 | Dubai airport had problems with fog this morning (10 Oct) a fog that managed to close both runways and resulted in the diversion of 50 flights which obviously affected the surrounding regions. Any kind of delay at airports is bound to be the basis for many an ‘airport’ story over the next couple of days. Expats are serial travellers, they can’t help themselves, so it’s right that they have more horror stories than the rest of us, who only dally in air travel once or twice a year for vacation. |
We are always asking for funny airport stories for the newsletter and Nexus magazine, here’s one we found this month doing a random Google search, well it had to be Lagos didn’t it!
About a year ago - a crazy experience a friend of a friend had at the airport in Lagos, Nigeria. “This morning, at the airport in Brussels, I was chatting with a retired Scottish aid worker. He told about his friend who got on a flight in Lagos to find it completely full...plus one. One person was standing in the aisle with no seat. The flight attendants went through and checked that everyone had a boarding pass, which they did. (Apparently someone had a forged pass; welcome to Lagos.) The staff then made an announcement that everyone was going to de-plane and that they were going to check everyone’s boarding pass carefully.
As soon as the first person stepped off the plane, the staff slammed and locked the airplane door, despite the person’s cries and banging on the door. Problem solved.”
Don’t know if we believe that one, in fact, further investigation points to the story being the ultimate urban legend but here are a couple of websites full of similar tales.
www.sleepinginairports.net
www.businessballs.com
The Expat Network Team
Contract News
- Foster + Partners wins competition for new tower at 425 Park Avenue, New York
- Alaska gas line project could cost $65B or more
- Emaar Signs JV With Iraq Government
- Poland’s potential €33 billion in power contracts
- Strabag to build Slovenia treatment plant
- China Railway in US$ 683 million Nigeria deal
- Noble Energy announces agreement for new build drillship
- Subsea 7 S.A. announces SURF contract offshore Australia
- New contracts for Maire Tecnimont in oil, gas & petrochemical business
Foster+Partners wins competition for new tower at 425 Park Avenue, New York
| Foster + Partners is delighted to be selected by a partnership of L&L Holding Company and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LBHI) to design their new office tower at 425 Park Avenue. The new building will create an enduring landmark that befits its exclusive location, and is uniquely of its time and its place. |  |
Alaska gas line project could cost $65B or more
A liquefied natural gas project in Alaska could cost more than $65 billion and would represent a mega-project of "unprecedented scale and challenges," officials behind the project told Gov. Sean Parnell.
In a letter to Parnell released by the governor's office late Wednesday, officials with TransCanada Corp. and the North Slope's three major players said good progress has been made in pursuing a project but "significant environmental, regulatory, engineering and commercial work remains to reach upcoming decisions to bring North Slope gas to market."
They estimated the cost of a pipeline could range from $45 billion to more than $65 billion.
Parnell set expectations for progress on a major gas pipeline during his State of the State address in January. He said the timeline was born of frustration with the seemingly stalled process of moving a line ahead.
The first benchmarks were resolution of disputed leases at the Point Thomson gas fields and getting the CEOs of the North Slope's three major players - Exxon Mobil Corp., BP PLC and ConocoPhillips - to coalesce behind plans for an LNG pipeline to get the region's resources to market. Both of those were met in March.
His third benchmark, for which he had a Sept. 30 deadline, was for the companies to identify a project and work schedule and to have firmer numbers on a project.
Emaar Signs JV With Iraq Government
The Dubai developer will build multiple housing projects in the country, possibly alongside Damac.
 | Emaar Properties is to set up a joint venture with the Iraqi government to help address the two to three million unit housing shortage in the war-torn country. |
Speaking at the announcement, His Excellency Engineer Muhammed Al Darraji said the Iraqi government would give free land for developers to build on and announced Emaar weren’t the only UAE firm they were in talks with.
“A MoU with Emaar will be signed shortly – we’re looking to build a new joint venture with Emaar as the main developer,” said Al Darraji, the Iraqi Minister of Construction and Housing.
“We are in serious negotiations with Damac at the moment – I don’t want to say anything more as those talks are still ongoing.”
Al Darraji wouldn’t comment on financial terms but it was officially announced the Iraqi government has a $2 billion budget for housing and infrastructure spend for 2013.
“We are building 65,000 homes but whatever we build from our budget is not enough to meet out housing needs,” Al-Darraji said. “Our own budget is not enough to fulfil our needs [but] investment in housing in Iraq is very secure.”
The post-war torn country is looking to produce up to three million new housing units over the next five years as it seeks to rebuild its infrastructure after years of political and international conflict.
