The use of a type of fishing net known as hayali in the waters of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has been banned with immediate effect, under the terms of a decree signed yesterday by H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The Emiri decree was signed by Sheikh Khalifa in his capacity as Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Under the terms of the decree, the use of hayali nets, whether fixed or drifting, is completely forbidden. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that the decree also specifies a range of punishments for fishermen caught breaking the terms of the decree, including confiscation of the nets and boats and other equipment used to lay them, financial penalties and terms of imprisonment. Sheikh Hamdan, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA, said that the decree will also serve as the implementing regulations in Abu Dhabi for the new Federal Law on the protection of the marine environment, Law No. 23 for 1999, which came into effect last month. Article 26 of the Law provides for a ban on the use of fish nets. Enforcement of the decree will be undertaken by the Border and Coast Guard, UAE Navy, Police, the Municipality and other relevant agencies. Sheikh Hamdan warned Abu Dhabi's fishermen that the new decree would be strictly implemented. These nets are having a damaging effect on the endangered marine life in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamdan said. Often up to several kilometres long, these nets catch and drown endangered species like the dugong, dolphins, porpoises and turtles. For some of these species, the waters of Abu Dhabi are home to some of the most important populations in the world. It is our duty to protect them," Sheikh Hamdan said. The nets also damage our commercial fish stocks, the ERWDA Deputy Chairman added. They are a wasteful form of fishing, catching fish that are never brought to market, and also catching fish that are of no commercial use. Unless we conserve our marine life, including our fish stocks, we run the risk of doing serious damage, Sheikh Hamdan said. The use of these nets, and other wasteful forms of fishing, will not be permitted to continue. Sheikh Hamdan paid tribute to the role played by President H. H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan in acting to preserve the environment of the Emirates. Sheikh Zayed has been a conservationist since before he assumed leadership of the country, he said. He has laid down a framework that has made the Emirates a world leader on environmental issues. He also thanked Sheikh Khalifa, who is also the Chairman of ERWDA, for his active support for the protection of the environment. With the issuing of this decree, Sheikh Khalifa has underlined the determination of Government to protect our wildlife, he said. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
Regional disputes can be solved only through peaceful means, Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Habtour, Speaker of the Federal National Council, FNC, told a meeting of the International Parliamentary Union, IPU, here today. The best attitude to solve regional disputes is to find peaceful solutions which should be based on international laws and principles, Al Habtour said. He added that the UAE principles in its international relations were based on international norms. Addressing the conference, Habtour, who is leading the UAE delegation, said that Iran's perpetuation of its occupation of the UAE islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs represented a "source of tension" in the region. Each time the UAE renews its appeals to Iran to resolve the dispute over the islands, Iran arrogantly starts carrying out more military exercises in the UAE's territorial waters, and initiates changes in the islands' demographic structure, he said. Al Habtour re-iterated the UAE's rejection of all measures taken by Iran to consolidate its occupation of UAE Islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force. He described the measures taken by Iran on the Islands as illegal and cause of major concern and tension in the region. Al Habtour also criticised the obstinacy of Iran and its rejection to respond to the continued calls by the UAE to solve the dispute peacefully. Al Habtour expressed concern on the stalled Middle East Peace process and condemned Israel for its intransigence He also condemned the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and re-iterated the UAE support for Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority, in their drive to achieve a comprehensive peace in the region. Describing the situation in Iraq as posing an Arab and humanitarian concern, he called the international community to review ways of changing the mechanism of implementing the sanctions. Al Habtour also called on Iraq to comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and release Kuwaiti prisoners. Al Habtour also called on the international community to intervene to end the suffering of the Chechen people following the war. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
