UAE to Qatar in 2.20 minutes

Blackberrys banned in the UAE

The Emirates' looming ban on BlackBerry e-mail, messaging and Web browsing services will extend to foreign visitors too, said the country's telecom regulator, raising the stakes in its dispute with the maker of the popular business tools.
Device maker Research in Motion Ltd. has so far declined to comment on the plan to suspend the services, which Emirati authorities announced Sunday.
The UAE contends some BlackBerry features operate outside the country's laws, "causing judicial, social and national security concerns." At the heart of their concerns is the way the BlackBerry handles data, which is encrypted and routed through the RIM's servers overseas, where it cannot be monitored for illegal activity.
Critics of the crackdown say it is also a way for the country's conservative government to further control content they deem politically or morally objectionable. The smart phones enjoy a following not only among the region's professionals, but also among tech-savvy youth who see their relatively secure communication channels as a way to avoid unwanted government attention.
The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority had left the question of phones run by foreign operators unanswered in announcing the ban, scheduled to take effect Oct. 11.
But in an e-mailed response to questions Monday, the regulator said the service suspension would apply to all users in the country, including visitors using roaming services on foreign BlackBerry phones.
"Roaming for BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry Web browsing will also be suspended," the TRA said in its unsigned e-mail. "They won't be able to use the mentioned services in (the) UAE as it's suspended (in) the country."
That would put BlackBerry service out of reach for business travelers and others passing through the Mideast's busiest airport in the international business hub of Dubai, which averages about 100,000 passengers a day.
The UAE has singled out BlackBerry devices for scrutiny before.
Last year, RIM criticized a directive by the UAE state-owned mobile operator Etisalat telling the company's BlackBerry users to install software described as a service upgrade. Tests showed the download actually installed spy software on users' phones that could allow authorities to access private information stored on the handsets. It strongly distanced itself from Etisalat's decision and told users how to remove the software.
The TRA says there are 500,000 BlackBerry subscribers in the UAE.
Telecommunication officials in Saudi Arabia have also said they are planning to curtail use of the BlackBerry messaging service, but not other services on the phones.

Ramadan to fall on 11th August 2010 : UAE Astronomer

Source: WAM 22nd June 2010
====================
The Muslim's fasting month of Ramadan will start on Wednesday, 11th August 2010, and the Eid Ul Fitr will fall on Friday, 10th September 2010, according to a UAE astronomer.
Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Astronomy Researcher and Supervisor of Sharjah Planetarium, said the crescent moon of the holy month of Ramadan will be astronomically born on Tuesday, 10th August 2010, at 7:08 am (UAE time) and will disappear after sun set on the same day and Wednesday will the first day of Ramadan.
''The crescent moon of Shawwal will be born on Wednesday 8th September, at 2:30 am local time and sink down 14 minutes before sun set.
''It's impossible to sight the crescent by naked eye at that day and therefore Friday (10th September) will be the first day of Shawwal,''he said.
Citing astronomical calculations, he added that this year's summer season will begin on 22nd June and end on 23rd September but it will start on 21st June in the UAE at 3:28 pm when the sun is directly overhead on the Tropic of Cancer.

Nescafe coffee in Dubai recalled over safety reasons

"Dubai Municipality says that the situation is not serious as the product [is] not commonly found in UAE."
Not serious? NOT SERIOUS?  They're kidding.  So there's the remotest chance of bits of glass in the coffee, oh for %^* sake, I'll sift it through my teeth if necessary.  This is a disaster of Titanic proportions. The reason Alta Rica is not commonly found here is because all us rabid 'Alta Ricans' raid the supermarket shelves and buy all the stock as soon as the Coffee Boat comes in to Dubai. After buying 8 jars from the last shipment, and kind friends also buying jars for me when they saw them, I'm now down to the last half a jar. NOT SERIOUS? Aaaaagh! Does anyone know the baggage allowance for bringing jars of coffee into the country? Can we still get it in Oman? Can I swap my alcohol allowance at Customs for a coffee allowance?
Source: Gulf News 20th May 2010
Photo: http://www.nescafe.co.uk
=======================
A range of Nestle coffee has been recalled over concerns that the jars may contain fragments of glass, the manufacturer announced in a press statement.
Products that may be affected are in a speciality soluble range in 100g jars, including the Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Columbie, Suraya and Espresso types, which have a distinctive plastic sleeve.
Some of the jars may be susceptible to breakage during the delivery process to our customers and consequently may contain small pieces of glass, the statement read.
However, Dubai Municipality said that this isn’t serious.
“This is not a serious issue as the product is not commonly found in the UAE,” Khalid Mohammed Sharif, Director of Food Control department at Dubai Municipality said. 
“The product is produced in South East Asia and is only found in limited quantity and in select stores,” Sharif explained.
He added that the recall is only a precautionary measure and that Nestle had already informed the Municipality of its decision to recall.
“We were informed about it two days ago by Nestle as they wanted us to be in the picture. We have since taken all the necessary action is such situations and made sure the product is removed from stores.”
The Nestle statement continued: “The quality and safety of our products is a non-negotiable priority for our Company. Only products in this specific jar format are affected. We will be changing the packaging format before we reintroduce this coffee range to the market,” the statement continued. It also included an apology to consumers and customers for any inconvenience.

