The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dubai

  • Is Dubai shopping attractive ?

    If there’s any city that takes shopping malls seriously, it is Dubai. Not only do global brands flock to this retail capital, but shoppers from across the Middle East and beyond go to Dubai to appreciate the grandiosity and beauty of its shopping centres.

    The city’s weather, always sunny and known to surpass 110 °F, and its economic climate, deeply rooted in property development to the point of experiencing hyper growth, create a unique mix of tropical and capitalistic energy rarely matched by other cities. Dubai builds with a panache seldom seen anywhere else around the world, so it’s no wonder that stepping into a Dubai shopping mall is an experience in itself.

    Known as the world’s first shopping resort, Mall of the Emirates has an amazing 2.4 million square feet of retail floor space. Not only does it boast of 630 high-end brands, but fashion designers from around the world are put on full display in the mall’s Fashion Dome and Luxury Wing. Tenants include Boutique 1, Centrepoint, Forever 21, Kate Spade New York, DKNY and an Apple store.

    If shoppers get tired of shopping, there are many things to do at Mall of the Emirates. People enjoy the games and are entertained at Magic Planet, a family theme park among other fun activities.

    The Nation Shopping spoke with some Nigerians about how they shop in Dubai.  Mr Emeka Obiama was seen at the mall of The Emirates sightseeing with his family. “Items are a bit expensive,” he said.

    “It’s not about the sales alone but the experience. I like my family spending time here particularly during the shopping festival. Though it cost me plenty of money, but it’s worth it. I can’t suffer to make money in Nigeria and suffer to spend it as well, hence my reason for coming here. I have also bought few things with great discounts apart for the flight ticket to come to Dubai, every Nigerian should be here.”

    Another Nigerian, Mrs Omowunmi Linda who was at The mall of Emirate was there for  sightseeing  and buy a few things for her friends back in Nigeria. “I reside here in Dubai and visit this mall only when the shopping festival is ongoing.  It is relatively cheap here because of the discounts attached.”

    “If you are coming to spoil yourself and take a tour, the malls are the right place to be but if you are coming to buy things to sell in Nigeria, Deira Market (an open traditional market) is the right place to be. There you can bid and negotiate for favourable bargains.”

    For Ms Patience Onuoha, a regular shopper to Dubai who buys her ticket early. “I travel yearly to shop in Dubai. I take my time to buy items i really want. I have  chosen to buy from Marks and Spencer shop because I like their underwears, particularly the sport braziers, they are strong and sell for  N175UAE. Those I bought last year still look good.”

    “Stores here would not compromise good quality or standard. There are stores and there are stores. I can’t imagine getting inferior items at Marks and Spencer, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci or Raff Lauren. Nigerians can only buy inferior items when they patronise unknown brands but brands that are known will not compromise standard and this is what is unique with the malls here.”

    Unlike Onuoha, Mr Badmus Ajibade lament that items are expensive. “I have come to sight see which is what most Nigerians who visit shopping malls here do. You sightsee and go to the traditional market to shop for same items. Items might not be same quality, but Nigerians can manage.

    Some items sold in the mall are not 100 percent good quality, he said. The finishing of some products is poor and is of mass production.  I don’t buy much when I come to Dubai particularly things I will use. I rather buy cheap things to sale and make huge profits.”

    “The malls here are better in terms of infrastructure but stock designers which are mainly mass product commonly found everywhere.  For example, I have seen inferior Hacket shirts which are not properly sown with bad finishing. I advise Nigerians to come for sightseeing but go back home to buy ‘Made in Nigeria’ products which are not mass products and are of good quality”.

  • Couple wins holiday trip at PZ-Coolworld promo draw

    A Lagos based couple has a won  an all-expense paid ‘trip for 2′ to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The couple, Mr and  Mrs Daniel Ude won the first prize at the Coolworld raffle draw event held on Tuesday,  at the Victoria Island, Lagos branch of the company.

    Coolworld Electrical Retails Stores, a subsidiary of PZ Cussons had organised the Coolworld Year-End Promo for its customers across its seven stores all over the country to reward and engage its customers as the year 2017 rolled to an end. The promo ran from the 1st of November till the 31st of December 2017.

    The retail stores’ customers participated from Lagos, Enugu, Ibadan, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt by making purchases of products worth over N10,000 and above which earned them tickets to participate in the raffle draw. The draw event was observed by representatives of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Lagos State Lottery Board (LSLB) and journalists from various media houses.

