Central Bank prepares to limit Dubai fallout



The Central Bank is preparing to limit the fallout to the banking system from the recent decision by Dubai World to ask its creditors for a freeze on debt repayments. Lenders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai hold billions of dollars of Dubai World debt and the company's decision to ask for a payment holiday could hurt bank share prices when trading resumes tomorrow.

"The Central Bank is considering measures to limit the risk of systemic damage to the banking system," said an adviser to the Government, adding that an announcement was expected tomorrow. Members of the Dubai Government met Central Bank officials in Abu Dhabi yesterday to discuss the measures. The Central Bank is keen to avoid banks taking provisions for bad loans to Dubai World, which would negatively affect profitability at a time when results are already suffering from the global economic slowdown.

The Central Bank is also keen to avoid further downgrades of credit ratings of the banks. A spokesman for the Central Bank said it was "monitoring developments to ensure there is no negative impact on the UAE economy", according to a report by Reuters. Meanwhile, advisers to Dubai World are working on a plan to enable the troubled conglomerate to meet a crucial deadline for repayment of one of its most important debts - the US$4 billion (Dh14.6bn) that its subsidiary Nakheel is due to pay back in just over two weeks.

This is one of four options being considered. If Dubai World were able to make that payment, it would create breathing space to deal with the rest of its liabilities - which currently add up to $59bn - and reassure world markets about Dubai's financial condition.

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EA Sports FC 25
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Key developments

All times UTC 4

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Results

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s

4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s

5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s

7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004

8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100

9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692

10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

RACE CARD

6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) US$175,000 1,000m
7.05pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (Dirt) $100,000 1,900m
7.40pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (T) $250,000 1,800m
8.15pm: Handicap (D) $135,000 2,000m
8.50pm: Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (T) $250,000 1,400m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) $135,000 2,410m.

How Voiss turns words to speech

The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen

The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser

This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen

A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB

The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free

Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards

Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser

Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages

At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness

More than 90 per cent live in developing countries

The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding