UAE GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
UAE - South Korea Deals in Danger [May 26]
“Coming off a string of multibillion dollar deals, the UAE and South Korea are making beautiful music together. In December last year, a consortium led by Korea Electric Power won a $20 billion deal to construct four nuclear energy plants in the UAE. Samsung, Hyundai, Westinghouse, and Toshiba are other members of the winning consortium. The mega deal was the beginning of a deepening relationship between the two nations, as Samsung Engineering in April took home a $1.5 billion contract from Abu Dhabi Gas Development Company. With Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Seoul this week on a three-day diplomatic and economic visit, talks between Zayed and South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak suggest a deepening relationship that comprises more business and more politics. “There is no doubt the mutual relationship between the two countries has witnessed great strategic shifts with the winning of the Korean consortium,” Sheikh Mohammed said. Upon his arrival yesterday, the Crown Prince reiterated the UAE’s aspiration to “develop and deepen our relationship with active world economic powers, with Korea being at the forefront,” the National said. But as global markets posted sharp declines yesterday, the specter of Korean conflict is an ominous backdrop..” [Complete Report]
UAE Red Cresent Authority Will Deliver Humanitarian Aid To Gaza [May 26]
“The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Red Crescent Authority (RCA) will carry out two shipments of humanitarian assistance to Gaza Strip in the coming two days via The Rafah Border Crossing in Egypt to support the humanitarian conditions there, reports Emirates news agency (WAM). The relief convoy, which is being sent as per directives of UAE President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will carry 700 tonnes of necessary food Stuff in addition to huge amounts of medical supplies at a total value of Dh3.5 million (US$952,847). This assistance comes in line with the continued efforts UAE is making to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Palestine. It comes also as part of the RCA’s ongoing relief and humanitarian programmes to improve living standards and support essential services in Gaza. An RCA delegation led by Chairman of the Board Ahmed Humaid Al-Mazrouei will head to Cairo Thursday to supervise and facilitate the crossing of the convoy into Gaza..” [Complete Report]
UAE to Become First Arab Country to Launch Arabic Content Domain Name [May 26]
“The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will launch by the end of May a new Arabic content domain (.emarat), becoming the first Arab country to obtain the approval of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN). (.emarat) (.??????) will be the official Arabic top level domain for the United Arab Emirates. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanem, Director General of the TRA, told the media today at the Emirates Palace ICANN has chosen the UAE to become the first Arab country to launch its Arabic domain name for the availability of the technical requirements and its ultra-modern telecommunications infrastructure. Rod Beckstrom, ICANN CEO was present at the press conference. The move is part of TRA’s strategy to support and enhance Arabic content on the Internet and has been made under the new directions of ICANN, the international corporation responsible for managing the assignment of domain names and IP addresses, which allows the use of languages other than English as an equivalent to the domain names for countries. emarat” is the Arabic equivalent for the currently used domain name “.ae”..” [Complete Report]
UAE Watchdog Denies Banning Sex and The City 2 [May 26]
“A long-awaited movie sequel set in Abu Dhabi opens worldwide today – but not in Abu Dhabi. The local distributors of Sex and The City 2 never applied for permission to screen the film in the UAE and never submitted it for approval, the National Media Council (NMC) said yesterday. A spokesman for the NMC said: “The first Sex and the City movie was not shown in the UAE because the local distributor never applied for it to be shown. As for Sex and the City 2, it [the distributor] has also not asked us for permission for the film to be shown. This is something of the distributor’s own choice.” The NMC oversees all films and media distributed in the country and must approve the film before it hits the screens. But despite reports that it had been banned, an official at the NMC said yesterday that the council was never sent a copy to review. Without seeing the content, NMC officials say, a decision on whether or not the film could be shown could not be made..” [Complete Report]
UAE Picks Rifles From South Korea [May 26]
“The United Arab Emirates has placed an order for K11 airburst rifles, becoming South Korea’s first export customer for the weapon, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said. The emirates placed the order for 40 K11 infantry rifles during the Special Operations Forces Exhibition Conference 2010 earlier this month in Jordan. “Once a final contract is signed, it will be the first export sale of the K11, possibly making it one of the country’s major export items together with the T-50 supersonic trainer jet and K2 Black Panther main battle tank,” said a statement from the defense acquisition program. A final signing of the contract is expected by July and the unit price per rifle is estimated at $14,000..” [Complete Report]
Russia Firm Plans $320 mln UAE Iron Mill [May 26]
” Metalloinvest, the Russian steel and iron ore firm controlled by billionaire Alisher Usmanov, plans to invest $320 million in five years to build its second mill in the United Arab Emirates, a company executive said on Wednesday. In 2007, Metalloinvest invested around $160 million to build the Hamriyah Steel rebar plant in the northern emirate of Sharjah which has a capacity to produce one million tonnes of rebar per year. “We have already booked land in Sharjah next to our existing plant there and we are looking at building a new plant which will need an investment of around $320 million,” said Shukhrat Nishanov, general manager of Hamriya Steel. The new plant will produce direct reduced iron (DRI), which is used to make steel, said Nishanov. “We will probably be looking for a partner to work with on this project, but for now we are just waiting to the effects of the economic crisis to lessen before we take steps,” he added..” [Complete Report]
Mars Opens New Chocolate Bars Factory in UAE [May 26]
“Mars GCC, the leading regional manufacturer of chocolate products in the Middle East, today opened its new chocolate bars factory in Dubai. With an investment of over $40m this factory will produce Mars and Snickers bars for the GCC markets.. ..Speaking at the opening, Ahmed Bayoumi, General Manager of Mars GCC, said, “Mars GCC has been experiencing double digit growth year on year since the beginning of the decade. In 2009 Mars GCC net sales exceeded $450m. We are pleased that consumer demand in the Middle East has and continues to generate opportunities for stable long term growth. This has led to the investment of more than $100m in our manufacturing unit since 1998. We are committed to strenghthening our position as the leading chocolate manufacturer in the Middle East and our increased presence in GCC will help us achieve this growth by supporting consumer and customer needs in the region.”..” [Complete Report]
