Emerald Palace Group launches Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence and Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel in Dubai
The high-end projects offer the ultimate in luxury and comfort, and will be managed by Kempinski Hotels
December 16, 2005 The Emerald Palace Group, a property developer based in Dubai, has announced today (Saturday, 17 December, 2005) the launch of The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence and the Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel, two prestigious high-end projects located at The Palm, Jumeirah in Dubai. Emerald Palace has entered into a strategic partnership with Kempinski Hotels, one of the world’s leading hotel chains, for the two projects. Kempinski will manage both properties for a period of 15 years.
The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence hotel and spa is a 7-storey boutique development set on the Palm Jumeirah Crescent, and is spread over a total land area of over 1,000,000 square feet with a 500 meter-long private beach. The project encompasses 200 elegant one, two, three and four bedroom apartments ranging from 165 square meters to 1,300 square meters. A striking feature of the project is its imposing Palladian dome, which will make it a landmark on the skyline of The Palm Jumeirah. The Palm Jumeirah is a man-made island in Dubai strategically located on the Arabian Gulf. Termed as the eighth wonder of the world, the island is shaped like the date palm, and is visible even from space. “The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence and Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel will offer residents the ultimate in luxury and comfort. Both projects have been meticulously planned, with extensive attention given to the smallest details to ensure the highest quality standards. The launch of these two projects will be followed by announcements of several more prestigious Emerald Palace projects in the future,” said Wessel Witthuh, Emerald Palace Group. “We were looking to partner with a prestigious hotel group to manage the projects, so that we can be confident that the facilities and services provided to residents will be truly world-class. Kempinski is a world leader in the hotel industry, and brings with them decades of experience in managing luxury hotels and residential projects. Their unique expertise will add considerable value to both The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence and the Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel,” Witthuh added.
Targeted at high-end residents, The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Residence will provide a host of facilities, including private terraces and balconies, excellent recreational facilities, beautifully landscaped gardens, shopping arcade, secured parking and exclusive access to the private beach as well as the swimming and aquamarine facilities provided by the Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel. The Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel, on the other hand, will be a 250-room luxury hotel. Designed to be one of the most luxurious of all hotels on The Palm Jumeirah, the Emerald Palace Kempinski Hotel will be distinguished by its unique setting and world-class facilities. All 250 rooms of the hotel face the sea, offering stunning views to the occupants.
OMAN AIR AND GULF AIR COMMIT TO CLOSER TIES
From left to right: Edward Grauvogl, Divisional Planning Manager – Oman Air; Ziad Al-Haremi, Acting Chief Executive Officer – Oman Air; James Hogan, President and Chief Executive - Gulf Air, HE Said Hamdoon Al Harthy, Chairman of the Board of Directors – Oman Air, Fareed Al Alawi, Vice President Network – Gulf Air; Mohammed Mubarak Al Shikely, Senior Manager Marketing – Oman Air, and John Shepley, Head of Network, Fleet and Strategy- Gulf Air.
Manama, Bahrain: A senior Oman Air delegation headed by Chairman of the Board, HE Said Hamdoon Al Harthy met with Gulf Air President and Chief Executive James Hogan and other senior airline executives at the airline’s headquarters in Bahrain. Working discussions focused on areas of co-operation, including the network, the loyalty programme, common pricing, shared infrastructure, expansion of code sharing, and other opportunities to promote economic development and tourism in the airlines’ owner states. Thanking the Chairman for his ongoing support and commitment, Mr Hogan said: “Following the withdrawal of Abu Dhabi, our strong relationship with Oman Air will be fundamental and definitive in the way we move forward. At a time when the airline industry is facing so many challenges, it is important that we refine our strategy to work even more closely in achieving synergies and creating economies of scale.”
“Working with the unconditional mandate and support of our owner states, we are finalizing an enhanced strategy to restructure our business to achieve the right shape and size for our target markets in the future.” Mr Al Harthy reiterated Oman’s Air’s commitment to closer ties with Gulf Air: “As Gulf Air focuses on a two-hub strategy in Bahrain and in Muscat, it has the opportunity to embrace positive change, notably in the network, where in co-operation with Oman Air, it will be possible to bring in greater synergies in route planning, business operations and cost reduction to ensure the longer term prosperity of both airlines and the region.”
