August 2, 2004

Dubai, 3 August 2004

Dubai Municipality crak down 530 Street vendors, beggars

Dubai Municipality inspectors, in cooperation with Dubai Police and the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department, nabbed last month 530 persons including street vendors, beggars and illegal car washers. This was announced by Obeid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Administrative Affairs and General Services, who noted that the sweep against the law-breakers had also resulted in the seizure of several low-quality goods, pirated CDs and pornographic films.

The Municipality inspectors conduct daily spot checks in streets and public places to prevent street vending, begging and car washing in public places by individuals in violation of a ruling by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. "The nine inspectors at the Security and Monitoring Unit of the Administrative Affairs Department carry out regular checks. In July 2004, they caught a total of 530 people including 329 street vendors, 108 beggars and 66 car washers. Some 27 persons were caught while sleeping in resting places and public parks during night time. In addition, a total of 506 items including ready-made garments, perfumes, cameras, watches, gifts and other several fake products of international brands were confiscated. Also, some 4,959 pirated films and 150 pornographic films, copied on CD-ROMs, were also seized," said Mr. Al Shamsi. He noted that the law-breakers, who belong to various nationalities, would be handed over to the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department for deportation in coordination with Dubai Police. The seized goods would be destroyed and disposed of safely after legal actions were taken against the violators.

IDB BOARD COMMENDS THE INITIATIVE OF HRH CROWN PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA TO ENHANCE TRADE BETWEEN OIC MEMBER COUNTRIES

$362 million trade finance loan approved.

Jeddah,2.08.04 The Board of Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank which concluded its 224th Session at the Bank's Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday commended the initiative of HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz made during the 10th Islamic Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2003 and decided to submit a draft resolution on the matter in the forthcoming Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Tehran, Iran (14-15 September 2004) on the need for increasing the trade between OIC member countries from the present modest level.

During the Session the Board approved US$ 362 million towards project financing, trade operations and special assistance programs. H.E. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President, IDB, who chaired the Session, stated that the above mentioned amount was approved in favor of a number of member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries and includes around US$ 136.5 million towards project financing, and around US$ 1.3 million towards grant for educational institutions in non-member countries. The total approval is inclusive of US$ 223.2 million approved by the President between the two sessions of the Board towards trade operations and technical assistance under authority from the Board. The Board also approved one million US dollars as special assistance to join international efforts towards helping the IDB Member countries in the north-west and west African Countries which have been seriously affected by migratory locust attack on agriculture.

The details of the new approvals are given below:

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

" US$ 21.9 million as Istisna'a + Installment Sale for Development and Upgrading of The Islamic University of Sultan Syarif Kasim (SUSKA) Project in Indonesia.
" US$ 15 million as Line of Financing to the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU)- Uzbekistan.
" US$ One million as grant for the Construction and Equipping of Rehabilitation Center Project under post-earthquake assistance Program for Bam in Iran.
" US$ 10 million as loan and LDMC financing for the Rural Infrastructure Development Project (RIDP) in Sierra Leone.
" US$ 18.9 million as loan and istisnaa financing for the Ouagadougou Access Roads Project in Burkina Faso.
" US$ 10.2 million as loan financing for Kayes Bafoulabe Road Project in Mali.
" US$ 10 million as loan financing for the Transmission Lines Project in Chad.
" US$ 6.2 million as loan and LDMC financing for Ali-Sabieh Regional Hospital Project in Djibouti.
" US$ 43.3 million as lease financing for the 220 KV Electrical Transmission Development Project (2005-2009 Phase-II ) in Bahrain

IDB WAKF FUND

" US$ 285,000 for the Expansion of London Islamic School, London, Ontario, Canada.
" US$ 365,000 for the Expansion of SSEKE Secondary School, Masaka District, Uganda.
" US$ 190,000 for the Expansion of Aligarh College of Engineering & Management, Aligarh City, Uttar Pradesh State, India.
" US$ 485,000 for the Urgent Relief Assistance for Water Projects in Somalia

APPROVALS BY THE PRESIDENT

The following are approvals of trade operations and technical assistance made by the President of the Bank between the previous and present sessions of the Board.

