Day: June 6, 2022

NEW YORK — The U.S. Justice Department ordered the seizure Monday of two aircraft owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, saying they had been used in violation of sanctions on Russia imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.

The department said in court filings that the two aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650ER executive jet, had been flown into Russian territory earlier this year in violation of U.S. export controls set for US-made aircraft March 2.

The department’s move targets one of the wealthiest Russian billionaires, who has already been forced to sell the Chelsea Football Club in the wake of Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

It aims to incentivize people close to the Russian government “to distance themselves from the Kremlin and from the Russian state as it continues to ramp up the war,” said Andrew Adams, director of the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force.

Both aircraft, which the Justice Department valued at $400 million, are believed to be out of reach of U.S. officials — in Russia and, for the Boeing, possibly in Dubai, according to media reports.

“We will take active steps to pursue seizure, and we’ll keep an eye out to see if they move jurisdictions,” said Adams.

The seizure order outlined how Abramovich controls the two aircraft through a series of shell companies, centered on the Cyprus-registered Europe Settlement Trust.

Abramovich in February made his children, all Russian citizens, beneficiaries of the trust, according to the order.

Abramovich, 55, built a fortune estimated by Bloomberg at $12.5 billion on oil, steel, aluminum and other industries, maintaining close relationships with top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

Holding Russian and Israeli citizenship, as well as reportedly Portuguese, he is believed to have moved much of his wealth outside of Russia, but he retains substantial interests inside the country.

Since the Ukraine war began, he has been hit with sanctions in Europe.

The island of Jersey, a British crown dependency, announced April 13 that it had frozen more than $7 billion in assets believed to be linked to Abramovich.

But unlike many fellow Russian tycoons, Abramovich has not been placed on U.S. sanctions lists.

According to reports, he has avoided the seizures by European authorities of his 162-meter (500-foot) yacht Eclipse and the 140-meter Solaris by moving them into Turkish waters.

In parallel with the aircraft seizure order, the U.S. Commerce department issued a letter charging Abramovich with knowingly violating U.S. restrictions that seek to block specific technologies and goods from being exported to Russia.

The charges can bring financial penalties of up to double the value of the “export” transaction, the Commerce letter said, suggesting they could seek more than the value of the aircraft in fines.

Source: Voice of America

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, also dispatched a message of congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Emirates Schools Establishment announced the launch of “Ajyal Schools”, a new model for government schools, representing a pioneering step in supporting the education ecosystem.

The new model was approved by the UAE Cabinet to develop Cycle 1 of the government education sector.

Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwomen of the Emirates Schools Establishment, affirmed that the Ajyal Schools project is one of the various projects aiming to provide greater options for parents and students during the coming period which will witness sustainable development in various fields.

The minister said, “Ajyal Schools project reflects the great importance that the UAE attaches to the education sector, based on its major role in enhancing the journey of development. This project comes as part of our plans to develop the educational system in the country, provide more options, opportunities, and educational models for our students, and qualify a leading generation capable of creating the future, supporting and developing the education sector is a continuous process.”

The Ajyal Schools model adopts more advanced learning outcomes that combine the national curricula with the international curricula. The national curricula will include the Arabic language, Islamic education, moral education and social studies, under the direct supervision of the Emirates Schools Establishment. In contrast, the international curricula will be responsible for subjects such as mathematics, science and others.

The model will be applied to all students from Grades I to IV, in 10 different schools, under the supervision of the Emirates Schools Establishment. The establishment will apply this model to 28 different schools, within three years. The model will be providing additional classes to follow the current students.

The Ministry of Education will continue providing and supervising the Arabic language, Islamic education, moral education and social studies curricula for the third and fourth grades without any change. It will be taught by Emirati teachers to enhance the national identity and societal values.

Al Amiri said, “The Ajyal Schools system aligns with the Emirates Schools Establishment efforts to develop distinct and advanced education models, serve the development and modernisation plans pursued by the establishment to improve the quality of its educational outputs. The positive outputs of the new project will reflect on the educational system in the country, by enhancing its quality, the efficiency of teachers, and the skills and capabilities of students, under the framework of a futuristic educational vision, based on various educational models that suit each region and emirate in the UAE.”

She added, “The application of this advanced educational model comes in line with the UAE’s directives to enhance the quality of education, sustain the development process to enrich the students’ experience in the public education sector and enhance the quality of their education and skill acquisitions in line with the UAE’s aspirations.”

Al Amiri noted that the establishment would completely supervise the Ajyal Schools by following up on implementing the new model. She said that Taaleem, Aldar Education and Bloom Education will be managing Ajyal Schools, as operators and providers of educational services in the private sector.

She revealed that partnership contracts would be signed with parents within the new schools to build greater cooperation between families and schools in evaluating the educational level of students.

The Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, Chairwomen of Emirates Schools Establishment, said, “The government will support students enrolled in ‘Ajyal Schools’ by bearing students’ fees and all operating expenses.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications, highlighted the importance of adopting advanced technologies in all transactions and improving the UAE’s infrastructure, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to facilitate the employment of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and ensure proactiveness in addressing current and future challenges.

He made this statement during the second meeting of the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in 2022.

During the meeting, Al Olama affirmed the need to expedite the process of digital transformation and innovation of smart solutions, which will support the UAE’s pioneering model of adopting future technologies.

He also stressed the importance of improving the digital infrastructure and training future generations of talents in AI, as well as supporting the efforts aimed at developing new proactive initiatives and creating a strong digital economy, which will help reinforce the country’s relevant global stature.

The council’s members discussed the expected outcomes of the second phase of the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, which will involve developing various sectors, and increasing creative competitiveness and comprehensive dependence on AI to complete digital transactions, through using advanced technologies in areas of health, energy, natural resources, blockchain, industry, transport, logistics and tourism.

Source: Emirates News Agency