PUBLIC SECTOR NEWS AND AFFAIRS ible milestone in our journey to bring one of the region’s most loved television shows back into homes of old and new fans alike.” Shams was also available to welcome children at the Knowledge Square in the Creativity Corner throughout the book fair.
M TOURISM AND TOURISRY ST DEVELOPMENT INDU DESERT CHALLENGE COMES TO AN END On 3rd April 2015, the 25th world-class Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge ended on a sparkling note at Yas Marina Circuit with a dinner, followed by the prize awarding ceremony. The event was held under the patronage of the Ruler’s Representative – for the Western region – H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It forms the opening round for FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship and the second round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies. Vladimir Vasilyev (Russia) owned the cars title for his second consecutive time while Marco Coma (Spain) won in the bike category after previously winning this title seven times! Mohammed Bin Sulayem, President, and Tarek Al Ameri, CEO of Yas Marina Circuit presented the trophies. Ahmed Al Fahim and Mansour Al Helei, both UAE nationals, were awarded trophies for the T3 buggies and T2 production class cars categories, respectively while Mohammed Abu Issa (Qatar) received the quads crown.
EDUCATION ADEC HOSTS THE 3RD PRIVATE EDUCATION INVESTMENT FORUM The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has organized the 3rd Private Education Investment Forum to attract investors and operators to establish new schools and/or expand existing private schools. The Education Investment Forum is hosted annually in alignment with ADEC’s strategic initia-
tive to develop a private schools promotion and business development plan, which will increase the number of schools providing quality education, while offering affordable quality options for students across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In addition to the contribution for the betterment of the education system in Abu Dhabi, private schools also play a pivotal role in the economic development of the country, with Dh3 billion generated from private schools annually, and an estimated requirement of a further 60,000 private school seats in the next five years.
ARCHITECTURE
MASTABA – A MASSIVE PROJECT WITH MATCHING BENEFITS Christo, an octogenarian, is an avant-garde artist, known for his megalomania. After finishing the Floating Pier project (Italy) next year, Christo will revisit his plans for Mastaba in Abu Dhabi – Mastaba means a trapezoid bench-like tomb in Arabic. He plans to erect this model of architecture near the Liwa Oasis, Al Gharbia. Mastaba is expected to be 300 meters tall and was the brainchild of Christo and his wife way back in 1977. Forty years later, Christo is still connected to Abu Dhabi by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award. Budding artists of the UAE are awarded this annual prize. All of Christo’s projects are sale-funded through his designs which are sold to private collectors and museums. The expected financial impact on Abu Dhabi is promised to be enormous since the Mastaba is expected to attract $390m in the Dubai Expo 2020 alone.
POLICE AND DEFENSE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR LAUNCHES BRAINSTORMING SESSION TO PROMOTE
INNOVATION IN DEVELOPING IDEAS FOR CHILD PROTECTION The Ministry of Interior (MoI) Child Protection Center conducted a brainstorming session to generate creative ideas in the field of child protection. According to the MoI website, the initiative is the first of its kind in this field and has been implemented in a methodical manner in accordance with specific rules by expert, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Omar Ibrahim Al Ali, Deputy Director at the Creativity and Leadership Development Center. Present at the session were an elite group of Zayed University students who were invited to contribute their ideas and innovative solutions to community issues, including child protection.
THE UAE’S SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM DEPLOYS ITS HUMANITARIAN MISSION IN NEPAL
The UAE Search and Rescue Team at the Ministry of Interior, started its humanitarian mission by providing logistics support to the international relief operation to aid the victims of the earthquake in Nepal which caused the death of over 7,000 people and injured 16,000 people, according to Lt. Colonel Mohammed Abdul Jalil Al Ansari, Head of the UAE Search and Rescue Team, Director General of Civil Defense in Abu Dhabi. The Minister of Interior utilized the Security Media’s drones to assess the damaged buildings’ integrity. This was the first experience worldwide to use the drones in search and rescue operations and field scanning to provide further safety and protection to the human element participating in such operations. Al Ansari highlighted that the team’s mission in Nepal, from the moment of arrival, was focused on providing medical services, which included examining and assessing patients, supporting hospitals with the latest medical tools and equipment, as well as training Nepalese doctors and nurses to introduce the best methods in categorizing different medical conditions. This comes as an embodiment of the UAE’s willingness to help victims devastated by natural disasters around the world.
Issue 5 - MAY 2015
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