du’s Real Broadband For All

Demonstrating its commitment to The United Arab Emirates and its customers, du today announced the dawn of a new era in the national broadband services landscape. du’s “Real Broadband Services” will provide upto 16 times faster speed at current customer spend levels, and will be available within its current fixed services footprint from August 1 , 2010 for Enterprise customers and August 15 for all its Home service customers.

Speaking on this occasion, Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du, said, “Broadband is a key enabler today for businesses and the common man alike. We have today announced a broadband proposition that will not only provide an edge to our customers and our business partners, but has also set a regional benchmark in terms of broadband prices and value provided.

du’s Real broadband services will offer better value than similar broadband services offered in the ME region. It will be even more competitive than similar services provided in some developed markets such as Ireland and Canada.

du’s Real Broadband can be availed of by subscribing to Surf & Talk, or Surf, Talk and Watch packages.

Surf& Talk will offer Real Broadband and Landline services with bandwidths starting from 8Mbps for which a du customer will pay AED 199/-, per month, 16Mbps at AED 259 p.m. and 24Mbps at AED 349/- pm.

“Over the last three years, du’s endeavour has been to provide – tailor made solutions to its customers. We believe that with this announcement not only are we providing attractive pricing but providing a stimuli to the UAE’s economy. Our business broadband packages, broadband unlimited professional and broadband unlimited premium will lower the business’s total cost of ownership, by offering upto 16times faster speeds at existing prices bundled with the best international calling rates to the world which will enable higher productivity and contribute to the efficiency of businesses in the UAE. “We believe, that this major move by du, will reinforce the competitiveness of businesses in the UAE by increasing business productivity and will further enhance the image of the UAE as an incubator for business growth and development here,” added Mr. Faraidooni.

du is also offering new triple play package “Surf, Talk and Watch” that includes Landline, Real Broadband and its award wining du TV plus service at a single price. du TV plus offers a wide array of TV channels with features such as pause, rewind and record live TV, Movies-on-Demand, Unlimited Videos on Demand, HD and 3D services. The 3play packages will be available at AED 249 per month for 8Mbps, AED 309 per month for 16Mbps and AED 399 per month for 24Mbps.
 

Art And Craft Zone Provides Carefree Canvas For Children To Paint

Numerous free zones and activities are attracting crowds of children to Modhesh World that has laid out around forty exciting zones for children and grown-ups alike. The Art and Craft is one of the most popular and engaging free zones at Modhesh World. It provides an avenue for the children to leisurely express themselves and play a riot with colours. Here children can let their creative skills and imagination flow without a restraint of medium, time, or encouragement.

Activities like drawing, coloring, beadwork and accessory making appeal to children of all ages. This is also the right place to make a souvenir of the day at Modhesh World. Families have the option to work together and make a painting or a bead handicraft together.

The face painting corner is also a hit with children. Here they can get their faces painted with their favourite character masks including that of Modhesh. The Modhesh head is one of the most popular face painting designs.

Seven year old Shahed Jafal and her three year old sister Fatma Jafal had an amazing time at the Art and Craft Zone coloring, drawing and working together. “I really enjoy drawing and colouring. I love to draw Modhesh most of all. Making different clothes and styles for him is fun. Fatma loves to color but she cannot draw. So I draw and we both color together,” said Shahed.

Five year old Uttara from India was busy putting her imagination on paper while her brother played with beads, feeling the textures, letting them slip through his fingers or simply turning them over and over overlooked by an attentive volunteer. “Both of them enjoy spending time here and both are easily engrossed in different activities. After running around this gives them a good break and we can spend more time out enjoying as a family without worrying that children get tired,” said their mother.

H. B. Leisure, DWTC, Coco-Cola, Magic Planet, Emirates, Masafi and Union Co-operative are the sponsor s of Modhesh World.

Modhesh World doors are open from 10.00am to 10:00pm (Saturday to Wednesday), 10:00am to midnight (Thursdays), and 3:00pm to midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 for adults and AED 15 for children with numerous free zones and exciting activities.
 

