Counterfeit goods valued at Dh1.6 billion were seized in 2016 in raids by consumer protection officers. Antonie Robertson / The National
Counterfeit goods valued at Dh1.6 billion were seized in 2016 in raids by consumer protection officers. Antonie Robertson / The National
Counterfeit goods valued at Dh1.6 billion were seized in 2016 in raids by consumer protection officers. Antonie Robertson / The National
Counterfeit goods valued at Dh1.6 billion were seized in 2016 in raids by consumer protection officers. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai Customs confiscate Dh72.6m worth of counterfeit goods


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Dubai Customs seized Dh72.6 million worth of counterfeit goods during 133 inspections in the first six months of this year.

The seized goods included electronic items, watches, glasses, clothing, fabrics, perfumes, cosmetics, medicines, medical equipment, tires, auto spare parts, telephones and accessories, computers and other imports.

The illegal merchandise was confiscated at Dubai Customs centres, which are equipped with advanced inspection equipment to efficiently guarantee the best results in controlling and seizing counterfeit products.

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"Intellectual property rights protection gains importance in the evolution of our national economy in the current stage, particularly with the UAE focusing on unleashing the spirit of creativity and innovation in government work and in society at large,” said Yousef Ozair Mubarak, director of IPR department at Dubai Customs.

"Accordingly, we put the protection of intellectual property rights on top of our priorities at Dubai Customs, and are working to improve the level of our performance in dealing with counterfeit goods, by providing the best levels of training to the staff and inspectors in the circuit, so as to enable them to detect counterfeiting and piracy efficiently, backed by the best innovations and technologies in the control and inspection field.”

What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

How to help

Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.

Account name: Dar Al Ber Society

Account Number: 11 530 734

IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734

Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Grubtech

Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi

Launched: October 2019

Employees: 50

Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)

 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Name: Marie Byrne

Nationality: Irish

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption

Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston

Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams