DUBAI // Plans to make the region’s first “soil museum” have been altered to make the attraction more appealing to the public.
The museum, initially set to open last summer in Dubai Academic City, has been delayed after officials decided to rework the original plan.
The museum will exhibit samples of the country’s soil, along with that soil’s geographic location and mineral composition, to better aid agricultural planners in choosing what foods to grow, and where.
The idea was that the museum would also be an attraction for students, as well as some members of the general public.
However, officials looked at the plans and decided there was an image problem.
“At the moment, it looks like an old shed,” said Dr Shabbir Shahid, a scientist at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, which is developing the museum.
“So we wanted to make it properly, so it looks like a museum.”
The committee behind the museum is hoping to appoint an interior designer to improve the presentation of the exhibits and construction work is ongoing to ensure the museum is a more “permanent” building, Dr Shahid said, without offering further details.
The idea for the facility came about after recommendations were made by officials at the International Conference on Soil Classification and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments, held in Abu Dhabi in 2010.
A countrywide initiative by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi was launched to classify the type and quality of soil in the UAE. The findings were also compiled into an online map launched at the beginning of last year.
Dr Shahid said the project was being funded by ICBA, at an unspecified cost. In the long term, there were plans to seek outside funding.
“Later, we’re hoping it will be a national centre of soil information,” he said.
“Anyone who wants to know more about soil – professionals or students – can come and have all the information they need.”
mcroucher@thenational.ae
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The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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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
