World leading laparoscopic device unveiled at annual obesity event

Surgical Innovations – the original inventor of the Endoflex™ range of laparoscopic instruments – will be unveiling their latest flexible laparoscopic device Logi™Flex at the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO); the largest obesity event in the world.

At the event, the designer and manufacturer of innovative surgical devices will launch their pioneering technology for bariatric surgeons, which offers better rigidity coupled with an ergonomic handle to aid delicate surgical procedures.
Specially developed in conjunction with laparoscopic surgeons who understand the needs of clinicians and patients, the Logi™Flex is made from both single use and reusable components (resposable™) which enhances performance and cost effectiveness. Read more

Russian Language – Eton Institutes next Free Course in August

Learn Russian for FREE at Eton Institute in the Month of August:

Eton Institute announced Russian language as its next FREE course for the month of August. An entire beginner level in Russian is now available absolutely FREE for anyone who is interested in enhancing their language skills.
So far the institute has already offered FREE courses in Arabic, German, French and Mandarin and Microsoft Office as part of its CSR initiative with hundreds of people learning a new language and enhancing their skills.

Dr. Eli Abi Rached, Managing Director of Eton Institute commented: “Russian language is rising in popularity as it is increasingly applied in business communication, politics and economics. The FREE course will enable participants to apply the knowledge of Russian in such fields and deliver on personal aspirations.”

“Russian language”, Dr. Eli said, “is particularly challenging to learn when compared to French or Spanish, and it is this facet that makes it interesting for language enthusiast all over the world.”
Russians are very gifted when it comes to languages; hence you wouldn’t be expected to speak Russian while interacting with natives. However knowledge of Russian will greatly help anyone who is travelling or doing business in Russia or ex-soviet union countries as it is used as a communication language or at least understands it.

“Professionals who have taken Russian courses with us have found it to be extremely helpful while interacting with Russian speakers in conducting regular business activities.” Dr. Eli said.

The FREE Russian course will begin on 02 August and will run three times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Interested people are encouraged to book early as there are limited places available and places are offered on a first come first serve basis. For further details visit www.eton.ac or call 800 – ETON (800 – 3866).

About Eton Institute:
Eton Institute is Dubai’s leading institute of languages offering over 17 languages at the institute and online courses in 31 languages, flexible timings, tailor-made courses, highly qualified native speakers, teaching practical language while maintaining competitive prices for individuals and businesses.

Strategically located at Dubai Knowledge Village, the institute also offers Cultural Awareness workshops to introduce the Arabic culture and language to non-Arabs. Other areas include Teacher Development & Certification courses in TESOL/TEFL, Computer/IT Training, and workshops in Teacher Training, Professional Development and Corporate Training programmes.

Abu Dhabi TV goes high-definition!

Viewers to enjoy unparalleled home entertainment experience

Abu Dhabi Media Company, one of the fastest-growing multi-platform media organizations in the region, will launch its High-Definition (HD) television channel in October, offering its UAE viewers the opportunity to revolutionise their television viewing experience.

The channel called Abu Dhabi HD, which will feature a wide range of programming including sporting events such as English Premiership football, documentaries from National Geographic Abu Dhabi, drama and movies, offers cinematic visual clarity on a television screen. Abu Dhabi HD will be accessible, through E-Vision, to viewers in the UAE with compatible HD television sets and set-top boxes, which are available from leading electronics retailers. Read more

DFM General Index up 0.41%

Foreign investors net DFM sellers by AED 35.28 mln

Dubai Financial Market General Index (DFMGI) ended with a relatively small rise of 0.41% on Thursday, according Mubasher data. It hit an intraday high of 1829.43 pts, then pared its gains to settle at 1818.34.

Tightened liquidity hinders capital markets from reaching new levels. He added that positive corporate financial results posted so far have driven some stocks higher. Analysts foresees unstable market performance till disclosing Emaar’s financial results next week. Read more

Property Sector worldwide in critical condition

Trillions of properties worldwide acquired or refinanced after this point in early 2004 have lost value since the transaction. Many of these properties, typically leveraged 70%–80%, would face significant refinancing hurdles due to liquidity crunch even if prices held firm. Few lenders now are willing to advance more than 50%–70% of the current value.

Large amount of properties is at great risk, if not already wiped out since properties acquired or refinanced in 2006–2008 have seen price declines of at least 25% or more. This includes office, industrial, apartment and retail properties of different size, with hotels, land, other property types adding billions to the total.

Property sales so far in 2009 equates to just few percent of volume achieved at the peak in the first half of 2007, according analysts from Real Estate Capital Analytics. While sales volume this year barely registers on the graph, the jump in activity in June is clearly visible and may be an early signal that buyers are returning, lured by lower prices.

Prices for office, industrial, retail and apartment properties locally have dropped between 25% and 60% from the peak in summer 2008. Prices continued to drop rapidly and recorded further  decline in Q2 of 2009. Read more

Oil to reach $85 this year

Goldman Sachs says oil will reach $85 a barrel by the end of the year.

Abu Dhabi joins the Space Tourism Race

A new player in the space race? Abu Dhabi’s government backed fund – Aabar – is buying a 32 percent stake in Virgin Galactic – the firm hoping to take paying passengers into space. The money will help fund a new tests – and it’s expected the first flights will take place within two years. But what’s in it for Abu Dhabi?

Emaar Properties records half-year revenue

Emaar Properties focused on project delivery and business consolidation in the first half of 2009, achieved half-year revenue of Dh3,486 million (US$ 949 million) and half-year net operating profit of Dh679 million (US$ 185 million).

Revenue for the second-quarter of the year recorded an increase of 25 percent to Dh1,940 million (US$ 528 million) over first-quarter 2009 revenue of Dh1,546 million (US$ 421 million). Net operating profit for the second-quarter also gained significantly at Dh442 million (US$ 120 million) over first-quarter net profit of AED 237 million (US$ 65 million). The increase in revenue and profitability in the second quarter of 2009 can be attributed to higher unit deliveries and increased sales of completed units as compared to first quarter.

The lower revenue and net operating profit over half-year 2008 figures of Dh8,126 million (US$ 2,212 million) and Dh3,011 million (US$ 820 million), respectively are attributed to the overall economic slowdown following the global economic crisis, and Emaar’s new revenue recognition policy based on completed contract method. Read more

UAE Banks in Position to start lending soon reveals Harbor Report

UAE banks are in a strong position to recommence lending to Real Estate investors according to  Mohanad Al Wadiya, Managing Director of Harbor Real Estate Brokerage and Editor in Chief of the Harbor Report. According to the quarterly Harbor Report, which will be issued at the end of this month, the economic crisis has forced banks to shore up their capital to the extent that now, according to the UAE Central Bank, capital in UAE Banks in May topped AED 200 billion. Read more

Emirates becomes world’s largest Boeing 777 operator

Emirates has become the world’s largest airline operator of Boeing 777 aircraft with the arrival of its 78th Boeing 777 today.

Emirates has another 28 Boeing 777s pending delivery, worth over US$ 7 billion at list prices, and it is also the only airline to operate every model in the Boeing 777 family: -200s, -200ERs, -200LRs, -300s, -300ERs and freighters. The newest addition to the Emirates fleet is a Boeing 777-300ER configured for long distance journeys.

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “The 777s form the backbone of our fleet, and we have configured these aircraft to give us maximum flexibility in terms of route deployment. Emirates’ 777s today fly to six continents from our Dubai hub, operating routes within a two-hour distance to long-range journeys of 16 hours non-stop. Read more

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