Back
to main index Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of the Dubai Municipality, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, yesterday endorsed Decree No. 20 of 1998, dealing with the formation of a judiciary committee charged with disputes between tenants and landlords in Dubai Emirate. The committee, to be headed by Saeed Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, will choose two deputy chairmen for its members. It can also solicit the help of one of the Municipality Council's staff in addition to any one it saw necessary to get help discharge its duties effectively. The committee shall hold its once-a-week sittings at the Council's premises in Dubai throughout the year, with the presence at least of four members. The decree also stated that the committee shall have to lay down the necessary procedure to be followed, which should be presented to the municipality's chairman for approval. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM )
-
DUBAI PRESENTS BEST PRACTICES TROPHY TO ANNAN
The Dubai International Award for Best Practices yesterday presented a trophy to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Mohammed Jasim Al Samhan, UAE Ambassador to the U.S., and Obaid Salim Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Dubai Municipality, handed the trophy to Annan in New York. Shamsi flew to the U.S. for the occasion. Municipality Director Qasim Sultan said the trophy would be placed permanently in the UN's main building in New York to show that the UAE was keen to support development issues and to improve living standards. He said the UAE has long worked on environmental and developmental issues under the guidance of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. "The UAE is keen on working globally to improve living standards, especially to eliminate poverty and disease and create jobs," Sultan said. "The award was initiated by Sheikh Maktoum during the Dubai International Habitat Conference in 1995." (The 'Gulf News' )
-
UAE JOINS UN DESERTIFICATION ACCORD
The UAE has joined the United Nations agreement to combat desertification. Dr Salem Masri Al Dhaheri, Director of the Federal Environmental Agency, yesterday said the UAEšs decision to join reflected its policy to protect the environment and combat desertification. "According to the agreement, the UAE's membership will start on January 19," Al Dhaheri said. As of August 1997, 107 countries had joined, of which 16 were Arab. According to Al Dhaheri, the signatories should be committed to fighting desertification and drawing up effective, long-term strategies. Qatar is the only GCC country that has yet to join the agreement, which was endorsed in Paris in 1994. (The 'Gulf News' )
-
ABU DHABI'S RE-EXPORTS DECLINE 30 PC IN NOV
Abu Dhabi's non-oil trade in the month of November this year more or less maintained the trend set a few months ago, except in re-exports, where it registered a 30 per cent decline.Exports of the Emirate posted a tremendous increase during the month compared with the same period last year, according to the figures released by the Abu Dhabi Customs yesterday. Abu Dhabi's imports during November this year went up by 30 per cent over last year after registering a fall in the month of October. India, which topped the list of exporting markets of Abu Dhabi in October, fell back to the second position after Qatar though exports to India registered a remarkable increase during the month. Pakistan, which surprised trade watchers by coming a close second to India in the exports markets, has not even figured in the list of top ten countries.
Saudi Arabia occupied the place of Iran at the top in the re-exporting countries of Abu Dhabi despite a big fall in the transactions with the Kingdom. At the same time, re-exports to Iran registered an increase of 120 per cent over the same period last year. Exports of Abu Dhabi registered an increase of 130 per cent in October over the same month last year. Exports during the month totalled Dh 143.88 million compared with Dh 60.15 million last year. Qatar topped the list of Abu Dhabi's export markets with Dh 47.54 million from a mere Dh 3.15 million last year. India came a distant second with Dh 24.89 million against Dh 234,360 during the corresponding month last year. Base metals and articles of base metals were the main items of exports with 49.3 per cent of the total at Dh 70.92 million. This category registered an increase of 45.3 per cent over the comparable month last year. This category was followed by vehicles of transport with an export figure of Dh 31.93 million. Re-exports suffered a decline of 30 per cent over the same period last year. Re-exports during the month totalled Dh 56.51 million against Dh 86.10 million. Saudi Arabia came on top of the list though re-exports to the Kingdom moved 50 per cent in the reverse direction. Re-exports to Saudi Arabia totalled Dh 10.73 million against Dh 25.26 million last year. Kuwait came next with Dh 9.25 million worth of re-exports, marking an increase of 240 per cent from Dh 617,527. Iran, which topped the list last month, came third despite an increase of 120 per cent in re-export value to Dh 5.59 million from Dh 2.54 million. Re-exports to the UK, Qatar and India also posted declines of 60 per cent, 40 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. Like in exports, base metals and articles of base metals topped the list of re-export items at Dh 70.92 million, taking 49.3 per cent of the total