Tag: Dubai

  • VIDEO: Dubai introduces the world’s largest fountain

    VIDEO: Dubai introduces the world’s largest fountain

    The glitzy emirate of Dubai broke the record for the world’s largest fountain on Thursday, as the Gulf city seeks to boost its hard-hit tourism sector amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Palm Fountain, which covers an area of 1,335 square metres, is located at The Pointe shopping and dining district on Palm Jumeirah, a man-made palm-shaped island.

    Mask-clad people, in keeping with coronavirus safety measures, gathered on Thursday evening to watch a show of dancing jets of water, music and lights.

    “GWR is delighted to officially see The Palm Fountain breaking the title of the Largest fountain,” Shaddy Gaad, Senior Marketing Manager at Guinness World Records said in a statement, adding that Guinness was declaring it “Officially Amazing”.

    Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, already holds a string of world record titles — including the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, and the fastest police car in service, a Bugatti Veyron.

    The city that attracts millions of tourists already had one of the largest fountains in the world near Burj Khalifa.

    The new fountain has over 3,000 LED lights, 7,500 nozzles and can shoot water up to 105 metres, according to Guinness.

    Dubai has been badly hit by the coronavirus slowdown. Its GDP has contracted 3.5% in the first quarter, following two years of modest growth.

    Tourism has long been a mainstay of the emirate, which welcomed more than 16 million visitors last year. Before the pandemic crippled global travel, the aim was to reach 20 million this year.

    Dubai is now largely open for business and tourism, but infection rates have been rising in recent weeks.

  • VIDEO: Dubai couple hosts gender reveal event worth $100,000 at Burj Khalifa

    VIDEO: Dubai couple hosts gender reveal event worth $100,000 at Burj Khalifa

    An influencer couple in Dubai, named Anas and Asala Marwah hosted a gender reveal party at the World’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa. It lit up to reveal the gender of their second baby and the video of the event has now gone crazy viral on social media.

    Anas Marwah took to his Instagram account to share the video. The video shows the couple with their daughter, friends and family watching the light-show on Burj Khalifa followed by the big reveal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7NMiUAeCb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Anas and Asala Marwah have a following of over 7 million on their YouTube channel The Anasala Family. The couple had the words “It’s a boy” appeared onto the Burj Khalifa that reportedly cost them over $100,000 (Rs 16,600,000)

  • ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’: Pakistani store’s delivery initiative becomes a sensation in Dubai

    ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’: Pakistani store’s delivery initiative becomes a sensation in Dubai

    Pakistani mangoes are popular worldwide and recently a Pakistani Supermarket started a ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ drive that went viral in Dubai as it offers a short joyride in the supercar.

    It has doubled the sales of mangoes since its launch in mid-June. Minimum order of Dh100 is required to avail the offer.

    Speaking to Khaleej Times, managing director of the Pakistan Super Market Dubai Jhanzeb Yaseen said, “There is no commercial aim behind the campaign. I want to spread the message of happiness and love and the response is overwhelming.”

    He said mango sales had increased by more than 100 percent and most of the customers are now registered for ‘Mangoes in Lamborghini’ with a minimum waiting time of one week.

    The regular van delivery service is also available but customers are keen on receiving their purchase in the supercar, he added.

    Video Credits: Gulf News

     “I was expecting a good response from Pakistani and Indian community as they love mangoes. But I’m surprised residents from Western countries are also huge fans of Pakistani mango varieties such as Langra, Sindhiri, Anwar Rattole and Chaunsa, among others,” he said.

    “The campaign has gained popularity since the Lambo mango delivery videos have gone viral on social media. Now I’m planning to extend the service to five days a week to cater to more buyers and clear the backlog,” he said.

    Pakistan is home to about 250 varieties of mangoes and is the fifth largest producer of the fruit in the world after India, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

  • Dubai set to open drive-in cinema

    Dubai set to open drive-in cinema

    After the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that coronavirus may never go away and we will have to learn to live with it, Dubai came up with a solution to entertain people amid the pandemic crisis. People in Dubai will soon be able to watch films on the big screen but only from their own cars at a new drive-in cinema created on the roof of one of the world’s largest shopping malls.

    With social distancing essential in the United Arab Emirates to control the spread of the virus, VOX Cinemas says that only two viewers per car will be allowed at the open-air venue, which opens on Sunday and can accommodate up to 75 cars at a time. Tickets cost 180 dirhams ($50) per vehicle inclusive of popcorn, snacks and drinks.

