The police in United Arab Emirates (UAE) have warned against wearing vendetta masks while celebrating the 41st national day of the UAE. Any person who wears this mask would face legal questionnaires, as the mask refers to opposition to the government and authorities.

According to the police, wearing this mask or any similar symbol violates the security of the state. It is considered a criminal offense and punishable by law, even for those who don’t know what this mask might refer to.

In a Gulf news website, a Dubai police official said “Using any symbol that insults the country or instigates unrest against its system is not allowed. We urge citizens to celebrate using other symbols such as national flags, slogans or photos that are more appropriate to the happy occasion of National Day.”

The vendetta mask, also called Guy Fawkes mask, was designed to hide Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was the principle of the group that failed to bomb the British House of Lords in London in 1605.  In the end he was captured and hanged in Westminster January 31,1606.

Every November 5, the people in the UK, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa celebrate Guy Fawkes Night for his failure to bomb the British House of Lords.

The advertisements to sell this mask in the UAE have shown up in some online stores featuring number 41 and the UAE flag colors, red, black, green and white. The price of the mask is about $20 USD.  After the police call, most of the advertisers have withdrawn the advertisements from the online sites, especially in the UAE-based web sites and blogs.

Vendetta is a Latin word used in English and other languages which means revenge. This mask was so popular during the Arab spring demonstrations in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya revolutions. In these countries, many protesters used to wear these masks to show their maximum discontent on their government while calling to overthrow it.

This year, the UAE is celebrating the 41 anniversary of being united and independent. The UAE is a confederation of 7 sheikhdoms which were united on December 2, 1971. Sometimes they call it union day rather than national day.

The capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi, while Dubai is the commercial capital and the most famous city in the country. The other sheikhdoms are Sharjah, Ajman , Umm al-Quwain , Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah.

Image Courtesey of  Uros Zunic / Shutterstock.com

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a new law for electronic crimes that will punish anyone who tries to overthrow the government, hold illegal demonstrations, or affect the dignity of the state by making fun of or taunting the rulers of the emirates.

This law amended the previous law, which was issued in 2006. The former law for electronic crimes stated that anyone who promotes pornography or exposure of the heavenly religions is sentenced to prison.

The new law states that any person who uses the internet to harm the reputation, prestige any of its institutions or its chairman or his deputy or rulers or guardians’ royal family or deputy governors or flag or national anthem or symbols, will be punished. The punishment will be by imprisonment, according to the new law.

Also, the new law states it is illegal for any person who establish, manage or supervise a site on the Internet to call to the overthrowing or change of the regime or government, capture or to disable the provisions of the constitution or laws of the country.

The law also calls for imprisonment for those who use the Internet in the “planning, organization, promotion, or calling for demonstrations or marches without a license from the authorities.”

The UAE, which is one of the richest countries in the world, has not seen any massive protests during the uproar of the Arab Spring. The authorities have arrested, since the beginning of the year, about 60 locals accused of threatening the security of the country according to UAE official resources.

The UAE authorities announced in mid-July that it planned to dismantle a group that claimed to be plotting against security and opposed the constitutions of the Gulf states. On November 4, they group went to trial, a process which is still ongoing.

The Dubai Chief of Police, Dahi Khalfan, accused The Muslim Brotherhood party of attempting to overthrow the Arabian Gulf governments; the cell members who were arrested were charged with conspiring against state security and declaring their allegiance to the party. Most of them were using social media websites such as twitter and Facebook to call for public demonstration in the country.

This law might affect the social media coverage of the events in UAE; channels which played a very important role during the Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan and Yemeni revolutions. Most of the demonstrations in these countries were mainly organized by Facebook and Twitter  activists. It will definitely affect the right to self-expression in the country because the written thought of people could be considered anti-government by law, thus forcing everything to think twice before saying anything.

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‘Eco Future’ is a yearlong exhibition opened recently in Manarat Al Saadiyat. The exhibition aims to urge the society and especially young generations to live a sustainable life style. It focuses on increasing the awareness of global warming, pollution and the green lifestyle.

