dubai marina

Etisalat to cut call costs up to 30% for India and Philippines

Etisalat smart land telephone

In a move that raised the spirits for Indian and Filipinno expats in Dubai, Etisalat has announced that it is cutting the call rates to India and Philippines for up to 30%.

The cuts will affect several countries including Egypt, Jordan, India and the Philippines.

The revised rates will be implemented by second half of this year.

Etisalat is also planning to launch a “smart land telephone”. Among other features, the phone will allow users to make video calls.

Onion prices hit record high in UAE

onions in uae

Onion prices in the UAE have reached a record high as the supply of the highest in demand Indian variety has come to a halt.

The cost of one kilogram of onion was approximately Dh 1.65 in the month of July. The same now costs up to Dh 4.95.

The Indian government, on Monday, banned the export of onion after the price of onions in Indian cities more than doubled in two weeks time. The export ban was put in place to overcome the domestic shortfall of onions due to unusually heavy rains in areas where they are cultivated, officials had announced. Prices in the Indian domestic market are hovering between Rupees 50 to 80 per kilogram, as compared to Rupees 10 to 15 last year.

In the meantime, in UAE, Pakistani onions have been stocked up by retailers to meet the demand. The Pakistani variety was being sold for Dh 3 earlier. In place of the Indian variety, it is now being sold for prices up to Dh 4.95.

In July and August, the prices were stable at Dh 1.65. Between September and November it changed to Dh 2.65, then to Dh 2.95, further to Dh 3.45 and then Dh 3.95. Finally this month, the price rose to Dh 4.95.

Over the past two to three weeks retailers have been experiencing difficulties in procuring adequate quantities of good quality Indian onion, but now we are replacing it with the Pakistani variety, said another retailer in Abu Dhabi.

Onion prices: Monthly average price of onion per kilogram

* July – August: Dh 1.65
* September – October – November prices hovered between: Dh 2.65 to Dh 3.95
* December: Dh 4.95

5,000 Dubai cabbies to watch India Pakistan Twenty-20 for free

india pakistan cricket match

Almost 5,000 taxi drivers in Dubai will be able to watch for free the planned one off 20-20 cricket match to be played between current and former stars from India and Pakistan.

Others will have to fork out upwards of Dh10 to watch the match.

Cricket Gurukul, a marketing body for young and talented cricketers announced that the match has been planned to raise money for three organizations in UAE, Pakistan and India.

“We also plan to give 5,000 tickets to the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai to be distributed to the taxi drivers. It is because of their service that we get transported across Dubai daily with convenience,” said Prakash Palande, Official Spokesperson of Cricket Gurukul.

“The match will be held between India Maharajahs and Pakistani Sultans in February 2011 and Wasim Akram will be captaining the Pakistani side,” said Palande.

Preeti Chauhan, Owner of Cricket Gurukul said, “Our project is a fusion of national passion, international cricket, Bollywood splendour, contemporary Asian cuisine and international philanthropy.…..For our fellow Indians and the people of Pakistan, there is no event that creates a bigger frenzy than a cricket match between the nations.”

India’s Vinod Kambli and Pakistan’s Imran Nazir and Azhar Mahmood were present on the occasion.

Among the charities that would benefit from the event are UAE’s Al Noor Centre, Pakistan’s Sahara for Life Trust and India’s Vidya Jyoti Association for Education & Resource Development.

From: Emirates 24-7

relaxing in Dubai

Laborer Recruitment declining in Dubai

Dubai Labor

While the official version on economy of Dubai is that things are as rosy as they come, reality is very much in contrast to the propaganda.

As Arabian Business reports, the number of construction workers arriving in Dubai has practically ground to a halt in the last few months.

A spokesperson from the Dhoria International Job Centre said the company was recruiting between 200 and 400 workers a month last year, but in the last four months it had only recruited a total of four workers.

The standard length of contracts is three years. While most workers usually stay in Dubai for the full three years, some were now being sent home early due to the slowdown in the Dubai construction market.

The spokesperson reported that last year the company recruited 300 workers for one well-known Dubai construction firm, who he declined to name, and 200 of them have already been sent home.

While the emirate may be seeing a drop off in recruitment, the company is seeing an increase in demand for workers in Saudi Arabia and it has been contracted by a large Saudi construction company to recruit 1,500 workers for a project due to start in six weeks.

It is to be noted that most recruitment agencies charge up to three months of salary from the laborers in lieu of visa and processing charges. However, there is no compensation if a person is fired after a year of his 3-year contract. This is clearly a lose-lose situation for the laborers who invest a lot to secure a job in Dubai.

Image: PictureSocial