Dubai Electricity And Water Authority Participates In ’Yesterday’s Heritage For Tomorrow’s Generation’

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) today announced its participation in the summer activities organized by the Architectural Heritage department of Dubai Municipality by hosting special activities for children on the importance of protecting the environment through energy conservation.

Held at the ‘Dar Al Nadwa’ in the Bastakiya District, the activities are open to students and the children of DEWA employees for three days a week from 5 – 30 July, 2009.

‘Splashy’ and ‘Sparky’, DEWA’s mascots representing water and electricity, are adding to the edutainment part of the event with their exciting presence. Distributing gifts such as books, clothing apparel and toys, both characters are contributing to raising awareness among children on the need to save energy.

DEWA’s participation comes as part of its emirate-wide endeavour to offer advice on the methods of conserving energy and encouraging consumers to reduce their consumption rates during the peak summer hours.

Amal Koshak, Senior Manager – Demand and Tariff Management, DEWA, said: “There is no doubt that protecting the environment by not depleting our natural resources is an urgent national priority. We urge every segment of society to support us in this noble cause and help us disseminate the message to the largest number of stakeholders.

“Our participation in ‘Yesterday’s Heritage for Tomorrow’s Generation’ stems from our deep conviction in the value of educating the community on various energy conservation methods. Instilling the habit of saving power to reduce environmental damage among children will significantly help shape a healthy environment for the next generation.”

DEWA recently participated for the sixth consecutive year at the annual Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) extravaganza through leveraging its presence at Modhesh World to educate the general public on the importance of energy conservation. In addition, it is aggressively hosting a spectrum of other activities to educate the residents of Dubai on the importance of conserving natural resources, including distributing devices that help reduce water and electricity consumption at home.

Crowds Throng Dubai Mall For Final Shows Of Hello Kitty’s Jungle Party

Hundreds of families showed up at Dubai Mall, a key sponsor of DSS, for the final two show of Hello Kitty’s Jungle Party on July 22, marking the end to the one of the most successful DSS stage shows held this year. Children and parents evidently enjoyed the last shows as they danced, sang and had fun at the photo opportunity with Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel, My Melody, Minna No Tabo and Bad Badtz Maru.

Mohammed and Bader Al Juwaisri from Kuwait said, “We enjoy our travel to Dubai because of such kind of family entertainment. Our children like the fun atmosphere here. It is a truly wonderful experience for our whole family.”

The same sentiment was shared by David Baron, an American national, who attended the show with his kids Jordan and Whitney. He said, “This [Hello Kitty Jungle Party] is awesome. There should be more of such shows in Dubai. The children learn and have fun at the same time. The parents also enjoy their time with their kids. It’s a great celebration of family activities.”

Mine Reith, a British national who was spotted at the event with daughter Sher and friend Kris said, “Being here is a fantastic way of spending quality time with my child. Plus, we need more free shows as amazing as this one. It’s such a terrific activity that adds up to the excitement of our shopping experience.”

Arabian Center Becomes A Magical Land For Kids This DSS

Arabian Center, the latest hotspot for shopping, leisure and entertainment in Dubai, has fantastic treats and activities lined up for kids during Dubai Summer Surprises 2009. The mall, located on Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, is hosting numerous activities to keep kids and parents enthralled during every visit as a part of the summer celebrations.

Arabian Center recently hosted exciting performers who presented a variety of acts and fun shows for kids and adults. The acts transported kids into the wilderness with the jungle animal stilt walkers. Depicting the animals of the jungle world, the five performers originally from Italy roved the mall with their tall graceful strides engaging the kids in fun educational activities.

Kids witnessed further excitement at the Arabian Center with mystical characters of the fairytale land. The mall hosted elves and fairytale characters, who cast a spell of magic all around. The fairytale characters came to life and enticed the kids with a comic show, interactive games and lots of gifts were given away.