CaptionWelcare Treats 40 Students to Informative Tour at its Ambulatory Care Center
Dubai, UAE, December 14, 2005 – Welcare Ambulatory Care Center recently treated nearly 40 high school students to a unique and informative behind-the-scenes look at healthcare during a visit to the outpatient clinic located in Dubai Knowledge Village.The 12th-grade students from Our Own English High School – Sharjah received an elaborate tour of the clinic, including the laboratory, daycare surgical facility and urgent care center. They also spoke with doctors from the clinic and listened to a presentation on healthy bones. “This field trip was extremely valuable because it gave these young people, who are beginning to think about their career choices, an idea about the medical profession as one exciting option,” said Dr. Salman Hameed, Specialist Orthopedic Surgeon (Pediatrics).Dr. Sumedha Sahni, Director of Quality Assurance and Head of Satellite Centers, Welcare Ambulatory Care Center, added, “We provided the high school students with an in-depth understanding of how we care for our patients in the service departments and ensured they came away from this excursion with useful information on healthy living. By reaching out to the community in this way, we encourage and promote good health.”
LEBANON: Al-Nahar editor-in-chief killed in car-bomb attack
BEIRUT, 12 December (IRIN) - Journalists were shocked by the death of Gebran Tueini, editor in chief of leading Lebanese daily Al-Nahar, who was killed in the capital Beirut by two car bombs on Monday, according to initial security reports.At least three other people were killed and 30 wounded as the bombs, apparently targeting Tueini's passing car, detonated in the Mekalles district in the eastern side of the city.
"I'm shocked - it's a huge loss to the Lebanese press and for Lebanon," said Lebanese Press Federation Vice President Georges Skaff. "Politicians as well as journalists are given the death sentence for voicing their opinions.""Lebanon is surrounded by forces who don't believe in freedom," he added.
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) immediately expressed its "outrage and sorrow" over the killing of the 48 year-old journalist, who was also a board member of the organisation."We condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of Mr Tueni, an outstanding, brave and determined publisher and journalist," WAN stated in a press release. The organisation went on to urge the Lebanese government to "do everything possible to ensure that the killers are swiftly brought to justice." Monday's slaying is only the latest in a string of killings that began with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February. "This can't go on," said Tueini's uncle, Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamadeh, himself the target of a failed assassination attempt in October of last year. "We want the government to call for an international tribunal to look into all these assassinations." Hamadeh went on to say that he would resign his position if the security climate did not improve dramatically.
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, also issued a statement on the killing: "This tragic assassination is today the latest in a vicious campaign against Lebanese citizens, journalists, political leaders and their right to freedom of expression. The Secretary-General strongly condemns this cold-blooded murder and extends his deepest sympathies to the families of those killed and injured."Al-Nahar journalist Toni Abi Najem told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) television channel: "It's as if we were living a nightmare, desperately waiting for someone to wake us up."LBC was recently targeted when its own television talk show host, May Chidiac, known for anti-Syrian political views, was left seriously wounded on 25 September by the detonation of a bomb planted in her car.
Earlier, in June, anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir, considered one of Lebanon's leading intellectuals, was killed in a similar incident.Tueini, like Kassir, had repeatedly claimed he was being threatened by the Syrian state apparatus. In his last editorial, Tueini accused Damascus of maintaining its interference in Lebanon, despite the official withdrawal of Syrian troops in April.Addressing Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Sharaa, the journalist wrote: "The Syrian tutelage of Lebanon is over."According to Information Minister Ghazi Aridi, the timing of the attack is linked to an ongoing UN investigation into the Hariri murder.
"It's no coincidence that Tueini was killed only a few hours before the UN Security Council meets to discuss a final report by the investigation team."Most observers expect results of the probe, headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, to implicate Syria as the primary instigator of the assassination.The final report is due to be officially released within hours.
Anti-Syrian political figures, including ministers, MPs and party representatives, gathered at the offices of Al-Nahar, where they called for the resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud.Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, head of the pro-Syrian Amal Party, urged restraint, saying the situation "calls for national unity and dialogue."
In hopes of calming rising passions, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet.Damascus, meanwhile, strongly condemned the killing, with Syrian Minister of Information Mahdi Dakhlallah saying the blast "targeted Lebanon's stability and civil peace."
He went on to refer to the timing of the murder as part of a plot against Damascus.
