ABU DHABI // The UAE has agreed to sign up to an international convention on customs procedures that, officials say, will enhance trade activities and improve co-operation with other nations.
Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, yesterday issued federal decree no. 33 of 2010 regarding the accession of the United Arab Emirates to the Revised Kyoto Convention, the government news agency, WAM, reported.
The convention sets out key principles for customs authorities responsible for collecting and safeguarding duties. The decree must now be approved by the Federal Supreme Council, made up of the rulers of the emirates.
The revised convention, drawn up by the World Customs Organization and put into force in February 2006, would "benefit the UAE's economy, since it will facilitate and increase international trade activities and consolidate the efforts currently made to support the country's competitiveness in this regard," said Khalid Ali al Bustani, the acting general manager of the Federal Customs Authority. It would cancel "policies and procedures that restrict and affect principles of the free market", he added.
Mr al Bustani said the commitment of the member countries to employing the same standards would enhance the efficiency of customs procedures and save time.
So far, 64 countries have signed up to the convention.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.