ABU DHABI // Just seven months after her "final voyage" from Southampton to Dubai to become a floating hotel off the Palm Jumeirah, the Queen Elizabeth 2 may have one more trip ahead of her.
Dubai World, the ports and property conglomerate, has applied to the National Ports Authority of Cape Town, South Africa, to berth the cruise liner in the commercial port area.
Ronel Bester, a spokeswoman for the country's tourism ministry, confirmed that the application had been filed, and said a decision would be made by July 17.
A spokeswoman for Nakheel, the property arm of Dubai World, said: "In addition to alternative locations in Dubai, a number of ports in Africa and the Middle East have expressed interest in hosting her as a stationary hotel."
The move comes as Nakheel is facing difficulties caused by the global economic downturn.
The company has a US$3.5 billion (Dh13bn) Islamic bond maturing in December and is suffering from the difficult property market, with contractors still needing to be paid despite dramatically slower sales.
Nakheel has cut about 400 more jobs in recent weeks, following 500 layoffs in December, according to people close to the company.
It is also trying to sell land and other assets to raise funds, according to investors who said they had been approached by Nakheel.
Moving the QE2 to Cape Town would still be a potential moneymaker for Dubai World, which together with a consortium of investors bought the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront development near Cape Town's commercial port for about 7.5bn South African rand (Dh3.35bn) in 2006. Dubai World Africa, along with Nakheel Hotels & Resorts, has been working on a redesign of the area for two years.
Annemie Liebenberg, the marketing director for the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, said the basin near the waterfront was too shallow to hold the QE2, which is why it would need to berthed next door in the commercial port. The arrival of such a well-known vessel would be a major attraction for the waterfront, Mr Liebenberg said. "If it happens, we'll be very excited."
Dubai World is looking for a partner to manage the new hotel, according to a report in Business Day in South Africa, which first reported the QE2 application yesterday.
The cruise liner was bought by Istithmar, an investment arm of Dubai World, for $100 million in June 2007.
When the ship arrived in Dubai last November, it was greeted by a flotilla of yachts and ships, and a fly-past by an Emirates Airline jet.
Nakheel said at the time that the vessel would be permanently berthed off a spit of land connected to the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. A planned refurbishment would have transformed the 41-year-old ship into a floating hotel with 200 rooms.
Moving the ship to Cape Town would be a testament to Dubai World's increasing interests in Africa. In recent years its African subsidiary has bought up game parks and interests in ports, as well as buying tourism ventures in places such as Djibouti and Senegal.
Hayan Merchant, the chief executive of the UAE property developer Ruwaad, said South Africa was the best place on the continent for tourism projects. "If someone is serious about penetrating into the African continent, South Africa is really the best place with tourism infrastructure at the moment.
"It is a gateway destination to the whole continent."
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
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- 150 tonnes to landfill
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800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
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- Al Towayya in Al Ain
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- Bareen International Hospital
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- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
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The%20specs
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
