NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailie

‘Dubai Cares’ for children in poor countries

DUBAI — SEP. 20: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday launched the ‘Dubai Cares’ campaign, a new charity initiative during the holy month of Ramadan to help educate one million children in poor countries around the world.

The fund, to be raised in a six-week long drive, will go to countries which lack resources for education and face major impediments to growth and stability.

Addressing a large gathering of VIPs, local dignitaries and representatives from the private and public sectors as well as charity organisations at the Madinat Jumeirah, Shaikh Mohammed said: “The campaign will assist countries in achieving their UN Millennium Development Goals set eight years ago for providing primary education to every child by 2015.

“The millennium development goals, which the countries pledged to fulfil, emphasised on education as the best long-term solution to alleviate poverty in the developing world,” he said, reinforcing the call of experts that educating children, especially girls, is the key to ending the global cycle of poverty.

Global statistics significantly add to the urgency of this campaign, Shaikh Mohammed said, adding that 120 million school-age children around the globe are not enrolled in primary schools, and one in every three children in developing countries does not complete five years of primary education, the minimum required for achieving basic literacy.

Of the children who do not attend schools, 58 per cent (more than half) are girls, and it is this gender gap in education which poses a major obstacle to alleviating poverty.

Shaikh Mohammed stressed on the need for urgent action to meet the UN development goal, urging both Emiratis and expatriates in the UAE to compete in charity and to participate in their own suitable way in the charity campaign. He urged the private sector, including the international corporations and their offices in the UAE, to make a substantial contribution to the charity drive. Shaikh Mohammed and his sons and daughters, all of whom are making personal commitments to the cause, are offering their direct support — both financial and moral — in order to achieve the campaign’s objectives. These efforts run parallel to the call of Shaikh Mohammed to Dubai’s multicultural residents to contribute to and participate in this global initiative. “Joined by my sons and daughters, I will participate actively to ensure the success of this campaign and invite everyone to participate personally and motivate your family members to contribute as well, so we can all fulfil our duty in what pleases our Creator and our own conscience,” said Shaikh Mohammed.

“We need to implant the culture of giving in our society and give our children a heritage that incorporates the noble values we inherited from our ancestors which have now become one of the highest universal values,” he noted.  Among the campaign’s goals is social cohesion, which is in line with Shaikh Mohammed’s commitment to enhance a collective sense of belonging among all communities in Dubai.

Another important goal is to instill the spirit of proactive fund-raising for a global cause, which stems from Shaikh Mohammed’s focus on global citizenship and broadening the scope of Dubai’s philanthropic obligations to a global level.

‘Dubai Cares’ joins a list of international initiatives launched in Dubai that express Dubai’s will to play an effective role contributing to achieving a better tomorrow for future generations.

Events and promotions will be organised over a six-week period to tap into the spirit of giving and the tradition of philanthropy deeply rooted in the Emirati community — elements that will be key to achieving the campaign’s objectives.

The campaign will also create the necessary conditions for students to excel and take their rightful positions as positive contributors to their societies.

Specifically, the campaign sets out to build new school facilities; renovate/rehabilitate existing abandoned and/or damaged school premises; distribute school supply materials; award student scholarships; coordinate a feeding programme at schools; an annual medical check-up for students and teachers; and provide training and workshops to benefit teachers.

By promoting education in other countries, Shaikh Mohammed said, he aims to reinforce the principle that education — as a vehicle for development in countries globally — guarantees stability, prosperity and progress and brings about positive change throughout the world.

FOLLOWING is the text of the speech of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the ‘Dubai Cares’ launch ceremony at Madinat Jumeirah yesterday:

Ladies and gentlemen

First, let me congratulate you on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan. I pray that God will give each of us the strength to fulfil our duties during the holy month, the desire to absorb its values to the core of our being, and the integrity to ensure these values are reflected in our deeds.

Ramadan is a blessed month for Muslims around the world. Our hearts fill with shared joy in our religion, our souls are lifted and we are swayed by the spirit of the holy month to offer mercy and compassion.

Let the enduring spirit of Sadaqah (charity) be the guiding light for our actions throughout the holy month. Let it shape our good intentions so they become deeds whose consequences are positive, immense and far reaching.

