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ADWEA TO RAISE POWER/WATER OUTPUT
The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) will increase power generation to 6,964 megawatts, from the current 3,500 megawatts by 2005, and to 7,536 megawatts by 2010. Water production will be increased from the current 262 million gallons per day, to 400 million gallons by 2005 and 573 million gallons by 2010, according to a statement by Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Deputy Director of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Corporation. The increased output is aimed at meeting the growing demand, estimated at eight per cent annually. The official said that privatisation measures underway in Abu Dhabi's power and water sector are part of the new drive towards further cost reduction. On developments regarding the Al Shuweihat project, ADWEA has started receiving bids for the project from companies. The project will start in 2004, and will generate1,500 megawatts of power and 100 million gallons per day. The project is the largest of its kind in the UAE and will complete the electricity infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and enable ADWEA to connect the power distribution grid till Al Ain, Al Nuaimi said, according to the report. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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SAADIYAT TO BE REGIONAL E-HUB
Saadiyat is aiming at being the regional hub for electronic trading and business and the point of pricing in the whole region. Most of the legal framework of the offshore financial centre is now ready and available for reference and the cyber laws are being framed. Civil construction on the project will begin at the end of the year, but some form of operations could begin earlier from a temporary facility. Once operational, the e-hub and the market in Saadiyat will be able to tap the vast liquidity of over 400 billion US dollars worth of trade in commodity that takes place in the region, while the region's excess liquidity of one trillion dollars would give strength to the financial. Saadiyat will generate a revenue of 175 billion dollars over a period of 25 years. Land worth 7 billion dollars will be available for 50 year lease periods at Saadiyat, and there is a likelihood of this being extended in the future. The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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INVESTMENT BY FOREIGN BANKS PUT AT DH 91M
Investment by UAE-based foreign banks totalled Dh91 million by the end of September 1999, according to the UAE Central Bank statistics. While credit facilities extended by foreign banks last year rose by 5.6 per cent to Dh31.65 billion over the same period, 94 per cent of Dh27.29 billion went to the private sector in the form of loans, advances and overdrafts. According to the central bank statistics the aggregate balance of foreign banks by the end of September rose by 9.7 per cent to Dh63.22 billion, compared to Dh57.63 billion over the same period in 1998. An analysis of the central bank's figures showed that deposits rose by 4.4 per cent to Dh34.18 billion compared to Dh 32.74 billion in 1998. These included Dh6.68 billion in cash deposits, Dh 27.41 billion in quasi-cash deposits, including dh 12.7 billion in local term deposits, Dh2.4 billion in saving deposits and Dh11.8 billion in other deposits in foreign currencies. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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GCC RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES TO FORM CO-ORDINATING BODY
The chairmen of the GCC Red Crescent societies have decided to form a committee to co-ordinate work in the member countries. The committee, which will include the chief executives, will be entrusted with implementing the decisions taken by the chairmen and will hold a meeting once a year or as needed. The chairmen also decided to support the UAE's endeavours to establish a regional bureau of the International Red Cross in the UAE. The conference decided to organise joint training courses for Red Crescent Society workers and discussed plans of action in the field of international relief. Field visits will be organised for volunteers to familiarise them with the work of each society. It was also agreed to develop websites on the Internet to streamline co-operation among them. (The Gulf Today)
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PLANS TO MEET DEMANDS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Higher education institutions in the country held a meeting in the capital last Wednesday under the chairmanship of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to plan education programmes in the light of the needs of the labour market. The meeting, attended by the chairmen of UAE University, Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, decided to prepare a five-year plan to meet the demand for an increasing number of students every year. The meeting also discussed ways to expand the current capacity of these institutions to be able to accommodate the increasing number of students completing their secondary education every year. The meeting also discussed co-ordination among higher education institutions in the country, particularly with regard to educational programmes to meet the requirements of society as well as the labour market and to avoid duplication in their programmes. The number of graduates this year was 1,542 as against just 64 graduates in 1992. The highest number of graduates are from the information technology programme. Among 681 IT graduates, 508 are women, he said. The business programme accounted for 606 graduates, he said. (The Khaleej Times)
