Rolls-royce to power Dubai water taxis

A fleet of new water taxis powered by Rolls-Royce waterjets is being introduced here by the Road Transport Authority to help improve transport infrastructure in this gulf city. This is the first order for waterjets for water taxis in the UAE where Rolls-Royce is already a supplier of marine, aerospace and energy power systems in the region. The first of ten catamaran-based vessels, a modern version of the traditional water taxi, is scheduled to carry out sea trials in August 2009. The Deliveries are due to be completed by early 2010. "Waterjets are ideal for these taxis because they are most efficient at speeds of about 30 knots and upwards," Esa Uotinen, the regional manager Marine, at Rolls-Royce said. "They are lightweight, simple to maintain and enables vessels excellent manoeuvre ability coupled with high speed," he said. Each water taxi is capable of more than 30 knots and will be able to carry 11 passengers. They will work around the Dubai Creek as well as the Dubai coast to provide a more modern, flexible and integrated public transport service.  The heart of a waterjet unit is a pump, usually driven by a shaft from a diesel engine or gas turbine, which draws in water through a sloping intake duct from under the boat's hull, and discharges it through an aft-facing nozzle.  The result is a thrust that drives the vessel forward. Fast patrol boats built by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) here are already powered by Rolls-Royce waterjets. Earlier, ADSB and Rolls-Royce signed a service agreement covering waterjets in the region and a new Marine Service Facility is expected to come up soon in Dubai.

'Bollywood king' SRK, Sonia in powerful people list

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and film star Shah Rukh Khan find place among the ‘50 Most Powerful People of the World’ selected by American newsmagazine Newsweek.

US President-elect Barack Obama tops the list.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Markel, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jim Jong II are other world leaders on the list.

Newsweek has selected Sonia as the 17th most powerful leader and says Indian political scene is riven by factions, but the Congress remains the strongest national force and rules unchallenged. "In the world's largest democracy, she is the queen."

The magazine says Shah Rukh, who is No. 41 on the list, is the 'King of Bollywood'.

"It's not just that his (Khan's) romantic flicks make gazillions—it's where those gazillions come from. Khan is huge in the Muslim world, even in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the mullahs ban his films. Their main appeal is certainly the song-and-dance numbers, but Khan makes devoutly secular films where love trounces bigotry," the magazine says.

Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, who controls the country’s nuclear weapons, is placed 20th on the list, which would be published in the January 2009 issue of the magazine.

Kayani, the mumbling and chain-smoking general, answers to President Asif Ali Zardari in theory, but he and his army remain the dominant power in Pakistan. "He's responsible for Pakistan's nukes; for the battle against al-Qaeda and its tribal allies along the Afghan border; and for managing tensions with neighbour India," the magazine says.

Kayani, till now, has kept the army out of politics and seems focused on the battle against 'jihadists'. "In the wake of the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Kayani stood firm on Pakistan’s sovereignty while also taking measures against the alleged sponsors of the outrage," it says.

A surprise inclusion in the list, which the magazine admits is subjective, is Osama bin Laden, the "global terrorist." He is No. 42 in the list.

The magazine says the presidency of Obama, the "intensely charismatic" Democrat, who will be inaugurated on January 20, will be judged on how he handles the economic crisis that now envelops the US and the world. "For Obama to be remembered as a great President, he has to do nothing less than rescue capitalism."