Manarat Al Saadiyat literally means “the place of Enlightenment.” It is a 15,400 square meter arts and culture center located in Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The exhibition is organized by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority with other governmental organizations such as Masdar, Abu Dhabi Education Council, Urban Planning Council, Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Emirates Wildlife Society and Tourism Development and Investment Company.

The main teaching method in the exhibition is done by lectures, workshops, games, videos, trips with the illustrated paintings and distributed brochures. The exhibition uses interactive cartoon characters, which are taken from the local community of the UAE. The characters Ali, Moza, Yas and Sara are used to attract a younger audience, especially kids between 8 to 12 years old. It includes a large number of interactive games to teach the kids green lifestyle choices from eating and drinking to how to make eco-friendly cars.

The exhibition contains six different areas including Drinking, Eating, Enjoying, Moving, Building and Future City. In each area are environmental oriented artistic workshops. Also, they organize  kayaking trips for both kids and adults.

The 7days newspaper has published some environmental facts taught during the exhibition:

• The UAE’s energy use is seven times the global average.
• The UAE is the world’s largest generator of waste.
• At current rates, the UAE’s fresh water supply will be unusable in 50 years.
• One computer left on all day releases over 680 kg of carbon dioxide a year. It would take 100 to 500 trees to absorb that amount.
• It takes roughly 25 bathtubs of water to grow enough cotton to make a T-shirt.
• One per cent of the earth’s water is fresh. All the rest is salty sea water or frozen ice caps.

The exhibition is open daily from 10am – 8pm from September 27, 2012 to September 26, 2013. The admission to  Manarat Al Saadiyat is free , while the entrance ticket of the exhibition is  for  30 dirhams for adults and 25 dirhams for kids. Families of 4 members can enter the exhibition for 80 dirhams only. The exhibition can be reached by public buses, taxis and cars.

Image Courtesy of  Saadiyat Cultural District

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The Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) in Dubai has announced a plan to convert a mosque to the first eco-friendly mosque in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the Khaleej Times newspaper, the project will cost 25 million UAE dirhams or 6.81 million USD.

The eco-friendly mosque is expected to save about 20 percent of water and power consumption. The normal consumption of water in the mosques is about three liters per person a day while the normal consumption of electricity in the mosques is about  250 kilo watts per square meter a year. Adding to eco-friendly conversion, the mosque would extend to about 9,754.82 square meters (105,000 square feet), making it the largest mosque in Dubai.

After the modifications, the mosque would accommodate about 3,500 worshipers at the same time. The roof of the mosque would be gardened to reduce the sun heat; additionally, it will use the solar energy to heat ablution water. The ablution is an Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body by using water to be prepared for prayer. The recycling plant within the mosque facilities will take the used ablution water for gardening and washroom use. The mosque will be constructed by eco-friendly materials to avoid non-biodegradable waste. It will also use an automatic thermostat to keep cool without wasting energy and will use natural light.

According to the Khaleej Times, Mr. Tayeb Abdulrahman Al Rais, Secretary-General of the AMAF, said: “The construction of the mosque is in line with the UAE leadership’s vision towards the conservation of resources, environment protection, and the adoption of green practices. With the global call for energy conservation, it is essential for developers to take responsibility for creating buildings that comply with green standards. The mosque project complies with best practices in corporate governance, while being transparent and gaining the validation of Awqaf, government and private institutions.”

In the neighboring city, Abu Dhabi’s General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments department approved the plan of an eco-friendly mosque to be built within Saadiyat Island. The design was made by Suhail Mohammed Suleiman, a graduate architecture student at Al-Hosn University. This initiative is not the first in the mosque-building field. In 2008, the Islamic community in Manchester opened Masjid-E-Noor, which was the first partially eco-friendly mosque in the world. The mosque was built with wood from renewable sources.  It also possessed solar panels to generate electricity.

In 2010, the Muslim community in Cambridge opened the first fully operated eco-friendly mosque. The mosque was designed by the award-winning architecture company, Marks Barfield, who designed a lot of projects in the UK and in the world, such as London Eye and Kew Treetop Walk.

Additionally, in 2010, eco-friendly mosques were opened in Buyukeceli village, which is in the Mersin province of Turkey. The mosques were opened by the residents of the village to protest having a nuclear plant there. This action was taken to show the government that there are many renewable sources that generate clean energy and are preferable to a nuclear plant.

