Friday, April 29, 2011

World's tallest residential tower set to welcome occupants soon

Dubai's property market has had its share of tall claims from developers, with many of them never making it beyond the drawing board. But this developer has certainly delivered on its promise.
At 348 metres and 86 floors, The Torch in Dubai Marina has won formal recognition as the world's tallest residential tower, surpassing the earlier claimant, the Q1 Tower in Australia's Gold Coast (323 metres).
To lay claim to the title, The Torch met the requirement set by the likes of Emporis Standards Committee and the Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat, in that a building should at least have 90 per cent residential use to qualify.
The Torch's newfound status sits well with what Dubai and its towers have achieved in the recent past, most notably by the Burj Khalifa's 828 metres. In fact, Dubai has got strong representation in the Emporis Standards Committee's list of the world's tallest residential towers.
The Torch, a development by UK-based Select Group, is set to take in its first residents next month. While chuffed at the new accolade, the developer is also sitting pretty as more than 80 per cent of the 676 apartment units have buyers.
The units carry a price tag of Dh1,000 a square foot and up. So what made investors hold on in a soft market?
Prime location
"The prime location and design was the key offering, in addition to us offering lengthy payment plans beyond the completion dates," said Rahail Eslam, CEO. "If we look at Torch prices when we originally sold, they are still resilient in today's market.
"The properties were sold at reasonable levels and we had active construction throughout the tough economic period. All of these taken together certainly contributed in retaining the majority of the investors."
According to a spokesperson at Better Homes' Dubai Marina office, quality builds have been able to hold their market value, currently averaging around Dh1,100-Dh1,200 a square foot, "while poorly constructed properties are having a harder time matching market rates".
The investments were substantial at Dh665 million. "The group has invested substantial equity to complete our projects," said Eslam.
"Payments have been well-aligned and we have managed the cashflow very carefully to ensure completion of all our on-going projects. We had fixed contracts in place and were therefore not affected by fluctuations of materials costs."
The developer has another three high-rises in Dubai Marina scheduled for delivery this year including Bay Central, a mixed-use development featuring two residential blocks and a five-star hotel.
A second five-star hotel will be delivered by early 2013. Also scheduled for this year is the Botanica, a 41-storey development with a botanical garden on the 27th floor.

New banking rules take effect from Sunday

Starting Sunday, bank customers cannot obtain car and personal loans exceeding 20 times their monthly salary and only those with an annual salary of Dh60,000 or more will be considered for a credit card following the new Central Bank regulations meant to protect customers from borrowing beyond their means.
"This is the beauty of this regulation. It protects consumer rights so borrowers don't load themselves with extra loans that they can't repay — unless they have another income and can prove it," said Jasem Al Beloushi, Head of Retail Banking at Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB).
However, banks are still unable to confirm if customers have taken loans at other institutions without declaring them, bankers and industry experts say.
The regulations provide customers with clear and consistent information on bank fees, which have now been fixed across all banks, Al Beloushi said.
"Now fees are uniform and reduced. Consumers know their salary, how much they can borrow and can plan accordingly. It's not just by trying their luck at different banks."
This should lead to more transparency between banks and customers, he added.
Uniform bank fees and charges will force banks to compete based on better service to attract and retain customers, bankers say.
"This will level the playing ground for everybody so banks will be depending on the quality of services they provide. Customers will be comparing service quality because charges will be the same for everybody," said a senior banker at SIB.
While the regulations are considered "progressive" steps to ensure customers' earning and repayment abilities are linked, they may not be enough.
"The question is whether or not banks can immediately know if someone has borrowed at another bank… are banks actively sharing that data? That's a huge issue. It's an example of ambiguity," said Salman Jaffery, Head of Mena Retail Banking at Ernst and Young.
There is no central bank-endorsed credit bureau to gather information on customer debt that banks can use to check if clients have exceeded the new loan capacity, said Sanjoy Sen, consumer bank head for Mena Citibank, adding that there is no informal arrangement between banks to check customer credit backgrounds.
Typically customers qualify for a loan from the bank to which their salary is paid, but that is not always the case, he said.
A Central Bank-backed credit agency is necessary for the regulations to be effective, bankers said.
In the long term, the regulations may mean fewer bounced cheques and fewer provisions for bad debts as far as banks are concerned, said Al Beloushi.
Interest rates may also be affected, analysts and bankers say. "There will be less lending, our work will be less, and it has its limitations for us. Interest rate may drop," Al Beloushi said, adding that the growth of retail banking will be affected.
But the scale of retail banking regulations, limited mainly to personal loans and bank fees, may not be large enough to impact interest rates, said Jaffery.
The move by the Central Bank is intended to encourage more responsible borrowing, experts agreed.
This means banks can nurture an entire generation of youth who, free from debts they cannot repay, can mature into borrowers of long-term loans for cars and housing, said Jaffery.
This cultivates a future generation of customers who are profitable to the bank, he added.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