Al Darraji alluded to the problems that could hold back development plans, insisting the Ministry was willing to do what was necessary to speed up the projects.
“We need to relax regulation for people to work in Iraq, to open the market a little more financially,” Al Darraji told reporters.
“If we put more restrictions in it will slow things down.”
Source: http://gulfbusiness.com
Poland’s potential €33 billion in power contracts
Power projects valued at a potential €33.3 billion are in the pipeline in Poland, according to research company PMR.
Several medium-sized projects with the aggregate capacity of nearly 500MW and valued at PLN2.6 billion (€600 million) are currently underway, while contracts totalling PLN17 billion (€4 billion) with an aggregate capacity of over 3,000MW, have been awarded and are about to enter the construction phase.
In the long-term, PMR said 14 projects with the estimated value of over PLN38 billion (€9 billion) are now in the tender phase, while projects worth an estimated PLN64.9 billion (€15.3 billion) are in the preparation phase, and projects worth PLN18.8 billion (€4.4 billion) are in the planning phase.
The projects in the preparation phase include the development of Poland's first nuclear power plant, which is estimated to cost PLN40 billion (€9.4 billion). Polish utilities Polska Grupa Energetyczna, Enea and Tauron, together with mining company KGHM, signed a deal at the start of September to share the cost of building the nuclear power station.
Despite the large amount of investment in the pipeline, PMR warned that delays in the implementation of planned projects are typical for the power sector.
PMR head construction analyst Bartlomiej Sosna said, "Intensive implementation of too many large power projects could destabilise the construction market as did the rapid growth of funding opportunities for projects in the housing market between 2006 and 2008 and in the road construction market between 2010 and 2012. However, not all of the projects which are in the pipeline will enter the construction phase as many of them compete with each other."
PMR added that Poland's power engineering segment was currently the only way for the construction industry to overcome its current slowdown and a remedy to the falling number of investment projects in the road construction sector.
Strabag to build Slovenia treatment plant
Austrian contractor Strabag has been awarded a €112 million contract to build a waste treatment plant in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
The RCERO Ljubljana will be a solid waste treatment plant that will produce biogas out of organic waste as well as producing refuse derived fuel and offering recycling services. The biogas plant will be developed with Strabag’s Laran Plug Flow Digester, making it one of the most modern of its kind in Europe.
Construction work will commence in October 2012 and is expected to take four years to complete.
The Urban Municipality of Ljubljana, represented by SNAGA public company d.o.o., awarded Strabag the contract after a three-year tender process.
China Railway in US$ 683 million Nigeria deal
Chinese state-owned contractor China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has won a CNY 4.3 billion (US$ 683 million) contract in Nigeria to construct five passenger airport terminals and six cargo terminals.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, a subsidiary of the company, was awarded the contract by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation. The new passenger and cargo terminals will be located in the Nigerian cities of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, while an extra cargo terminal will be built in Asaba.
CRCC said construction was scheduled to take 18 months.
Noble Energy announces agreement for new build drillship
Noble Energy, Inc. announced in early October that it has entered into a 36 month contract with a subsidiary of Atwood Oceanics Inc. for a new build drillship to support its global new ventures efforts in deepwater exploration and development. The agreement demonstrates the Company's commitment to global offshore exploration.
| The drillship Atwood Advantage is currently under construction by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. in South Korea. Delivery is anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2013 when the rate of $584,000 per day will be initiated. The dual BOP stacks, enhanced offline capabilities, 12,000 feet water depth/40,000 feet drill depth ratings and the increased mobility will add flexibility to Noble Energy's global exploration program. The rig's advanced capabilities are sufficient to reach the deep oil target in the Eastern Mediterranean, which will be the first exploration prospect drilled. |  |
Noble Energy is a leading independent energy company engaged in worldwide oil and gas exploration and production. The Company has core operations onshore in the U.S., primarily in the DJ Basin and Marcellus Shale, in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Eastern Mediterranean, and offshore West Africa.
Subsea 7 S.A. announces SURF contract offshore Australia
Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC) announces the award of a contract valued at approximately US$ 100 million from Apache Australia Pty Ltd for the Julimar Development Project, offshore Western Australia.
The project includes the transportation, installation and pre-commissioning of subsea umbilicals, manifolds and diver-less tie-in spools. Project management and engineering will commence immediately from Subsea 7’s office in Perth, Australia, with offshore operations scheduled to commence in late 2014.