    Dubai, the UAE’s business and tourism hub, has been easing coronavirus restrictions since the Ramzan began three weeks ago, allowing malls and dine-in restaurants to reopen at limited capacity.

    However, children aged 3-12 and people over 60 are still barred from such venues, including the outdoor cinema, which sits on the roof of Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall of the Emirates. The screen stands under the peak of the mall’s indoor ski slope.

    Dubai, a major shopping and entertainment destination, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic due to travel troubles and closures to curb the spread of the disease.

    The UAE has so far recorded 20,386 coronavirus infections and 206 deaths.

  • Around 10,000 Pakistanis lose jobs in UAE amid coronavirus outbreak

    Around 10,000 Pakistanis lose jobs in UAE amid coronavirus outbreak

    Due to the coronavirus outbreak in United Arab Emirates (UAE), 10,000 plus Pakistanis have lost their jobs, The News reported.

    Moreover, around 35,000 Pakistanis have registered with the consulate in Dubai in a bid to return Pakistan, Consul General Ahmed Amjad Ali Said.

    The officials informed that preparations are underway to bring back the stranded Pakistanis.

    Besides, “Tourists, unemployed and the elderly will be given preference,” as per evacuation policy.

    The screening measures have been completed at the Dubai airport but bringing Pakistanis back in such large number in very challenging for the authorities.

    According to Pakistani diplomats, Pakistan is a big labour supplier to the UAE — more than a million Pakistanis — who are living and working in UAE.

    In March, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division Moeed W Yusuf had assured the nation that the government was in touch with the authorities of those countries where Pakistani passengers are stuck in transit.

  • Man arrested for smuggling drugs in wedding outfits

    Police arrested a gang that was smuggling drugs to the United Kingdom in lehengas. The suspect identified as Najam Rafique was arrested in Dadyal. Najam was caught in possession of many packs of heroin hidden inside wedding outfits.

    As per reports, Najam is a part of an international drug network that is smuggling drugs to the UK. A heroin smuggler who goes by Mushtaq Nawabi is an important member of this international drug gang. Mushtaq is currently hiding in Dubai.

    Police officer Faisal Siddique (SHO) said that the arrest was made after getting hints that Nawabi has been transporting drugs concealed in lehengas to the UK.

    Najam was traveling on a motorcycle when he was stopped and arrested. The five lehengas in his possession were laced with 1.5 kg of heroin. After his arrest, he revealed that “In total ten lehengas were to be sent to the UK with the drugs inside them.”

    Najam’s arrest was just one in a series of raids to bust this international drug network. While this gang is run by Mushtaq Nawabi, the mastermind is his son-in-law Hafiz Mansoor Sultani from Kotli. Hafiz Mansoor is also living and hiding in Dubai.

    During a police press conference, DSP Nadeem Arif and Faisal Siddique asserted that the gang target poor people to work for them. Najam Rafique has received Rs 5 lakhs (£2,500) commission for 10 lehengas.
    Sometimes people are offered transport ‘gifts‘ in exchange for money. Sometimes people don’t even realize they’re being used.

  • Pakistani salesman wins Bentley worth millions in Dubai airport draw

    A Pakistani expat, who works as a salesman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has won a 2020 model of the luxury Bentley Bentayga V8 worth millions of rupees in the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) raffle draw.

    According to Gulf News, Anjum Ashraf of Karachi won the luxury vehicle worth millions (Dh1 million or Rs45 million) at the DDF draw held on Tuesday, February 18.

    His winning ticket number 1676 was picked from the series 1747, announced DDF — the company responsible for the duty-free operations at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.

    Ashraf earns Dh7,000 (around Rs300,000) as a salesman. Needless to say that he is excited with the win. “I still cannot believe it,” he happily shared.

    In a similar bid, an Indian man named Jagdish Ramnani, 42, became the latest million dollar winner at the DDF draw along with Nazeerunnisa Fazal Mohammad, 37, hailing from Hyderabad who won an Aprilla Dorsoduro 900 (motorbike).

    Mohammad, who is currently working as a software engineer, has been regularly buying the DDF tickets and she bought her winning ticket on January 10 online.

    “I have been trying my luck for the million dollar series, hopefully it will be soon,” she said.

  • Careem lays off over 150 employees

    Careem lays off over 150 employees

    Dubai-based Careem has laid off over 150 employees to cut down on costs due to financial constraints. The ride-hailing app’s co-founder and CEO Mudassir Sheikha in an interview confirmed the news and said “that cuts are being made to support its [the company’s] expansion strategy.”

