AL GHARBIA // High-growth areas in Al Gharbia are due for six new civic centres, dozens of parks and thousands of renovated villas over the next four years, the Western Region Municipality said yesterday. The investment is part of the 2010-2014 strategic plan for the sprawling region, which covers more than 80 per cent of the land area of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Officials are hoping Al Gharbia will become the country's next economic and tourism frontier. "The key thing is we need to maintain the sustainable growth and to provide a good quality of life to residents," said Hamood al Mansoori, the municipality's general manager. As part of that goal the municipality is building "one-stop-shop" customer-service centres throughout the region, he said. "We're also renovating a lot of homes, we're working on enhancing the traffic safety inside the cities, and enhancing infrastructure in regards to water drainage and sewage."
Al Gharbia encompasses the cities of Madinat Zayed, Mirfa, Liwa, Ghayathi and Sila, as well as Dalma Island. Though Al Gharbia contains only eight per cent of the population of Abu Dhabi, it generates 40 per cent of the emirate's GDP, mainly from petroleum. The Government has allocated Dh98 billion (US$26.6bn) to developing the region. The most exciting project in the next few years will be the construction of 24-hour-a-day community centres for all six of the cities, each with a swimming pool, said Chafik Allaoui, the municipality's executive director of strategy and performance. "As far as quality of life and sustainable growth is concerned, that's the jewels on the crown," he said.
Mr al Mansoori had already announced plans to make Al Gharbia the greenest region in the emirate, with at least three parks for each of the six cities and smaller "pocket gardens" landscaped into neighbourhoods. Many of the planned parks, said Mr Allaoui, would be built by 2012. He said that Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, the Ruler's Representative in the region, "has notified me of his priorities, that he wants to see more green space in Al Gharbia."
The municipality is continuing to refurbish around 3,200 villas, at a cost of Dh4bn, for some 7,000 Emirati families. A sand-control programme will also be introduced in response to concerns from motorists about road conditions, and from residents and farmers about their gardens and crops. mkwong@thenational.ae
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
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Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
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Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
