Dubai exports back to normal monthly average

October 6th, 2009 DUBAI - The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and the visiting Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor discussed bilateral ties between the UAE and India here Tuesday. Sheikh Hamdan expressed satisfaction over the economic relations between the two countries and said the two countries enjoy their historic and long-standing relations, WAM news agency reported.

October 3rd, 2009 DUBAI - The launch of the Emirates Energy Award for sustainable energy use has been announced here, WAM News agency reported Saturday. Saeed Al Tayer, CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and Chairman of the Emirates Energy Award, said: "The importance of this award lies in the daily indications of energy consumption rate in all forms which increased continuously and reflects negatively on our environment, economy and the implementation of development plans and programs in the country." "We expect that this year's award will attract more participants and include new effective and innovative strategies in the management and rational use of energy," he added.

September 29th, 2009 DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and US defence authorities held a meeting here to review the arrangements for the upcoming Dubai Airshow Nov 15-19, WAM news agency reported Tuesday. The 11th Dubai Airshow is the foremost aerospace event in the Middle East and is the fastest growing airshow in the world, the report said.

September 23rd, 2009 DUBAI - An exhibition of calligraphy by young artists from the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East is being hosted in Dubai, WAM news agency reported Wednesday. Speaking on behalf of the events sponsors Montblanc, its regional brand director Joe Nahhas said: "The very foundations of civilisation and culture are rooted in language and writing and all enlightening experiences and exciting discoveries have to be recorded before they can be exploited and developed." Montblanc recently joined hands with Unicef in a drive to eradicate illiteracy by pledging $1.5 million towards education.

September 22nd, 2009 DUBAI - A record 97,527 passengers used the Dubai Metro on the first day of Eid holidays Sunday, WAM news agency reported Tuesday citing statistics released by the Dubai Road Transport Authority (RTA) Rail Agency. Aysha Al Busmait, director of RTA's Customer Service Centres Department, said the "Musanada Team" (Support) formed by the department was available at the metro stations and has been providing support and guidance to the public in the use of metro services.

September 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit rose by 16.3 percent to $32 billion in July, the highest level in six months, the commerce department said Thursday. The deficit was much higher than the $27.4 billion expected by economists.

August 26th, 2009 NICOSIA - The Government-owned conglomerate Dubai World owed 59 billion dollars in debts at the end of 2008, its property subsidiary Nakheel said in a financial exchange filing to NASDAQ Dubai. This represents a big part of the Dubai Government debt, believe to amount to 80 billion dollars.

August 25th, 2009 DUBAI - Despite the worst recession in modern history, the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai, continues to retain its reputation as one of the most expensive addresses in Dubai, according to Middle East property experts. Apartment prices in the tower are stabilising, experts say, with a two-bedroom apartment on the 57th floor available for one million pounds, Sky News reports.

July 24th, 2009 DUBAI - The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a campaign to encourage customers to use modern communications technology and e-payment solutions, WAM news agency reported Friday. Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said that DEWA has taken measures to facilitate the use of e-payment solutions by using state of the art computers to help customers register with the e-payment service.

July 13th, 2009 DUBAI - The next edition of the Dubai Airshow, considered as the fastest growing airshow in the world, will feature some top brands in the aerospace industry this time, the organisers have said. Airbus with the EADS group will join the Dubai-based international airline Emirates during the biennial show, for which a new exhibition area has been developed to accommodate the unprecedented number of participants and visitors, WAM news agency reported.

July 12th, 2009 DUBAI - Customs officials at the Dubai International Airport have foiled two bids of smuggling narcotics into the country and arrested two Asian passengers who concealed 80 capsules of heroin in their stomach, the WAM news agency reported Sunday. The first attempt was aborted when officials at the airport forced a suspicious looking passenger to go through the body scan machine and found him hiding 50 capsules of the contraband drug.

July 10th, 2009 DUBAI - Friday prayers were cancelled in China's Urumqi city where riots have left at least 156 people dead and over 1,000 injured, a media report said. "Chinese authorities have cancelled Friday Muslim prayers in Urumqi amid security concerns as troops try to keep control following days of deadly unrest in the city," Al Jazeera reported Friday.

July 6th, 2009 DUBAI - The Dubai Airshow 2009 will be held Nov 15-19 this year, WAM news agency reported Monday. The event, organised by the government of Dubai in collaboration with the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a major aerospace event in the Middle East.

May 26th, 2009 LONDON - A husband has landed his wife in an Arab prison with a yearlong sentence for cheating on him with another man. Vincent tipped cops in Dubai about mum-of-two Sally Antia as she stepped out of five-star Radisson Dubai Deira Creek hotel with her lover in the early hours.

March 31st, 2009 NICOSIA - The National Competitiveness Report for 2009, published by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies of the National University of Seoul, ranked Dubai 16th out of 65 global economies, saying it is more competitive than Japan, Germany, France and New Zealand. The report, which is published annually since 2001, considers Dubai as the most competitive economy in the Middle East.