Day: December 29, 2022

SHARJAH, Arada has completed Nest, a premium purpose-built housing cluster based in Aljada community in Sharjah.

The AED700 million Nest complex features 2,473 fully furnished dormitories (both individual and shared) spread over 12 apartment blocks. Situated on a 380,000-square-foot plot located next to Aljada’s business district, Nest is a smart technology-enabled cluster that sets a new standard for student housing regionally.

Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada, said, “Nest is an impeccably designed community that allows students an engaging and inspiring environment within the surroundings of Sharjah’s most exciting lifestyle community. So much more than a place to sleep and study, Nest residents benefit not only from incredible amenities within the complex, but from the facilities in the rest of the Aljada master plan as well.”

Nest’s list of facilities includes an art studio, a music hall, a library, a state-of-the-art running track that surrounds the complex, an amphitheatre and a central dining hall, while tenants also have access to male- and female-only swimming pools, gyms and study areas.

Arada has also committed to providing Nest residents with a number of part-time employment opportunities at local retail and food and beverage outlets, both in the complex and Aljada as a whole.

Leasing for Nest starts in January and will be arranged by Arada’s onsite management teams, who will also oversee all facilities management and provide 24-hour security.

Nest benefits strongly from Aljada’s location adjacent to University City, which contains two of the region’s largest and most distinguished higher education institutions, University of Sharjah and American University of Sharjah (AUS), which between them host some 20,000 students alone, plus an additional eight other colleges and institutions.

Nest is also ideally located to serve the more than 60,000-strong student body in nearby Dubai.

The completion of Nest means that Arada has now completed 3,555 units in Aljada as a whole, following the completion of the first residential phase of the master community in April this year. Around 4,500 homes are currently under construction at Aljada, where the East Village residential phase and the second Sarab villa complex are both just weeks away from completion.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The UAE Pro League announced the fixtures dates for round 2 of the 2022-23 ADNOC Pro League season from matchweek 14 to matchweek 26.

Round 2 kicks off with match week 14, taking place on 27th and 28th January, 2023, and concludes with matchweek 26, which will take place on May 26th, 2023.

Matchweek 15 will be held on 4th and 5th February, while matchweek 16 will take place on 10th and 11th February.

The UAE Pro League decided that matchweek 17 will kick off on February 14th, with Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Dhafra game to allow the Dubai-based side to partake in the AFC Champions League, while the remaining fixtures of matchweek 17 will take place on February 17th and 18th.

Matchweek 18 will be held on March 2nd and 3rd, while matchweek 19 will take place on March 10th and 11th.

Meanwhile, matchweek 20 will be held on April 8th and 9th, while matchweek 21 will take place on April 16th and 17th.

Matchweek 22 will take place on April 24th and 25th, whereas matchweek 23 will be held on May 6th, 7th, and 8th.

The last three matchweeks will be played on the same day to ensure equality and transparency between clubs involved in the title race and relegation battle. Matchweek 24 will take place on 13th May, followed by matchweek 25, which will take place on May 21st.

The ADNOC Pro League concludes with fixtures of matchweek 26, taking place on 26th May.

The ADNOC Pro League will return to action with fixtures of matchweek 13, taking place on 22nd and 23rd January, as the competition has been put on hold due to the UAE National Team’s participation in the Arabian Gulf Cup.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Starting from 1 January 2023, private sector companies with 50 employees or more that have not raised Emiratisation targets by 2 percent of skilled jobs in 2022, will be fined, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) said on Thursday.

The fines are AED6,000 per month, a total of AED72,000 annually, for each Emirati who has not been employed as per the requisite percentage to be achieved by the end of 2022.

The value of the monthly penalties increases progressively at a rate of AED1,000 annually until 2026, by which companies are required to achieve up to 10 percent growth rate in their Emiratisation targets.

In a statement, the Ministry said: “We aim to achieve an effective participation of the private sector in the development process of the UAE, as raising the participation of Emiratis in this sector will have a positive impact on the competitiveness, attractiveness, and stability of the business environment in the country.”

“We will continue to activate the partnership between the government and the private sectors on Emiratisation, based on our belief that Emiratis can make a positive impact within the vital economic sectors, as well as our aspiration to advance the growth of the private sector companies and improve their ability to keep pace with successive developments locally and globally,” it added.

The Ministry noted that the legislation governing Emiratisation will contribute to “strengthening the diversification of the labour market and will consolidate the UAE’s position as an incubator of national and international talents and an ideal destination to work, live and invest.”

The Ministry lauded the steps taken by companies that have met the required Emiratisation targets for 2022, adding: “Now, we look forward to witnessing a greater impact in 2023, as the Emiratisation targets will increase by 2 percent until 2026, resulting in a growth by 10 percent of Emirati skilled employees.”

The Ministry offers support and incentives for the companies that achieve qualitative achievements in training and employing Emiratis in accordance with the objectives of the Nafis programme, which include joining the Emiratisation Partners’ Club that leads to be classified as a category one companies in the Ministry’s establishment classification system, thus obtaining discounts of up to 80 percent on the Ministry’s service fees.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The year 2022 has undoubtedly been an active year for the UAE, which was the stage for a series of key events, resolutions and distinguished achievements, further driving the country’s sustainable development march.

With the new year just around the corner, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) produced a report highlighting the UAE’s major achievement in 2022.

January saw two major milestones: the implementation of the new weekend in the UAE, and the establishment of the first space economic zone in Masdar City.

In February, the UAE announced the gradual relaxation of operational capacity restrictions on activities and events, and the introduction of a federal corporate tax on business profits.

Meanwhile, March witnessed the approval of the resolution on sabbatical leave for UAE citizens working in government who wish to start their own businesses, and culminated with the spectacular Closing Ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai, which recorded over 24 million visits.

Come the end of April, the UAE Cabinet approved the UAE’s Digital Economy Strategy, as well as its joining of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE).

May was a time of great mourning for the UAE, which was struck with grief due to the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, but the nation soon after felt a breath of relief with the election of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the UAE’s new President.

In early June, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed ordered the completion of pending housing grant applications and the restructuring of the low-income citizens’ support programme, and later the country’s unemployment insurance law was issued.

July saw an inspirational televised speech, as President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed announced the nation’s priorities and future plans, soon after the UAE Cabinet approved the controls for sabbatical leave for citizens working in government.

August kicked off on a high note with the formation of the “Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation”. The UAE also ranked 13th globally in the gross national income (GNI) per capita index.

In September, the country launched the new generation of the UAE passport and, later that month, began the operation of Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.

As for October, the UAE’s key milestones included the launch of the trial run of the new Advanced Visa System, and the approval of the country’s federal budget 2023-2026, with an estimated expenditure of AED252.4 billion.

November saw the UAE advance on the environmental conservation front with the launch of a partnership between the UAE and the US to invest US$100 billion to generate an additional 100 gigawatts of clean energy worldwide. November also marked the UAE’s full return to normalcy with the cancellation of all COVID-19 precautionary measures.

Finally, the UAE ended the year with two major strides in the space sector, as it organised the inaugural Abu Dhabi Space Debate, and launched the Arab world’s first lunar rover, dubbed “Rashid Rover”.

Source: Emirates News Agency