DUBAI // A survey of more than 900 travellers at Dubai International Airport found the majority agreed with a complete ban on all elephant ivory products.
Almost 93 per cent of the 942 people surveyed from more than 20 countries said there were good alternatives to souvenirs made from ivory. The poll was aimed at reminding travellers that it was illegal to carry ivory across international borders as part of an awareness campaign by Dubai Police, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Environment and Water, partnering with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
“People want governments to punish wildlife smugglers,” said Dr Akram Darwich, the IFAW programme manager Middle East and North Africa. “These answers invite us to work for more protection and conservation of elephants and other wildlife.”
Travellers from as far as Mexico, India, South Africa, the United States and Belgium participated in the survey, which hoped to gauge the opinions of people from the Far East, said Mr Darwich.
“From our work, before we understood that, the main nationalities who use or trade in ivory are the Chinese and some other nationalities from Asia such as Thailand.”
However, approaching Asian travellers was not easy, said Ahmed AbouZahra, the IFAW’s campaigns and communications officer.
“So many of them were afraid to get involved, even to give their opinion.” He noted people were also mistaken about the impact of the ivory trade, with some believing the animals were alive at the time their tusks were taken.
Conservationists say use of ivory encourages poaching, with at least 35,000 elephants a year being killed to supply the trade.
Under UAE law, people caught smuggling endangered animals or animal parts face jail sentences of up to six months and/or fines of up to Dh50,000.
Protection measures aimed at reducing poaching had significant success in the 1990s, although elephants are once again being targeted due to the high demand for their tusks.
According to a UN report, Elephants in the Dust: The African Elephant Crisis, the trend has intensified since 2007. In 2011, about 17,000 elephant deaths were recorded at sites monitored by scientists in Africa with the number for the entire continent believed to be as high as 25,000.
In many counties, especially those in Central and Western Africa, the number of animals targeted by poachers exceeds the growth rates of the population.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
