Dubai for Visitors

Muslims should not only recite the Holy Quran on a regular basis, but also deeply reflect over its verses, observed the renowned Egyptian professor, Dr. Zaghloul El Naggar.

The scientiffc discoveries mentioned in the Holy Quran more than 1429 years ago, and the miraculous aspects of the Holy Book reflect its credibility and uniqueness, stressed Dr.Zaghloul El Naggar.

El Naggar, Earth Sciences Professor, Fellow and Head of Scientiffc Miracles in the Holy Quran Section in the Islamic Academy of Sciences. The professor was speaking at the cultural programme of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award .

“Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said the sun and the moon will be rolled on the doomsday.

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Airlines are increasing the number of flights to Saudi Arabia as pilgrims make the journey for Umrah during the Holy month of Ramadan, it was announced recently.

Emirates Airline will operate 47 extra flights from Dubai to Jeddah until October 15 for passengers with a valid Umrah visa.

However, other passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia for reasons other than Umrah, must fly on one of the 17 regular flights a week from Dubai to Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

Etihad Airways will operate an additional 24 flights between September 1 and October 2 from Abu Dhabi and Jeddah as well as special flights to Medina Al Munawara. Etihad currently provides 28 regular ?ights per week to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Emarat makes this possible with its new promotional campaign with the same name to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.

The campaign, which lasts for the entire month of Ramadan, offers “Emarat” customers opportunities to win valuable prizes every day by just spending Dh25 in any of Emarat’s service stations.

The offer, available on nonfeul products, excluding Salik and Tyre Express, will have Dh5,000 in cash and dinner vouchers up for grabs daily. The Grand Prize is a getaway to Thailand for 10 families, the draw for which will be carried out on the third day of Eid.

Hussain Kazim, Manager, Corporate Communications at Emarat said: “Through the launch of attractive and beneficial promotional campaigns for our customers, we align ourselves with the spirit of the holy month.” Emarat will also be offering dates and water for free to its customers this Ramadan.

Dubai stopped surprising the world with its pioneering projects and breathtaking initiatives long ago. The emirate comes up with something new and awe-inspiring almost on a daily basis.

However, what goes largely unnoticed in the rest of the world is the tremendous work the emirate has been doing on social and humanitarian front.

Last year His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum unveiled a landmark initiative called Dubai Cares during the holy month of Ramadan. Even though the original target of the initiative was far modest, the personal involvement of Shaikh Mohammed encouraged everyone including national and multinational companies and ordinary individuals to contribute unprecedented amounts to the campaign.

The campaign managed to raise a whopping Dh 1.7 billion ($463.8 million). The Vice-President and Prime Minister dramatically boosted the effort by doubling the amount. The Dubai Cares has successfully used those funds to help the needy in the world’s poorest of poor regions making a real, meaningful difference by setting up schools and offering primary education to at least a million children.

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A three dimensional state of-the-art full dome theatre will soon be installed in the planetarium at Children’s City under Dubai Municipality, an official said on Monday.

Makiya Al Hajri, head of the Children’s City, said work had already started for installing the system and would be completed by the end of next month.

“The new system has been designed to produce a stunning display of shows at the planetarium, with high levels of brightness and resolution.

“We have sought the help of the London-based Global Immersion to provide us with the right solution,” said Al Hajri.

Sheaddedthatthenewsystemwould have a six-channel projection design covering the whole screen area of 288 sq. metres in the planetarium.

Hundreds of web masters and web site managers are expected to sign a pioneer code of ethics for electronic media here on Sunday as part of Bahrain’s celebration to mark the International Bloggers’ Day.

Arrangements would also be made to allow Bahraini webmasters working aboard to sign the code, Coordinator of the Initiative, Ahmed Al Aradi told media on Saturday. Government officials, members of political societies and national figures will attend the ceremony. They have been invited as the event aims to promote a sense of togetherness, he said.

Al Aradi said the code would not restrict the freedom of the expression of bloggers as it aims to promote debates in a civilised manner.

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The Government of Dubai has published for the first time the locations where expatriates will be able to buy property in the emirate.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has issued the three-page, five-article Order No. 3 of 2006 designating areas for expatriates who can enjoy freehold ownership in Dubai, published in the government’s official gazette on July 3, 2006 - a copy of which was obtained by Gulf News yesterday.

Dubai freehold area please click here to see the big image

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There’s a simple axiom — what goes up must surely come down? The real-estate sector in Dubai seems to be defying this logic. The news this week that property prices will peak in 2009 and then decline by at least 15 per cent suggests the market is headed for the nirvana of a soft-landing after years of heady increases. Not necessarily so. Steps taken by regulators to dampen demand do not go far enough to deter rampant speculation that can see off-plan units ‘flipped’ several times. This area above all others is the factor driving year-on-year double-digit growth. The dilemma for regulators is not to take any action that sees the market quickly unravel — it is a fine balancing act.

The market has had an extraordinary run since 2002 but the balance between supply and demand is rapidly being addressed with a record number of units set for delivery. The property market fundamentals in Dubai are also quite different from many others. For example a significant number of regional investors see Dubai as a safe haven for investment. On this presumption they frequently buy multiple units that distorts both prices and rents. They may begin to question the notion of safehaven as doubts over the granting of an automatic Residence Visa could not only deter investment but affect re-sale values too.

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The federal ministries and its departments will work from 9am to 2pm, according to the circular issued by the Civil Service Council Chairman and the Minister of Health, Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qutami. The minister greeted the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses, Members of the Supreme Council, on the advent of Ramadan.

You can download Ramadan Timing here

Tired of watching movies from within the four walls of a theatre. Well, film buffs can now chill out: watch your favourite movies in the open, pop-corn packets in town! The ‘open air cinema’ experience is coming to the UAE for the first time, wherein movie fans can look forward to something much more than a typical movie experience. A Swiss entertainment giant, and a local company have announced that ‘Hyrda Open Air Cinema UAE 2008’, a mega open air entertainment, will be unveiled in the UAE this November.

“The environment in the UAE is very conducive for this concept,” said Farzin Samadian, the CEO of the Swiss company. “What makes this concept unique is the giant screen that is placed in some exquisite locations,” he added. The shows will begin at 7pm.

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