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Etihad airway, the national airlines of United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced its plans to have direct, daily nonstop flights from Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, to São Paulo, Brazil starting in June 2013.

São Paulo would be the first South American Destination in Etihad’s list; the new route would be to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, the main international airport in the city.

According to Business Traveler websites, Mr. James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and CEO, said “Brazil is a logical next step for us and will mark the sixth continent we serve and our coming of age as a truly global airline.”

Etihad airlines would be the second UAE airline to have direct flights from the country to a Brazilian city; Emirates airlines was the first.

In 2014, Brazil will be the hosting country of the FIFA World Cup. UAE in general, and especially Abu Dhabi, will be the main hub for the football fans and sports journalists from Asia and the Middle East looking for direct flights to Brazil.

Also, São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport would be a great transit point for the connecting traveler to other destinations in Brazil and other Latin American Countries. The airport is connected to all South American airports directly by different airlines.

Abu Dhabi will be a major connecting point to their original homeland for the large Arab community in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Most Arabs in Brazil are originally from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Additionally, it will ease the travel for students from Middle Eastern and Asian countries between Brazil and their countries for holidays and after graduation. Brazil is considered an attractive education spot for the scholar who is looking for high quality education with low tuition fees and living costs.

The new flights between the two cities will give a push to the growing business between the two countries. Brazil is considered to be the 4th largest trading partner to the UAE, with trade business valued about 2.85 billion US dollars. Officials in the two countries are hoping to expand the trade relation to 10 billion US dollars in the next 5 years.

According to the National, the official UAE English newspaper, Mr. João de Mendonça Lima Neto, the Brazilian ambassador to UAE, stated “We are witnessing significant growth in the bilateral relations between Brazil and the UAE and we are certain that Etihad Airways flights will create new opportunities for government, trade, tourism and cultural exchanges.”

Image Courtesy of   TBSteve

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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched a new nonstop flying route from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai. The airline takes its name from an Arabic word that literally means Union, which refers to the seven emirates that makes UAE.

Etihad’s new flight route is to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which is the primary international airport serving Shanghai city. The airline has planned to operate five weekly flights by Airbus A330-300 starting April 15, 2012. Shanghai is the third destination of Etihad airways in China after Beijing and Chengdu.

The outbound flight to Shanghai number EY862, while the inbound flight to Abu Dhabi number is EY867. The EY refers to The International Air Transport Association (IATA) code of Etihad airways.

The EY 862 is scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi international airport at 10:10 local time and arrive in Shanghai at 21:45 local time on all days except Mondays and Fridays. The flying time of the EY 862 is 7 hours and 35 minutes.

The EY867 is scheduled to depart from Shanghai Pudong international Airport at 00:20 local time and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 06:30 local time on all days except Tuesdays and Saturdays. The flying time of the EY867 is 10 hours and 10 minutes.

The difference between the duration of inbound and outbound flights is due to factors such as wind direction and the earth’s eastbound rotation. When a plane travels from east to west it takes longer than if it was flying in the other direction.

By adding Shanghai to Etihad’s list of destinations, new options have been created for travelers from Europe and the USA. Also, it bolsters tourism in the UAE and especially to Abu Dhabi city. Near Abu Dhabi international airport there are a lot of tourist attractions such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Saadyat Island.

Also it is expected to add value to the booming trade between Middle East and China which hit 190 billion USD in 2010 according to the Chinese commerce ministry.

Lastly, the newly opened route is expected to ease the traveling of Chinese employees in the UAE to their homeland. Many Chinese citizens work in one of the 2000 Chinese firms in the UAE. Most of these firms work in the booming construction field.

Earlier in 2004, the Dubai-based airline Emirates was the first UAE originated airline to operate direct flights to Shanghai. Right now, the Emirates airline has three weekly flights by Airbus A380, the biggest passenger plane in the world.

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been ranked as hosting the cleanest environment among the Gulf cooperative council countries (GCC) and the second best in the Middle East region according to World Environmental Performance Index (EPI) in a recent press release.

The surprise of this ranking is that the UAE has jumped from a 152^nd place in 2008, which was considered among the poorest scoring eco-friendly country in the world, to number 77 in 2012.