In downtown Beirut, citizens gathered outside the Al-Nahar offices, standing silently with other journalists, including the injured Chidiac.They held their pens over their heads - their weapon of choice against terrorism - in a symbolic show of defiance, they said.
CPM Leader's Brother in Visa Racket!!!
Kerala Politicians Throng Gulf Countries with Hidden Agenda Indian Worker from Ajman Missing for Two Months Labour Conference calls for Enhanced Social Security
Practice what you Preach
Amrita Enterprises: From Spirituality to Spirit
Reckless commercialism seems to have intoxicated the Amruthananthamayi movement as the devotees including some big businesses are using the Living Indian Women Goddesses brand name to market even tourism packages that may involve treating foreign and NRI guests at various properties of KTDC. The spiritual rennovation movement started by the Matt has been viewed by many pious believers and a section of the positive thinking society as as a good move to arrest the deteriorating moral and ethical standards in the state. We are taught that uncontrolled alcoholism, rape, suicides among other vices in the most politically sensitive state are due to materialism and lack of spiritualism in Gods Own country .
Many have expected to get salvation from the spiritual renaissance promised to be ushered in by the living goddesses who is admired by the first citizen of the largest democratic country in the world to a lay man. A health and travel package introduced recently by a private limited company gives an indication that the spiritual movement too is becoming part of the commercialised spiritual industry in the state. While the representative of Amrita Enterprises claimed that there are clear guidelines for the tourism packages, the business partners KTDC and a private tour operator may not follow the Matt policies. It is claimed that inorder to sustain the funding of charitable activities, the devotees need to generate a regular flow of cash. It is also argued that a lot of charitable activities are conducted by the spiritual group.
The real pathetic situation in the tourism sector is visible in Kumarakam where every resort and hotels is used as massage parlours and sex tourism randevouz. While venturing to any viable business is a prerogative of the private company and its shareholders who are the devotees themselves, the Matt has kept a safe distance from Ammat. "We cannot say that because it is used to make bombs, we cannot have nuclear energy," said the company;s Chief General Manager who shrugged off questions about the contradiction between the Amrithananthamayi ideology of spiritualism and a business formed with her blessings venturing into an risky and polluted area that involves directly or indirectly sex and alchahol.
The Chairman of a private company who has aligned with Amrita claimed that there was no sex tourism in Kerala, not even in Kumarakom....A real taste of the spiritual business was evidenct when a section of the media was served the latest brands of liquor in a leading five star hotel here.... Sex tourism sex scandals and women trafficking have been widely reported from the state and the devotees may have to keep a vigitl watch to ensure that such "businesses" do not contradict with the declared objectives of the religious cult... The liquor policy of the State Government permits the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) to produce and market tinned toddy. This was in addition to the privilege given to the KTDC to open wine and beer parlours wherever necessary. According to the Government Order issued here the other day giving effect to the State Government's liquor policy for 2003-04, new beer and wine parlours would be allowed in tourist centres as per Government directions. Mind you the Amrita Card holders will be hosted in these KTDC hotels.. Watch this space.
Saudi Arabia: Court Orders Eye to Be Gouged Out
Torture Sentence for Indian Migrant Worker Follows Clash With Saudi Citizen
This literal eye-for-an-eye sentence is torture masquerading as justice. King Abdullah must prevent the imposition of corporal punishment in violation of the country's obligations under international law.
Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East division
(New York, December 9, 2005) – King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia should take urgent steps to ensure that a court sentence to gouge out a migrant worker's eye is not carried out, Human Rights Watch said today.This literal eye-for-an-eye sentence is torture masquerading as justice. King Abdullah must prevent the imposition of corporal punishment in violation of the country's obligations under international law.Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East division The Greater Shari`a Court of Dammam sentenced Puthan Veettil `Abd ul-Latif Noushad, an Indian citizen, to be punished by having his right eye gouged out in retribution for his role in a brawl in April 2003 in which a Saudi citizen was injured. A court of appeal in Riyadh has reportedly merely asked whether the Saudi man would accept monetary compensation instead.
"This literal eye-for-an-eye sentence is torture masquerading as justice," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East division. "King Abdullah must prevent the imposition of corporal punishment in violation of the country's obligations under international law." Saudi Arabia acceded to the Convention against Torture in 1997. However, Noushad’s case is the third known instance over the past year in which a Saudi court has issued a sentence of eye-gouging, Human Rights Watch said. Saudi law allows for maiming, including the severing of limbs and severe flogging, as judicial punishments.
