Dubai Airport's Passenger Traffic Up on Summer

DUBAI - Dubai International Airport

10.3 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic in June, due mainly to the peak summer travel season, the company said on Monday.
The airport, known also as DIA
Dubai International Airport
DIA , is the world's sixth-busiest airport and home to Emirates Airline
Emirates Airline and recently launched low-cost carrier flydubai. Passenger numbers at DIA
Dubai International Airport
jumped to 3.36 million last month, it said.

"The fact that the airport is recording double-digit passenger growth during the deepest global recession in decades bodes well for the future. When the current economic situation improves, Dubai will be in good shape, ready to lead the global recovery in air travel,"
DIA
Executive Officer Paul Griffiths said in a statement.
The statement did not say what had originally forecast for passenger numbers in June. Company officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
Passenger traffic in the Middle East and Gulf region has continued to rise, bucking the negative trend for international air travel in many other places. Carriers based in the Middle East saw a 9.5 per cent rise in their passenger volumes in May compared to the same month last year. Meanwhile, international passenger traffic fell globally by 9.3 per cent in the same month, according to the International Air Transport Association, the main trade group for the world's full-service airlines.
grew by 2.1 per cent during the first quarter of this year, 6.4 per cent in April, and 7.1 per cent in May.
handled 19.5 million passengers during the first six months, up 5 per cent from the first six months of 2008, the airport said.
A slowdown from last year's boom times is evident. During the first six months of 2008, Dubai Airports handled 18.5 million passengers, up 13.8 per cent from the same period of 2007, according to data on the Web site.
"Growth is being driven by strong demand during the peak summer period, the growing strength and attractiveness of the Dubai hub, underpinned by the continued expansion of Emirates, and an influx of new airlines at a rate of one per month," Griffiths said.
He said that the outlook remains strong for the balance of the summer period through to the end of September and beyond. Griffiths told Khaleej Times in May that the airport expected to achieve average annual growth in single digits in 2009, and double-digit growth in 2010. DIA is taking steps to enhance customer service. The airport has deployed around 200 volunteers to help passengers and has issued traveller tips to try to ensure a smooth flow of people through the airport, it said.
While passenger traffic is on the rise, Griffiths said, "cargo is holding its own in a very tough economic environment." Cargo traffic at fell in June by 2.3 per cent to 152,278 tonnes from a year earlier. Cargo shipments for the first half of 2009 slipped year-on-year by 0.8 per cent to 874,828 tonnes, compared with a global decline in international freight of 22 per cent during the same period, the airport said.

Michael Jackson's Ghost

People are saying that the image is another appearance of Michael Jackson's ghost. But it is very clearly proved that it is true of a shadow moving across the background during a taping. Dont beleave on these wrong informatons.

ABOUT ATLANTIS HOTEL PALM DUBAI

Dubai International Airport is located approximately 50 minutes from the resort. It is recommended however due to traffic conditions to allow at least 1 hour of transfer time.

Atlantis operates a welcome kiosk at Terminal 2 and 3 at Dubai International Airport. The booth is located in the arrival hall should you require any assistance for your stay in Atlantis.

They accept the following international credit cards:
American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard and Visa.

If you would like to book multiple rooms, please use a different name for each room, otherwise the duplicate name reservation may be cancelled by the resort. A maximum of 9 rooms can be reserved through the website. Requests exceeding 9 rooms will be considered as a group request and should be channelled via the resort's Convention Sales department and group rates will be applicable.

Maximum Capacity per room (Deluxe, Atlantis and Imperial Club) in existing bedding is 2 adults, 2 children or 3 adults
Maximum Capacity per room (Deluxe, Atlantis and Imperial Club) with extra bedding is 2 adults, 2 children or 3 adults, 1 Child
Maximum Capacity per room (Executive, Terrace and Regal) in existing bedding is 2 adults
Maximum Capacity per room (Executive, Terrace and Regal) with extra bedding is 2 adults, 1 child or 3 adults

Smoking inside the hotel is permitted only in designated smoking rooms and in the Sanctuary Nightclub, located at The Avenues, second floor. In order to accommodate the needs of non-smoking guests, non-smoking rooms have been specially prepared by the resort housekeeping staff. A guest who has not selected to have a smoking room, and thus has been accommodated in a non-smoking room, cannot smoke on the terrace/balcony of the non-smoking room, as the scent of the smoke can penetrate into the room. Smoking at Aquaventure is permitted only at the two designated smoking areas, which are the outside seating areas on the north side (adjacent to the toilet facilities) at both Barracudas and Shark Bites. Royal Towers, outdoor pool decks, leisure areas and restaurant terraces are intended to accommodate both smoking and non-smoking guests. For the comfort and convenience of all guests, separate smoking and non-smoking areas have been designated. When arriving at any of these locations, please indicate to the resort staff your smoking or non-smoking preference and the staff will show you to the appropriate area. The resort staff will always endeavour to meet your request; however, on occasion, high demand may mean your preferred smoking or non-smoking area is not available.

