ali Abdullah Al Najjar were ordered to serve a year in prison. Ahmed Rashid Al Taboor Al Nuaimi, Hassan Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Al Shaiba Al Nuaimi, Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait and Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Dhufairi each received three months, while another defendant Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait was let off with a fine of Dh3,000. The foreign nationals accused in the plan are to be deported after serving out their jail terms. The sitting judge, in his ruling said: “Inspired by the rules of the Islamic Shariah, and guided by the principles of the law, the court has given the defendants to prove their innocene and has conducted the trial with utmost transparency as per the UAE constitution and international conventions.” “This court had issued its verdict studying the documents and results of investigations, as well listening to the statements of the defendants,” the judge said. The Public Prosecution stressed that the accused intended to set up a branch affiliated to the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood. “They structured the organisation and set up a general administrative centre under which there are central committees and offices, which are located all over the country.” The Muslim Brotherhood members collected monthly subscription fee, the prosecution told the court. Their actions posed a threat to state security, the prosecution said, and added that their investigation was held in a fair manner. Defence lawyers, meanwhile, challenged the role of the investigators and alleged the evidence gathered did not prove any wrongdoing. “The charges against the accused have been cooked up, and charges of theft are not true because there is no tangible evidence,” the defence lawyers told the court. — news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