The injured Saudi man, Nayif al-`Utaibi, has so far insisted that the sentence be carried out, refusing to pardon Noushad or accept monetary compensation. Noushad's Saudi employer, Abu Muhammad al-`Umri, has reportedly offered to pay over $25,000 in compensation. He told Human Rights Watch that he had no faith that the appeals court would overturn the verdict, and that only a pardon could save Noushad's eye unless the plaintiff decides to accept compensation.
Noushad worked at a shop near a gas station outside Dammam. One witness to the altercation between the two men told Human Rights Watch that on the morning of April 1, 2003, Noushad told `Utaibi that he would not be able to obtain a refund once he used the jumper cable he had just purchased. When `Utaibi demanded a refund after using the cable, Noushad advised him to speak to the shop owner, who was not there at the time. The witness said `Utaibi replied heatedly that he could not wait that long and lunged at Noushad. In the course of the ensuing struggle, Noushad struck `Utaibi on the head with the cable, hitting his eye. Bystanders called the police, who arrested Noushad on `Utaibi's testimony, and called an ambulance for `Utaibi.
During the trial, Noushad claimed that he was acting in self-defense and did not intend to injure `Utaibi, according to acquaintances of Noushad who are familiar with the proceedings. The witness, also a worker from India, told Human Rights Watch that the court refused to admit his testimony backing up Noushad's account.
The judge reportedly said that non-Saudis were barred from testifying in cases involving Saudis. Noushad’s Saudi employer confirmed that the judge did not fully take into account the circumstances of the brawl. Noushad did not have a lawyer during trial, but his Saudi sponsor retained legal representation for the appeals phase. "The court's verdict virtually allows Saudi citizens to assault migrant workers with impunity," Stork said. News of the verdict has caused a political uproar in India. On December 6, the day after the verdict was made public, the chief minister of Kerala state, Oommen Chandy, promised to raise the case with Saudi authorities. The Indian embassy in Riyadh has announced it will appeal to King Abdullah for clemency.
On September 16, 2004, the Saudi newspaper Okaz reported that a court in Tabuk ordered the right eye of Muhammad `Ayid Sulaiman al-Fadili al-Balawi to be gouged out, but gave him the option of paying compensation within one year. In 2001, Balawi had intervened when he saw youths pelting his brother with stones. In response, he also threw stones, hitting one youth in the eye and causing him to lose vision in one eye. Balawi helped carry the youth to the hospital. Two months before the sentence was to be carried out, he had managed to collect only 550,000 Saudi riyals (US$147,000) of the 1.4 million riyals (US$373,000) demanded by the victim. Human Rights Watch was unable to verify whether the sentence had been carried out.
Another Saudi newspaper, ArabNews, reported on December 6 that a court had recently sentenced an Egyptian man in Saudi Arabia to having his eye gouged out after he allegedly threw acid in the face of another man, who subsequently lost his eyesight. Saudi Arabia and Iran are the only known countries that consider eye-gouging a legitimate judicial punishment. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, has stated that "any form of corporal punishment is contrary to the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Latin America Leans towards Left, Kerala Communists Go an Ultra Mile Right!
The US and western block are aggressively pushing for market friendly economic policies in different parts of the world including Iraq through various covert and overt means including blatant military aggression. However, people in Latin Americ who have already experienced the bitter taste of American imposed market mechanism are rejecting that system and more leaning towards left. This comment comes from Juan Forero, a reporter from the ultra rightwing American newspaper, the New York Times. He made this observation in an artile published by the International Herald Tribune. The author says that many Latin American countries are leaning towards the left because of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the failure of Washington Consensy. In its own soft underbelly the US strategies seem to be failing as the Sandinistas of Nicaragua, who were thrown out by the covert campaign seems to be staging a come back.. Read ..More
In Kerala, where the comrades often used to quote the Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guvare, the rouge leaders seem to be thinking otherwise. None other than the West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadev Bhattacharya has advocated more privatisation and foreign investment! "Privatisation was no more a bad word for the Bengal communists, Read Buddha enlightens Kerala comrades. Our comrades like Prakash Karat seem to be enjoying the partnershi. Supporting a government that continues to introduce many anti people steps including the recent cut in the PF interest rates, Karat has become an ardent advocate of foreign investment. Read Karat too for foreign investment Did anyone say about Frankee...Yankeee ..Issac intellectualism?