In keeping with the relaxed ambiance of the resort, the restaurant dress code is “resort casual.” Shorts and flip flops should only be worn at the casual restaurants in Aquaventure, Dolphin Bay or poolside.In respect for local customs, a cover-up over swimwear is requested. Nude or topless bathing is not in accordance with Dubai’s cultural norms and is not permitted at the resort.

UAE to strongly support Irena’s mission

Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, welcomed the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) Helene Pelosse, who arrived yesterday on her first visit to the UAE, the host of Irena HQ.
Al Bowardi welcomed Pelosse and congratulated her for being elected as the director general of Irena which will be based in Abu Dhabi.Al Bowardi told WAM following the meeting that the UAE spare no effort to offer all possible assistance and support to ensure the success of the mission of Irena.”Pelosse will get support from all government institutions in order to facilitate its mission in the method she deems proper for running the agency, he affirmed.”Housing Irena in the UAE will have far reaching direct impact on the region through the initiatives it will adopt in cooperation with the international community to address challenges of climate change,” he added.Al Bowardi affirmed that the UAE would also back Irena’s efforts to offer advice to countries to improve renewable energy technology as the first specialised agency seeking to pave the way for using renewable energy in a sustainable way.He said Abu Dhabi had pledged $ 50 million a year for seven years for advancing renewable energy projects in African and developing nations.The meeting was attended by Thani Al Zayoudi, Project Manager at Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).

Dubai Most Expensive City in GCC

A new survey confirms what many foreign residents of Dubai have long suspected: The emirate is the priciest city in the Gulf for expatriates. In fact, Dubai has shot up through the ranks to become the 20th most expensive city in the world for expats, out of 143 cities surveyed by New York-based consulting firm Mercer.
In the company’s previous study, in March 2008, Dubai was a middling 52nd. Mercer released its latest findings on Tuesday.
For Ismail Al Bahry, a 27-year-old financial advisor from Kenya, the news came as no surprise. “I would believe Dubai to be the 20th most expensive city in the world. I would even believe it to be the 10th,” he said.
Abu Dhabi too surged up the list, rising to 26th place from 65th in the global rankings.
Other GCC cities followed a similar trend, with Kuwait City rising to 77th from 94th, and Manama, Bahrain, to 82nd from 112th.
Worldwide, Tokyo bumped Moscow from its earlier spot as the world’s costliest city for expats. Osaka jumped to 2nd place, while Moscow slipped to 3rd.
The new Mercer study evaluated data from March of this year. It surveyed spending habits and compared the costs of over 200 items and services.
Mercer used New York as the base city for its cost of living index, with a score of 100 points. It compared all other cities with New York, and it measured currency movements against the US dollar. The UAE dirham is pegged to the dollar.
Bassam Gazal, who headed the survey in the Middle East, said, “In the case of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, a stronger US dollar meant an increase in rankings for these cities.”
Expats here expressed no surprise.

Former mayor arrested for stalking ex-girlfriend

District of Columbia Council member Marion Barry found himself mired in more political, legal and personal drama on Sunday after his arrest late Saturday on charges that he was stalking a female companion.
Barry's latest run-in with the law centres on his relationship with political consultant Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, who alleges he continues to approach her even though they split up a few months ago.
Barry, Watts-Brighthaupt and police gave conflicting accounts of how the former mayor ended up in police custody on Saturday night after attending several July 4 functions.
US Park Service Police arrested Barry, D-Ward 8, about 8.45pm in Anacostia Park after a woman flagged down an officer to report that a man in a nearby vehicle was "bothering her," police said.
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After interviewing Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt, Barry, 73, was charged with one count of "misdemeanour stalking," said Sergeant David Schlosser, a Park Police spokesman.
Barry, on probation for failing to pay his federal taxes, was released hours later and ordered to appear in court on Thursday.
Through a spokeswoman on Sunday, Barry called the charges unfounded and asked prosecutors to drop them. Natalie Williams, the spokeswoman, said Barry feels "betrayed" because of the emotional and financial support he has provided Watts-Brighthaupt, 40, over the years.
Williams said Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt met Saturday afternoon for lunch before Barry attended several Fourth of July events. On his way home, Williams said, Barry once again came into contact with Watts-Brighthaupt near the park after they saw each other's vehicles. "How are there charges of stalking when they had lunch earlier in the day?" Williams asked.
In an interview, Watts-Brighthaupt said she didn't seek to have Barry arrested and did not report the encounter to police. Police pulled over Barry for a traffic violation, she said.
But said she has "tons and tons of evidence to prove" Barry was stalking her in a way that was not life-threatening.

