DP World Appoints A New Managing Director For Africa Region

Global marine terminal operator DP World today announced the appointment of Joost Kruijning to the position of Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the company’s Africa Region, effective 1st September 2009.

Mr. Kruijning had been Chief Operating Officer of DP World’s UAE Region. Prior to joining DP World in 2001, he spent thirteen years at Sea -Land, working on various assignments in Russia and the Sultanate of Oman.

Mr. Kruijning takes over from Anil Singh, who in turn will assume the position of Senior Vice President and Managing Director of DP World Subcontinent Region.

Joost Kruijning said: “I am very proud to have been part of a team that realised the completion of additional capacity at T2 of Jebel Ali Terminal and oversaw volume growth of approximately 11% last year. I am looking forward greatly to my new role as SVP and Managing Director for Africa Region. DP World believes in Africa’s potential, and is fully committed to developing local markets over time, as demonstrated by recent additions to our global portfolio in Algeria and Djibouti.”
 

Ministry Of Economy Cracks Down On Unauthorized Dish TV Dealers In UAE

The Ministry of Economy (MoE) has issued directives to the concerned authorities to clamp down on unauthorized Dish TV in the UAE. The directives strongly emphasize that selling these boxes in the UAE is prohibited as it violates national copyright law by infringing on broadcasting rights. The boxes are illegally imported from India and sold throughout the Gulf.

The MoE recently conducted raids against unauthorized Dish TV dealers, with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah police conducting similar offensives in their respective areas last March which led to the confiscation of a number of Dish TV boxes. These mark the largest actions against Dish TV dealers in the GCC. The violators were arrested and criminally charged with violation of the copyright law.

Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, General Manager, UAE Ministry of Economy, said, “We have requested the various parties involved to tighten control over unauthorized Dish TV boxes that illegally enter through a neighboring country and are sold in our local markets I would like to thank the police and concerned national bodies for their cooperation in fighting piracy and taking measures against intellectual property rights (IPR) violators.”

Alshihhi emphasized that stringent legal actions will be taken against those caught violating the Ministry’s order, as piracy harms the competitiveness of the UAE, which ultimately reflects negatively on the national economy. He also noted that the Ministry will firmly deal with piracy-related activities.

The UAE is a country that maintains one of the lowest piracy rates and is one of the best states in terms of fighting piracy. This is due to the effective cooperation between Federal agencies, particularly the police and its efforts to cope with the modern technology used by violators as well as its swift actions in acting against and eliminating methods of piracy.

The recent step taken by the Ministry of Economy and other concerned bodies is one of the key elements in providing a healthy work environment and enhancing the competitiveness that the UAE market enjoys. The Ministry is working on enhancing confidence in the local markets and promoting a culture of research and development, which forms the basis for fostering innovation and creativtity.

Scott Butler, CEO, Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance (AAA), said: “We commend the MoE for acting swiftly and strongly against the proliferation of unauthorized Dish TV throughout the country. Legitimate businesses such as E-Vision are greatly hurt by this kind of piracy. There is a wrong public impression that it is acceptable to acquire pirated entertainment because movie producers and studios profit a lot from them. That is why we are telling people to consider this issue from a different perspective: what if it was their own creative works that were being stolen, how would they react? The right to protect intellectual property is not only logical but a legal right as well; illegal pay TV is simply an unacceptable violation of IPR.”