ITFO for Bangladesh totaling US$ 25 million

ITFO in favor of Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Government of Bangladesh for US$ 25 million to purchase Crude Oil & Petroleum Products.

ITFO for Egypt totaling US$ 25 million

ITFO in favor of the Ministry of Supply in the Arab Republic of Egypt for an amount of US$ 25 million to purchase wheat.

ITFO for Iran totaling US$ 48 million

ITFO for the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of Alborz Tire Manfg. Company for US$ 12 million to purchase Raw Materials.

ITFO for the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of Khouzestan Steel Company for US$ 24 million to purchase Steel Billets, Graphite Electrode & Iron Ore.

ITFO for the Islamic Republic of Iran in favor of Avangan Company for US$ 12 million to purchase Raw Materials for the production of Electrical Masts, Steel Profiles, Steel Billets & Zinc Billets.

ITFO for Kuwait totaling US$ 25 million.

ITFO for Kuwait in favor of Kuwait Cement Company (KCC) for an amount of US$ 25 million to purchase Raw Materials & Spare Parts.

ITFO for Pakistan totaling US$ 20 million

Line of Import Trade Financing Operation in favor of Habib Bank Ltd., Pakistan for US$ 20 million.

ITFO for Tunisia totaling US$ 25 million.

ITFO for the Republic of Tunisia in favor of the Societe Tunisienne De L'electricite Et Du Gaz - Steg (Ministry Of Industry & Energy) for US$ 25 million to purchase Natural Gas.

EFS for Kuwait totaling US$ 30 million

Export Financing Operation of Refined Petroleum Products from Kuwait to Pakistan for US$ 15 million.

Export Financing Operation of Refined Petroleum Products from Kuwait to Pakistan for US$ 15 million.

EFS for Malaysia totaling US$ 15 million

Export Financing Operation of Palm Oil from Malaysia to Algeria for US$ 15 million.

BADEA for Angola totaling US$ 5 million

BADEA Export Financing Operation for the export of Medicine & Medical Equipments from Kingdom of Jordan to the Republic of Angola for US$ 5 million.

TA Grant and Others

T.A. Grant of US$ 266,000 for the High Commission for the Development of Hail Region - Saudi Arabia.

T.A Grant of US$ 160,000 to carry out an Applied Research Study on "Ensilage of Greenery Residues as Animal Feed" - Kuwait

US$ 4.6 million as installment sale for the TUNDE Printing press expansion project - in Benin

US$ 119,500 as TA Grant to assist Chad to organize the International Conference on Bilingual Education, TA-grant - Chad

US$ 117,600 as TA Grant to Niger for the Enhancement of Franco-Arab Education

The Board also discussed a number of other policy matters, financial and administrative issues of concern to the Bank including the utilization of the Debut Sukuk Issue of IDB International Sukuk Fund. It also considered several follow-up reports on the progress of work in development projects being financed by the Bank.

The Gardens" raises environmental awareness through unique community campaign

A community clean-up drive provided fun, while delivering a key social and environmental message

DUBAI - August 3, 2004 The Gardens, the self-contained community-focused residential project developed by Nakheel, organised recently a community clean-up drive, in association with the Emirates Environment Group (EEG).The fun-filled event was aimed not only at conserving the environment at the Gardens but also to encourage the residents to participate in environment protection activities. The clean-up drive brought together residents belonging diverse cultural backgrounds to contribute to the common welfare.

The participants in the clean up drive were divided into 4 groups with a team leader in each group and assigned a specific area for clean-up operations. More than 80 individuals took part in the event, including residents, employees of Group 4 Security, Al Khayat cleaners and Super Gulf Maid Service. The event was supported by ENOC and Unikai who provided refreshments for a social get-together after the event at The Gardens Cricket Oval and by Al Bayan purification and bottle water, who provided free water at various locations during The Gardens drive.

