DP World waits in wings after Chavez orders ports seizure



DP World is waiting to hear the fate of its Venezuelan terminal operations at Puerto Cabello after Hugo Chavez, the president, on Sunday ordered the military to take over the country's ports and airports. Mr Chavez sought to gain control of installations run by the opposition-ruled state governments. The move follows legislation, passed by Congress, allowing the central government to take over transport infrastructure from regional governments if they have not been maintained properly.

Analysts said the Dubai terminal operator was unlikely to be seriously affected by the development. "We're waiting to see the results of a meeting between the government and the port authority," said Ethan Chorin, a senior manager of corporate communications at DP World. Mr Chorin said the port's activities had been unaffected to date. "The situation is quiet and calm," he said. "Apparently all operations are being handled as normal, and no employees are in any danger."

DP World is reportedly one of the largest investors in Puerto Cabello, and in January signed a 20-year lease to operate the port, which lies 75km west of Caracas, the capital. It is believed DP World owns the container-handling equipment at the port but not any adjoining land, according to Neil Davidson, the director of ports at Drewry Shipping Consultants. "I think this is more of a political power struggle," Mr Davidson said. "For DP World, this is likely a case of having a slightly different landlord now. The sensible thing for Mr Chavez to do is honour the existing agreements with terminal operators to make sure inward investment continues to flow in the long run."

Mr Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast: "We are going to take over ports and airports throughout the republic, whoever wants can oppose it, but it is the law of the republic." He already faces opposition to the move. Political opponents have said Mr Chavez is concentrating power by using state resources to promote his own political party and limiting the ability of opposition governors and mayors to carry out basic tasks.

* with Reuters igale@thenational.ae

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Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.

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Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Haemoglobin disorders explained

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.