2007
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Julphar to invest $335m on expansion
UAE-based Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) plans to invest Dhs1.23bn ($335m) over the next three years to build new factories and expand abroad, reported Gulf News. Julphar, the biggest pharmaceutical firm in the UAE, will set up seven new manufacturing plants in Ras Al Khaimah and open manufacturing facilities in seven countries. Abdul Razzaq Al Yousef, Julphar's chief executive, said the company was also planning to open a chain of retail pharmacies across the Mena region.
Sharon Stone helps raise $3m for Aids
A classic car belonging to Hollywood star Sharon Stone helped to raise three million dollars for an AIDS charity in an auction during Dubai's fourth international film festival, reported AFP. Stone's 1961 Lincoln Continental was sold to an unidentified buyer for 400,000 dollars. The proceeds will go to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), for which the actress is global fundraising chairman.
Doha North ponders sludge incineration
The Doha North sewage treatment plant, which is due to open in 2011, may build the GCC's first sludge incineration unit, Jalal Salhi, manager of drainage projects in the Public Works Authority of Qatar, told MEED's Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi today.
Abu Dhabi to recycle all treated effluent
Abu Dhabi aims to recycle all of its treated sewage effluent by the start of 2010. Contracts will soon be awarded to facilitate the recycling of all of the surplus water produced by the emirate's sewage treatment plants.
UAE records 35 HIV cases among nationals
The UAE has recorded 35 new HIV cases among its nationals in the first 11 months of 2007, reported Xinhua. The total number of HIV cases among UAE nationals now stands at 734. There are no statistics on how many expatriates have the virus, because anyone who is found to be infected is sent back to their home country immediately. Official records state that the UAE population is 4.6 million, of which 21.9 per cent are native.
Third Al-Aweer sewage plant planned
An 80,000 cubic-metre-a-day third expansion of Dubai's Al-Aweer sewage treatment plant is now under study, head of sewage treatment plants in Dubai Municipality Aisha al-Abdooli told MEED's Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi today.
Jebel Ali sewage plant to be built
Phase 1 of the 300,000 cubic-metre-day sewage treatment plant being built in the Jebel Ali area is due to be commissioned in 2010, head of sewage treatment plants in Dubai Municipality Aisha al-Abdooli told MEED's Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai sewage production rising
Sewage production in Dubai is increasing by about 25 per cent a year and averages 480,000 cubic metres a day, head of sewage treatment plants in Dubai Municipality Aisha al-Abdooli told MEED's Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi.
KSA pursues gradual water privatisation
Saudi Arabia will proceed gradually with its long-term plan to privatise the kingdom's water production and sewage treatment system, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Water & Electricity Minister Loay al-Musallam told MEED's Wastewater Treatment & Reuse 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi today. "The transition period will take five to six years," Al-Musallam said.
UAE must watch polio
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the UAE to stay on its guard against polio despite the fact there hasn't been a reported case in the country since 1992, according to Gulf News. The WHO said the large influx of migrant workers, many from polio-endemic nations, meant the UAE's system for detecting and controlling the disease needed to be effective and monitored. Several nations, including Yemen, had experienced re-infection.
Saudi spares pigeons
Saudi Arabian authorities have ruled out a cull of pigeons in Mecca and Medina despite the outbreak of avian flu in parts of the kingdom, reported Gulf News. A total of nearly 4m birds have so far been killed to stop the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus but Dr Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Sheeha, an Undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, said pigeons have immunity against the disease.
Mandatory tests in Qatar
Dr Ahmed Naji, the Head of the Medical Commission at Qatar's National Health Authority, has revealed the country is to introduce mandatory medical tests for Qatari national couples who are set to get married, reported The Peninsula citing an Arabic daily. The tests are aimed at pinpointing genetic disorders that could affect their offspring. The new law could be introduced by next March.
Bird flu threat to continue for years
United Nations bird flu expert David Nabarro said the virus will continue to be a serious threat for many years, reported AP. Speaking at an international conference in India, Nabarro said the virus is still being transmitted between chickens and it is being spread long distances by wild birds. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia culled 60,000 birds in its struggle to stop the spread of the disease. ", which are carrying it long distances as they migrate."
Heart disease causes 41% of UAE deaths
A senior Ministry of Health official in the UAE said 41% of deaths in the country are caused by cardiovascular diseases, reported Gulf News. Dr Ali Ahmad Bin Shakar warned that forecasts for the next two decades predict a tripling of deaths from strokes and coronary heart disease in the Middle East and North Africa, a rate that exceeds any other region apart from Latin America.
UAE plans centralised drug control
The UAE plans to develop a centralised authority to monitor the safety of pharmaceutical products in the country, reported Emirates Today. Dr Abdul Karim Smine, Head of the Drug Regulation Department at the Health Authority, said the UAE program will be linked with drug monitoring systems that have been implemented in developed countries and some parts of Africa.
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