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Etihad Rail unveils livery
Abu Dhabi Etihad Rail, master developer and operator of the UAE railway network, unveiled on Wednesday the livery for its locomotives. “The locomotives will be finished in a durable light grey paint scheme, relieved with broad red bands and the Etihad Rail logo situated near the middle of the body line,” Etihad Rail said.
IATA awards Abu Dhabi International Airport for fast travel
The Abu Dhabi International Airport received the golden award for Fast Travel from International Air Transport Association (IATA), becoming the first airport in the region to adopt IATA’s latest initiative in response to growing passenger demands for more adequate and speedy travel procedures at airports.
Abu Dhabi will undergo short-term fall in demand
Abu Dhabi’s real estate market continues to have a very bright future as government spending ramps up again and the newly delivered supply gets absorbed by tenants upgrading and expanding. There has already been major progress in the delivery of Vision 2030.
Efficient Gulf-wide rail network to become a reality
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s two passenger rail projects developed as a part of its Abu Dhabi 2030 Programme, namely the Abu Dhabi Metro and Abu Dhabi Light Rail Transit, are expected to provide a highly efficient and well-integrated transport network connecting all the key locations in the UAE, according to Frost and Sullivan’s analysis.
Motorists sore over Abu Dhabi parking system
Many motorists in the capital claim the capital’s paid parking system’s teething problems have left them in the lurch, with no remedy offered for their grievances. Wisam Sharaf, who uses its SMS service to pay for parking, said he was charged three times on two occasions last month for tickets to park his car.
IMF chief set to attend GCC finance summit this month
The GCC meeting will be attended by ministers of finance and economy to discuss important issues that include a railway network, customs tax and duty exemptions on national products.
The six states entered into a customs union in 2003 by simplifying import duties. However, the customs union continues to face problems in collecting duties. Al Khoury said that there will be a specialised authority to take care of customs in the GCC, which will be in charge of collecting custom duties and distributing revenues among the member states.
Follow up
Delegates will also follow up on the progress of implementing the decisions and plans made by different financial and economic committees, such as the Committee of Governors of Monetary Agencies and Central Banks, the Customs Union Committee, and the team tasked with preparing and participating in cooperation meetings and discussions with the European Union (EU) and other countries and financial institutions, Al Khoury added.
He said that the undersecretaries had also recommended the formation of a judicial economic authority which will group experts in the judiciary and economic fields to be responsible for all such issues.
“We also highlighted the importance of [a] railway [network] among the GCC states, which will help the access and transportation of citizens and expats,” Al Khoury said.
He explained that the unified currency will be discussed by the central banks governors of the four countries which signed the agreement to have the unified currency — which are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. The UAE and Oman are not party to this agreement.
Officials also evaluated the initiatives proposed by the GCC to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and discussed joint GCC investments in the field of education and health.
Al Khoury added that the meeting’s agenda also includes a review of key achievements made by the Gulf Common Market Committee, the financial and technical team tasked with finalising studies regarding the railway project, and the team concerned with researching and studying the economic judiciary system.
The October summit will discuss the initiatives proposed by the GCC to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the recommendations raised by the undersecretaries of ministries of finance. The GCC meeting will be attended by ministers of finance and economy to discuss important issues that include a railway network, customs tax and duty exemptions on national products.
Abu Dhabi set to quadruple GDP
The massive infrastructure development in Abu Dhabi is expected to boost the emirate’s non-oil trade and push up the real gross domestic product (GDP) from Dh382 billion in 2008 to nearly Dh1.53 trillion in 2030, senior government officials said at a conference.
Quality education takes precedence
Abu Dhabi’s decision to streamline the operation of schools is in line with its Vision 2030. This programme addresses the opening of new schools; merger of smaller institutions with bigger ones; transfer of school locations to new sites; admission of female students in boys’ schools and abandonment of school buildings that fail to meet health and safety requirements.
Stores must move with times
A new set of standards intended to modernise grocery stores across the capital was introduced yesterday by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA). The rules, which include uniforms for staff, security systems, wider aisles and bicycles for delivering food, will be mandatory for all stores before the end of the year.
Abu Dhabi moves to improve education
Some 40 public schools will be closed down and merged with bigger schools in their respective localities starting next academic year 2011-2012. Students, teachers and administrative staff of the affected schools will be relocated to other institutions.