"We would like to see people take pride in the locality they live in, and to share responsibility in keeping the neighbourbood clean. This will make the children aware of the advantages of conserving the environment. In order to generate greater excitement, we arranged a short quiz competition on environment after the clean-up drive," said Esam Hassan Saleh, Senior Manager, Leasing and Property Management, The Gardens. "We aim to implant the community spirit among all residents of The Gardens and thus generate cooperation, concern and public awareness of environmental and social issues, which form any community," added Saleh

The management welcomed residents' suggestions on the ideal ways to protect the environment and the best suggestion was given an award. Residents were also requested to collect old newspapers, cardboards, cans, batteries and print cartridges and bring them along, so that these could be collected by EEG.

Comprising of 129 buildings of 3828 apartments and 208 villas, The Gardens is home to over 10,000 residents in Dubai. With its spacious apartments, lush landscaped gardens, swimming pools, playing fields and playgrounds and extensive community recreational facilities, The Gardens, stands a class apart from its peers as a model township.

HIGH LEVEL QATAR ARMED FORCES TEAM BRIEFED ON BAE SYSTEMS C4ISR CAPABILITIES

Delegation gets Milipol preview at Farnborough air show

DHOA - Monday August 2, 2004 A high-level delegation from Qatar's armed forces was given a preview of BAE Systems' Homeland Security capabilities, which will be showcased at Milipol in Doha later this year, when they visited the UK's Farnborough air show recently.

The delegation was briefed on BAE Systems' C4ISR - command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance - capabilities by Ben Bridge, BAE Systems General Manager in Qatar. They then had the opportunity to watch thrilling displays by the Red Arrows aerobatic team, flying BAE Systems' Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, and Eurofighter Typhoon.

The aerial display by BAE Systems' next generation swing role fighter was the first time that the Eurofighter Typhoon had been put through its paces at the air show by Britain's Royal Air Force, which recently accepted the aircraft into service in the UK.Under the theme 'Homeland Defence' BAE Systems, the international systems, defence and commercial aerospace company, will demonstrate its cutting edge C4ISR capabilities that can significantly enhance a country's ability to protect its national boundaries and assets, at Milipol, which will take place from October 4-6.

"Protecting the homeland is not a simple, single facet of a nation's planning," said Bridge. "It is about bringing together a host of different skills, talents and specialisations. It is as much about techniques and tactics as it is about technology but to understand them, a first class partner is required."At Milipol our aim will be to demonstrate not only our Homeland Security technology but also that BAE Systems is the partner of choice when it comes to ensuring people feel secure, a prime requisite for economic stability and investment." -Keralamonitor.com

DMC Special Counter for e-government Services

Dubai, 3 August 2004 Dubai Municipality has recently set up a special counter for e-government services at the Customer Services Centre in the Municipality Head Quarters. Khalid AbdelRahim Abdullah, Head of Customer Services Section said the move goes along with the e-government initiative of Dubai government aimed at making Dubai into a pioneering centre of activities.

He said it also coincides with the development of technology and business, which is based on establishing electronic infrastructure that will help to provide quick services to the public, round the clock, seven days a week. The special counter will also educate the customer on all the e-services provided by the Municipality, said Abdullah.

"This step also comes as part of the keenness of the Municipality to provide all necessary information about these services in detail to different customers, such as contractors, consultants, companies, agencies, landlords, factory owners and investors," he said.

Abdullah said the special counter is aimed at answering all the queries of the public regarding the e-services provided by the civic body, registering individuals and companies who wish to obtain these services, and supplying them with user names and passwords that will help them access the e-services.

He said the user names and passwords will be provided on submitting a copy of the trade license and passport copy of the licensee.
Abdullah said the special counter for e-government has been set up at the entrance of the Customer Services Centre so that it is the most targeted among the counters available at the centre. "It is also aimed at realizing the aim of the civic body of reducing the number of customers who pay visits to the Municipality so that they use the e-services instead for getting the Municipality services," he said.