Internet 'down' in Dubai

The internet was 'down' in Dubai for 20 minutes this morning, no YouTube, no blogs, no newspapers, no Facebook, no explanation.  Every website except, interestingly, Bank of America and Citibank seemed to be blocked.  When a site is banned in the UAE the screen on the left appears.  Its Um Saloom from the UAE cartoon series 'Freej' telling you that the site you want is very naughty and that you ain't goin' nowhere.  The lurid pink background is quite a surprise initially but that passes.

And now for something completely different

Sand drags from the emirate of Umm al Quwain in the UAE.  Love it.

Internet ban for tourists

Sigh...why doesn't someone think these things through before making a public announcement?  The latest idea reported in Emarat al-Youm a UAE Arabic language newspaper, is to restrict use of 'public internet' to holders of UAE National ID cards only.  Public internet would include hotels, coffee shops, the airport or internet cafes.  And who uses these places for net access?  And who doesn't have an ID card? Why, every tourist who comes to Dubai.  Can you imagine a visiting businessman coming to Dubai and finding he is banned from using the internet?  The people this ban seeks to target aren't sitting in internet cafes surrounded by tourists writing emails to Mum or playing "Halo".  They're in their own homes in a room with the door shut.
Tourists expect access to the net while they travel, business people expect internet access so they can do business.  All this ban will do if it comes into effect, and surely someone will see sense before then, is to make selling Dubai to tourists/businesses even harder. 
Source: ArabianBusiness
=========================
People will be barred from accessing the internet publicly in the UAE without a national identity card under an initiative by the Interior Ministry to crack down on cyber crime and child sex abuse, UAE daily Emarat al-Youm reported on Wednesday.
The initiative will allow authorities to monitor everyone who accesses the internet from public locations such as internet cafes, coffee shops and malls, the Arabic newspaper said.
Emarat al-Youm said the Interior Ministry is working with the Emirates Identity Authority to introduce the internet restrictions.
The newspaper said the restrictions would be come into force “soon”, without being more specific.
The UAE aims to issue mandatory national ID cards its citizens and expatriates by the end of 2010 under an ambitious population registration programme.
The single card is expected to later replace other forms of identification in the UAE such as labor permit, health card and driving license.
Emarat al-Youm said the technology would also be made available to parents to monitor their children’s internet use.
Major General Nasser Lakhraibani-Naimi, Interior Ministry secretary-general, said the initiative would “develop levels of awareness and protection of children against the potential risks from the use of the internet”.

Etisalat says UAE internet service fully restored

Source: ArabianBusiness 29 April 2010
=======================
Originally Etisalat said on Tuesday that it expected the work to be completed by Friday April 30.(supplied)Repair work on a damaged Mediterranean Sea cable, which had caused internet problems in the UAE, has been completed and internet services in the UAE have returned to normal, according to telecoms company Etisalat.
“Etisalat announced today that the cable repairs on the submarine cable (SE-ME-WE-4) have been completed and the Internet services have been fully restored. Etisalat has re-routed the internet traffic to the submarine cable (SE-ME-WE-4) that has now been completely restored,” the company said in a statement issued Thursday.
“Etisalat customers did not face major slowdowns in Internet browsing owing to its robust network with multiple redundant links to major global Internet hubs in Asia, Europe, and USA,” it continued.
“Etisalat’s network has been so designed to avoid disruption of Internet traffic during such an eventuality. Etisalat has invested heavily in building a robust network with multiple redundant links to major global Internet hubs in Asia, Europe, and USA, so that the traffic can be re-routed to ensure that Internet services can remain operational at reasonable speeds in the UAE.”
Graham Nonweiler, group managing director of global telecoms specialists Nonweiler Associates, which monitors global internet cable connectivity around the world, confirmed that the SMW4 cable lit up early on Thursday morning and began operating again.
Originally Etisalat said on Tuesday that it expected the work to be completed by Friday April 30.