    The second prize of a SMART 75 inches Haier Thermocool TV set worth over One Million Naira and the third prize, an American styled-fully stocked refrigeratorwas won by Daniel Nzeka from Enugu and Olusegun Babayemi respectively while three others won consolation prizes of microwave ovens.

    In his opening remark, the Commercial Director of PZ/Coolworld Electrical Stores, Mr. Olugbenga Kolawole made it clear that Coolworld Stores would continue to reward its loyal customers with incentives and experiences that would keep them coming back for more.

    He said, “Being the first Omni-channel retail outlet in Nigeria, we have over the years held our customers in high esteem and have always shown appreciation to them in so many ways and we intend to continue to do so.”

  • ABUAD signs MoU with Dubai hospital to end overseas medical tourism

    ABUAD signs MoU with Dubai hospital to end overseas medical tourism

    Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti ( ABUAD ), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aster Group of Hospitals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to halt medical tourism abroad by Nigerians.

    ABUAD Founder, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), said the partnership will make the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital ( ABUADTH ) and Aster to sign a pact in the areas of training, consultancy, offering of technical expertise and in medical administration.

    The MoU was signed on Tuesday, where it was agreed that Aster will offer short and  long terms as well as permanent partnership for smooth take off of ABUADTH .

    Speaking  after  the memorandum was signed, Dr. Navin Pascal, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aster, said the hospitals has subsidiaries in nine countries and had been receiving over patients from over 90 countries across the world.

    He said it was sad that Nigeria loses over 35,000 doctors to advanced countries due to poor remunerations, saying the trend has been affecting healthcare service in the country.

    “Aster has become a referral centre in the middle East. Our partnership with ABUAD will be in the areas of training, technical and administration.

    “What we will do is to train the doctors here so that ABUAD can be self sufficient in having experts that can perform critical operations that can make the rich and middle class Nigerians to see the hospitals as a better alternative.

    “We appreciate the fact that ABUAD is working hard for humanity and Aster partnering with it will bring a paradigm shift in Nigeria’s health sector”, he said.

    ABUAD Founder disclosed that a delegation will leave for Dubai in January 26 to perfect the MoU for enforcement .

    Babalola said: “In this partnership, ABUADTH and Aster are equal partners. Though, we agreed for long and short terms, but the memorandum may be forever depending on its workability.

    “Nigerians can’t afford to be spending so much on medical tourism and I have faith that this partnership will take  the country will be a leading nation in healthcare services”.

    He said the breaking down of medical equipment in critical areas like dialysis , oncology and cardiology was becoming embarrassing,  urging Aster to bring in experts in biomedical engineering to train the experts in ABUADTH to prevent such from occurring in the hospital.

  • 10, 000 female drivers to be recruited in Saudi Arabia

    10, 000 female drivers to be recruited in Saudi Arabia

    Uber and Careem, a Dubai-based ride-hailing app, is planning to hire no fewer  than 10, 000 female drivers in Saudi Arabia by June 2018.

    CNN reported that the companies have already launched training sessions targeting Saudi women who have already obtained driver’s licenses from abroad.

    Female customers currently represent the majority of Uber’s rider base and its local counterpart, Careem, the report said.

    In September 2017, Saudi Arabia announced in a royal decree that it would allow women to drive, ending a long-time policy in the Middle Eastern country.

    Also Read: Saudi Arabia council studying proposals on whistleblowers

    Currently, all drivers employed by the two ride-hailing firms are male, and many working Saudi women spend much of their salaries on drivers or must be driven to work by their male relatives.

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Traders, shoppers storm Dubai Shopping Festival

    Traders, shoppers storm Dubai Shopping Festival

    Over the next one month, the 23rd edition of the Dubai shopping festival will deliver the best shopping offers, biggest prizes, as well as a once-in–a-life time experience across a jam-packed season. TONIA ‘DIYAN, who is in Dubai for the festival, writes that over N294.03 million or AED 3 million is up for grabs in mouth-watering deals across the Mall of the Emirates, City Centres Deira, Mirdif, Me’aisem & Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha.

    For over a decade, Dubai has evolved as the home of trading. The city of Dubai is the second largest and most influential emirate in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), after the capital, Abu Dhabi. Last year, an estimated 14.87 million visitors entered the city for different reasons ranging from tourism to shopping.

    Regarded as the fourth most visited city in the world after London, Paris and Bangkok, it is estimated that by 2020, Dubai will have an annual average of 20 million visitors. Several factors are responsible for the rising profile of this city- one of which is the shopping malls scattered across the city.