The Arabian Center will step up to the musical beats of the African Children’s Choir and the Percussion Samba Group on July 23-24, 2009. The mall will also stage the popular Ronald McDonald, the whacky clown character used as the mascot for the McDonalds fast-food restaurant chain on Saturday, July 25, 2009. The Ronald McDonald show promises to be exciting for both children and parents alike with interactive activities, games and magic shows. Fun competitions for kids of all ages with lovely prizes to be won will ensure their enthusiastic involvement along with Ronald’s crazy antics.

Commenting on the activities at the mall, Mr. Mathews Thomas, Marketing Manager, Arabian Center, said: “We have been focusing on combining fun and entertainment with educational activities that will widen up the horizons for kids. There is a rich mixture of activities, great discounts, offers and prizes to be won throughout the summer festival ensuring each visit for the customers is enriching and a fun-filled experience.”

Apart from the fantastic activities, the mall is giving out amazing prizes during DSS 2009. Shoppers spending AED 100/- at any of the outlets in Arabian Center will become eligible to participate in the weekly draw that could win them a Toyota four wheel drive. Customers also stand a chance to win a Land Cruiser VXR in a Mega Draw that will be held at the end of the festival.

Also, by spending AED 200/- at the mall shoppers stand a chance to win AED 500,000/- every week for nine weeks starting June 11, 2009 as part of the Dubai Summer Surprises – Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSS-DSMG) “Surprising Millions” promotion,.

The weekends during the DSS will feature the unique Arabian Souq, which is showcasing rare collection of items ranging from art, craft; traditional Bedouin style jewellery, antique furniture, handmade shielas, oud, Arabic perfumes and more. The ‘Arabian Souq’ is marked by rare and authentic artifacts celebrating the art and culture of the Arab world. With unique antiques and collections, the Souq is full of small surprises for art lovers and collectors.

Three Wins From Three Races For Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand took three wins from three races on Tuesday, the opening day of the third Audi MedCup regatta in Cagliari, Sardinia.

Emirates Team New Zealand arrived in Cagliari as the series leader, after two of five regattas (Alicante and Marseille), and had a clear 16 point lead ahead of second–place Quantum Racing.

Tuesday’s three wins gave Emirates Team New Zealand three points, finishing the day seven points clear of Matador with a 3,3,4 scoreline and eight points ahead of Artemis (2,2,7). Quantum (7, 4, 8) ended the day in sixth place on 19 points.

Grant Dalton, Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director, said: “Today the ball bounced our way. As we expected Artemis and Matador were pushing hard. Quantum (the defending champion) had a bad day, but that could happen to anyone. We’ll have one of those days, too.

“Today the plan was to start well and get clear lanes. The sea breeze came in exactly as forecast and sailing conditions were perfect with 11-14.5 knots of breeze and flat water.

“The breeze was not particularly shifty but there were puffs and the first boats into the pressure made gains. As predicted, the right of the course tended to win more often than not so we worked the middle/right all day and were able to make small, incremental gains.

Dean Barker, Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper, said: “Today we got across the line in really good shape in all three races. Then a combination of good tactics and crew work and a boat that is going really well got the results.

“It was a good start to the regatta. We take the wins and start thinking about tomorrow.”

The 2009 Audi MedCup, TP52 Series, consists of five regattas over the course of five months in four different countries. They are all sailed in Southern European waters, four in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic.

Whilst each of the five regattas stand alone as an individual event, winning the circuit requires the best score from all events.

The regatta in Sardinia continues until 25th July.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment For Young Business Leaders Organize Half-Year Strategy Meeting

Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (MBRE) organised the Half-Year Strategic Retreat meeting to review the establishment’s achievements in the past six months and to assess and identify performance improvement opportunities and new initiatives for the coming months.

The meeting was attended by the CEO, senior management, staff and is in line with MBRE’s Strategic Plan (2009-2015) launched in February 2009 under the theme “Yes To Growth”.

In his key note, H.E. Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of MBRE, expressed the establishment’s gratitude for the support given by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President & Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

“The trust of the leadership in our role is reiterated in the expansion of our mandate to take ownership of the development of the SME sector in Dubai, which saw MBRE integrate as one of the agencies under the Department of Economic Development.”