Darren Cormell, Subsea 7's Vice President, Australia & New Zealand said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this exciting and prestigious Australian contract. We understand the significance of this project to Apache, and the fact that they have entrusted this important project to Subsea 7 is an endorsement of Subsea 7’s capability locally and the strong working relationship that we have built together over many years."
New contracts for Maire Tecnimont in oil, gas & petrochemical business
Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that several contracts have been awarded to some of its subsidiaries for a total amount of approximately €135 million for Engineering, Procurement and Technology Services.
In Egypt the Group has been awarded through its subsidiary Tecnimont KT S.p.A. (TKT) an Engineering and Procurement contract for the realization of some processing units in the new refinery of Egyptian Refinery Company (ERC) in Mostorod, Cairo (Arab Republic of Egypt). The clients are a consortium between GS E&C, one of the world’s top EPC leaders, and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (Mitsui & Co), one of the most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment and service enterprises, and Mitsui and Co. Plant Systems Ltd., subsidiary of Mitsui & Co; GS E&C and Mitsui & Co are respectively South Korean and Japanese main contractors. The overall project amount is approximately €97 million. Completion is expected by the end of 2014.
The units to be built are:
• One Hydrogen Production Unit (HPU) of 100,000 Nm3/h capacity;
• Three Sulphur Recovery Units (SRU) of 162.5 ton/day capacity each;
• One Tail Gas Treatment unit (TGT) of 325 ton/day capacity;
• One Amine Processing Unit of 90 m3/h capacity.
The new units are part of the project developed by the Egyptian Refinery Company (ERC), which involves the construction of a refinery for the production of fuels and other petroleum products, in line with the latest international environmental standards.
Moreover, the Group has received, through its subsidiaries Tecnimont, Stamicarbon and TKT, a series of awards, located in Bangladesh, Russia, China and other countries, for Licensing and Engineering Services, for a total amount of approximately €38 million.
These awards consolidate the track record of the Maire Tecnimont Group in the oil, gas & petrochemical business; in particular, with the refining project in Egypt the Group further strengthens its presence in North Africa, a strategic area in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Expat News
Selection from Sheila Hare, Nexus Editor
- Doctor’s arrest in Dubai underscores perils of working abroad
- New ATOL certificate to explain protection for package holidays
- Accountancy service provider PayStream launches mobile phone app for contractors
- Lost Luggage: Your Rights
- Brazil: Odgers among £70m Rio 2016 deals for UK firms
- Russian World Cup stadium bill put at over US$ 6 billion
- For Singapore expats, Johor homes a steal as Malaysians in housing pinch
- Expat IT girls go global with support group
- Queues to find out what overseas jobs are up for grabs
Doctor’s arrest in Dubai underscores perils of working abroad
August was supposed to be a happy time for Cyril Karabus, a retired South African doctor who was in Canada for a family reunion and the wedding of his son, a Toronto lawyer.
On the way home, however, the 77-year-old paediatric cancer specialist was suddenly detained on a manslaughter charge he knew nothing about, during a stopover at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.
“Dad’s been arrested. They won’t tell us why. Get hold of a lawyer,” his daughter Sarah, who was travelling with Dr. Karabus, managed to text to her brother before the rest of the family was forced to board a departing plane, leaving the elderly physician behind.
They later learned that, unbeknownst to Dr. Karabus, a court had sentenced him, in absentia, to 3 1/2 years in prison in connection with the death of a patient he treated years ago while employed in Abu Dhabi by a Canadian health company.
What happened to Dr. Karabus underscores the perils of working overseas. Canadian employers with staff abroad often have professional liability insurance and indemnities to handle unforeseen legal hassles.
The Toronto firm that hired Dr. Karabus, however, told his family that it is not liable for his problems. The company told The Globe and Mail that it wasn’t aware of the charges and that, since it was a criminal matter, legal fees wouldn’t have been covered by the malpractice insurance it offers its staff.
Emirati authorities will try Dr. Karabus again now that they have him in custody. In the meantime, his passport has been seized and he is being held without bail. His next court date is October 11.
“It’s difficult to fathom how someone like him can be caught in a situation like this,” said his son Matthew.
Dr. Karabus’s problems stem from a 2002 stint he did replacing a doctor at a hospital then managed by Toronto-based InterHealth Canada Ltd (ICL).
In statements e-mailed to The Globe and Mail, InterHealth said it ceased operating the hospital in 2003. “At no time was ICL informed of any complaint in relation to Dr Karabus’ performance of his clinical duties; no complaint was made against either ICL or [the hospital] and no claim was made under ICL’s medical malpractice policy.”