    This is what stares a first timer in the face, especially with the ongoing Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) which began on December 26 and runs through January 28, 2018. In this period, shoppers will be treated to the best of shopping and products in the Emirates.

    For shoppers, some organisers have been lined up to offer a lifetime experience to visitors. One of these is the Majid Al Futtaim, said to be the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Ahead of the DSF, the mall, as part of its commitment to delivering unrivalled shopping experiences for families, will take visitors on a journey of its curated and interactive Dubai Shopping Festival experience held at Mall of the Emirates, City Centres Deira, Mirdif, Me’aisem, Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha, each of which is hosting world-class entertainment and compelling exclusive discounts, as well as bigger winning opportunities.

    Majid Al Futtaim, in partnership with Dubai Festival & Retail Establishment and in line with the Dubai Retail Calendar, will host an exclusive 12-hour sale at Mall of the Emirates and City Centres Deira, Mirdif, Me’aisem, Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha. From 12noon until midnight, participating retailers at each mall are offering attractive discounts of up to 90 percent on fashion, jewellery, homeware, electronics and more.

    “Majid Al Futtaim has been a strategic partner of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) for over two decades, and each year has delivered a dynamic programme of events and experiences. The annual festival is a platform for Majid Al Futtaim’s six shopping malls in Dubai to create innovative shopping experiences that exceed our customers’ expectations, while delivering our vision of creating great moments for everyone, every day,” said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Managing Director for Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Shopping Malls (UAE, Bahrain & Oman).

    “We look forward to another successful DSF at Mall of the Emirates, City Centres Deira, Mirdif, Me’aisem and Al Shindagha, and My City Centre Al Barsha as each mall welcomes residents and tourists to enjoy the carefully curated and interactive events, and compelling promotions starting with the exclusive 12-hour sale the first day.”

     

    Mall of the Emirates

    Mall of the Emirates has launched the #THATMOEFEELING campaign inspired by the incredible emotion every visitor feel when they shop at their favourite destination. One lucky winner would take home AED 10,000 everyday upon shopping  for AED 650 at any retailer in the mall. Additionally, shoppers will have the chance to win 10 per cent instant cashback in gift cards when shopping for AED 1,000, which is an added incentive with the introduction of VAT on 1 January 2018. That’s a total of more than AED 1 million worth of prizes over the entire Dubai Shopping Festival period.

    Regarded as the leading premium luxury and lifestyle destination in the region, the Mall of the Emirates is home to 630 international stores and more than 80 of the world’s most prestigious brands. Fashion lovers can shop for their dream closet from the vast choice of collections owned by leading high-street brands, multi-brand stores and designer boutiques including Prada, Hermès, Dolce & Gabbana, Céline, Harvey Nichols Dubai, Debenhams, AllSaints and lululemon athletica.

    To ease the shopping experience and for utmost convenience, visitors are allowed to use the mall’s popular complimentary Hands-Free Shopping service and their bags will be delivered to their home, hotel or car.

    Known for its out of this world entertainment, Mall of the Emirates promises to host breathtaking shows curated to give visitors the #THATMOEFEELING with details on mall’s social media pages.

     

    City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif

    Shoppers can enjoy 33 days of entertainment at City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif up till 27 January, and an amazing circus-themed stage show ‘Believe It or Not’, from 7 to 13 January at City Centre Deira and 14 to 20 January at City Centre Mirdif.

    At City Centre Deira roaming performers will be larking around entertaining the young and young at heart.

    At City Centre Mirdif, shoppers are sure to see the Electrika String Quartet between 4pm and 8.30pm Dubai time.

    Shoppers who shop for AED 250 at City Centre Deira and AED 300 at City Centre Mirdif will be able to enter a draw for a chance to win mall gift cards worth AED 30,000 every day including instant prizes worth AED 1 million .

     

    City Centre Me’aisem, City Centre Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha

    Majid Al Futtaim’s community malls, City Centre Me’aisem, City Centre Al Shindagha and My City Centre Al Barsha, have partnered with Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) to offer shoppers the chance to win cash prizes and gifts worth a total AED 1 million each week till the programme ends. Upon shopping for AED 200 at the malls, one person will walk away with AED 100,000 and another will win AED 50,000 while three lucky shoppers will take home AED 10,000, plus gifts worth AED 100,000 will be given away.