MBRE, in the past six months, attracted over 250 projects presented by a large number of government and private high school and university students through its Young Ent. Competition. It signed strategic MOUs with Khalifa Fund, the German-Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Trade (AHK), the British Business Group, Dubai and the Northern Emirates (BBG); and the Australian Business Council – Dubai. It also launched and sponsored the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM); and the Entrepreneurs Business Village (EBV) campaign.

In the next six months, the Establishment will launch new research studies on the Dubai SME sector and its key industry clusters, launch the third customer satisfaction survey amongst its members and set up its new home in the Entrepreneur Business Village (EBV).

“I thank the efforts of the MBRE staff in these accomplishments over the past months, and urge them to lend their continued support and commitment to the originations,” Al Janahi said.

According to some members of the MBRE, funding was a critical element in launching their projects and this is where MBRE has played a important role in providing this necessary seed funding at the initial stage to bring their ideas to life. These entrepreneurs have now repaid their loans to MBRE and are able to attract commercial loans from banks as a stable corporate entity.

Ali Salman, a veteran member of MBRE and the owner of the (Magic Bus) project, pointed that MBRE played a critical role in supporting his project which was initiated for the first time in the Middle East.

“MBRE not only provided the project with required funding but also offered me with directing and guidance through all phases of the project which became today one of the most innovative projects in the region”. Al Salman explained.

Ahmed Mohammed Al Sharif, owner of A&A Real Estate and a member MBRE, said: “MBRE provided me with advice and guidance, as well as many quality facilities that helped in establishing a company which is able to grow and keep pace with market changes.”

Rashed Al Bloushi, the owner of Al Ittihad National IT Company, which was the first company to launch marketing via Bluetooth, commented: “MBRE is an ideal platform for learning about the best concepts to establish successful projects.”

Omar Al Awadhi, Owner of Teqaniyat for organising conferences and exhibitions explained that MBRE was the incubator for his project, which has experienced steady growth since its launch and till date.

“The organization has responded quickly to his project and provided him with the necessary funding and guidance.” Al Awadhi said

Abdullah Kazem, owner of Max Secure and a member of MBRE said: “MBRE has supported me continuously by providing funding facilities and necessary training programs, which have helped me through my career and resulted in the success of my project.”

MBRE’s ‘Yes to Growth; strategy reinforce its role in encouraging the culture of innovation and distinction among staff and business leaders. It also includes a number of important aspects aimed at promoting competitiveness to establish small and medium enterprises that support the economic development goals of Dubai and enhance the emirate’s position as a global hub for small and medium businesses by building capabilities and implementing supportive policies.

DMI Hosts Event For Public Relations Managers Of Government Departments

Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), one of the pioneering media organizations and creative services group in the Middle East, today announced it hosted a group of media professionals including public relations managers of government departments in Dubai. The meeting was held upon directive from His Excellency Ahmad Abdulla Al Shaikh, Media Escort to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid and Director of the Media Office, Board Member and Managing Director of DMI

The networking event aimed to strengthen DMI’s ties with Dubai Government and came as part of the media entity’s strategy to highlight the activities and services offered by the specialised departments.
Ali Khalifa Al Rumeithi, Head of News Centre, DMI, received the officials and engaged them in an open discussion. After a tour of the state-of-the-art News Centre, the media professionals were briefed on the modern techniques used by DMI for the production of daily newscasts. A number of DMI professionals also attended the networking meet.

The Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), General Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Studio City, and the Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation were among the government departments that participated in the DMI event.

Al Bustan Centre And Residence Unveils Breathtaking Acrobatics For DSS Shoppers!

Al Bustan Centre and Residence - the deluxe property which offers world-class hospitality services and facilities in the city, has prepared to entertain shoppers with a range of activities along with fascinating discounts as part of the Dubai Summer Surprises 2009 celebrations. Designed to be the top entertainment destination for summer season, the property is hosting a variety of gigs and live performances to captivate audiences right through the nine weeks period of the twelfth edition of DSS starting from June 11 to August 14 2009.

