DUBAI // The Salvation Army, the international Christian movement known for its charity work, is to establish a presence in the UAE, according to church officials.
The Emirates will be the second GCC country to host the Salvation Army. The movement began working in Kuwait in 2008.
General Shaw Clifton, the Army's head, said this week that the group would "commence its work" in the UAE from June 1, bringing the number of countries where it operates to 121.
Commissioner Robin Forsyth, the international secretary for programme resources, said yesterday that the Army had been prompted to establish a presence in the UAE to "meet the needs" of followers of the movement, known as Salvationists.
"We will be looking at both religious services for the group of active Salvationists as well as meeting needs in various areas and trying to help people," Mr Forsyth said from the Army's international headquarters in Britain.
The move into the UAE was seen as an "extension" of the work that the movement had been doing in Kuwait, as well as in Iraq where it had been involved primarily in humanitarian relief efforts since 2003, he said.
Mr Forsyth said there were about 100 Salvationists in the UAE. Most are from the Indian subcontinent, with others from Europe. According to the Army, there are a "significant" number of Tamil-speaking Salvationists here.
The Salvation Army would work under the auspices of other evangelical churches in the UAE, said Mr Forsyth. John Willson, the secretary of St Andrew's Church in Abu Dhabi, confirmed yesterday that his church was helping to establish the Army's presence.
The St Andrew's complex already hosted "a number of Christian communities," he said, adding that his church and the Salvation Army "share a conviction to a ministry of compassion".
"The Salvation Army will be expressly catering to the expat community that falls between the cracks and is in the need of such ministry," he said. "Sharing a common vision for such people will assist us to work together."
The Salvation Army began to explore an expansion into the UAE last year. From next month, Majors Mike and Teresa Hawley, a married couple from the United States who were previously based in Kuwait, will be the officers responsible for the movement in the UAE.
According to Mr Willson, the Army's representatives are expected to hold regular prayer meetings at Union Church in Sharjah and in Abu Dhabi at St Andrew's, a compound built on land donated by Sheikh Zayed, the late President.
Rev John Weir, senior chaplain of the Anglican Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, said he would welcome the Salvation Army to the UAE.
"There is a tremendous amount of work in pastoral care to be done, so I would welcome anyone seeking to support migrants and people working in the country," he said.
The Salvation Army was founded in Britain in 1865. It has a strong focus on social welfare issues including health, education, poverty relief and charitable work.
zconstantine@thenational.ae
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A