    City Centre Me’aisem will also host entertainment for families including the tight rope Slack Show artists.

  • Malami tells Senate panel: I met with Maina in Dubai

    Malami tells Senate panel: I met with Maina in Dubai

    Justice minister admits writing commission

    ‘Maina ran account through sms, e-mail’

    A clearer picture of  Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami’s role in the reinstatement of fugitive civil servant Abdulrasheed Maina emerged yesterday.

    The minister admitted before a Senate ad hoc panel probing Maina’s reinstatement into the civil service and promotion to acting director that he met with Maina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)  last year.

    He also said he wrote letters to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FRSC) on the sacked chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team.

    Maina was in 2015 accused of over N2billion pension fraud and declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The EFCC enlisted the International Police (INTERPOL) to trace Maina.

    But he dramatically showed up in the country and was last month reinstated as acting director in the Ministry of Interior.

    An embarrassed President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Maina’s immediate sack and a probe of how he was brought back. The EFCC stepped up its investigation. But Maina has not been seen since then.

    The Senate panel is conducting its probe in camera with a promise to brief reporters at the end of its investigation.

    But a source told The Nation last night that Malami, Interior Minister Abdulrahman Danbazau and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior appeared before the committee.

    The Interior minister and the permanent secretary insisted that they played no role in Maina’s recall that the attorney general admitted writing three letters to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) on Maina. But he said he did not bring him back.

    Senators reportedly asked the minister questions ranging from the authenticity of the correspondence between him and the FCSC, the constitutionality of his alleged directives to the commission and the extent of his involvement in the reinstatement of the controversial civil servant.

    Another source close to the committee said: “Malami agreed before the parliamentary panel that he held a meeting with Maina in Dubai, although he insisted that he was not responsible for his dramatic return to the service. “

    The source added: “The committee discovered that three letters were written by the Justice Minister asking questions from the FCSC on Maina. There is no record that the questions were answered by the FCSC in any correspondence.

    “The fourth letter was written by the Attorney-general in January as a directive to the Civil Service Commission to reinstate Maina. In the letter, the AG asked for Maina’s status, his position, rank and next rank.

    “There was another letter in February where the AG directed the Civil Service Commission to reinstate Maina. The committee frowned at this because under the constitution, they felt the AG cannot issue that kind of directive.”

    According to the source, the AG wrote another letter in April asking whether the reinstatement had been effected. In that letter, he directed the FCSC to promote Maina to Director.

    The source added: “When committee members asked the AG to react to the allegations that he wrote the letters, the AG agreed that he wrote them, but said he could not remember all that he wrote. He pleaded with the committee to allow him contact his files to ascertain the content. He promised to return tomorrow. The committee agreed.

    The source added: “The committee was satisfied that the Head of Service (HoS) of the Federation documented everything.

    “The Committee observed that she was tidy. It was learnt that at the sitting, the HoS did not release the purported letter written by the Civil Service Commission to Maina. The question the committee will be finding answer to on Thursday is where the Ministry of Interior got the letter it relied upon to reinstate Maina”.

     

  • Ex- Thailand PM denies insulting monarchy

    Ex- Thailand PM denies insulting monarchy

    Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied insulting the monarchy, following media reports that the authorities were seeking to charge him with lese-majesty.

    “I have no intention to offend the institution at all,’’ Thaksin tweeted on Monday in Bankok.

    “I do not know the individual in question, I will seek legal actions against anyone who involved me in their defamation against the monarchy,’’ he said.

    It is unclear which individual or incident Thaksin is referring to, but he was accused of defaming the monarchy by mentioning the country’s regent in a 2015 interview with a South Korean media outlet.

    Thailand’s strict lese-majesty law prohibits criticism, defamation, threats and insults made against the king, queen, heir apparent or regent.
    Perpetrators face up to 15 years in prison per offence, if found guilty.

    Speaking at a news conference upon beginning his new post as Attorney-General on Friday, Khemchai Chutiwong said his predecessor had decided that there was enough evidence to charge Thaksin.

    The authorities had not charged Thaksin because his presence is required, but Khemchai said it was now up to police to locate him to proceed with the charge and extradition request.

    In 2008,  Shinawatra was sentenced to two years in prison over land corruption.
    He fled Thailand shortly before the verdict and never returned.

    Thaksin is known to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London.

    His daughters’ social media posts indicated he was in London in September before moving back to Dubai last week.

    Thailand does not have an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates.