Education offers one of the clearest and most effective ways to turn good intentions into actions that change the lives of people immeasurably and for the better. The satisfaction to be gained from a single act that helps the needy or curbs injustice can be immense. Imagine how much stronger that satisfaction must be if that act helps —as only education can — to free generation after generation from grinding poverty.

The patrons of education leave a lasting mark on history. The opening of the first school in the UAE in 1903, for example, is a defining moment in the history of the nation and continues to be regarded as one of the greatest events in the country’s modern history. Our history books record the contributions of UAE’S education pioneers such as: Mohammed bin Ahmad Dalmouk, Khalaf bin Oteiba, Ali Mahmoud, Mohammed Zeinal and a host of others.

The names of those pioneers who put their efforts into opening schools and providing the funding to support education, will be longest remembered and are an undeniable part of our history. Those who forget their responsibilities towards their community are soon forgotten.

Brothers and sisters, education holds out hope for the future, enrichment for the present, and dignity for mankind. it helps us to communicate with each other. It helps nations to hurdle the barriers to understanding. It provides a solid basis from which societies can grow and flourish.

God almighty said: “O mankind. We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa”. (Al Hujurat —13)

But, could the ignorant communicate with the educated? Do societies that continue to accept widespread illiteracy have any chance to bridge the gap between themselves and the educated world?

Education, through its ability to open eyes to new possibilities and extend horizons, offers a channel for communication between humans, a necessity as the Holy Koran tells us.

The importance of education has increased tremendously in the ‘knowledge age’. promoting education and providing the support it needs to flourish are now prerequisites for global development.

Those who are deprived of education will inevitably fall behind and dwell in a shadowland. They will never know the true essence of their religion, nor learn its valuable teachings. They will always be dependent on others and face the prospect of becoming burdens on themselves, their societies and the whole world.

Brothers and sisters, since the era of the late Shaikh Zayed and Shaikh Rashid, may

God ensure their souls rest in peace, the UAE has been committed to offering support and help to our fraternal brothers and sisters in the Arab and Muslim worlds across Africa and Asia. The country’s contributions were made in many fields, and especially in the field of education.

From early on in our history pioneering UAE businessmen have appreciated the importance of education. Mr Juma Al Majid, for example, has been an outstanding role model. His support for education has resulted in Mr Juma being considered an outstanding figure and a celebrated patron across the Arab and Islamic worlds.

The UAE’S remarkable successes at various local and regional levels have increased its prominence as an economic and cultural bridge between the east and the west. By accepting this crucial role we accept at the same time the duty to promote education in its entirety.

Last may, I launched the ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation’ for human development. Knowledge and education are key components of the vision and mission of the foundation and underpin its activities. We expect the foundation to become a showcase for the benefits of long term education initiatives for humanity in general and for our region in particular.

Today, I seize this opportunity presented by the Holy Month of

Ramadan to announce the “Dubai Cares’ campaign, which focuses on supporting education for children in a number of the world’s poorest countries.

I invite you to take part and support this campaign. Istrongly believe that together, we can reshape the future of underdeveloped countries in the region and globally. the campaign’s mission is to help spread education in these countries by securing necessary funds.

Building new schools and classrooms, providing books, food and medical care for unprivileged children are among the campaign’s key objectives.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Officials praise ‘Dubai Cares’ education initiative for children

DUBAI — SEP. 20: Minister of Education Dr Hanif Hassan paid rich tributes to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for the ‘Dubai Cares’ campaign he launched yesterday to raise funds for primary education of one million children in poor countries.

The initiative is one of many gestures of Shaikh Mohammed in social and humanitarian fields, Dr Hanif said.

It underlines that education is the cornerstone of the development of human resources and the progress of nations, especially the third world countries, he noted. Dr Hanif said it is only the latest initiative of the UAE in extending humanitarian aid and contributions to the Arab and Muslim countries, especially in the field of education. It also completes the ruler’s initiative on the establishment of Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation for Human Development in May, the minister said.