UAE: Sharjah police hunt for unmarried couples

Source: The National 22 April 2010
====================
Sharjah police are conducting a door to door hunt for unwed couples.  Officers have already arrested one couple living together in al Qadissiya since the new campaign began on Monday. Police say they will initially target more densely populated residential areas before spreading the net to include the whole emirate.
Police are knocking on doors and demanding to see evidence that couples under the same roof are married.
Brig Musa al Naqbi, the head of Sharjah Police CID, said yesterday: “We managed to find one couple, an Arab man and an Asian woman, illegally staying together. The couple also had two children. One was two years old and the other one was four.
“This campaign is continuing throughout Sharjah because women and men having children outside wedlock is not allowed in the UAE, as well as being against Islam.”
Couples found to be breaking the law will be referred to public prosecutors, and lawyers say they could technically face lashes under the emirate’s strict Sharia.
Salah Mabrouk, a Dubai based lawyer who regularly handles cases in Sharjah’s courts, said: “First of all, we need to know that such cases in this country are not guided by criminal laws but by Sharia law.
“In Sharia law the punishment for a fornicator is different to one of an adulterer, a fornicator is lashed 100 lashes while an adulterer is stoned to death.”
However, Mr Mabrouk said it was more likely that offenders would face a prison term of less than a year, followed by deportation if they were expatriates.
Brig al Naqbi said the couple arrested in al Qadissiya have confessed to cohabiting out of wedlock.
One unmarried couple who live together on weekends in Sharjah said they were worried about being caught in the new campaign.
“I am afraid to go back to his house, I don’t know if the police don’t want lovers to meet as well,” said the Filipina woman, who works as a sales assistant.
Her partner, an Egyptian Muslim, felt slightly safer because the pair are not together under one roof during the week.
“Unless some evil person tips police that she has come, their search would most likely find me alone at home,” he said.
Under federal law, cohabiting couples face two possible sets of charges depending on their circumstances, according to Jouslin Khairallah, another Dubai-based lawyer whose case load often takes her to Sharjah.
“If you have a flat with a man living in one room and a woman living in another, they would immediately face an unlawful residency charge,” she said.
However, if it could be proved that the couple were sharing a room, they could be charged under "crimes of honour" legislation that carries a heavier sentence of up to three years in jail.

UAE issues visas to stranded passengers

Source: Gulf News
photo: Juice Images===================
People stranded at UAE airports due to the volcanic ash will be issued the 96 hours visa at the airport, in an effort to ease their travelling procedures.
Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, has instructed concerned authorities to facilitate the visa process for people affected by the crisis.
Affected people can approach the passport control officer upon their arrival at the airport and can be issued visa according to the 96 hours visa rules.
Shaikh Saif’s humanitarian initiative comes in line with the UAE’s keenness to help affected people, ease their visa procedures and alleviate their ordeal.
Tim Clark, President of Emirates said: "About 30 of our aircraft are grounded which represents about a fifth of our fleet".
Emirates is losing about $10 million (about Dh37 million) in revenue a day, plus another $1 million (about Dh3.7 million) a day that it is paying to accommodate Emirates passengers, Clark said in a statement.
Flights from the UAE to Europe will resume only after airports are reopened. No schedule has yet been given.
Germany's Lufthansa and Air Berlin said that decisions to close airspace were not based on proper testing and that their aircraft showed no signs of damage after test flights without passengers.
"The flight ban, made just on the basis of computer calculations, is resulting in billion-high losses for the economy," Lufthansa spokesman Klaus Walter was quoted as saying.
By some estimates, between 35-40 per cent of the world's goods move by air.
Scientists have said the Icelandic eruptions could continue on and off for months, potentially meaning more delays and closures.
The International Air Transport Association has warned that the travel mayhem was costing airlines more than $200 million (about Dh735 million) a day.

Expat workers pose threat to our existence - Minister

Source: Gulf News
=======================================
Speaking at the 15th Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) annual conference in the capital, Dr Majeed Al Alawi, Bahrain's Minister of Labour, said, "No one would ever believe that the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries, which employ 17 million foreign workers, have more than one million unemployed citizens."
Expatriates who come to the Gulf region for jobs on time-bound assignments never leave, and pose a threat to "our existence", a Bahraini minister warned on Tuesday.
Speaking at the 15th Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) annual conference in the capital, Dr Majeed Al Alawi, Bahrain's Minister of Labour, said, "No one would ever believe that the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries, which employ 17 million foreign workers, have more than one million unemployed citizens."
He added that "this influx of foreigners poses a threat to our existence," citing the situation in Singapore and the Maldives, "where foreign workers had been brought on temporary contracts and are now ruling these countries."
Dr Al Alawi, who is driving labour reforms in Bahrain, said the economic crisis has caused 50 per cent of projects in the Gulf to come to a halt. "But this has not been accompanied by a decline in the numbers of foreign workers.
"He who thinks this foreign manpower in the region comes for completing a project and leaves once it is completed is wrong. They come to stay. They buy and sell in their market created on our lands but accommodate no Arabs."
Dr Al Alawi, who was an opposition activist living in exile in London, returned home after the Bahraini ruler declared an amnesty for opposition figures in 1999.
On national identity, he said: "This way countries were lost and we, in the Gulf, are facing the same threat. If this is not happening now, it will happen in the next generation."
Another aspect of the crisis, he said is that the construction sector, which only contributes 8 per cent to the GDP, but accommodates 40 per cent of the foreign workforce.
Dr Al Alawi has advocated ending the sponsorship system and allowing free movement of expatriate workers between jobs in the GCC countries.