    NAN

  • Prolight + Sound holds exhibition in Dubai

    All is set for the second edition of Prolight + Sound billed to hold next month in Dubai.

    The Country Representative, Messer Frankfurt Exhibition and Trade Fair Limited, Omon Itoya–Abanokwu, said the prospects of emerging sectors of light and sound are proritised and would efrectively be a boost to the non-oil diversification of the economy.

    The growing demand for audiovisual technology to meet sizzling  events in cultural, tourism and sporting industries, he said the exhibition, holding from  October 17 to 19, can help Nigeria’s  economy  leapfrog   in its recovery from downturn.

    While Africa and Middle East are world’s fastest-growing market for audiovisual with the sector hitting $5 billion last year, the Prolight + Sound Middle East presents fresh channels for players in Nigeria to up their game.

    The the debut edition of Prolight + Sound Middle East featured 37exhibitors from 11 countries representing more  than 120 brands, while more than1,577 trade visitors from 50 countries passed through the buzzing hall at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

    “The event is a must for stakeholders, who want to grow their business because itpresents   stunning   opportunities   to   expand   business   and   network   in   the   MENAregion,” she said.    The event would feature products groups such as theatre, studio, auditorium, club,disco   and   stage   lighting,   Trussing   and   rigging   systems,   stage   technology,   stagemachinery,   lasers   and   special   effects   as   well   as   audio,   visual,   data   conferencingequipment,   cables,   controllers,   connectors,   switchers,   communication   systems,monitoring systems, audio networking.

  • Ex-Thailand PM jailed five years for negligence

    Ex-Thailand PM jailed five years for negligence

    Former Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra was handed a five-year prison sentence on Wednesday after the country’s highest court found her guilty of negligence in the management of a rice subsidy scheme.

    Yingluck was due to hear the verdict on Aug. 25, but failed to show up, surprising hundreds of supporters, who had gathered at the court.

    Aides said she had fled Thailand, fearing a harsh sentence.

    In August, Reuters reported that she had escaped to Dubai, where her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, owns a home.

    Yingluck, who swept to power in a 2011 general election, introduced a rice subsidy scheme that proved wildly popular with farmers but which the military government says caused billions of dollars in losses.

    Her government was ousted by the military in 2014.

  • Dubai to build $1.7b man-made islands Marsa Al Arab by 2020

    Dubai to build $1.7b man-made islands Marsa Al Arab by 2020

    Dubai is growing again, and again. It’s building into the sea.

    Global investment company Dubai Holding has unveiled plans for Marsa Al Arab, a four million square feet pair of man-made islands either side of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, the city’s iconic sail-shaped hotel.

    The project, estimated to cost $1.72 billion, will add 1.4 miles of beach to Dubai’s coastline. With ground breaking scheduled for June, Dubai Holding say the islands will be completed late 2020.

    Geared towards tourists, one island will include family-friendly resorts, a 2.5 million square-foot marine park and a custom built 1,700-seat theater, home to the Middle East’s first Cirque du Soleil show. It will also house 300 seafront apartments.

    The second, private island is set to host 14- luxury villas and marina for residents, along with a boutique hotel.

    Marsa Al Arab will add 2,400 hotel rooms to the Jumeirah Group’s portfolio. The group is part of Dubai Holding, which is majority-owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai.

    Jumeriah Group have experience when it comes to man-made islands. They manage the Burj Al Arab, located 280 meters off Jumeirah Beach on artificial land first constructed in 1994.

    Other artificial islands of grander scale and logistical complexity have followed the Burj, with varying levels of success.

    Sea dredgers are used to create Dubai’s artificial islands.

    Sea dredgers are used to create Dubai’s artificial islands.

    Palm Jumeirah, 9.6-square miles and constructed between 2001 and 2006, is now home to hundreds of family residences and at least two dozen hotels.

    Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira are both set to eclipse the Jumeirah, but have suffered setbacks stemming from the global financial crisis of 2008. Construction of the former began in 2002 but it remains incomplete, while the latter, still in construction, has been scaled down and rebranded Deira Islands.

    Luxury 300-island system The World was constructed 2.5 miles off the Dubai coast between 2003 and 2008. Most islands were sold off to contractors to build private residences in 2008, but thus far the archipelago remains largely unoccupied.

    Jumeirah Group will be hoping Marsa Al Arab will avoid this fate, positioning the project as a tourist-friendly locale happy to host the influx of visitors expected to descend upon the city for Expo 2020.