Dubai companies, including Nakheel PJSC, owe billions of dollars to Japanese companies who worked on projects such as the emirate’s metro and Palm Island, the National said, citing Japanese Consul General Seiichi Otsuka.

Some Japanese construction companies are facing serious problems as Dubai-based firms can’t pay their bills, Otsuka was quoted as saying by the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper yesterday. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and Taisei Corp are among those affected by the non-payments, the National reported.

Residents of Ras Al Khaimah will pay more for their gas cylinder from today.

According to the new price list issued on Sunday by the RAK’s Department of Economic Development, a standard gas cylinder has gone up from Dh78 to Dh85.

A 44kg cylinder is now being sold at Dh170 instead of Dh156 and 11kg cylinder will now cost Dh 45, up from Dh39. The new prices will be effective up to the month of December.   

The world’s water desalination capacity is increasing at a record rate, and nations must take care to minimise the environmental impacts, a report released yesterday in Dubai said.

The document, compiled by Global Water Intelligence, an industry publication, also said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE were, respectively, the world’s first and second biggest producers of desalinated seawater. The two countries also jointly have 10 of the largest desalination plants operating or under construction.

“As capacity grows, environmental impacts grow with them,” said Tom Pankratz, a director with the International Desalination Organisation (IDA) and editor of the Water Desalination Report.