SHIEKH MAKTOUM EDITION OF THE HOLY KORAN TO BE PRINTED
An agreement was yesterday signed on the printing of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum edition of the holy Koran. Ordered by H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the agreement was concluded between the Al Bayan Press and Publishing House and the Dubai Department for Endowments and Islamic Affairs, DEIA. Written in Arabic calligraphy and decorated manually with eye-catching designs, the edition is expected to gain the admiration of Moslems in its high standard of printing and production. The authenticity of the Koranic text has been scrutinised by a group of Islamic scholars under the supervision of the DEIA. The agreement was signed on the Department's side by Sheikh Isa bin Abdullah Al Mana, DEIA's Director, and Khalid Mohammed Ahmed, Director General of Al Bayan, on the side of the publishing house. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
UAE OFF SOFTWARE PIRACY WATCHLIST
The UAE has finally been removed from U.S. Special 301 watchlist of countries monitored for violation of intellectual property rights according to a senior Business Software Alliance official. Under the examples of progress during the past yearı section of the watchlist issued by U.S. Trade Representative, Charlene Barshefsky, the report said: ³The UAE has recently provided a written commitment to take specific steps to assure adequate and effective protection of patented products. ³These include specific commitment on Trips implementation, data protection and not providing marketing approval for unauthorised copies of patented products.² ³While on-going piracy and counterfeiting problems persist in many countries, progress has occurred in a number of countries including the UAE,² the report said. (The Gulf News)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
FEA SURVEY TARGETS FIRMS RECYCLING PLASTIC WASTE
The Federal Environment Agency, FEA, will carry out a survey on industrial firms working on reproduction and recycling of plastic waste and plastic material in the country. The survey is in line with the agencyıs board directive to carry out a comprehensive study on such activities in the country. The study was aimed at gathering information about the firms working in this field, their capabilities, quantities produced by them, the sources of raw material used by them, and the requirements and facilities which could be provided by the FEA to them, in line with its policy aimed at encouraging recycling of all types of materials and waste. The survey will be carried out over two weeks and cover more than 40 industrial firms in the country. (The Khaleej Times)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
EARLIEST HUMAN SETTLEMENT DISCOVERED
The earliest human settlement to be found in the interior of south-eastern Arabia dating back to 5000 BC has been discovered near Jebel Al Buhais by local and German archaeological teams. Dr Sabah Abboud Jasim, Head of the Local Archaeological Expedition said the excavations give evidence about the beginning of the first human settlement in the in the interior of Arabia. It shows that nomadic tribes first came to the Jebel Al Buhais area before the 5th millennium BC. Knives used for cutting meat and other tools made of stone have also been found, indicating a typical technology in the Stone Age. Jasim added that a graveyard, which contained more than 500 skeletons, was unearthed at the site. The bodies were bored in an area measuring less than 20 square metres. The skeletons were densely packed, the tombs having been used to contain more than one body from different generations. Some of the finds were put on display at the Sharjah Archaeological Museum. The laboratory analysis of the remains revealed that Jebel Al Buhais was inhabited by nomads during spring time only in the Stone Age. In winter they moved to the coast where they lived on shellfish. Archaeologists believed that the Stone Age nomads inhabited the area in the period between 8000 BC and 4000 BC, getting water from springs. ³The drying up of springs towards the end of the 5th millennium probably forced the Stone Age inhabitants to leave the interior of the peninsula and go to the coast of the Gulf of Oman where they survived into the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, added Dr. Jasim. (The Gulf News)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
CALL FOR FEDERAL TOURISM BODY
