DUBAI, 23 August 2007 — Dubai Investment Group (DIG), the global financial investor of Dubai Group, has acquired through its subsidiary Dubai Ventures, a 40 percent stake in Time Broadband Services Ltd., (TBSL), India’s newest IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service provider. “We found an ideal partnership in TBSL which has a team of competent professionals having an in-depth knowledge of their specialized technology. India is one of our key markets. We are impressed by the initiatives of the state-owned telecom firms, where they are heavily investing in the latest technology to upgrade their telecom networks to gear up for broadband play. We believe that through TBSL, we will be able to add value to the growing telecom sector in India,” said Abdulhakeem Kamkar, CEO of DIG. IPTV is the future for broadband content across multiple platforms and has the potential to globally change the way people watch cable television. Our intention is not only to make this a success in India, but to help the company take this value proposition globally. In addition, we see synergies in future projects with TBSL,” Kamkar said.
Aldar Marks Al-Raha Gardens Development
Arab News
ABU DHABI — Abu Dhabi’s real estate developer Aldar held a celebration ceremony with some of the new residents of Al-Raha Gardens in which it handed over the keys to the owners in the first phase of a development that will take approximately 24 months to fully complete. Al-Raha Gardens is 665,000 square meters of landscaped area, incorporating luxurious villas, town houses, schools, community retail, dining outlets all set in lush landscaped areas, making it the most complete integrated residential community in Abu Dhabi.
Islamic Economic Confab Set in Thailand
Maha Akeel, Arab News
JEDDAH — The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in association with the Thai Islamic Trade and Industrial Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Kingdom of Thailand and the Thai Islamic Trade and Industrial Association (TITIA) is organizing the 2nd International Islamic Economic, Cultural and Tourism Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on Sept. 7-9, 2007. It will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanout. The conference would provide a platform to foster closer business and economic ties between member countries of the ICCI, an affiliate organ of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). It will bring together business leaders and policymakers toward formulating specific proposals to reduce impediments to regional cooperation and development. Among the speakers is Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism of Saudi Arabia, and Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, president of Islamic Development Bank. Concurrently with the conference, a mini exhibition will also be held for more than 50 brands from various Thai manufacturers and companies in 14 different sectors. Participants from OIC countries would also display catalogues and brochures of their companies and small enterprises in the exhibition.
Training Course for Women Concluded
Muhammad Al-Homaid, Arab News
YANBU — The Yanbu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (YCCI) yesterday successfully wound up a training course for women titled “How Do You Start Working at Home?” The course was launched by YCCI to encourage and help women who want to engage in some commercial pursuit without leaving their home for long hours, according to Khaled Al-Sahli, secretary general of YCCI. Al-Sahli told Arab News that the 10-day course with 18 trainees was organized in collaboration with the Madinah Charitable Foundation for Social Development headed by Madinah Governor Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Majed. The training focused on various aspects of development and management of small business activities besides discussing how to plan and operate a trade. The trainees were also given an opportunity to have an insight into how several businesswomen who started small, later achieved great success. The trainees were also instructed on how to get necessary licenses for their trades and take loans from agencies such as the Human Resources Development Fund, Saudi Credit Bank and Abdul Latif Jameel projects.
Malaysia Hosts Forum on Economic Program
Maha Akeel, Arab News
JEDDAH — The Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) in Malaysia is organizing a forum titled “The Makkah Declaration: Implementing the Economic Agenda of the Muslim World” on Sept. 1-3, 2007 in Kuala Lumpur under the patronage of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. The Makkah Declaration is the comprehensive 10-year action plan for the development of the Muslim world that was adopted unanimously by the 57-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference in December 2005. The forum will bring together leading politicians, scholars and decision-makers to further discuss effective implementation of the Makkah Declaration’s economic action plan and further necessary steps and cooperation required to combat issues such as poverty, illiteracy and backwardness. The forum will include sessions on women’s development, science and technology development, economic cooperation and contribution of the international community.