"The officials at the counter give a brief presentation on the e-services provided by the Municipality if any of the customers wishes to know about any e-service. The counter official also gives detailed explanation about data in the electronic forms regarding the services. On an average 1,000 people come to the e-government counter daily," said Abdullah.

Ahmed Bahrozyan, Head of E-Government Services Section added that the e-services provided by the Municipality at present includes a number fields such as clinic and medical services for clinic health certificates and cards, Dubai Central Labs for projects and the products and materials related to it, and to obtain no-objection certificates, recruitment, site plans and collection of fees, and Drainage and Irrigation services, directory of services that helps to know more about the services provided to the public, in addition to research and studies that will allow the customer to access the list of published studies and researches, inspection and fines enquiry, imports and re-export, demarcation service, classification of land uses, hazardous waste disposal, in addition to facilitating e-payment. (keralamonitor.com)

IBM Changes Economics of UNIX Computing in the Middle East

Dubai-UAE - August 3, 2004 -- IBM Middle East has unveiled details on its advanced line of UNIX computing systems that use the new POWER5™ microprocessors and breakthrough Virtualization Engine™ technology to completely redefine the economics of UNIX-based computing in the region. In conjunction with Gulf Business Machines (GBM), sole distributor for selected IBM products and services in the Gulf countries excluding Saudi Arabia, IBM hosted a roadshow in Oman, Qatar and Kuwait recently where worldwide and regional experts from IBM's Server Group briefed customers and business partners on the new eServer p5 systems that significantly increase system utilization, boost performance and lower costs.

The eServer p5 systems are the result of a large-scale, three-year research and development effort at IBM extending beyond traditional UNIX servers with mainframe-inspired features that are designed to help bring significant cost advantages to business organisations. "The eServer p5 systems bring a remarkable breakthrough in server technology. We are changing the economics of UNIX computing with the most disruptive large-scale computing system since the debut of the IBM mainframe 40 years ago," said Wael Abdoush, systems group manager, IBM Middle East. "Today, a typical mainframe is 70-80% utilized, whereas a typical UNIX server is 70-80% under-utilized, which adds significant costs to an organisation's infrastructure-the new IBM p5 systems improve utilization by 40%, bringing enormous cost savings to this region's UNIX market."

The new IBM eServer p5 systems, based on the POWER 5 microprocessor, give clients choices of implementing different solutions - ranging from a 2-way server to a 16-way server - all leveraging the industry standard Power Architecture™ and designed to deliver the most potent performance and scalability ever available on the entry and midrange UNIX platform, according to widely used industry benchmarks. "Powered by the world's most powerful 64-bit chip and IBM's Virtualization Engine, the eServer p5 is simply the most advanced UNIX computing system to date, providing our customers with unparalleled options to meet today's rigorous business environment," Soubhi Chebib, IBM brand director, GBM. "The roadshow was a great success and a good indicator on the exciting value proposition this presents to us and our customers."

Using as few as one fourth the number of processors, eServer p5 systems outperform HP servers in the significant Transaction Processing Performance Council's TPC-C™ benchmark test. The new eServer p5 systems shattered world records for select transaction processing, Web speed, Java™ performance and other business applications beyond expectations, in some cases beating HP's and Sun's performances by two and three times. Additionally, the new IBM systems are designed to save customers significant IT costs.

In the new computing era, client demand will shift towards systems that offer breakthrough tools like the Micro-Partitioning technology in IBM's Virtualization Engine, which is designed to significantly improve utilization and reduce IT costs. The new eServer p5 systems are the first UNIX systems designed to enable clients to run multiple (up to ten) virtual servers or Micro-Partitions on a single microprocessor letting it do the work traditionally done by many. This allows businesses to better utilize processors and automatically balance processor partitions in less than one second to meet changing on demand business needs. IBM eServer p5 systems allow for exceptional server consolidation and mixed workloads on a single system by giving businesses the capability to run multiple different operating systems simultaneously.