The other GCC rankings include Saudi Arabia (82^nd), Qatar (100^th), Oman (110^th) and Kuwait (126^th), while Bahrain is not including in the ranking. The EPI’s indicators and policies are evaluated in many categories such as Environmental Diseases, Water, Air Pollution, Biodiversity and Habitat, Forestry, Fisheries, Agriculture, Climate Changes.

Meanwhile, the UAE is ranked 27^th in The Pilot Trend Environmental Performance Index, a new tool launched this year to measure the eco-friendly inclinations in different countries.

The world’s top ranker in the index is Switzerland, while Iraq has the lowest ranking among the 132 included countries this year. The UAE is ranked one step after Egypt, which is the highest ranked among the Middle Eastern and Arab countries. This index is issued every year by Yale and Colombia University based on 22 environmental indicators and policies.

The local governments of each Emirate have started green polices in their governmental sectors and urge the private sector to take steps into eco-friendly policies as well to protect and develop the limited natural resource of the warm and humid weathered countries. These efforts focus mainly on reducing the energy and water consumption, as well as initiating sustainable waste management.

At the end of 2011, Abu Dhabi’s municipality introduced fines against spitting, disposing gums and throwing cigarettes in the streets as in an effort to save the clean environment in the city. These fines would also reduce the unaccepted behavior of certain communities in the city. These fines vary from 100 dirhams to 500 dirhams (27.22 to 136 USD).

In addition, the Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi urges all future villa owners to use an online tool to ensure that they plan their villas according to the green building code. This code aims to reduce the energy and water bills by 40% by urging villa owners to use alternative energy types and to increase green landscaping around their villas.

According to officials in The UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water, the UAE plans to be a plastic bag free country by the end of 2013, to help reduce plastic consumption in the country. In collaboration with the ministry of Economy, both ministries urge all supermarkets and shops to give their customers biodegradable bags rather than plastic bags in order to reach this goal on the specified deadline.

The alternatives to plastic bags are made from recycled paper, jute or polycaprolactone which is easily biodegradable. Plastic bags on the other hand are known to be highly non-easily biodegradable, and can last for more than 100 years.

Image Courtesy of  slava296 / Shutterstock.com

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Liwa Oasis is an oasis in the northern part of the Empty Quarter (Al-Rub’ al Khali in Arabic), which belongs to the western region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Empty Quarter is one of the largest deserts in the world. The Liwa Oasis lies about 250 kilometers south to south west of the city of Abu Dhabi, the federal capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The oasis consists of about fifty Bedouin villages, the main village being Mezaira’a.

Liwa is a destination for foreign tourists to learn about Bedouin culture and the traditions of the UAE local people. It is also a great place to see large sand dunes. The largest dune is called Moreeb Dune, or Al Moreeb Hill (Tal Moreeb in Arabic); Tal Moreeb literally means the “scary hill” in Arabic.

Every January, the Abu Dhabi Motor Club organizes the international Tal Moreeb Festival where drag racers compete to see who can reach the top of the hill in the shortest amount of time.  In March, Tal Moreeb also hosts the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which is a charity competition for 4×4 vehicles, motorcycles, and quad motorbikes. Another important event in Liwa  is the Annual Liwa Dates Festival in July. It is the main dates-related event in the oasis because the main economical source for the oasis villagers is date farming.

If travelers coming from outside the UAE want to gain access to the oasis, they should use an airline that will arrive in Abu Dhabi International Airport, then they should proceed to take a taxi or a public bus to the city of Abu Dhabi.  After this, they can take either a public bus to the oasis, or they can rent a car to drive on their own.

There is a modern road with seven lanes connecting the city of Abu Dhabi with Liwa Oasis and Tel Moreeb. After the rise of tourism in recent years, many of the hotels and guest houses were opened in the oasis, especially in Mezaira’a village. Qasr Al Sarab is the only five-star, luxury hotel for travelers to the oasis. There are many Indian and traditional restaurants available there, and tourism-quality restaurants of different cuisines can be found in hotels and guest houses.