Achuthanandan denies Chintha Story
New Participatory Democracy with DIC -K
Thiruvananthapuram,Dec 10 In what could be an embarrassment to the CPI-M in Kerala, veteran leader V S Achuthanandan today said certain remarks on 'participatory democracy' attributed to him in the party's ideological organ 'Chinta' were not his. In a clarification issued here, Achuthanandan said what had appeared in his question-answer column of the latest issue of Chinta on participatory democracy were neither his views nor that of his party."Usually, the answers to readers' questions are prepared after holding discussions with me (by the editorial staff).In this case, no such communication has taken place," Achuthanandan said.He said a correction would be carried on the matter by the party journal itself in its coming issue. However, he was making the clarification now itself to avoid misinterpretations.As part of his idelogical fight in the party, Achuthanandan had often in the past assumed a strident position against deviations like "participatory democracy."
Curtain Rises Tonight on Second Dubai Film Festival
International and regional film stars, industry leaders and filmmakers from around the world expected to grace tonight’s red carpet opening gala
Dubai, December 10, 2005 – Months of planning and preparation will culminate in grand style tonight as international celebrities, regional stars and UAE VIPs walk up an 80-metre long red carpet and into the Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort at 8pm Sunday (December 11, 2005), to officially open the second Dubai International Film Festival. The Festival, being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Defense Minister of the UAE, will be opened by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group.
Lit up by sky trackers and a state-of-the-art lighting system, the 800-plus VIP guests including a contingent of Hollywood film stars led by veteran actor Morgan Freeman, and a constellation of Arab stars headed by Egyptian icon Adel Imam will be welcomed to the Festival headquarters and the opening gala screening by Festival Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group.
Other celebrities expected to grace tonight’s red carpet include Laurence Fishburne, Diane Kruger, Hugh Dancy, Terence Stamp, Constantin Costa-Gavras, Alan Ladd Jr., Michael Caton Jones, Joshua Jackson, Noor Sherif, Yousra, Hanan Turk, Mona Zaki, Hind Sabri, Faudel, Deepa Mehta, Subhash Ghai and Sumner Redstone.
Redstone, described as one of the most powerful media moguls of the late 20th century, is owner and CEO of Viacom Inc, and controls an empire that eclipses Paramount Pictures television and motion pictures; a battery of cable television networks including MTV and Showtime, and a number of radio and television stations and distribution services.
“We at the Festival have been looking forward to this moment for the last 11 months, and so tonight (Sunday) is an especially exciting time for us,” DIFF Director and CEO Neil Stephenson said yesterday (Saturday). “It gives us great satisfaction to kick off what we hope will be both a very memorable week for the film industry and for Dubai and the UAE, and an event that all of us in this community can be proud of.”
“We have tried to make the 2005 Festival stronger, larger, more diverse and more accessible than our inaugural edition, but it retains its original goals of bridging cultures through film and showcasing the best of Arab cinema for the rest of the world,” Stephenson added. “Dubai has always been a crossroads, a place where the rest of the world comes to meet and do business. Starting tonight, it will also be a place where the rest of the world comes to share their love of film and talk about important world issues.”
Sunday’s official opening will begin with a moment of silence in memory of the late President, HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to whom the Festival’s centerpiece program “Operation Cultural Bridge” is permanently dedicated. After a welcome by HH Sheikh Ahmed, Festival Director Neil Stephenson will introduce the director and cast of the opening gala film, Paradise Now, prior to the screening of the film.
Special holding areas have been set-up around the Festival epicenter at Madinat Jumeirah to allow members of the public to see the red carpet action first-hand. The event will also be covered live on the Dubai Eye radio station, and will be broadcast later on the dedicated free-to-air Showtime channel DIFF TV.
Tickets to the Festival have been selling fast, with more than 40 screenings reaching standby-only status, and requests for tickets coming in from as far as Germany. This year’s larger and more diverse Festival includes 98 films from 46 countries and six continents, with new program sections dedicated to cinema from Europe, East Asia and Africa, the UAE, and emerging filmmakers from the Arab world.
The Festival is expected to be the focus of all eyes on Sunday, and in coming days, with more than 1,000 members of the international, regional and local press and industry registered as participants.
Hundreds of technical and administration staff assembled from around the world and a diverse army of multi-lingual volunteers featuring a strong contingent from the UAE’s schools and universities will also swing into action today, to ensure the best possible experience for Festival-goers. More than 350 volunteers and special DIFF teams are in place from the airport to the multiple screening venues, with opportunities still available for anyone seeking to be part of this international event.
At a DIFF Steering Committee meeting on Thursday, the heads of the different Festival management and administration teams reported full readiness on all operational aspects. Every inch of film has been checked, every screening venue prepared and fine-tuned to the level of international Festival standards, and every imaginable comfort and security detail included in the run-up to tonight’s opening.
The second Dubai International Film Festival opens, Sunday, December 11, and continues until Saturday, December 17, with 98 films playing at the Festival venues of the Madinat Arena, the Madinat Theatre in Souk Madinat Jumeirah and CineStar Cinemas at Mall of the Emirates. A series of panel discussions will also be held at the Knowledge Village auditorium. *** Tickets, and an entire schedule of the Festival films and events, are also available through the Dubai Film Festival website www.dubaifilmfest.com, or via the DIFF Call Centre on 04-367-6701.
The Festival is presented by Dubai Media City and its Founding Sponsors are Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Properties, Emirates, Etisalat and the Madinat Jumeirah – the Arabian Resort. The Festival’s Gold Sponsors are Bin Hendi Enterprises, National Bank of Dubai, Showtime, The Kanoo Group and The Palm Jumeirah; the Silver Sponsors are Filmworks, Motivate Publishing and Sony.
Essa Kunju is DM Best Employee!!!
Dubai, 10 December ?2005
Essa Kunju, who has been working as a Supervisor in the Housekeeping Section in the Administrative Affairs Department of Dubai Municipality for more than 8 years received the Best Employee Award in the Administrative Sector. Essa is the son of AbdulRahim, Hasina Manzil, Raaloorkkaavu, Nagaroor, near Kilimanoor, Thiruvananathapuram. (Photo: Obeid Salem Al Shamsi honours Essa Kunju.)He received a certificate and cash award from Obeid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General for Administrative and General Services Affairs at a ceremony organized recently by the Municipality at Al Bustan Rotana hotel to honour 95 of its employees who excelled in their performances last year. The honoured employees included those who received excellence in performance appreciation, excellent official, excellent partner, excellent employee, excellent labourer, employees with outstanding contribution and employees who completed 20 years of service in the Municipality.Al Shamsi said the honour comes as part of the continuous tradition of the department. He said it will give other employees an encouragement and push to compete towards excellence and the department wishes that each individual becomes excellent in his own field as the employees are considered to be the real wealth of an organization.
Will build the most technologically advanced properties in the region
Almasa Holdings launches Omniyat Properties with a capital of AED 300 million
Caption: From left to right: Mr. Ehab Shouly, Senior Vice President & Marketing Director, Mr. Tony Manning, CFO, Mr. Mehdi Amjad, President & CEO
Dubai, UAE (December 10th, 2005): A two-billion-Dirham Dubai-based conglomerate, with interests in information technology and real estate, today announced the launch of a new property development company that will combine its two core areas of activity to create the most technologically advanced properties in the Middle East region. Almasa Holdings, which consists of five different companies operating in all areas of information technology, announced the launch of its sixth company, Omniyat Property Development Corporation, which will focus on developing high-tech commercial and residential buildings and properties in Dubai and the rest of the region. Mehdi Amjad, President and CEO of Almasa Holdings, told a press conference held at Burj Al Arab today that the new company was being launched with an initial issued capital of AED150 million, and an authorized capital of AED 300 million as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Almasa Holdings.
To be known by its trading name Omniyat Properties, the company was born out of Almasa Holdings’ five-year-old real estate division, which has implemented numerous successful real estate investment projects in the UK and Iran over the last few years, and started looking at the booming Dubai property market more than a year ago. “We have been looking at the Dubai property market very carefully over the last 18 months as we were looking at further developing our real estate business and spinning off this in-house division into a fully-fledged property development company with its own structure and management team,” Amjad said.