The company said it had difficulty establishing what happened at the time because it no longer manages the hospital and transferred records to UAE authorities.
InterHealth initially told Matthew Karabus that the doctor his father replaced should have warned him about the charges.
“We fully complied with our obligations towards your father and see no basis upon which we can be considered liable,” John Hyland, a lawyer for InterHealth, wrote in an e-mail seen by The Globe and Mail.
Dr. Karabus was filling in for five weeks for Lourens De Jager, another South African paediatric oncologist, at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
One patient they dealt with was a girl with a diagnosis of acute myeloblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer, Dr. De Jager recalled in an interview from Pretoria.
The girl died, and Dr. Karabus returned to South Africa two weeks later.
According to Mr. Hyland’s e-mail, the girl’s father complained to police and Dr. Karabus was charged with manslaughter and also accused of forging a document ordering that the girl receive a transfusion of platelets.
“Wiel Al Mameed,” a cardiologist, heard about the charge and notified hospital officials, Mr. Hyland’s e-mail said.
“The department head advised Dr. De Jager, who by that time had returned from vacation, of the position and instructed that he advise your father not to return to or pass through the UAE,” the e-mail said.
In an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, the only SKMC cardiologist with a similar name, Wael Al Mahmeed, denied knowing about the court case until now.
Dr. De Jager also disputes InterHealth’s account. “That’s definitely not correct. I never knew anything about the sentence, otherwise I would have warned him.”
He recalled that there was an inquiry and that he and a hospital manager, John Morse, were questioned by police but they had no inkling that there would be charges. “InterHealth Canada was the employer at that stage,” he said. “Why would they ask me to inform [Dr. Karabus]?”
In statements e-mailed to the Globe and Mail, Mr. Hyland said no claims were made to the malpractice insurance InterHealth offered its employees.
“The charges which it seems were brought against Dr Karabus were brought under the criminal law; the costs of his defence against criminal charges would not have been covered by our or any other medical malpractice policy of which I am aware,” Mr. Hyland told the Globe and Mail.
There are about 27,000 Canadians living and working in the UAE. The Canadian government cautions that practices such as issuing a cheque without funds or failing to pay an invoice are considered by Emirati officials as serious offences that can result in jail. Non-residents are also not granted bail.
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
New ATOL certificate to explain protection for package holidays
Holiday firms will now be required to make it clearer what cover is in place when booking a package holiday.
Travel agents that organise package holidays with either flights, accommodation or car hire included must now give customers a certificate explaining how the holiday is protected.
Everyone booking a holiday covered by the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) scheme will be given a certificate showing exactly which parts of their trip are included in the cover.
It's hoped the move will make it clearer to consumers how they are protected should a holiday firm go bust.
 | The ATOL certificate |
It will outline which parts of your holiday you are covered for, should something go wrong or the company goes bust. It will also list the name of the company offering the protection, which could either be the agency covering all parts of the trip or one of the individual companies such as the car hire provider.
There are three circumstances in which you should receive one of these certificates. Firstly, a traditional package deal when you book the whole holiday through one agent.
The second instance is what is known as a Flight Plus holiday. In order for this to occur you need to have requested (not booked) the flight and accommodation on the same day. Trips which begin outside the UK, last less than 24-hours and don’t involve an overnight stay are also excluded
Lastly you should see a certificate if you book just a flight through a retailer which isn't the airline itself.
If for any reason your travel company doesn’t give you a certificate, first ask it for one and if you’re not happy with its response contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
How are you protected?
Backed by the CAA, the ATOL scheme was first introduced in 1973 and works as a way of protecting customers when holiday companies go bust.
Any package holiday which includes a flight is covered under the ATOL scheme and the company providing the holiday must have the correct licence.
This means if you’ve booked a holiday and the company goes bust, the CAA will refund you for any money you've already paid out. If you’re away already it will arrange for you to complete your holiday then fly home.
When it comes to package deals, if one aspect of the package fails the ATOL protection means the holiday company will need to book an alternative flight for you at no extra cost.
What’s excluded?
At the moment the one area where companies are not obliged to give ATOL protection is airlines. Therefore if a package holiday is sold by an airline there is no guarantee all parts of the holiday will be covered.
How can I protect myself if I don’t book a package deal?
What happens if you book each part of a trip on its own with the help of the internet. This means there's no ATOL protection, so if one arm of the trip goes bust there's little you can do. This is why it’s essential you have the right level of travel insurance, should something go wrong and it’s worth reading the small print first to make sure you’re covered for delays if a company falls into insolvency.
