Expansion of Abu Dhabi Airport - Midfield Terminal Complex
Status Construction under way
Value of contract Dh10.8bn (US$2.94bn)
The 700,000-square metre terminal will be capable of handling 20 million passengers a year. It is currently being built for the Abu Dhabi Airport Company by a joint venture between the Turkish construction group TAV, Consolidated Contractors, based in Greece, and Dubai-listed Arabtec. The terminal will also include construction of 20,000 to 25,000 sq metres of shops and restaurants.
Etihad Railway
Value Dh40bn
Status Under way
The 1,200-kilometre rail network will run across the UAE from the Saudi Arabia border to the Oman border, forming part of a regional GCC railway network. The first 270km phase of the line linking the outlying towns of Shah, Habshan and Ruwais is expected to be completed next year. Phase two will link Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali, while stage three will continue into the Northern Emirates.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Value of contract Dh2.4bn
Status Contract awarded
The 64,000-square metre museum located on Saadiyat Island is the first of the city's three mega museums due to open over the next five years as part of Abu Dhabi's plan to become the cultural capital of the Middle East. The Jean Nouvel-designed scheme is expected to open in 2015 after the main building contract was awarded to Arabtec last week.
Sowwah Square
Value Dh4bn
Status Under construction
The centrepiece of the new Al Maryah Island, Mubadala's 3.5 million square metre commercial and residential project modelled on London's Canary Wharf and La Défense in Paris is now partly completed. Upcoming developments include Cleveland Clinic and the Rosewood and Four Seasons hotels.
Lightweight Transport
Value TBC
Status Planned
Abu Dhabi's revised transport plan revealed last year includes proposals for a Dubai-style Metro, two light rail tram lines and a bus rapid-transit loop. The first phase of the Metro is expected to be up and running by 2020.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.