PUBLIC SECTOR NEWS AND AFFAIRS TOURISM ETIHAD AIRWAYS ARE THE “AIRLINE OF THE YEAR” Etihad Airways were awarded the prestigious ‘Airline of the Year’ title by the UK at the Travel Trade Gazette, TTG in London. The Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Baumgartner, said, “We are delighted to have been recognized”. Etihad Airways has six flights to the UK every day. The first destination chosen for the groundbreaking Airbus A380 (2014) happened to be London Heathrow as well. The TTG awards also appreciated Etihad Airways for its year-round program, ‘SuperSeller’ used by 2,500 registered agents in the country.
ENERGY FUEL PRICES TO DROP IN OCTOBER Petrol prices will drop to almost the same level they were at before the fuel market was liberalized in October. The Fuel Price Committee from the Ministry of Energy and the two main distribution companies, ADNOC and ENOC, announced price reductions for all types of petrol, but the price of diesel will increase slightly. In summary, E-plus (91) will fall to Dh1.72 from Dh1.89 a litre, and Super (98) to Dh1.90 from Dh2.07. Octane 95 will return close to its pre-deregulation price and fall to Dh1.79. Diesel however will rise to Dh1.89 a litre from Dh1.86.
BARAKAH RECOGNIZED AS WORLD LEADER IN NUCLEAR CONSTRUCTION Under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) celebrated a key milestone for the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program as Barakah becomes the world’s leading nuclear energy construction site with four identical nuclear reactors being constructed simultaneously in one site using cutting edge methods. With the construction of four identical nuclear energy reactors now underway, Barakah surpasses nuclear construction
sites in China, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Russia and other countries to become the largest project with simultaneous construction of identical nuclear technology in the world.
PORTS KHALIFA PORT RATED ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING PORTS KPCT or Khalifa Port Container Terminal was recently rated the third fastest growing container ports worldwide. The rating comes from the list of Top 120 World Container Ports by the Container Management magazine. Khalifa Port was established only three years ago and is now the fastest growing port in the Middle East. This rank also highlights the important and strategic position that the UAE capital occupies in the context of global shipping. According to the Abu Dhabi Terminals, the rapid growth of KPCT is also a testament to the expanding Abu Dhabi industry and its role in regional transshipment. The first seven months of this year have shown a 41% increase in the growth of KPCT.
HEALTH MINISTRY OF HEALTH LAUNCHES PREVENTION INITIATIVES The Ministry of Health launched two initiatives in September that are aimed at raising cancer awareness and the importance of early detection through regular medical check-ups. Developed under the name “Etmnan”, the National Periodic Health Screening and Cancer Screening initiatives were announced during a press conference in late September. The Cancer Screening initiative aims to increase detection rates of the most common types of cancers during early stages to improve the effectiveness of treatment, while The National Periodic Health Screening initiative focuses on reducing the number of non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, through early detection and identification of the primary factors that cause them.
TRANSPORT ETIHAD RAIL TRANSPORTS OVER 2 MILLION TONNES OF SULPHUR Etihad Rail, the operator of the UAE’s national railway, has announced that more than two million tonnes of Sulphur have been transported from Shah and Habshan to the Ruwais port over the past year during the testing and commissioning phase of the railway. The 264km route was completed last year, and trials are now running on a daily basis. Full commercial operations are expected to start once Etihad Rail is granted its regulatory approvals. This announcement offers an insight into the significant economic and environmental benefits that the federal railway network will bring to the UAE, with Etihad Rail having already replaced more than 66,000 truck trips from the roads in the western region of Abu Dhabi in the past year.
EMIRATES TRANSPORT CONVERTS TO CNG Fuel prices increased last month, leading to many vehicle owners converting to CNG. Since 2010, about 5500 vehicles have seen conversion by Emirates Transport. This alternative is saving them money, as well as protecting the environment. The difference is around 15 per cent less when compared with petrol-driven cars. The manager at the Abu Dhabi Technical Services Centre of Emirates Transport, Maher Al Refai, said, “Now the financial savings approximately are 50 per cent on the converted CNG vehicles. This is because of inflations in petrol prices. Before we had only 35 per cent savings.” CNG is sold at Dh1.32/m3. Emirates Transport intends to open another conversion centre next year.
ECONOMY UAE RANKS 17TH MOST COMPETITIVE COUNTRY
The competitiveness report by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ranked the UAE at the 17th position, and said that its economy is more diversified than the other GCC states. This ranking is from a study that assesses over 100 countries on
Issue 10 - OCTOBER 2015
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