Dr Hanif described the campaign as a clear message to the national establishments and organisations to contribute to this humanitarian work, “which I expect will get a positive response”. The initiatives of Shaikh Mohammed always reflect the impressive image of an impressive leadership of the UAE, said Mohammed bin Hindi, Under-secretary of the Ministry of Education.

Shaikh Mohammed’s initiatives and generosity have taken forward the vision of charismatic leaders like the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, he said.

Obaid Al Qawood, Director of Umm Al Quwain Educational Zone, expressed his delight at the gesture, saying Shaikh Mohammed has always backed such initiatives which explain his keenness on upgrading and improving education to bring it to an international level. Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Directors Council and Director-General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, said: “We are used to the launching of such major initiatives by Shaikh Mohammed.”

KHALEEJ TIMES

Fake Viagra Distribution Ringleader jailed in UK
 
DUBAI - SEP. 20:The ringleader of a gang that distributed fake Viagra tablets in Dubai and other cities around the world has been jailed for four years in the UK.  The multi-million-dollar scam was described as being so large it was unparalleled in the history of Britain’s medicines regulatory agency.

Ashish Halai, 33, was the mastermind behind the fiveyear plot to sell millions of fake Viagra and Cialis antiimpotence pills on the internet. The gang also sold fake Propecia tablets – the genuine drug is used to treat hair loss.

The case comes a week after it was revealed that Dubai customs officers seized five million fake Viagra pills and other drugs worth Dh20 million at a Jebel Ali warehouse.

The UK court heard that Halai’s gang obtained counterfeit tablets from secret factories in China and Pakistan and distributed them through Dubai, Hong Kong, the Bahamas and the UK. They paid Dh2 per tablet and sold them for up to Dh140 each.

Millions of fake pills were supplied over the internet to the US and other countries, and some were sold by UK chemists on prescription to unsuspecting customers.   Several counterfeit batches of Pfizer’s Viagra and Eli Lillyss’s Cialis were discovered in the UK supply chain.

Halai relied on customers being too embarrassed to complain when the tablets failed to work. He admitted to four charges in connection with the fraud. Three accomplices were found guilty of conspiring to supply fake medicines and will be sentenced later.

In Dubai, four British citizens of Pakistani origin were each jailed for four years following the massive haul at Jebel Ali. Other fake pills found included Pfizer’s Lipitor, GlaxoSmithKline’s Augmentin and Bayer’s Levitra.

Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Director-General of Dubai Customs, called upon the public to be aware of fake products. He said his department was doing everything it could to prevent such items entering the market.

“It is the popularity of the drugs that makes them very dangerous,” he said. “I call upon the consumers to be aware of such dangers and I assure them Dubai Customs is keen to protect and keep the society safe and secure.”

 
 
EMIRATES TODAY

Aeroplane gets stuck in the mud
 
 
Dubai - Sep. 20: Passengers on a Dubai-bound Emirates flight had to be disembarked after it got stuck in mud just before take off at UK’s Glasgow airport.  The incident occurred around 2pm local time on Tuesday after flight EK26, which was proceeding towards the runway for take off, was instructed by air traffic control to clear the runway for an incoming flight.

According to Emirates, the pilot was instructed to exit via one of the adjacent taxiways. “While complying with this direction, the pilot was issued new instructions to return to the runway. This required the aircraft to make a 135-degree turn, which is a difficult manoeuvre for large aircraft.” As the aircraft was trying to get back to the runway a set of the plane’s undercarriage wheels became stuck in the soft ground after edging one metre off the taxiway.

According to reports from passengers, the pilot informed passengers the wheels were stuck in the muddy grass.

The passengers were provided with hotel accommodation and were brought back to Dubai on a flight yesterday.
 
 
EMIRATES TODAY

RTA launches online Salik recharge service

DUBAI — Sep. 20: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) yesterday launched an online recharge facility for Salik subscribers.

Customers can log on to the Salik web site (www.salik.ae) to add credit to their Salik accounts from home or office.

The new service is a vital addition to an array of customer-friendly services already available on the web site, which offers subscribers full access to information on their Salik account, the RTA officials said.

The online recharge service will enable Salik users to add credit to their accounts through three payment options — credit card, e-dirham or direct debit from the user’s bank account. The minimum recharge amount is Dh50.