Omniyat Properties, which will soon launch its first projects in Dubai and in the future expand into other markets in the Middle East, will capitalize on its mother-company’s technology base to develop high-tech properties where technology will play a major role in improving people’s lifestyles. “Almasa Holdings is a leader in technology in the Middle East, and that’s why we have decided to capitalize on our strength in technology to offer futuristic homes and offices the likes of which have not been seen anywhere in the Middle East, and probably in the world,” said Ehab S. Shouly, Almasa Holdings’ Chief Marketing Officer. Shouly, who is also Omniyat Properties’ Marketing Director and Senior Vice President, pointed out that Omniyat homes and offices will include futuristic features such as voice control as well as robots which will take care of daily chores such as vacuum cleaning, mopping and even pressing shirts.
“Omniyat is an Arabic word that means wishes, and that’s exactly what our new company is all about. Our slogan is ‘Live the Future’ and we want to give people in Dubai and the region the chance to live the future today and benefit from the technologies which are available out there,” he continued. All of Omniyat’s developments, he said, will feature a technological edge, whether they are residences, offices, or retail outlets. “Our offices for example will be able to call you and read out your emails to you, or even set up your meetings. Our homes are so futuristic we’re even offering robotic family pets in some of them,” Shouly said. Amjad, who will also serve as President & CEO of Omniyat Properties, pointed out that the newly re-branded Almasa Holdings, previously known as Almasa Group, ventured into real estate five years ago as a means of diversifying its investments as its information technology business was doubling in size year-on-year. “We started out as an IT distribution company but as we grew and our turnover reached hundreds of millions of Dirhams, we decided to invest in another sector to spread the risk. We decided to go into real estate as we saw it as offering a safe investment and a good counter-balance to the fast-moving IT world,” Amjad said.
Almasa started out in computer hardware distribution but expanded into all other areas of information technology over the years, including manufacturing and assembly, software development, networking solutions, hardware repair and maintenance, software distribution, as well as online hiring solutions. Manning noted that all six of Almasa Holdings’ member-companies -- Almasa IT Distribution, Almasa Business Solutions, Performance Systems, The Hiring Solutions Company, ART International, and Omniyat Properties, which took over Almasa real estate division’s projects -- have all turned in excellent performances this year.“We expect our new property ventures in Dubai and the rest of the Middle East to make a significant contribution to our growth in the next few years. Our aim is to triple our turnover within five years. While technology will remain at the heart of Almasa, property will emerge as an equally important contributor to our revenues and profits," he said. Manning added that the initial Omniyat Properties capital of AED 150 million will be increased to AED 300 million to support this growth. "We expect to make further announcements in the near future regarding strategic partnerships and increases in Omniyat’s capital,” he said. Tim Wilson, Sales Director and Senior Vice President of Omniyat Properties, pointed out that the company will enter all segments of the property development market at all levels. “We will be developing properties with residential, office, retail and probably even hotel elements. All of them will rely heavily on technology,” he said.
Paradise Now is a chapter in the “quest for the magic moment” by Hany Abu Assad
The acclaimed and controversial film draws superb response at DIFF gala screening
Dubai, December 12, 2005: The “search for the magic moment” drives the creative expression of Hany Abu Assad, the Palestinian director and scriptwriter of ‘Paradise Now’. The acclaimed and controversial movie left a strong impression amongst the audience invited for the inaugural gala screening at the 2nd Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) last evening.
“For me, the moment when fiction and reality unite with each other is the magic moment. When the distinction between genres blur, when you can touch comedy and tragedy at the same time, when fantasy comes alive,” explained Abu Assad. “I am constantly searching for that moment in all my creative work that happens to use the medium of film. On their own, both fiction and non-fiction are just commentary. They do not have the power to move unless they join with each other.”
‘Paradise Now’ is making waves at DIFF screenings and is also showing in theatres in the US and around the world. It won the Blue Angel Award for Best European Film, the Amnesty International Film Prize and the Berliner Morgenpost Readers Prize at the Berlin Film Festival 2005. It won the Best Screenwriter award at the European Film Awards earlier and is nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.
Hany said that he was fortunate to find courageous people to finance the movie, as his concept initially received no response from investors. Later while filming, there was constant danger of the unit coming to harm due to the volatile nature of Nablus. Though the Israelis did not impose any censorship on the film, the conditions in Nablus felt like being under constant censorship. “Though certain groups within Palestine opposed the making of this movie on grounds that it was against suicide attacks and even kidnapped a unit member, the moderates have supported it. I will always remain a Palestinian film-maker working for the humanitarian cause,” he added.
