Dubai, June 10, 2008 -- STAR today announced the appointment of Sumantra Dutta (more popularly known as Sumo) as Country Head, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan.  In this newly created position, Sumo will be responsible for spearheading STAR’s business in these three markets.  Based in Dubai, Sumo will report to Laureen Ong, Chief Operating Officer of STAR and will officially take up his new post on July 1.

Commenting on the appointment, Ong said, “Sumo has been in the News Corporation family for nearly 14 years, and at every level of his career, has proven himself a top performer.  His track record of formulating corporate strategy and developing new revenue streams is unmatched, and we are thrilled to have him lead our operations in these three key markets.”

A well established media Company in Dubai is looking for a Graphic Designer!

Qualifications:

- With knowledge of Joomla, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, (Flash - a plus)

- 3-4 years experience is an advantage

- With knowledge of CSS and XHTML

- PHP knowledge is an advantage

- Graphic designing for print - a plus

- Dubai Based applicants would be preferred

Please email your updated resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Two new Salik toll gates, one on Al Safa Park Bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road and the other on Al Maktoum Bridge, will be installed in Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced. So just in case you haven't got your Salik tag yet it looks like its going to be a necessary evil for your travels around Dubai. Word on the street is that its just another of quite a few SALIK systems that the RTA has contracted into.

Both Salik toll gates will be activated from 9 September. Passengers passing through Al Safa and the already operational Al Barsha gate will be charged a toll fee of AED4 (US$1.1) only once if they pass the two gates in the same journey.
The RTA said that there are five available alternative roads and a wide range of public transport services to support the new phase of Salik. The alternative roads include the Business Bay Crossing which includes 13 lanes and connects the airport tunnel with Sheikh Rashid and Al Khail roads.

Al Shindagha Tunnel and Floating Bridge are other alternatives that link the end of Al Ittihad Road near Deira City Centre with Al Riyadh Road in Bur Dubai. Emirates Road is also an important alternative which has been expanded by the RTA from three lanes to six lanes in each direction, in addition to the Arabian Ranches intersection that will be finalised in August, according to the RTA.

Traffic congestion, the single biggest concern among Dubai's 1.44 million residents, inflicts losses of Dh4.6 billion or 3.15% of the emirate's Dh146 billion GDP a year. The city has a car ownership rate of 541 cars per 1,000 population. This figure exceeds that of cities like New York City [444 cars per 1,000 population], London [345 cars per 1,000 population] and Singapore [111 cars per 1,000 population]. If this trend continues, then by 2020, there will be 5.3 million registered cars in Dubai.

Penalties for driving through a toll point without enough credit, or without an active Salik account, will be a fine of at least 50 or 100 dhs (increases daily to 400 dhs per day for repeat offences) which will be waived if you sign up or credit your account within 2 days of the offence. Balances can be checked at salik.ae or by calling 800-72545. You'll receive an sms if you collect a fine says the RTA. 

Tell us what you think about the new Dubai SALIK Road Tolls on the Dubai Forum - (remember no swearing ;-) 

CMPI have launched the extreme sports community for the UAE .  The community allows members to read adrenaline sports articles , post to forums and discuss adrenalines sports in the UAE.

ASL is a fantastic way to find out more about adrenaline sports in the U.A.E. and connect with other adrenaline sports enthusiasts! We hope you like the site, add your own content to share with others and come back as we get bigger and better!  Post your info on UAE Extreme Sports Forums . List your UAE Sports Club on the Directory and Buy and Sell Sports products online . 

Adrenaline Sports Live (ASL) Abu Dhabi (10th-12th of October, 2008)

ASL Abu Dhabi is a 3 day consumer festival for adrenaline sports enthusiasts in the U.A.E . The festival will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and is organised by CMPi, a global events company and foundation partner with ADNEC.

Why showcase at ASL Abu Dhabi?

* Free to promote your UAE Sports club/association at the festival
* Direct contact with thousands of adrenaline sports enthusiasts<
* Free demonstration space/shell scheme stand for qualifying clubs and associations
* Sign up new members
* Sell trial packages
* Receive media coverage before the show
* Full support from the ASL team (e.g. setting up demonstrations