NCLEX nursing examination


The National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX is a standardized nursing examinationgiven by the board of nursing of the state where a nurse wants to work in. The nursing examination hopes to determine if a nurse is qualified to practice his or her nursing career in the United States.
Eligible to take the NCLEX are registered nurses with a nursing degree and licensed practical nurses even with online nursing school  degrees. They are required to submit their application and will be given an Authorization to Take the Test (ATT) once their applications are approved.
The NCLEX delves on the following subject matter, as identified by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing:
  1. Health Promotion and Maintenance: focusing on Growth and Development Through the Life Span, and Prevention and Early Detection of Disease.
  2. Safe and Effective Care Environment: focusing on Management of Care, and Safety and Infection Control.
  3. Physiological Integrity: focusing on Physiological Adaptation, Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies, Basic Care and Comfort, and Reduction of Risk Potential.
  4. Psychosocial Integrity: focusing on Psychosocial and Coping Adaptation.
The NCLEX makes use of a Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) interactive system that determines a NURSE's level of competence. It is a multiple choice exam with a minimum of 75 questions (including nursing abbreviations) and a maximum of 265 questions for RNs and a minimum of 85 questions and a maximum of 205 questions for LPNs.
Examinees are given 5 hours to finish the exam, including the time given for introductory computer tutorial and 20 minutes break.

Mideast air defence market worth $63b


 The Gulf region is well positioning itself on the world stage when it comes to acquiring defensive air capabilities.
A Frost & Sullivan report shows that the Middle East's military air market is set to generate revenues of $62.9 billion (Dh230.84 billion) between 2010 and 2020, the summary report published this week said.
Analysis from Frost & Sullivan has also shown that the Mideast's military air market would earn year-on-year revenues of $1.2 billion in 2010 which is estimated to reach $3.9 billion by 2020.
"The Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] countries are moving towards an integrated air defence network to include air platforms, air defence batteries and air surveillance systems under the Peninsula Shield initiative, but the progress has been slow," a Frost & Sullivan aerospace analyst said.
Sabbir Ahmad, an industry analyst in Aerospace and Defence Practice at Frost & Sullivan, explained to Gulf News that this integrated air defence network, which is mainly happening between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, would start with a shared air defence and air missile system, and could in the future include a whole different range of platforms.
The new procurement surge over 2011-2015 highlights ongoing big-ticket purchases, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
However, the current political unrest in the Middle East may be a reason to possibly put new contracts on hold, he said.

High tuition fees affect UK university admissions


The rapid increase in the number of young people applying to UK universities over the last five years appears to be tailing off, statistics show.
The figures come as research reveals that half of today's undergraduates would not have gone to university if they had been forced to pay £9,000 (Dh54,462)-a-year tuition fees.
Figures published by the University and College Admissions Service (Ucas) on Tuesday show that the number of applicants, while at a record high, has only increased by 2.1 per cent in the last year.
Between 2007 and 2008, the number of applicants grew by 8.3 per cent. A year later, this figure climbed to 8.8 per cent. Between 2009 and 2010, the growth was 15.3 per cent.
Many expected a rush to get on to courses before tuition fees rise to up to £9,000 a year in autumn 2012. Almost three-quarters of universities in England intend to almost treble their fees and charge the maximum.
This year's smaller-than-usual increase in applicant numbers may indicate that young people are starting to look for alternatives to university amid fears over the rising cost of degrees.
Last year's spike in applicants is thought to have been triggered in part by the recession and fears over tuition fee rises. More people enrol on degree courses in times of economic hardship.
This year's Ucas figures show more teenagers are applying for vocational degrees, such as engineering and nursing, while fewer are opting for languages, arts and humanities courses. Some 633,811 applicants hope to start full-time undergraduate degree courses this autumn, the Ucas figures reveal.
There are likely to be about 490,000 places available, which will leave more than 100,000 would-be students rejected by all the universities to which they have applied.

The mask that heals headaches


A device that delivers a super-fast oxygen boost to patients could be the latest way to tackle severe headaches. When put over the face, it releases oxygen on demand into the airways of people with cluster headaches.
A special valve in the mask means that the harder they breathe, the more air is pumped through. Cluster headaches strike repeatedly in a short space of time — hence the name — and it is a notoriously painful condition.

The cause is unknown and symptoms usually start between the ages of 20 and 40, with men more likely to be diagnosed than women.
Attacks often start with a minor pain around one eye, which spreads to the rest of that side of the face.
Other symptoms can include a runny nose and droopy eyelid. An attack usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, but can be quickly followed by another as many as eight times a day, before stopping for months or even years.