Booking with a credit card will also give you some cover if each purchase is worth more than £100 you'll be protected under the Consumer Credit Act (1974).
Accountancy service provider PayStream launches mobile phone app for contractors
The app will help contractors better manage their expenses.
It makes claiming appropriate expenses more convenient and easier than ever before.
PayStream, the leading provider of accountancy services for contractors and freelance workers, has launched a new mobile phone app making it even easier for contractors to manage their expenses and receipts.
Available on iPhone and Android devices, the app is free to download and delivers a platform from which contractors can claim their expenses more quickly and accurately.
The three main benefits of using the app are:
Flexibility - previously, using a PC or laptop would have been essential, but this app provides contractors with far greater flexibility to claim their expenses on the move at any time of day.
Speed - it's simple to use and a claim can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Convenience - contractors can now take a picture of the supporting receipts and directly upload them. This saves them time and avoids the inconvenience of posting or scanning copies of receipts, ensuring claims can be made more quickly.
Paul Malley, Managing Director of PayStream, says: "Claiming appropriate expenses is a key driver of contractor's net income when working through an umbrella company, so our goal is to make this process as convenient and straightforward as possible. The contractor can easily record their expense claim and upload the supporting receipts with the simple new app”.
"The app will also benefit limited company contractors because as well as recording their expense claims, they may also choose to upload copies of their receipts for safe keeping - meaning lost receipts will become a thing of the past.
"Our promise to our contractors is to keep our services as simple as possible and the release of our mobile phone app is just one of many initiatives that we’ve been working on."
Source: www.recruitment-international.co.uk
Lost luggage: your rights
If your luggage has gone missing following a flight, what should you do? We take a look at your rights and how to make a claim.
Lost luggage - it's the holiday nightmare we all dread.
The baggage carousel starts out packed, as you're surrounded by your fellow holiday-makers. But suddenly there's fewer bags, fewer people waiting, and then it stops. You’ve made it but your bag hasn’t.
So what are the rules on what you should do when your luggage has gone missing? And who coughs up for your case?
| What to do first |  |
Then ask to fill out a ‘Property Irregularity Report’ (PIR) and make sure you include details of where you can be found - so your hotel, or home address if you’re on your return - along with contact numbers.
Who pays for any emergency essentials?
If you’ve arrived on holiday but your bag hasn’t, your airline may cover the cost of buying essentials like a change of clothes or toiletries. But this won’t mean an unlimited spending spree. Airline procedure varies - according to the Civil Aviation Authority, while some may give a cash payment, others simply offer reimbursement further down the line.
So the rule is to buy just the bare minimum in the way of essentials and keep all your receipts.
Most travel insurance policies will also cover you for delayed baggage, but you’ve usually got to wait at least twelve hours before this kicks in. Beyond this time limit Saga’s travel insurance pays up to £250, and with LV= it’s also £250 on a basic policy or up to £500 with its premier version.
Others, like the premier cover from Protectyourbubble, pay £75 a day (up to a maximum £300), but this is for the outward journey only. So if your bag’s delayed on the home journey, however inconvenient, you won’t get anything.
When’s a delayed bag ‘lost’?
Some airlines class bags as ‘lost’ once they’ve been missing for 21 days, whereas others (like British Airways) claim to keep looking for up to 90 days before they’ll admit a bag is finally ‘lost’.
It's worth knowing that insurers will usually wait for the airline to count your bag as ‘lost’ before they’ll look to settle a final payout.
Should I claim from my airline or travel policy?
Airline liability is limited. Under the Montreal Convention (which covers lost and delayed baggage and flight delays) the maximum payout for a lost case and contents is around £1,000, although in most cases the Civil Aviation Authority says passengers won’t get anything close to this.
Airline payouts aren’t based on ‘new for old’ cover either, so we’re talking the value of your case and contents at the time it’s lost.
If you’re claiming the loss from your airline you need to submit a claim for a ‘lost’ bag within seven days. You’ve got 21 days, after receiving your bag back, to make a claim for any costs relating to ‘delayed’ luggage. However as some airlines won’t officially class bags as ‘lost’ until three weeks or beyond it may be a case of a further wait once your claim has been submitted.
Travel insurance policies often have much higher payouts, but insurer small print may state that you try to claim from your airline first before relying on your travel policy, as is the case with NFU Mutual. With both Saga and NFU Mutual the maximum payout for lost luggage is £2,500, while you can get up to £3,000 with the LV= Premier policy and up to £1,500 with Halifax and Direct Line.