    He further added, “The expansion will require cost-cutting that will involve the loss of five percent of existing roles and the reassigning of ten percent of staff to more critical technology development areas.”

    The layoffs come just three weeks after Uber completed $3.1 billion acquisition of Careem.

    An employee who was laid off spoke to MENAbytes, a leading tech news company in the Middle East, and shared, “Careem was a fantastic company but things started deteriorating after the deal with Uber was announced. The uncertainty hiked since the acquisition but I didn’t see this coming. We could have been informed earlier. It would have given us more time to look for an alternative but nevertheless it has been a good journey.”

    Another ex-employee remarked, “It is sad to see a company that used to have great culture and values, lose everything. It has become a highly political organisation where performance is not the criteria to progress anymore”.

    Uber, that now owns Careem, has also laid off over 1,000 people from its different teams across the world in a bid to cut down on costs. According to stats, it lost approximately $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2019.

  • Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    A Pakistani taxi driver’s honesty in Dubai has made him a hero after he returned a wallet full of cash and documents to an Indian girl, who had forgotten her wallet in his cab’s backseat.

    As per reports, Raechel Rose, a law student at Lancaster University,
    was on her way to attend a friend’s birthday party on January 4 when she left
    the wallet in Modassar Khadim’s cab.

    Girl’s mother, Sindhu Biju told that “She had got into the
    taxi with another friend and then they saw their other friends in another car
    and decided to join them. They immediately left the taxi and Rose forgot her
    wallet behind.

    The purse had her UK student visa, her Emirates ID, UAE
    driving license, health insurance card, credit card and more than 1,000 Dirhams
    in several currencies.

    Her return flight to Manchester was scheduled for three days
    later, and she could not afford to delay it as she had an exam on January 13.

    The family also checked the CCTV footage with the help of
    the police but in the footage, they could not see the car’s number plate
    properly.

     The cab driver,
    Khadim noticed the wallet on the front seat after he had finished two other
    trips.

    “Since the family, who came next, said it was not theirs, I
    opened it to check if there is any contact number. I could only see all the
    cards and the cash,” said Khadim

    Khadim called up RTA’s call center and asked for their
    assistance. After Khadim was told that another department would reach out to
    him, he decided to report the lost wallet to the police.

    “When I reached the police station, I met another taxi
    driver who advised me to try to get the girl’s number and give it as the
    procedures might take a long time,” said Khadim.

    Khadim then tried to get Rose’s contact through her mobile
    service provider and insurance company but he could not find her number as
    privacy clauses barred the company from sharing the information with him.

    “Finally, the RTA call center called me back when I was
    finishing my duty at 3.30 am and verified the details that matched with their
    complaint. I was given their number following which I went to their house to
    drop the wallet,” shared Khadim.

    After handing over the purse, Rose’s father rewarded Khadim
    with 600 dirhams. He initially refused the offer but accepted it when the
    family insisted him.

    Later, Rose’s family also wrote a letter to RTA in
    appreciation of Khadim’s honesty and help.

  • Bankruptcy? ‘Ishaq Dar’s son shuts down school in Dubai over financial issues’

    Bankruptcy? ‘Ishaq Dar’s son shuts down school in Dubai over financial issues’

    Days after it was reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is tightening the noose around former finance minister Ishaq Dar, reports claiming his family is going through a financial crunch, have surfaced.

    According to reports, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s son, Hasnain Dar, has decided to shut down his Ontario International Canadian School (OICS) in Dubai citing “financial issues” as the family “starts to wind up their ventures abroad”.

    Mirdiff based OICS was opened in 2014 and follows the Canadian curriculum for kindergarten to grade 10, with fees ranging from Dh28,000-56,000 a year.

    Last week, the school administration issued to parents a circular signed by Dar, which has reportedly left over 200 parents in an awkward position while around 50 teaching and non-teaching staffers will also be affected.

    “I have continuously been engaged in discussions with KHDA regarding the future of OICS. However, it is only fair for me to share with you that —the school does not have the financial support to continue beyond June 30, 2019,” the circular read.

    “I understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for families and we at OICS are committed to ensuring a smooth transition of your children to other schools. As a part of our effort for this smooth transition, we have asked Kings’ Education to honour the OICS fee structure for the next two academic years for any students who wish to transfer to Kings’ Schools,” it said further.