One of the most popular and well received performances at the Al Bustan Centre is the acrobatic Hand Balancing Act by the world famous German gymnast Natalie Reckert. The 20 minutes-long performance involving breathtaking stunts and tricks performed live has got thrilled audiences who keep returning to watch more performances. Once the crowd settles in, Natalie starts with simple yet popular circus tricks and builds up the momentum and the intensity of her acts with more stunning hand balancing acrobatics. With the help of a few tables and stands Natalie displays mesmerizing body movements reminding us of the good old circus days. Progressing into her performance, Natalie exhibits a set of exercises and acrobatics using a long silk cloth tied onto her hands and legs.

Speaking about the event Moussa El Hayek, Chief Operating Officer Al Bustan Centre & Residence, said: “Despite the credit crunch and economic recession, travellers from overseas still consider Dubai as one of the major shopping and entertainment destinations and the Dubai Summer Surprises as an attractive retail extravaganza offering fabulous discounts and offers. To lighten up the mall this DSS and spread the festivities we at Al Bustan Residence have brought in world recognized professionals to turn this summer into a truly memorable one for the entire family.”

Trained in sportsacrobatics and classical dance, Natalie Reckert has been performing since the tender age of five and has studied at the Circus Space in London and. Combining her training with her unique ability and understanding of hand balancing she decided to express the beauty of hand stands and make it her career, amazing audiences across the world.

Her visit to Dubai and performances at the Al Bustan Center has involved months of hard work, dedication and strict regime to ensure the logistics of the event would fall into place like the costumes, music, and incredible theme and tempo of the show. However dangerous and dramatic the acts at the show would appear, Natalie confesses that the stage is safe and secure after the training from professionals and years of balancing practices.

So if you wish to see a live spectacular performance along with attractive shopping promotions and discounts this DSS 2009 visit the Al Bustan Center or call Toll Free: 800-4648 for the show timing.

Newzmakerz.Com Becomes The WEBTV Of Choice For The Canadian Business Council (CBC)

NewzMakerz.com, the first Middle East focused Corporate Communications WEBTV signs partnership agreement with the Canadian Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates (CBC).

This partnership is strategically designed to serve three key objectives. First, it empowers the CBC and Canadian companies that are members to have greater visibility on the Internet radar. With its search engine optimized capability all videos posted on the Canadian Business Channel on NewzMakerz.com will become visible on Google’s first page within 48 hours. This puts the companies in a competitive advantage and more likely to be found amongst the clutter of online content. Second, it creates direct interaction between the CBC and its respective audience on a personalized level, which in return, adds greater credibility, accountability and trust. And third, NewzMakerz.com has made the experience of video newz releasing (VNR) extremely simple. With a solid technical team and expert in media communications and broadcasting NewzMakerz.com will conduct the video interview, edit the footage and upload the broadcast within 4 hours.

“We are delighted with this partnership as the Canadian Business Council [of Dubai and the Northern Emirates] will benefit tremendously. NewzMakerz.com will not only help keep our audience aware of our activities but also the WebTV portal will keep us in the local and global media spotlight given it has over 1.8 million global hits to date and growing”, stated Marie-Josée Primeau, Chairman of the CBC.

Shahriar Shahabi, Founder and Chief Newzcaster of NewzMakerz.com also expresses great delight in this relationship and added that “our goal is to help companies and organizations build better ties and strengthen relationships with their target audience and nothing can deliver that personable touch better than direct communication.” Mr. Shahabi continued “for the Canadian Business Council our goal is to help the CBC and its members do just that, build, strength and retain relationships be it with other members, clients, or potential clients on a one to one level.

The CBC will be announcing the partnership with Newzmakerz.com on July 22, 2009 at the Joint Networking Evening hosted by the CBC and the American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates at the Monarch Dubai from 7:00 – 9:00pm.

For more information on NewzMakerz.com please visit www.NewzMakerz.com
For the Canadian Business Council please visit www.cbc-dubai.com

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