Historically, the oasis is considered the birth place of the House of Al-Nahyan, the ruling family of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, and the House of Al- Maktoum, the ruling family of the Dubai Emirate. In 1793, the Al-Nahyan family moved from the oasis to the city of Abu Dhabi, while the Al-Makoum family moved to Dubai in 1833.

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Khor Fakkan is a that town belongs to the emirate of Sharjah, which lies on the Gulf of Oman on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The literal meaning of Khor Fakkan is “Creek of Two Jaws”. The town is located on the very attractive Bay of Khor Fakkan and has one of the most important container terminals in UAE, which is operated by Gulftainer Company.

Although the town is a part of the emirate of Sharjah, it is completely surrounded by the emirate of Fujairah. As a part of the emirate of Sharjah, the town is ruled by Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al-Qasimi, who is a member of the Al-Qasimi house, the royal family of the Sharjah Emirate.

The distance between the famous city of Dubai and Khor Fakkan is about 146 kilometers (90.72 miles), while the distance between Abu Dhabi, the federal capital of the UAE, and Khor Fakkan is about 280 kilometers (173.98 miles). If you are coming from outside of the UAE, you will find many choices of international airlines from which to choose that operate in Abu Dhabi: Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaima, and Al-Fujairah international airports.

Khor Fakkan is a popular travel and tourist destination.  It has white sandy beaches and is surrounded by high mountains. It is considered a perfect destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. The coral reef in the Gulf of Oman is quite the sight to behold. Khor Fakkan has a traditional fruit, vegetable, and fish market (souq in Arabic) near the beach, which is worth visiting, too.

Another attractive destination near Khor Fakkan is the Al Wurrayah Falls in Wurrayah Wadi, which is located in the emirate of Al-Fujairah. This waterfall with its natural swimming pool and mountainous hiking spot is the most visited waterfall in the UAE. To reach Wurrayah Wadi, you need a vehicle with a four-wheel drive because there are no paved roads connected to it.

There is no public transportation service within the town. The only available transportation methods are rented cars and taxis. The intercity buses and shared taxis are available from and to the cities of Al-Fujairah, Massafi, Al- Dhaid, and Sharjah from the main terminal in Khor Fakkan. Khor Fakkan does not has many hotel choices, but the most famous one is the Oceanic Hotel, a four-star hotel with a beach resort and park.

The climate of Khor Fakkan is similar to the rest of the UAE. . The temperature in winter is between 20 C to 30 C (68 F to 86 F), while in the summer, it ranges from 35 C to 48 C (95 F to 118.4 F). Khor Fakkan is a calm tourist spot in which to relax after touring the noisy and bustling city of Dubai.

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The HospitalityNet.org announced that the World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi Conference is going to be held between the fifth and seventh  of December. It is sponsored by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is the capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in terms of population, and the wealthiest emirate of the UAE in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income. This wealth can be credited to its huge hydrocarbon resources of the area, which hold nine percent of the world´s proven oil reserves and almost five percent of the world´s natural gas.

The city has actively attempted to diversify its economy in the recent years through investments in financial services and tourism. Through this new engagement towards tourism, Abu Dhabi has also gotten involved with the environmental issues of the world. The upcoming conference is the region’s only commercial event dedicated to examining how the travel and tourism industry can become more sustainable.

This event will bring an introduction to the tourism industry and sustainability by educating those with little knowledge on its benefits, confronting the challenges in the sector, and presenting innovative solutions and examples of cutting edge initiatives. The conference and exhibition has a notable delegation of heads of industry, academics, advocates, and government bodies gathering to discuss topics surrounding sustainable development, support of local culture, and preservation of indigenous species.

The World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi Conference will cover interesting themes and debates for tourism experts such as:

• Can mass market tourism ever be truly sustainable?
• Empower consumers to make a responsible choice – what steps should the travel industry take?
• Whose responsibility is it to green the tourism industry?
• Practical steps to making your hotel or attraction more sustainable
• Regenerating and developing new destinations using sustainable tourism principles
• Can the tourism industry afford to turn its back on water conservation?
• Adventure tourism, conservation, and supporting local communities
• How can airlines do better?

There is hope that this conference will open more eyes towards sustainable developments in the tourism area and will profit with positive improvements all across the world.

For more information about the conference, please follow the link.

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