re-exports. The figure during the corresponding month last year was Dh 27.24 million. Machinery and sound recorders were the second largest group of re-export commodities taking 40.5 per cent of the total value at Dh 22.88 million, registering a marginal increase from Dh 22.14 million. Most of the other re-export items fell back contributing to the fall in total re-exports. Abu Dhabi's imports registered only a modest increase from Dh 1,344 million in October last year to Dh 1,906 million this year. The United States maintained the top position among Abu Dhabi's import sources. Its imports from the US markets were worth Dh 359.54 million during the month against Dh 121.40 million in the previous year. Saudi Arabia came second with its exports to Abu Dhabi standing at Dh. 235.36 million, a marginal increase from Dh 222.24 million. Japan came third with Dh 213.36 million. Machinery and sound recorders occupied the top position in Abu Dhabi imports at Dh 616.69 million, taking a share of 32.3 per cent of the total imports. Imports of these items during the corresponding month last year accounted for Dh 379.40 million. Base metals and articles of base metals came second with Dh 267.26 million or 14 per cent of the total value. Ocean ships was the most popular mode of transport in Abu Dhabi's trade followed by surface transportation. (The 'Emirates News' )
-
EXCAVATIONS AIM TO DOCUMENT ANCIENT FUNERALS
The Department of Antiquities and Tourism in Abu Dhabi's Eastern region has started an excavation in Al Ain's Hili garden with the French archaeological mission in Abu Dhabi. Since early November a team comprising French scientists and a British anthropologist have excavated Tomb N, a subterranean grave dating to the Bronze Age (Umm an-Nar period, around 2300 BC). The scientific objective is to document local funerary practices that have not been recognised before in Abu Dhabi. Originally discovered in 1983, this grave was excavated by a local team led by Dr Walid Yasin. A small part of the grave was left untouched in 1988 in order to have two sections showing the succession of accumulated levels of human bones as deep as 1.70 metres. However, the methodology and techniques of field anthropology have dramatically improved in the past ten years and these new developments prompted the decision to excavate the remaining part of Hili's Tomb N. The shape, techniques of construction and internal organisation of the deposits of Tomb N strongly differ from those of the nearby well-known circular and monumental Umm-an-Nar graves. Tomb N is an eight-metre long oval pit with two parts, an original part and a later addition. It adjoins a circular Umm-an-Nar grave Tomb E, a more ancient structure. Like other graves dating from the third millenium BC, Tomb N is a collective grave, meaning that more than two bodies were buried in the same place but at different times. The number of people buried in Tomb N was very high: the remains of more than 250 skeletons have been found. There was no separation between men and women, and children were also buried in the same place. Most of the adults died before they were 45 years old. It is believed the bodies were buried during a period which does not exceed 200 years. The great variety and number of local and imported objects buried with the bodies is another striking characteristic that differentiates the tomb from most of the others of the Umm-an-Nar period. The objects include about 400 complete and semi-complete pottery vessels, soft-stone vases, copper rings and other metal artefacts, as well as large quantities of beads, most of which are made of carnelian. One objective is to analyse the evolution of commercial exchanges within the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean in the Early Bronze Age during a period corresponding to an increase in long-distance trade. Many of the objects found in the grave originate from the Indus valley and from the Makran/Baluchistan area. However, only a single pottery vessel, from southern Mesopotamia, has been discovered in Tomb N. The next excavations will be conducted in about a year. (The 'Gulf News' )
-
COMMUNING WITH NATURE HAS HIDDEN DANGERS
Weekend adventurers planning to celebrate the festive season in the wadis (canyons and ravines) and deserts were warned yesterday that they may be risking their lives unless they take precautions. Experienced "wadi-bashers" are aware of the dangers of flash floods in the rocky wadi-beds at this time of year, yet lives continue to be lost through carelessness or ignorance, according to survival expert Paul Flaherty, Director of Northstar Expeditions. He said deceptive weather conditions often lull many into a false sense of security. "It can look lovely and sunny on one side of the Hajjar Mountains, and pouring rain on the other. You could be sitting in sunshine or admiring the stars when a huge wall of water sweeps you away without warning - it's that dangerous," Flaherty said. The temperature difference between the coastal cities and the mountains and deserts can also be a shock. "While it would not prove life-threatening, people should be aware that they should pack winter woolies at this time of year since the mercury can drop down to just a few degrees," he said. In cooler temperatures, snakes tend to be active during daylight hours. Precautions such as wearing footwear and trousers can help prevent snakebite. "If you do see a snake, don't try to kill it or aggravate it, just walk away," he said. (The 'Gulf News' )