Salik subscribers can now check their balance online and view the number of crossings through the toll gates located at Garhoud Bridge and Shaikh Zayed Road near Mall of the Emirates. They can also amend their personal data and print out financial statements.

Motorists can now check their accounts also using the new IVR service offered by the call centre by calling 800-72545 and following the voice instructions.

“The online recharge service, without any additional fees involved, reiterates RTA’s commitment to provide Salik users with quality services that meet their requirements,” said Engineer Maitha bin Adai, CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency of RTA.

“The online service reflects the modern demands of the society, whereby people prefer to conduct their transactions fast and online,” she said.

“Motorists who do not want to use the toll roads can use the Dubai Crossing Road, which links Sharjah with Abu Dhabi; the Emirates Road that has been expanded from three to six lanes; and the Floating Bridge, which links the end of Al Ittihad Street near City Centre to Al Riyadh Street in Bur Dubai.

The Floating Bridge also helps manage the traffic on Al Maktoum Bridge considerably as it can take up to 6,000 vehicles during rush hours,” added Bin Adai.

Salim Al Sahir, director of e-services at Dubai eGovernment, said the role of Dubai eGovernment in supporting RTA by facilitating the payment procedures of Salik has helped in the success of the system, and helped manage the traffic flow in Dubai.

This reflects the keen emphasis of the government to offer value-added services online.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Role of inspectors crucial to combat illegals

ABU DHABI — SEP. 20: The inspection teams of the Ministry of Labour (MoL) should do their best to combat the illegal workers phenomenon in the country, Yousef Jaafar, labour affairs and international relations expert at the MoL, has said.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Jaafar said the results of the amnesty offer of the government had been very good, with some 278,715 illegals benefiting from it by either legalising their status or leaving the country without paying any fines.

“In our bid to streamline the labour market, we have to ensure that no company hires illegal workers,” said Jaafar.

He added that the MoL inspectors should not only inspect the companies but also raise awareness among workers and employers on the matter.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Man arrested with 5,200 porn CDs

AJMAN — SEP. 20: Ajman Police seized more than 5,200 pornographic CDs and DVDs from an Indian yesterday.

Mohammed Ali, 32, was arrested following a tip-off by the residents of the areas he was operating in, Captain Rayed Al Zaabi, Deputy Head of the CID Office in Ajman, said.

He, in fact, fell into a trap laid by the police. A police decoy took up a flat in one of the residential buildings in Ajman where the accused often visited to sell the CDs. When the accused arrived at the doors of the flat yesterday, the police caught him red-handed. More than 5,200 pornographic CDs and DVDs were seized from his car.

The accused, it is learnt, has been staying in the country on a legal visit visa and selling pornographic and other pirated CDs and DVDs for the past two months.

During interrogation, the accused tried to evade responsibility, saying the CDs belonged to another person but he later confessed to the crime. He told the cops that  he bought them from a company in Dubai for Dh2 each. He used to sell them in Sharjah and Ajman for Dh5 each CD.

Captain Al Zaabi said the number of such cases was negligible in Ajman this year due to the stringent measures taken by the local authorities. 

He attributed the latest success to the coordination of the police and municipality.

He called for coordination and joint inspection by authorities in all emirates to crack down on the menace effectively, Al Zaabi said.

He pointed out that most of the vendors who had been caught so far were found to have a history of past offences and some of them had been staying in the country illegally.

Captain Al Zaabi also warned residents against entertaining such vendors at home as many of them might be on a recce mission and return later to commit robbery or other crimes. He urged the public to inform the nearest police station if they find any such vendor on their premises.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Spirits remain upbeat despite high prices

UAE - SEP. 20: REASONS are plenty but the fact remains that people are breaking their fast with "costlier" dishes during the Holy Month of Ramadan this year.

Prices of several items including fruits, vegetables, rice, pulse and even spices are on a higher side as people are feeling jittery over the prospect of commodities becoming even more costly when the month of Ramadan draws closer to the end and also during Eid festivity.

Though authorities have been keeping a close vigil to pre-empt any price manipulation by retailers, prices of several commodities have increased even before the advent of the month of Ramadan.