The Arabian Travel Market 2000, ATM, was declared open at the Dubai World Trade Centre on yesterday by Minister for Information and Culture Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He said in his inaugural speech that the formation of a federal tourism body is essential to co-ordinate the activities of all seven UAE emirates. Sheikh Abdullah said a federal body was in the planning stage, but the idea was still not widely accepted. "We need an organisation that is not bureaucratic but active and efficient in putting together plans that service the ultimate travel and tourism goals of the entire country," he said. "The tourism industry is now becoming vital to this region's economy and it needs effective and collective campaigns to market the region overseas," he said. "I'm not saying this is an easy job, but that it is a necessary one. This region can become an internationally accepted destination but we have to work hard at it." Sheikh Abdullah was presented with a miniature Arab dhow as he visited the DTCM stall. The minister expressed admiration at the beautiful display of the stands and stalls, besides complimenting the organisers on the excellent facilities offered at the exhibition. (The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
Dubaiıs Department of Civil Aviation hopes to persuade more airlines to fly to Dubaiıs International Airport, during the Arabian Travel Market. The departmentıs 120 square metre exhibition stand features light boxes with photographs of the Dubai International Airport, Dubai Duty Free, the Airshow site, poster boards and a home theatre system showing all the DCSıs projects. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Airlines said: ³The ATM has emerged as one of the most important events as it continues to attract numerous important companies and thousands of visitors. It is a platform for Dubai to boost its travel and trade ties.² Last year the Arabian Travel Market attracted over 7,500 visitors from 63 countries, with 80 per cent of visitors having direct authority or influence over purchasing. On average over 296 business enquiries were made while 94 orders were taken and 136 orders expected by each exhibitor. (The Gulf News)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
BANKS Q1 PROFITS AT DH1.1B CENTRAL BANK SAYS
THE average net profit of banks amounted to Dhs1.11 billion in the first quarter of this year compared with Dhs866.42 million in the same period last year, according to the Central Bank.. The Central Bank board, after reviewing the results, said the improvement in banks' profitability reflect the starting of the return of the national economy to its excellent position, which prevailed in the years previous to 1999. The board also discussed the subjects on its agenda and approved the proposed amendments to the "Regulation for Investment Companies and Banking, Financial and Investments Consultation Establishments or Companies." In addition, the board discussed the remaining items on its agenda, especially those related to applications submitted by banks and money changing houses. The board approved the applications which fulfil the terms as per the law and regulations for each business activity. With regard to licence applications to open representative offices for some international banks and financial institutions, the board approved issuance of licences for applications which fulfil the requirements and conditions. The board also discussed memoranda relating to administrative and managerial matters at the Central Bank and took the appropriate decisions. The third board meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mohammed Bin Eid Al Meraikhi.(The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
FOR the second year running, Emirates has won the overall "Cargo Airline of the Year 2000" title at the Cargo Airline of the Year awards ceremony in London, held annually by Air Cargo News. Emirates SkyCargo, which posted increases during the just-concluded financial year in cargo tonnage, also won the awards for "Best cargo carrier," to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Emirates was also named "Cargo Airline of the Year" by Air Cargo News for 1994-95, a press statement said. (The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
SHARJAH PORTS PLANS SISTER PORTS DEAL IN US
Sharjah Ports, on a throughput upswing of nearly 25 per cent in 1999, has kickstarted an aggressive campaign to promote its facilities and advantages, locally and abroad, aiming at a larger pie of the Gulf maritime business. "We are investing in latest equipment and facilities for the development of ports," said Issa Juma Al Muttawa, Director-General of ports, on the sidelines of a seminar on "The Seaport, the Bank and the Customer," on yesterday in Sharjah. The seminar, organised by the Sharjah Ports Authority (SPA) and Gulftainer Co Limited, which manages the container terminals of Port Khalid and Khorfakkan, is also part of a comprehensive strategy to promote the ports of Sharjah, Khorfakkan and Hamriyah. "This is the first part of our strategy. Next part of the strategy is to meet traders and bankers together," said Muttawa at the seminar attended by the Chairman of the SPA, Sheikh Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Qasimi. As part of a Sharjah delegation, SPA officials will also leave for Australia soon to promote the port through networking with other ports which will help in garnering more business. SPA, as part of increasing the facilities at the ports to be race-ready, has also ordered for two tugs and pilot boats. It is also undertaking a survey on the depth of its port harbours aiming to increase if needed. An order for two more Super Panmax gantry cranes for Khorfakkan port has also been placed. The cranes will be delivered in the last quarter of 2000. (The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