Suspected US missile attack kills 12 Taliban militants in northwest Pakistan

Pakistani intelligence officials say suspected US missiles have hit a training camp run by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, killing 12 insurgents and wounding some others. Four intelligence officials say the two missiles flattened a compound in the Makeen area of South Waziristan on Tuesday. They said local militants had pulled out 12 bodies from the rubble.

ATLANTIS HOTEL DUBAI

The Atlantis hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is a super-size resort where water, food, and fun are served up on a grand scale. Built at an estimated cost of $1.5bn, the 1,539-room Atlantis aims to wow you with its sheer size and opulence, and for the most part, it dazzles.

INDIAN BUDGET

The new Indian government unveiled a $210 billion budget that increases welfare and rural spending in an effort to stimulate economic growth, but also will likely widen the fiscal deficit to its largest gap in 18 years.
Bloomberg News/Landov
Pranab Mukherjee, India's finance minister, center with briefcase, poses with his team outside the finance ministry on his way to present the budget for the financial year 2009-10 at the Indian Parliament in New Delhi on Monday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government would make it a priority to reach 9% gross domestic product growth in the medium term and would seek to spend 9% of GDP on infrastructure development by 2014. Although world financial conditions have improved, there are still uncertainties on the revival of the global economy, Mr. Mukherjee said. "We can't afford to drop our guard," he told Parliament. "We have to continue our efforts to provide further stimulus to the economy."
Investors have bid up Indian shares since the ruling coalition, the United Progressive Alliance, won the general election in May. Many investors had been looking to the budget to outline a program of economic overhauls to attract foreign investment and the divestment of government stakes in state-owned companies to raise funds. But the budget was short on both, and the benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex index sank 5.8%, or 870 points, to 14043. (For more coverage on the Sensex's decline, please see World Stock Markets, page C2.)
Monday's budget gave little guidance on whether the government planned to pursue changes, such as opening the economy further to foreign investors and companies, during its five-year term. "The big picture and road map was missing in terms of attracting foreign direct investment and the disinvestment program to raise revenues," said Andrew Holland, chief executive for equities at Ambit Capital in Mumbai.

Mr. Mukherjee pointed out the government had enacted three fiscal-stimulus packages to counter the effect of the global slowdown on the Indian economy. The new budget seeks to use spending to ramp up slowing growth.
It also carries through on campaign pledges by the Congress party, which leads the governing coalition. Health care, education and employment will see most of the investment.
The programs will add up to an increase of 16% in total spending from a year earlier. As a result, India will have to sharply increase borrowing, widening a fiscal deficit to around 6.8% of GDP in the year ending March 31, 2010, from the previous year's 6%.
Standard & Poor's sovereign-ratings director Takahira Ogawa said the projected fiscal deficit was "within the boundary of S&P's expectation," indicating that the news wouldn't likely prompt an immediate credit-rating downgrade to junk. In February, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign-credit-rating outlook on some Indian debt to negative.
Some analysts expressed concern the government's finances could deteriorate. Sujan Hajra, chief economist at Anand Rathi Securities, said government borrowing is likely to be revised upward even further, increasing the risk that the fiscal deficit may hit 7% of GDP in the current fiscal year.
James McCormack, head of Asia-Pacific sovereign ratings at Fitch Ratings, said: "It is not a budget that in any way alleviates pressures on India's sovereign credit ratings." After the budget speech, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the budget will help accelerate economic growth. He said 7% economic growth is "achievable, but it's not enough. We should aim for 8% to 9% growth in the medium term."
Indian GDP grew 6.7% in the year ended March 31, slowing from a 9% expansion in the previous year. The government last week projected growth between 6.25% and 7.75% in the year ending March 31, 2010. India's economy depends far less on exports than many countries in Asia, and has weathered the global downturn in relatively sound shape.
The finance bill, which includes the budget proposals, is likely to be passed by Parliament on Aug. 7.