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ANCIENT MASS GRAVES FOUND IN AL AIN
An eight metre long ancient mass grave for 300 people has been identified by archaeologists working in Al Ain's Hili Garden. The discovery was announced after a French archaeological mission and the Department of Tourism in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region concluded their second season of excavation at Hili Garden last month. The digs were held between December 1999 and January this year, and the excavation concentrated mainly on a tomb site named the Hili N. Joint Project. According to a statement form the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi, tomb N belongs to the Hili reference group for the later part of the Third Millennium BC in the UAE. It was originally excavated during five seasons, between 1984 and 1998, by a team of the department in Al Ain. Tomb N is an eight metre long collective pit grave of a type rarely identified in the UAE. According the to the statement, the number of people buried in tomb N was more than 300, and five cubic metres of the deposit are yet unexcavated. The principal aim of the current excavation is to improve the understanding of, and document, the funerary practices at the end of the Umm An Nar Period, around 2200-2000 BC. (The Gulf News)
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EXCAVATIONS BEGIN IN SHARJAH
Two archaeological teams, one from Spain and the other from Germany have started excavations for the season at different sites in Sharjah with the aim of shedding more light on the history of the region. The 10-member team will resume digging at Jebal Buhais in Al Madam plain, in co-operation with a local expedition headed by Dr. Sabah Jassim. The radiant carbon analysis of samples collected in the past from the site showed that the settlement dated back to the beginning of the fifth millennium BC. Among the findings from the previous seasons were a warehouse and a watercourse running down the adjoining mountain, but the most significant was a large burial ground with hundreds of human skeletons buried with their skulls toward the east. Dr. Jassim said that many people were buried with their jewellery and accessories made of different types and colours of beads and pearl. DNA tests for models of the skeletons found in the burial ground is being carried out at present in laboratories of different German universities to establish a link and hereditary factors as well as blood relations among people buried in the same chamber and their connection to the present population, in addition to reasons of death, the diseases which were prevalent back then and the type of diet. In this context, His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has allocated a grant for the German team to help them carry on with their scientific research on this site either in German or Sharjah. (The Khaleej Times)
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NATURAL FOREST MUSEUM ROLE IN GREENING OF ABU DHABI
The Natural Forest Museum in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi plays a vital role in the development of agricultural resources and expansion of greenery in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The forest section has planted wide areas with palm trees and fodder as part of the museum's effort to fight desertification. The museum has launched campaign to encourage members of the local community to build positive attitudes towards the environment and wildlife in order to help in the effort aimed at conserving and protecting biodiversity. Last year, the forest section farmed more than 19,000 hectares and drilled 190 wells. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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AIRPORT EXPO GETS READY FOR DISNEY ON ICE
Disney On Ice, the multi-million dollar ice spectacular from Disney, is set to dazzle audiences with a combination of cutting-edge choreography and stunning sound effects and lighting at the Orient Hall of the Airport Expo in Dubai during Dubai Shopping Festival with two daily shows from March 9. The two-act presentation is full of colourful characters and spell-binding action with music, but shining at the heart of this modern saga are themes of love and heroism in the characters of Hercules and Meg. Dubai Municipality, which has brought the show for DSF "The characters will enact on ice the enchanting story of the Greek mythological hero Hercules, complete with a whole lot of other fascinating characters. (The Gulf Today)
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TREE PLANTINGS TO MARK PLANTATION WEEK
Tree-planting ceremonies will be conducted in every emirate during the 20th Plantation Week to mark the construction of a new park or recreational area, as part of the desertification control plan. Plantation Week, which will take place between March 25 and 29, will be held under the theme "Plantation: The Feature of Civilisation" and will be celebrated in all the emirates starting with the capital. (The Gulf News)