EIM UNVEILS ARABIC SEARCH ENGINE
EMIRATES Internet and Multimedia (EIM) plans to widen its revenue base through the Arabic portal which it is in the process of developing. The ETISALAT unit on Tuesday launched an Arabic search engine, Arab Vista, which will be the core of the new Arabic portal. The new search engine, developed in co-operation with Compaq's Alta Vista, can be located at the web site: bawabat-alarab.com or arabvista.com. The portal could also be the nucleus of a new revenue model based on non-subscription sources like advertising and e-business transaction fees. Over the course of the year EIM plans to add five different components of content in the Arabic portal. Initially the portal will include a basic content of news, weather and prayer timings in the Arab world. The full-fledged web site will help Arabic web sites increase their visibility by registering on the search engine, he said. However, he stressed, the Arab Vista search engine, fully-owned by ETISALAT, was developed solely in response to subscriber demand and not for revenue generation. The infrastructure for the search engine is hosted by Emirates Internet Exchange (Emix) which has two points of presence (POPs or points of access to the Internet) in Dubai and New York. The search engine has so far indexed a total of 250,ooo Arabic, English and French web pages emanating from the Arab world. This represents an indexing percentage of 90 per cent of sites in the Middle East. Another feature of the web site is a virtual keyboard which enables users to type in Arabic even though the browser is not Arabic enabled. (The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
JAPANıS CRUDE IMPORT FROM UAE FALL 6.6 PC
Japanıs off take of crude from the UAE declined 6.66 per cent to US$4.45 billion (300.8 million) barrels) during the first nine months of 1999 compared to US$4.77 billion (331 million barrel) for the same period in 1998. The UAE is the largest supplier of oil to the Asian country. Petroleum and gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons contributed US1.11 billion to Japanıs import bills. Meanwhile, the two-way trade between the countries declined 9 per cent to US$7.77 billion during the first nine months of 1999 following an indifferent show by both exports and imports. The corresponding figures provided by Japan External Trade Organisation, JETRO, office in Dubai. On the export front, Japanıs exports to the UAE totalled US$1.83 billion, though down from the US$2.13 billion in the first three quarters. The downturn affected electrical machinery, transport equipment and textiles. (The Gulf News)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
:
NO TECHNOLOGY FASTER THAN INTERNET: NAHYAN
Never in human history has a technology swept across the world as quickly and with such impact as Internet has done, said Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and chancellor of Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).
He was speaking after opening "Practising the Future," the 10th Annual Bazaar of Dubai Women's College (DWC) on yesterday. Addressing the students, staff and companies participating in the bazaar, Sheikh Nahyan said: "The HCT recognises this important truth. Only by using IT fully and creatively can HCT continue to provide the highest level of service to the nation's people, industries and institutions." He added that the focus on IT underscored the fact that people's lives had been improved by these technologies. Mohammed Al Gergawi, Director, Dubai Media Free Zone, was also present on the occasion. The bazaar consists of e-business displays, e-vendors, an on-campus radio, online broadcasts, an art gallery, IT training workshops, cultural shows, etc (The Gulf Today)
Return to contents list | WAM UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS
The Abdul Jalil Al Fahim Award has been increased to Dh300,000 this year, Mohammed Al Fahim, Director of Al Fahim Group, which sponsors the award said. A total of Dh240,000 will be given to students topping the secondary school examination in science and literature streams. Prizes will also be given in a daily competition for a period of two months on the Emirates FM radio, besides a weekly competition in an Arabic magazine for a period of eight weeks. Al Fahim said that the award, launched in memory of the late Abdul Jalil Al Fahim in 1997 to encourage students, was now in its fourth year. He also called on businessmen and private establishments in the country to create other awards for students, particularly for students in universities and the Higher Colleges of Technology, to support higher education. (The Khaleej Times)