A major wholesale dealer in cereals said that the price of Indian Basmati rice has increased by nearly 30 per cent depending on size and scent of the commodity.

He said that similarly pulse market is also very much dependent on supplies from Thailand and Myanmar since India is not exporting the commodity due to the domestic market compulsions.

UAE is also getting supplies of Masur variety of pulse from Turkey and Egypt to meet the demand-supply gap.

He said that developments on the supply front have, however, an impact on the prices which keep fluctuating. Prices of pulses on an average have increased from Dhs170 to Dhs195 per 50 kilogramme.

Sources said that prices of Indian Basmati rice has already gone by nearly 20 per cent primarily due to the market forces and also due to appreciation of the Indian Rupee.

Similarly prices of rice are also on a higher side with Indian variety of Sona Masuri rice becoming costlier.

The price of this variety of rice has gone from Dhs29 (20 kilogramme) to Dhs40 in the recent past.

Domestic demands of scented variety of rice have gone up considerably in Pakistan, showing its effect on the exports business, he added.

Similarly, even Indian chilly which was earlier selling at Dhs140 is now available only at Dhs170 per 40 kg, he informed.

Exporters, particularly small ones are not finding it very lucrative to supply chilly due to weak dollar

Ramesh K of Arab and India Spices said that heavy rains in India are responsible for short supply of Indian chilly.

He said that southern state of Andhra Pradesh which is the major grower of chilly, experienced heavy rains this year, damaging the produce in a big way.

He said that situation is, however, not as bad if one takes the supplies of pepper as India supplies very less quantity of the commodity to UAE.

Majority quantities of pepper are supplied to UAE by Vietnam, he added.

A Dubai based engineer, B Khan, said that even fruits which are important part of any Iftaar, are also not untouched by the price hike as prices of banana which were earlier Dhs3 per kilogramme has also risen by at least 50 Fils.

He said that price of water melon which was earlier Dhs1.25 per kilogramme has risen to Dhs2.50 to 3 per kilogramme.

Vegetables are also selling at comparatively higher price, he rued.

A senior journalist living in Jamal Abdul Nasser Street said that preparation of "Harees", a special delicacy on the occasion of Iftaar, is also slowly becoming a difficult proposition as the prices of both rice and mutton have gone up significantly.

GULF TODAY

Dozens continue to flock Indian consulate

DUBAI - SEP. 20: INDIAN consulate in Dubai continues to get more than a trickle of illegal immigrants seeking to return to their homeland as the emirate of Dubai has been helping them process the necessary papers.

The confusion about the reprieve period still prevailing, with other emirates not allowing any more amnesty-related privileges, Indian consulate received over 1,000 applications for out passes, technically called Emergency Certificates (ECs) since the reprieve officially closed on Sept.3.

A senior official of the consulate on Tuesday told The Gulf Today that illegal workers continue to walk in for out passes. "Yesterday we had 100 of them coming in for out passes," he said.

The consulate had issued over 40,000 out passes during the three-month amnesty that lasted the whole of June, July and August. Over 30,000 passports were also issued to workers.

These documents were collected from the immigration departments that received them from various employers. With over 7,000 passports yet to be collected, he said the consulate would keep them in safe custody although there is little possibility of their claimants emerging.

The problem however is that immigration and labour departments in Sharjah and the other northern emirates no more allow illegals to return home without penalties. Many workers with out passes are stranded since the authorities are now penalising them for overstaying.

In one case, an Indian visitor from Andhra Pradesh who landed in Sharjah on June 4 is now stranded with no possibility of returning without paying fines for overstaying. On a visit visa whose duration was two months, he was overstaying all the while. The man who came in search of a job after paying some recruitment agent back home cannot return despite faced with the problem of an emergency back home.

Seeking anonymity a migrant worker from the state of Kerala said he would be unable to return if the authorities in Sharjah insist on the Dhs10,000 fine he was asked to pay.

The consulate official admitted there are several cases of workers getting caught in the last-minute delays at various offices. A man who applied for his exit permit from Sharjah immigration department now faces penalty or imprisonment owing to the delay in processing the paper. Although having submitted the documents 12 days in advance, he did not get the requisite clearance before the amnesty ended.

