Their News [Archives:2008/1120/Local News]
Yemen Commercial Bank makes interests
The Yemen Commercial Bank (YCB) announced that it made huge pre-tax interests amounted to YR 1.7 billion by the end of 2007, compared to YR 962.5 million in 2006. The announcement came during the celebration staged on Friday in Al-Sabe'ean Park.
A'ed Al-Mashni, the general manager of the YCB, declared that the bank's assets increased to YR 62.3 billion, by 2007, from YR 41.3 in 2006.
He also added that the customers deposits grew into 51.5 billion by 2007, compared to YR 34.7 million in 2006.
The bank liquidities (available money) represented by credits deposited in the Central Bank, deposit certificates and credits in the local an foreign banks amounted to YR41 billion, making 66,3 percent of the aggregate assets, he further explained.
The YCB could maintain enough capital not less than 16 percent during the same year, which is double the percentage approved by international Bazil Criteria, considering such achievements a clear indication of possession rights increase, and decrease of the risks.
During the celebration of distributing the third round's prizes, Al-Mashni highlighted that the YCB inaugurated five branches equipped with modern technologies, systems and staff to deliver distinctive banking services to the customers. The YCB's branches number increased to 13 across the country, adding that there is a plan to increase branches and offices to be announced soon.
The YCB has updated Al-Tajari Gawaher Program, where the specialized system for this program in 2008 is represented by monthly drawing, instead of four months, for three big prizes including Modern international cars and five monetary prizes reaching to YR 2.8 million in addition to 155 symbolic prizes such as lab tops and mobile phones.
Based on this upgrading, the number of offered prizes increased to 1956 a year instead of 1000 prizes presented in 2007. The cars number becomes 36, whereas, in 2007, only 12 cars were presented according to the 2007 program system. The program will conclude its activities by running golden drawing at Dreams House in Dec, 2008. The cost of this program is YR 50 millions.
At the distributing celebration, attended by Al-Rowaishan, the chairman of the board of directors, as well as a number of businessmen, 341 names were announced as winners of the 2007 third round which is the last one.
The big prizes were won by Saleh N. Khasha'an, one of the customers of Taiz Street branch which is based in the capital secretariat of Sana'a, Mohammed A. Al-Udiaini, one of the customers of bank in Taiz governorate, Wa'el Derhem M. Abdu, one of the head office's customers and Waleed Al-Shurmani for Aden branch. The prizes given to these winners were four modern cars.
WWF and Abu Dhabi's Masdar Initiative unveil plan for
world's first carbon-neutral, waste-free, car-free city
The WWF and Masdar, The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, today launched a “Sustainability Action Plan” to deliver the world's greenest city – Masdar City.
Masdar City will be the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, aiming to exceed the 10 sustainability principles of “One Planet Living”- a global initiative launched by the WWF (known internationally as the Worldwide Fund for Nature and in the U.S. as the World Wildlife Fund) and environmental consultancy BioRegional.
Housed in six-square kilometres, Masdar City's electricity will be generated by photovoltaic panels, while cooling will be provided via concentrated solar power. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. Landscaping within the city and crops grown outside the city will be irrigated with grey water and treated waste water produced by the city's water treatment plant.
The city is part of the Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted investment in the exploration, development and commercialisation of future energy sources and clean technology solutions.
The city, growing eventually to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents, will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy.
A model of the Masdar City will be unveiled on January 21, at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Ground breaks for the construction of the city in Q1 2008.
Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, Director of WWF International's One Planet Living initiative, said: “Today Abu Dhabi is embarking on a journey to become the global capital of the renewable energy revolution. Abu Dhabi is the first hydrocarbon-producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living.
“Masdar is an example of the paradigm shift that is needed. The strategic vision of the Abu Dhabi government is a case study in global leadership. We hope that Masdar City will prove that sustainable living can be affordable and attractive in all aspects of human living – from businesses and manufacturing facilities to universities and private homes,” Jeanreneaud continued.
Dr. Sultan al Jaber, CEO of the Masdar Initiative, said: “Masdar City will question conventional patterns of urban development, and set new benchmarks for sustainability and environmentally friendly design – the students, faculty and businesses located in Masdar City will not only be able to witness innovation first-hand, but they will also participate in its development.”
WHO Warns Of Health Workers' Shortage
The World Health Organisation has said that it is pushing ahead with the task of training primary care personnel in as nearly as 60 countries, mostly in Africa, which face a shortage of four million health workers.
Some 350 health ministers, HIV/AIDS experts and others are seeking to scale up access to HIV/AIDS treatment by moving the tasks to less specialised health workers. An international conference on task shifting – co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation – was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week.
The WHO believed that the task shifting maximised the role of primary community-led health care, delivered closer to patients by an integrated team of health care professionals.
“Doctors and nurses are essential but countries cannot afford to wait for years till they complete their training,” the WHO assistant director general, Mr Anders Nordstroem, told the opening session.
The session noted that training a new community health worker may take months or even an year depending on the competencies required, a stark contrast to the three or four years required for a nurse to be qualified for the job. For a doctor, it takes eight years.
“Task shifting not only addresses the two interlinked emergencies of the health worker crisis and the HIV/AIDS, but also offers long-term potential for strengthening health systems in a way that is consistent with the current renaissance in primary healthcare services,” Mr Nordstroem said. The conference opened with the presentation of new WHO guidelines to assist countries in implementing the task shifting, developed in collaboration with the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS, a conference co-sponsor, and UNAIDS, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS.
The WHO-led initiative called “Treat, Train and Retain” – for increasing access to HIV/AIDS care – are the guidelines after 18 months of consultations involving 167 top public health and HIV/AIDS experts, it said.
They are based on experiences and detailed evaluations in countries where task shifting is already being implemented, it added.
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