The United Arab Emirates Government has issued orders that all employees of Abu Dhabi Government departments and agencies must live in the emirate. All those employees who are living outside the emirate must shift to Abu Dhabi within a grace period of one year. 

A decision to this effect has been taken by the Abu Dhabi Secretariat General of the Executive Council. The move is aimed at ensuring the safety of its employees and achieve social stability for them and their families.

The Government also hopes that workers will now be less tired from commuting long distances and that roads will be less congested. According to official figures, nearly 11 thousand vehicles enter Abu Dhabi between 6 and 7am carrying over 19 thousand people which adds to the traffic congestion during the peak hours.

 he crude oil export earnings by the Arab world petroleum exporting nations reached its peak in 2011 by nearly $174 billion. A report by Kuwait based Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries OAPEC said the earnings soared to $624.8 billion in 2011from around $450 billion in 2010. The report said that increase in crude oil prices and a higher production by the oil exporting Arab nations were responsible for the gains in export earnings. Saudi Arabia accounted for almost half the total income while UAE gained most in terms of net income . Saudi Arabia, the number one oil power, netted nearly $289 billion last year compared with $184.4 billion in 2010. The UAE’s income swelled to an all time high of about $85.9 billion from $57.9 billion .In Kuwait the income grew to $79.6 billion from $53 billion. The earnings leaped to $27.3 billion from $20.5 billion in Qatar. It went up to $37.2 billion from $28 billion in Algeria. The report, which gave no data for Tunisia, showed the 2011 income stood at $6.3 billion in Bahrain and around $4.6 billion in Egypt. Libya was the only exception as its income tumbled in 2010 because of the uprising which ended with the death of Muammar Gaddafi. The report said that in real terms, the combined Arab income was at $479 billion in 2011, taking into account the real dollar value and global inflation. While the nominal price of OPEC’s basket of crudes was at around $107 a barrel in 2011, its real value averaged about $88 in terms of 1995 prices.

Meanwhile the body of the Indian fisherman killed in the firing by US Ship off the Dubai coast near Jebel Ali Port on Sunday has been recovered. The deceased has been identified as Sekhar son of Arumugam while the injured include Muthu Kannan, Pandusinathan and Munairaj all from Tamilnadu near Rameshwaram. The condition of the three injured Indian fishermen at the Sheikh Rashid Hospital in Dubai is reportedly stable. The officials of the Indian Consulate in Dubai met the injured at the hospital today.

Talking to All India Radio, the Indian Ambassador to UAE M.K.Lokesh said the Embassy is in touch with the UAE authorities and pursuing the case to bring the guilty to book. The UAE authorities have informed that a case has been registered against the US ship USNS Rappahannock and investigations are on. Mr. Lokesh told that the focus is on providing assistance to the family of the deceased and care of the three injured fishermen.

The Indian fisherman was killed while three others were injured earlier on Monday when a US navy refueling ship USNS Rappahannock fired at their small boat near Jebel Ali port in Dubai. US defence officials claimed that the boat was getting too close to the ship and ignored warnings not to approach the ship, and that sailors on board the American vessel feared it could pose a threat. A statement from the US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain said the crew had opened fire as a last resort.

India has asked for details of the firing incident and has directed Indian officials in UAE to look into the matter with utmost urgency. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin in New Delhi today said, the US ambassador to India, Nancy Powel called Foreign Secretry Ranjan Mathai to express regret. The Indian consulate in Dubai has begun a probe into the killing.

Meanwhile, the US has released a statement on the tragic incident saying that it had issued several warnings to the boat carrying the Indians before firing at them. As per the statement their warning were not heeded.
In Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Karaiyur Fishermen Association President Malairajan said the fishermen were working for Dubai fishing companies on daily wage basis.

Lt Gred Raelson, a spokesman for US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said a security team aborad the USNS Rappahannock fired from a .50-calibre machinegun on the boat after it disregarded warnings and raced towards the ship.

United Arab Emirates shipped its first oil cargo from its Fujirah oil export terminal on Sunday bye passing the strait of Hormuz to Pakistan. The export terminal has the capacity to pump up to 1.8 million barrels per day. Exports from the new facility would start at a few hundred thousand barrels a day and rise gradually over the next few months. 

