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Burj
Khalifa, Emirate’s crowning glory, opens
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US: More checks for travellers from ‘terror-linked’ states
Palestinian state within 2 years ‘unrealistic’
India, B'desh open river waters talks
Quake unleashes tsunami in Solomon
Islands
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Burj Khalifa, Emirate’s crowning glory, opens But concerns remain about country’s $100-billion debt pile Dubai, January 4 The $1.5-billion tower will reach 200 storeys into the sky, and although officials have not yet revealed the exact height, it will exceed the next highest structure by some 300 metres (1,000 ft). While inaugurating the buliding, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad renamed the Burj Dubai as Burj Khalifa as a tribute to the UAE’s president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. But concerns about the Emirate's $100-billion debt pile, which have made Dubai's stock exchange one of the world's worst performing, overshadow both the ceremony and boasts by the builder, Emaar Properties, that the Burj heralds a new dawn. “The worry for Dubai is that the event will be remembered as a second bout of hubris,” said David Butter, regional director for Middle East and North Africa at Economist Intelligence Unit. The first bout was in November, 2008, two months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, when Dubai spent $24 million on the opening ceremony of the Atlantis hotel, an event that did more to highlight a taste for extravagance than assuage fears that the economic crisis was not being taken seriously. Emaar says property prices have now stabilised, confounding wider expectations for stress in the sector. “You have to ask, 'why we are building all this?' To bring quality of life and a smile to people and I think we should continue to do that,” said Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar, the Arab world's largest listed developer. “Crises come and go,” Alabbar told reporters. “We build for years to come… We must have hope and optimism.” But investors took little heart, with Emaar shares closing down 3.4 per cent, pulling Dubai's broader index 2.6 per cent lower. “This is the culmination of Dubai’s momentum and not just Emaar’s,” said Saud Masud, UBS head of research. — Reuters
How high is the skyscraper?
The tower's height is a closely guarded secret but is known to exceed 800 metres (2,625 feet). The opening has been delayed twice and, unlike other projects, survived cancellations after the crisis hit the one-booming city.
Experts say land scarcity or urban density does not justify the height of the building, rather its "iconic" appeal is a symbol of Dubai's ambitions. From the 124th floor observation deck of the tower, viewers can see 50 miles (80 km) on a clear day. The air is noticeably cooler and fresher on the terraces compared to the stifling heat and humidity at ground level during Dubai's summer. Terraces are located at setbacks spiralling up the tapered tower, which is based on the “geometries of the desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture”, according to its promotional literature.
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US: More checks for travellers from ‘terror-linked’ states
Washington/New York, January 4 "The new directive includes long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners," said Transportation and Security Administration (TSA), the American agency responsible for protection of transportation system. "Because effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, and as a result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners, the TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world travelling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening," it said in a statement. The announcement comes 10 days after Nigerian Al-Qaida-linked bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab managed to bring a highly explosive chemical inside a US plane. The TSA said the heightened security procedures include full-body pat downs before boarding, checking of carry-on baggage and random checks on US-bound flights.
— PTI
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Palestinian state within 2 years ‘unrealistic’
Jerusalem, January 4 Lieberman rejected a plan that calls upon Israel and the Palestinians to kickstart stalled peace negotiations aimed at reaching a final status agreement leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state within two years as “unrealistic”. “It is important to hold an honest, open dialogue with the Palestinians without sowing delusions that are disconnected with reality and that will only lead to violence and frustration,” Lieberman told Quartet envoy, Tony Blair, today. “It is not possible to reach a full agreement within two years. This is not a realistic goal,” the ultra-nationalist Israeli foreign minister said, adding “We need to begin direct talks without committing to any timeframe.” “In the past, timetables were set and not met and this led to violence,” he stressed. Egyptian sources were quoted by Cairo-based daily Al-Ahram daily today that the Obama administration will put forward a plan whereby Israel would commit itself to the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years of the launch of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The plan would call upon both the sides to present written guarantees underlining their obligations prior to the completion of final-status talks, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the daily. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is meeting his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh today to discuss Israel’s latest offer for the renewal of talks with the PA. The meeting comes in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Cairo last week, where he presented some ideas for renewing the diplomatic process. Netanyahu reportedly agreed to conduct negotiations on all core issues of the conflict with the Palestinians. The Israeli premier is said to be ready to discuss the future of Jerusalem as well as the borders of a future Palestinian state, the two main sticking points in the negotiations. — PTI
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India, B'desh open river waters talks
Dhaka, January 4 The Secretary-level talks opened at the state guest house of Meghna this morning, a Water Resource Ministry spokesman told PTI. The parleys, which came ahead of Premier Sheikh Hasina's three-day visit to India from January 10, are divided in three sessions and expected to focus on the Teesta issue apart from discussing water-sharing of six other common rivers, joint dredging in Ichhamati river and initiatives for protection of common rivers. The spokesman said that basically the two sides would discuss the quantum of water-sharing and the meeting was "expected to reach a consensus." "If it is not possible to reach a long-term agreement (on the Teesta) we may go for an interim agreement," Bangladesh's Water Resource Secretary Sheikh Wahid-Uz-Zaman told reporters ahead of the start of the talks with his visiting counterpart Umesh Narayan Panjiar. Officials earlier said Dhaka already submitted a draft agreement to India through Foreign Ministry in this regard. The talks were the culmination of an expert committee deliberations of the Joint River Commission (JRC) on the issue in November last year. Sharing of Teesta's waters is a major issue in Bangladesh-India water talks for the past several years. Under a 1983 understanding, Bangladesh is supposed to get 36 per cent share of the flow and India 39 per cent allowing the rest of the water flow naturally. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni last week said that talks with India were progressing on sharing of waters of Teesta as a positive development was expected on the issue during Prime Minister Hasina's New Delhi tour from January 10. Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes supplemented her, saying Dhaka was trying to progress "as far as possible." The talks' outcome so far has been "intense" while "we all are looking for a development towards reaching an agreement on sharing of water in Teesta river, if not a treaty," he said. — PTI
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Quake unleashes tsunami in Solomon Islands Wellington, January 4 Initial reports said no one was seriously hurt. A series of major quakes have rocked the South Pacific region since yesterday, with three powerful temblors striking today, including a 7.2 magnitude tremor.The Solomon Island’s National Disaster Management Office said reports of the devastation were beginning to filter inlate today. The tremors were centred beneath the ocean floor near the town of Gizo, which was badly damaged in April 2007, when 8.1-magnitude quake sent a tsunami crashing into the coast, killing more than 50 people. Today’s tsunami devastated a village on Rendova Island, some 188 miles from the capital Honiara, disaster management official Loti Yates told AP.“One report from the police was that one village was hit by a 6 to 10 foot wall of sea water,” Yates said. “It was a total inundation police saw in a fly over.” — AP
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