The Indian consulate is however keeping its doors open to anyone who might want to seek its assistance in returning home, the official said. "We cannot close the procedure since out passes are issued round the year as it is an alternative for passports," he said.

GULF TODAY

Solar taxis 'can solve' Dubai's traffic woes

DUBAI - SEP. 20: A SCHOOL teacher who is travelling around the world on his solar taxi, Louis Palmer said that the vehicle has the potential of becoming a panacea for majority of the driving woes presently faced by people of Dubai.

Louis Palmer, who arrived in Dubai on his solar taxi after his visit to Abu Dhabi, told newspersons on Wednesday that electric vehicle, powered through solar energy can do wonders as it occupies less space and it also does not pollute the environment.

Urging the Dubai government to discourage "environment polluting" vehicles from entering into the city, he said that it could be achieved through imposition of a heavy levy on such vehicles, adding that such an attempt has already been successful in London.

"Only non polluting vehicles like those powered through electricity or CNG should be allowed to enter the city," Louis Palmer reasoned.

Enthused by the promise solar taxi holds for solving the transport related problems of big urban centres, Palmer said that the Dubai government could also launch and invest in research projects which would ultimately help commercial and wide spread application of solar powered vehicles.

"We should not forget that petroleum rich countries particularly in the Gulf have also a lot of sunshine," he noted adding that availability of cheap petrol never means that the soar taxi or other similar vehicles should not be given a chance.

Prices of petrol and diesel are increasing but at the same time prices of solar cells are coming down and people will start preferring solar taxis once they (prices) cross each other at one stage, Palmer elaborated. He said that the problem of even parking could be solved in an effective manner if the members of the public are encouraged to use solar or similar vehicles.

It will also reduce number of such vehicles which are driven through fossil fuels inside the city significantly, reasoned the adventurer and travel editor.

He said that solar taxis are available in other parts of the world also but road licence has been issued only to his taxi.

Palmer said that 95 per cent problem of pollution emission could be solved in the world if the solar taxi or other non-traditional vehicles are used. After setting off from his hometown, Lucerne in Switzerland on July 3, he arrived in Dubai last Tuesday.

He will be staying at the Hilton Hotel till Sept.21.

Reaching the UAE is the first big milestone for the Solar taxi World Tour as after two months and as many weeks on the road, the vehicle has proved capable of travelling long distances in harsh climate without any problem.

After overland travel from Switzerland through Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the solar taxi will now embark on the ship to Mumbai where it will move across the Indian subcontinent and travel onwards to Indonesia to attend the UN World Climate Conference in December.

The aim of Palmer's project is to find solutions to combat global warming while making people more aware of climate change.

The solar taxi consists of a solar vehicle and trailer with solar cells while it is powered by 100 per cent solar energy on its 50,000 km journey around the world.

GULF TODAY

Nakheel aims for 200,000 home units

DUBAI - SEP. 20: Property developer Nakheel Group will create as many as 200,000 new residential units in Dubai over the next decade and expects strong demand for property in the booming city to persist, a top company official has said. “The market could provide 200,000 to 400,000 residential units over the next ten years and Nakheel could provide half of those,” the firm’s executive director for investment projects, Robert Lee, told Reuters news agency.

“Demand has grown far faster than supply, which has led to the acceleration of house prices; rent has gone up as well as construction costs,” Lee said. “So to calm this acceleration, we have to provide more units for people to live in.”

Rents have risen sharply in Dubai in recent years, fuelling inflation. Although a large amount of new property will come onto the market in the next few years, Lee said the market was far from being saturated. “Consultants raised concerns about saturation a couple of years ago, but they were wrong as it hasn’t happened because there is huge growth in Dubai,” he said.
Dubai’s population grew by almost 26 per cent to 1.42 million at the end of last year, from 1.13 million a year earlier, equivalent to 24,333 people every month, according to Dubai’s Statistics Department. Tourists are not counted in the figure.
Manal Shaheen, Nakheel’s sales and marketing director, also told Reuters that the firm would develop homes for two million people by 2020.

SEVEN DAYS