Until now, the UAE, like Qatar and Kuwait, had been entirely dependent on Strait of Hormuz to export its crude.The Fujirah pipeline ends its dependence on the strait of Hormuz. The 370-km Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline carries oil from fields in the UAE's western desert to Fujairah, a major oil storage and fuel bunkering hub on the east coast. The new terminal has eight crude oil storage tanks each with a capacity of one million barrel. The bulk of UAE's oil is exported to Asia.

The move is significant in the context of repeated warnings of closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran over the sanctions imposed by the western nations. Flows through the Strait of Hormuz last year accounted for almost 20 percent of oil traded worldwide.

The UAE Oil Minister Mohammed bin Dhaen al-Hamli said that it is a very strategic project which gives the options to its clients to transport larger quantities of oil.

He underlined the importance of the project by saying that it is a complementary project so that it has an alternative choice for more than one trade route. The head of state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, said it will make other projects viable in the area, and will also avoid more insurance and will give access to the open sea.

India and the United Arab Emirates have decided to set up a high-level joint task force on investment which will also look into securing more oil supplies from UAE.

Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Sheikh Hamad bin Zayed al Nahyan and India’s Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma will lead the respective sides of the high-level task force. The decision was taken following wide ranging discussions between External Affairs minister SM Krishna and his counterpart from UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New Delhi on Friday.

Noting that the United Arab Emirates’ leadership is now keen to address the issue of investments to bring it on par with the multi-faceted relations the two countries enjoy in all other sectors, he said the high-level joint task force would explore further opportunities in investments.

Sheikh Hamad bin Zayed al Nahyan said besides oil, UAE was also looking at investment opportunities in sectors like petrochemicals.

Both the leaders held discussions on ways to boost trade ties and maritime security cooperation to tackle piracy. Other issues that figured in talks, included situation in West Asia, Iran's nuclear programme, Afghanistan and Indo-Pak relations.

The two sides also discussed the 3rd India-Arab Economic Conclave to be held in Abu Dhabi from Monday.

ndia has called for enhanced co-operation with UAE in maintaining energy security and investment in the infrastructure sector. The issues came up for discussion at the 10th round of India-UAE Joint Commission meeting on trade and economic co-operation in Abu Dhabi today. The External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan presided over the talks. During the meet, India and UAE signed agreements on amendment in the avoidance of double taxation treaty and setting up of a joint committee to look after Counsellar issues. AIR West Asia Correspondent reports, energy security is the need of hour for India to sustain its growth and investment in infrastructure needs to be upscaled to maintain the momentum. This was the message which the External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna conveyed to his UAE counterpart during the 10th round of India-UAE Joint Commission meeting in Abu Dhabi today. He sought the help of UAE and the gulf countries in this regard. The UAE Foreign Minister said his country values India as its strategic partner and will continue to expand co-operation in various sectors. Two agreements were signed during the meeting. The India-UAE agreement on avoidance of double taxation has been updated to bring it at par with the internationally accepted standards. Now the banking information as well as any information without any domestic tax interest can be shared between the two countries. A Joint Committee will be set up to look into and address the concerns of Indian and Emirate nationals on counsellar issues. These include issues such as birth or death registration, quasi judicial matters like detention or arrest, travel documents like passport and visa and others affecting the people.  It is expected that the agreements will protect the interests of the people and promote stronger relations between the two countries.

The visiting External Affairs Minister, S.M. Krishna will address a meeting with Indian workers in UAE at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi this evening. It will be followed by interaction with Indian community at a reception hosted by India’s Ambassador to UAE.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Krishna met Indian Ambassadors from the Gulf region in Abu Dhabi. He discussed the developments in the region and their implications. Indian Ambassadors of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen took part in the meet. The External Affairs Minister will join the Ministerial level talks on Monday.

The Delegation level talks at the India-UAE Joint Commission got underway in Abu Dhabi in the run up to 10th round of talks on Monday.Last round of talks were held in New Delhi in 2007. Agreements on avoidance of double taxation and Consular issues will be signed during the meet. External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna will preside over the India-UAE Joint Commission on Monday with his UAE counterpart ,Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.The two sides look forward to enhance co-operation in trade and economic sectors.

The bilateral trade is expected to cross $70 billion mark in 2011-12. India and UAE were each other’s largest trade partners last year. UAE is also a significant investor in India in terms of FDI. These investments are mainly in energy, services, programming, construction,Tourism and hotels.Several prominent private and public sector Indian companies and banks are operating in UAE. The Joint Commission will discuss a broad gamut of issues to expand the ties between India and UAE.