HOSPITALS IN UAE


Major hospitals and medical centers in UAE

Listed below are major hospitals, medical centers and clinics located in various emirates in UAE. Click the hospitals name to see the detailed information like departments services etc.
HospitalTelephone
[+971]
Address
Ahalia Hospital02 6262 666
Fax: 02 6267 828
P.O.Box: 2419, Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi
Al Noor Hospital02 6265 265
Fax: 02 6264 440
P.O.Box: 46713, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi
Al Salama Hospital02 6711220
Fax: 02 6765525
P.O.Box: 46266, Abu Dhabi
Al Wasl HospitalTel: 04 2193000
Fax: 04 3241717
PO Box 4115, Dubai
Al Zahara Private Hospital06 561 9999
Fax: 06 561 6699
P.O.Box 3499, Sharjah
Al Zahra Private Medical Center04 331 5000
Fax: 04 331 4369
P.O.Box 23614, Dubai
American Hospital DubaiTel: 04 336 7777
Fax: 04 336 5176
Emergency Room: 04 309 6777
P.O. Box 5566, Dubai
Belhoul European HospitalTel: 04 3454000
Fax: 04 3457052
P.O.Box: 4674, Dubai
Belhoul Specialty HospitalTel: 04 2733333
Fax: 04 2733332
Emergency: 04 2140258
P.O.Box: 5527, Dubai
Corniche HospitalTel: 02 672 4900
Fax: 02 672 0782
P.O.Box: 3788, Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi
Dubai HospitalTel: 04 2195000
Fax: 04 2195613
AL-BRAHA Area, Dubai
Rashid HospitalTel: 04 2192000
Fax: 04 3113222
PO Box 4545, Dubai
Emirates HospitalTel: 04 3496666
Fax: 04 3496664
Jumeirah Beach Road, P.O. Box 73663, Dubai
CosmeSurge & Emirates HospitalTel: 02 44 66422
Fax: 02 44 58860
P.O.Box 30907, Abu Dhabi
GMC Hospital DubaiTel: 04 2626000
Fax: 04 2628432
P.O.Box: 3917, Dubai
GMC Hospital FujairahTel: 09 2244233
Fax: 09 2244277
Emergency: 09 2244233
P.O.Box: 7585, Fujairah
GMC Hospital AjmanTel: 06 7463333
Fax: 06 7464444
Emergency: 06 7463333
P.O. Box 4184, Ajman
Gulf Medical UniversityTel: 06 7431333
Fax: 06 7431222
P.O. Box 4184, Ajman
Al Mafraq HospitalTel: 02-5823100P.O.Box: 2951, Abu Dhabi
National Medical Center HospitalTel: 02 6332255
Fax: 02 6332255
P.O.Box: 6222, Abu Dhabi
New Medical Center Abu DhabiTel: 02-6332255
Fax: 02-6332256
P.O. Box: 6222, Foodlands Restaurant Building Airport Road, Abu Dhabi
New Medical Center DubaiTel: 04-2689800
Fax: 04-2682353
Deira, Opp. to Abuhail Center, P.O. Box: 7832, Dubai
New Medical Center Specialty Hospital, DubaiTel: 04-2679999
Fax: 04-2678889
New Medical Center SharjahTel: 06-5536936
Fax: 06-5536378
King Faizal Road, Near HSBC Bank
Iranian HospitalTel: 04 344 0250
Fax: 04 344 0322
P.O. box 2330,Dubai
Kuwait HospitalTel: 06 5242111
Fax: 04 344 0322
P.O. Box: 5735, Al Heera Suburb, Sharjah
Neurospinal HospitalTel: 04 342 0000
Fax: 04 344 0322
Jumeirah Road, Dubai
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City HospitalTel: 02 610 2000
Fax: 02 610 4962
P.O. box 51900, Abu Dhabi
Welcare Hospital LLCTel: 04 282 7788
Fax: 04 282 8226
P.O. box 31500, Dubai

FDON SERVICES

Nursing Management Information System (NMIS) in Federal Department Of Nursing (FDON)will providing the follwing e-Services:

  • License Registration for Nurse/Midwifery
  • Renewal of License Registration for Nurse/Midwifery
  • Verification of Registration.
  • Equivalence Certification.
  • Update Continuous education information.
  • Allow Nurse/Midwifery who work inside or outside the country to apply for these services electronically.
For more information please visit this website http://nas.moh.gov.ae/
For inquires & feedback pleasecontact us through the E-mail: admin@moh.gov.ae

MOH and DOH UAE Licensure Requirements


         Degree / Diploma in Nursing  - authenticated by (A) Ministry of Foreign affairs and (B) UAE Embassy

·         CGFNS or NCLEX certificate (optional)

·         Nursing experience:  Minimum 2 years prior to applying for registration
Experience certificate(s) - authenticated by (A) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and (B) UAE Embassy

·         DOH and MOH Completed Application Form (available upon request)

·         Sixteen (16) recent, passport-size photos

·         Passport  copy – ALL pages  

·         Statutory evidence of any name change (marriage license, other legal document)

·         School Leaving Certificate or Diploma (Primary and Secondary)

·         Nursing Training Certificate(s)

·         Nursing School Transcript / Marked Sheets – should have a minimal attainment of sixty percent (60%) of total marks each year

·         Nursing License Identification Card or Registration showing current validity (at least 6 months valid upon receipt)

·         Resume / CV (MedRP format) –  must include complete mother’s name

If any of the required documents listed above is in other than Arabic or English,legal translation into Arabic or English must be attached to the documents.

CERTIFIED TRUE COPIES of all these documents are required. Please submit these documents ASAP to be considered for UAE Vacancies.