Another bonus to claiming on your travel insurance is that some policies will cover ‘consequential loss’. This is the ‘knock on effect’ of any loss. So if your case is delayed and you miss the start of a pre-booked tour waiting around for it, your airline won’t cover this but your travel insurance might.
Can I only claim for ‘checked-in’ luggage?
Carry on luggage is naturally much less likely to be lost as it’s usually under the seat in front or overhead locker next to you. But if it’s a full flight and you’re last on you can end up having to pack your bag in a locker several rows behind.
If this happens, take out anything of value including your money, passport, phone, keys and return tickets. While most travel policies will cover lost or stolen cabin bags, airline liability is limited to ‘hold’ luggage only, unless you can prove any damage or loss is the direct fault of the cabin crew or airline.
Keep your luggage safe
No system is foolproof so tag bags with your name, destination airport and a contact number. I always write my name and mobile number on a big sheet of paper inside my suitcase.
Most case colours tend to be dark so make use of bright stickers or name straps so yours is easy to spot. This also reduces the chances of someone else picking it up by mistake!
And when it comes to your holiday packing always keep receipts for new luggage or clothes, just in case you later have to prove the value of any items that were in it.
Source: www.lovemoney.com
Brazil: Odgers among £70m Rio 2016 deals for UK firms
UK-based executive search firm Odgers Berndtson has entered into a partnership to provide executive search services for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is one of 22 British companies to have won a combined total of 36 contracts worth £70m for Brazil’s 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).
Other companies include Blue Cube, which will provide 64,000 seats for a football stadium in Fortaleza, stewarding training provider AKONA, and professional services firms Ernst & Young and PwC.
Prime Minister David Cameron comments: “This summer Britain set a new Olympic benchmark. We delivered London 2012 on time and under budget, and showed the world that Britain has the skills, capacity, creativity and expertise to put on the greatest show on earth.
“With UK companies already working closely with Rio 2016, winning contracts and building business links, we are in an ideal position to boost British business in Brazil from Rio 2016 and beyond.”
There have been 160 Olympic missions to and from Brazil on planning and delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, covering everything from transport to budget monitoring, sustainability to volunteering, says a BIS statement, which claims that “no two adjacent host nations have worked so closely together”.
Russian World Cup stadium bill put at over US$ 6 billion
Luzhniki stadium in Moscow is scheduled to hold the closing game of the 2018 World Cup.
Russia will invest RUR 162 billion (US$ 5.1 billion) to RUR 199 billion (US$ 6.2 billion) modernising the 15 stadiums expected to be used in the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. An additional RUR 22 billion (US$ 674 million) will be spent on training centres for the teams taking part, according to consultancy PMR.
According to PMR, Russia has put forward a short-list of 13 cities for the 2018 event - Moscow, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Sochi, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd and Yekaterinburg. This is expected to be reduced to the final list of 11 host cities by the end of the year, based on FIFA selection criteria that include the availability of infrastructure.
 | Five proposed stadiums are already under construction in St Petersburg, Saransk, Kazan, Sochi and the Spartak Stadium in Moscow. The Luzhniki and Yekaterinburg Stadiums in Moscow are also having work done on them to modernise them. The Luzhniki Stadium has a capacity of nearly 90,000 spectators and was the focal point for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. It is widely expected to host the final game of the 2018 World Cup. |
The first venue to see work start was the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, in 2007, due to its role in the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, PMR says the peak of activity for the 2018 event will be 2013 and 2014, with most of the remaining projects expected to get underway in 2013, and completion of all 15 venues due in 2017.
In addition to at least one stadium, each host city is required by FIFA to provide a choice of four training sites, two of which will eventually be approved. Each centre must have at least one full-sized pitch and be within one hour of the nearest international airport and 20 minutes of the team hotel.
For Singapore expats, Johor homes a steal as Malaysians in housing pinch
More expatriates are opting to live on this side of the Causeway, drawn by cheaper and bigger homes in Johor, a Singapore paper reported recently while Malaysians are grappling to find affordable housing.
While Singapore’s expatriates eye the relatively cheaper houses in Malaysia, Malaysians especially those who have just joined the workforce complain that they cannot afford to buy houses. The Singapore dollar is worth about 2.5 times more than the Malaysian ringgit.
“Malaysia offered an affordable alternative,” the Australian wife of a Dutch national, Geert Hulst, working in the island republic, told Singapore’s Sunday Times, in an article published recently.