The narrative of Paradise Now focuses on the last days of two friends, Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), who work in a garage in the West Bank town of Nablus. They are ordered to carry out a suicide attack to avenge the killing of Palestinian youth. In his portrayal of the two friends as a product of the culture of occupation, Hany goes beyond stereotypes of irrational fundamentalists.
“I have tried to utilise the beautiful side of life that is art, to bring out the sensitivity of my characters, living under difficult situation in Paradise Now,” concluded Hany.
DIFF Brings UAE’s First 70mm Screening of Earth Documentary
Monday screening of Baraka inaugurates “Screen on the Green” program at Media City
Dubai, December 10, 2004 – A visual feast like no other, presented in one of cinema’s most powerful formats, will open the Dubai International Film Festival’s free open-air ‘Screen on the Green’ program on Monday, December 12.
Baraka, the first 70mm film to be presented in the UAE in 70mm format, is a dialogue-free film that takes viewers around the globe through a total of 24 countries, capturing both the mystifying natural beauty that exists around the world and the ties that unite all humanity.
Festival organizers promise the experience will be unlike anything else that Dubai audiences have seen before.
“We at DIFF are very pleased to present this stunning 70mm presentation of this powerfully inspiring film as the opening night of our “Screen on the Green” series,” said Hans Burgschmidt, Director of Festival Production. “This is the first time a 70mm film will be projected under the stars in Dubai.”
“Baraka was filmed on 70mm film, which results in an incredibly detailed and rich picture,” he added. “When this level of technical excellence is combined with images that weave a story of the spiritual oneness of mankind, one experiences a sense of inspiration and upliftment that few films in the history of cinema have been able to convey.”
“Although this is a film without words, the poetic images from around the world and the incredible soundtrack of music from all corners of the globe makes Baraka a remarkable once in a lifetime experience for all ages,” Burgschmidt said. “This film truly fulfills the ideal of the Festival’s Cultural Bridge programming by pointing to the highest aspirations of all of humanity.”
The first part of the film captures the natural beauty of the earth, with striking mountain ranges, deserts, tropical forests, volcanoes and exotic animals, gradually morphing into a look at the noble traditions of the people of the world, including the practice of ancient religions and cultures. The third and final segment moves into a slightly darker worldview, looking at some of the excesses of humanity, including deforestation, poverty, slave labor, homelessness, overcrowding and pollution. The entire film is set to a spellbinding soundtrack.
Winner of Best Picture at the Montreal World Film Festival, the critically acclaimed Baraka dazzled even the most demanding audiences the world over. Variety magazine, one of the most influential trade publications in the motion picture industry, said words could not do justice to this visual masterpiece. It described the film as “a smashingly edited, superbly scored, wild world tour that speaks volumes about the planet without uttering a word.”
Audiences in the UAE will have the opportunity to experience the film’s breathtaking cinematography and mesmerizing music first-hand on Monday, at the Dubai International Film Festival’s free open-air “Screen On the Green” amphitheatre at Dubai Media City.
A giant purpose-built 30ft by 70ft screen will be used to screen the film, accompanied by an array of professional speakers arranged around the audience, and comfortable bean bag seating for the first 1,000 people. Concession stands are strategically placed throughout the open-air venue.
The 70mm format is expected to bring an entirely new dimension to cinema in the UAE, experts say, as the level of clarity and imaging is far beyond that normally available in home theatres or at the cinema.
The film, which will screen at 8pm on Monday, is the first of five free family films screening at the Screen on the Green. The program will continue on Tuesday with Hollywood romantic comedy Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, continues the free Screen on the Green series on Tuesday; with Lebanese road musical Autobus (Bosta) on Wednesday; Japanese animated feature Howl’s Moving Castle on Thursday and vibrant coming-of-age documentary Mad Hot Ballroom on Friday.
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Visa Racket Resurfaces in Muscat as Agents nabbed with passports, forged visa copies..
Victims hail from M.M.Hassan's Constituency in Kerala
Kayamkulam/Muscat Yet another visit visa racket has surfaced in Kerala-Muscat as one of the victims from Kayamkulam has been bold enough to make a complaint to the Omani police and get two of the culprits reportedly nabbed. According to sources close to the victim Sreekumar from Evoor, Kayamkulam, he was offered an "employment visa" by one Shashikumar, the Kerala agent of Sugathan and Aziz from Muscat who are allegedly running a major recruitment syndicate.Full Report
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