The Hulsts had bought a five-bedroom mansion in Ledang Heights, Johor which they said is five times bigger than their Singapore condo and are part of a 100-strong expatriate community there which is growing. Their two children are also studying in Johor’s Marlborough College after it opened in August, the weekend edition of the Singapore Straits Times (ST) reported.
The shift from Singapore to Johor by expatriates looking for “affordable” housing solutions started about five years ago, developers and property agents told Singapore’s Sunday Times.
They are increasingly moving to the Nusajaya township, which is part of Johor’s Iskandar Malaysia economic zone that was set up in 2006.
ST reported that the housing projects of Horizon Hills, Leisure Farm Resort, and Ledang Heights in Nusajaya enjoy warm receptions.
The houses chalk up a monthly rental between RM8,000 and RM20,000 while bungalows are valued in the range of RM2 million and RM7 million.
Property agent Jerry Lim commented on the housing trend, saying that “there has been no looking back” since the opening of schools in the Iskandar Educity.
About half of UEM Land’s properties are sold to non-locals including Singaporeans, the main developer for Nusajaya’s housing projects told ST.
“With projects such as Marlborough College, Legoland, Pinewood Studios, and hospitals and universities completed or nearing completion, there is not the same level of risk associated with investing,” said David Bochsler, director of sales and marketing of Exhale, a firm that builds houses in Nusajaya.
Bochsler, who stays in Johor with his family but works in Singapore, was referring to the various new developments that made the Iskandar Malaysia region more attractive to homebuyers.
An expatriate from Holland, Geert Hulst, travels 45 minutes daily to work in Singapore, while his two children now study in Johor’s Marlborough College after it opened in August.
His wife points to the growing expatriate community in Ledang Heights, saying that: “When we first moved in, we were the 10th expat family from Singapore in the estate. Now there are easily more than 100 expat families in the area.”
Many Malaysians staying in Johor also choose to travel to Singapore daily for work, taking advantage of the strength of the Singaporean dollar.
Recently, the federal government promised that it will not collect tolls from users of the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) expressway in Johor after a proposed take over from the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB).
The proposed move would benefit both Malaysians and expatriates living in Johor and crossing the bridge daily to work in Singapore.
The EDL bridge reportedly has a daily traffic volume of more than 50,000 vehicles.
Putrajaya has moved to address the people’s housing woes in its Budget 2013, with the prime minister this week announcing a list of state initiatives through Perumahan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (PR1MA) and government agencies Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Berhad (SPNB) and Jabatan Perumahan Negara.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that PR1MA will build 5,000 affordable houses expected to be priced 20 to 30 percent lower than the market rate in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Expat IT girls go global with support group
Here come the girls – 10,000 of them who have signed up for a professional ex pat network for women working across the world in IT.
Singapore is the latest city to fall to a charm offensive by Girls in Tech, following the relocation of founder Adriana Gascoigne from San Francisco.
She launched the group as a not-for-profit organisation in 2007 and has seen membership soar as ‘chapters’ opened in 38 cities, including London, Tokyo, Dubai and Shanghai.
Members cover the whole range of working in IT – from self-employed contractors, IT start-ups and students to tech companies like Microsoft and Google.
| “I was curious why there weren’t more women in the tech industry and so I started GIT for women to find out how to get along with older male employees, share best practices and ask for help,” said Gascoigne. |  |
“People are willing to take more risks in a sector that they don’t know much about. There is a lot of potential in Singapore and I would love to play a role in planting the Silicon Valley seed here.”
Women in Singapore are IT-savvy with one of the world’s highest penetrations for computer-ownership and internet usage, explained Gascoigne.
“Already hundreds of women have joined the group, a mix of expats and Singaporeans working in the IT sector,” she said.
Many female expats working in IT have to tackle adjusting to a new culture while working in a traditionally male-dominated workplace.
Girls in Tech offers mentorship, help finding jobs, courses and business collaboration.
Singapore is sinking investment in to developing as a technology hub with financial support for internet start-ups.
Gascoigne hopes support from Girls in Tech will help more women develop their skills and businesses by providing personal and professional support.
Source: www.iexpats.com
Queues to find out what overseas jobs are up for grabs
OFFICIAL statistics have revealed that the number of people who emigrated in search of work soared to 87,000 last year.
Recently, thousands more attended an event in Croke Park, Dublin, to learn how they could join them.
As a number of Irish and international organisations, including the British Columbia Construction Association, set up stands for the Jobs Expo, a queue of young people and families snaked down Jones's Road.
There were jobs in construction and engineering, while managerial and supervisory roles were also up for grabs with Diamond Global Canada.
But all that is on offer at home is a soul-destroying and seemingly never-ending search.
"I finished a journalism degree in May and have been job hunting since then," said Naomi Young, from Co Cavan.
"I have been to a number of these career fairs and I am considering emigrating. I don't really feel like I have much of an option," she said.
"I have applied for internships. I would take anything. All the jobs I am applying for are graduate-level jobs, but they still specify you need one or two years' experience, so I just can't see how can you get the experience they are asking for without being given a chance," she said.
Qualification
Her friend Dave Frawley (23), a fitter from Cabra in Dublin, has been cleaning toilets in a school since the downturn decimated the construction industry.
"I am trying to finish a trade but I can't find work experience to finish it out," he said.
"If I had my qualification, I could walk in to any number of jobs today, but without the qualification I can't do anything. I am cleaning toilets. I have not worked as a fitter for two years, which will go against me too."
Engaged couple Melanie Greene and Brian Cahill, from Milltown Malbay, Co Clare, say they are barely holding on.
"We have a kitchen and bedroom business. Brian is a qualified carpenter," Melanie said.
"When things were good they were very good but the last few years it has slowly been declining until we actually made a loss last year in our accounts.
"We are working now just to try to pay our suppliers. We have been thinking of going abroad for the last 12 months. We either put up with the way this country is going and shut up, or we do something about it. I have ended up on illness benefit from stress and because I am working for myself all I get is €15 a week."
Kate Butler, from Westmeath, who is hoping to find work abroad, is one of 10 children -- six of whom live in Australia.
"It is tough for my parents to watch each one of us go, but what can you do? There is nothing for us here," she said.
Source: www.independent.ie
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Conversations with Expats
Well we’ve heard from a few of our more experienced members this month, mostly looking for leads for work over 60. Now that is a hard nut to crack – if you rely on the official statistics/visa application rules. Most sources will tell you that most countries around the world have an age limit of 55-60 if you are lucky. Expat Network has members who are continually working at 55-60-65-70 and even 71 and 74 truth be told. So we have decided to do a bit of work around the subject with a view to a great feature in 2013. Yes the feature in Nexus will have contacts.
Talking of future features in Nexus next year – we’re going to be researching jobs and contacts for ex-military types and the lowdown on security in the very unsecure countries expats work in – 2013 is going to be a great year for Expat Network.
We always want to find out what our readers and Expat Network members want from the organization – right now we are planning our social media for 2013. What would float your boat? Blogs, real-time chat, improved forum space. Let us know by email: sheila.hare@expatnetwork.com
Forum Bytes
There are over 700 registered users on the forums at www.expatnetwork.com so why are only a few of you actually using the forums? We’re always surprised that more people do not go onto the forums at Expat Network. The expats who do use the facility are such a friendly and helpful group of people. This week they are helping each other with job leads.
Someone asked for info on any gas projects in Australia (there are so many of them) and an Expat Network member burst into the room (virtually you understand) to say he was working on a big project and would have a look for openings.
We think all 700+ should take a walk over to the forums and do some ‘bursting-in’ of their own! As a first project you can go in and add your own airport story – a few forum users have already done so, very funny! Oh! And if you like a laugh there’s a special place to put your jokes.
Q&A
How do I upload my CV?
Q: I signed up for a "trial membership" and I haven't been able to successfully add my CV. I "Browse" and "Open" but when I hit "Submit" it deletes the CV file I selected. My .docx version is 20 KB and my .pdf version is 161 KB. Is there a step I need to take before adding my CV?
A: I think the problem is that you have to fill in the online form – so job title, qualifications etc. covering letter. You fill in all the windows marked with an * and then upload your CV. If you do not fill in the form you cannot upload the CV. Also make sure that you scroll down to the bottom of the form once you have successfully uploaded your CV and make your CV ‘Active’.
Work Visa for China
Q: Could you tell me if I could get a work Visa for China? I have been offered a 2 year contract but my age is 65 years. At present I am working overseas in Asia with another 6 months to run, my position is QA/QC Coating & Insulation. The reason I am asking is I have been informed that 60 years is the limit.
A: We have had a quick look online and there does appear to be an age limit of 60 for getting a working visa for China.
We have found that to get a Chinese Working (Z) visa you need a "Foreign Expert Certificate" which has an age limit of 25-60 years and requires a Bachelors Degree and a minimum of 2 years working experience. However, some websites have suggested that while some provinces follow this recommendation, others do not and still others modify it to suit their local situation.
If you have been offered a position ask for the province you may be working in and put a search in Google, like, ………(province name) and visa age limit.
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