Stereotypes won't save lives on the UAE's road

If you listen in to 'small talk' at any gathering in Dubai, the first topic won't be the #1 icebreaker in the rest of the world, the weather.  In Dubai, the hot topic will be the roads and the poor standard of driving which is usually illustrated by someone's most recent near-death experience.  Its lethal not only out on the roads themselves, you're not even safe walking on controlled pedestrian crossings either as I know from experience. 
In answer to a recognised problem of dangerous driving, the UAE government has released a 'study' which purports to show that women drivers are causing accidents and traffic jams by driving too slowly thereby causing, nay, compelling, irate drivers to speed, flash their lights, tailgate or rip down the hardshoulder of the highway at high speed. To push the analogy, I suppose some of these impatient drivers then die in high speed pile-ups that are of course, no fault of their own but are caused by the 'soft driving' of female motorists (A familiar ring? You know, 'its not my fault, he threw himself on my cattle prod etc').
Rather than resorting to 'studies' of useless stereotypes why not tackle at least one real problem head-on, do something about parents who allow unrestrained children in their cars, how about huge fines for parents who care so little about their children that they will, for example, drive on SZR at high speed with a child on the driver's lap.
Consider the road toll in Saudi Arabia, its the highest in the world, in 2009 it was 44 deaths per 100,000 people, the number of female drivers involved......zero.
Source: Arabian Business
Photo: Uppercut Images
==============
We get all sent all sorts of suspect publications here at Arabian Business, but this week’s clear winner is a report entitled ‘Soft Driving: Confusing for Others, or a Model?’
‘Soft driving’ is a moniker that has been attributed to the “more deliberate” approach of female drivers, who are “by nature less rushed”, according to the report from the UAE’s Ministry of the Interior. So really, it should say ‘Women Drivers: Confusing for Others, or a Model?’
It seems like an odd question to ask in the first place, as anyone in the UAE who claims ‘confusion’ at the sight of a woman behind the wheel probably shouldn’t be driving themselves. I wouldn’t like to be on the same stretch of road as a driver who flips out that easily: do they lose hand-eye coordination completely, or just forget where they live? Either way, they sound like a genuine danger, so take away their keys.
For the record, the study finds that of the 3,172 road traffic accidents that were recorded in Abu Dhabi last year, just 256 accidents were caused by women drivers. Men caused a shocking 92 percent of all accidents, fender-bending their way into the record books and contributing manfully to the 963 sorry corpses scraped off UAE roads in 2009.
So if they can’t blame the carnage on women, then what’s going on? In another report issued at the beginning of the month, not leaving enough distance between vehicles was identified as the cause of 547 accidents last year.
That was followed by lack of concern for other drivers (542), not ensuring the road is clear before entering (531), and lack of lane discipline (324). 267 accidents were caused due to jumping the red signal, 148 due to reckless driving and 122 due to speeding.
Of the above categories, ‘lack of concern for other drivers’ is the only one that could possibly encompass that deadly sin of soft driving (aka driving like a girl). That leaves an awful lot of death and destruction squarely on the shoulders of those whose primary concern is to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, regardless of how safely they do it.
The Abu Dhabi police handed out 135 fines to motorists driving below the minimum speed limit on highways and inner-city roads last year. Fair play, those drivers broke the rules, and were punished. But let’s not miss the point: slow drivers are more of a nuisance than a menace, and should be the least of the Ministry’s worries.
Let’s spend less time asking odd questions based on baseless stereotypes, and more time targeting those who race down our roads as though they are playing some videogame in which no-one is really killed, maimed, widowed or orphaned.
It’s the impatient, inconsiderate idiots that overtake recklessly and without a care for other road users, who deserve to be the focus of our opprobrium. Someone should remind them that it’s better to get to their destination a few minutes late, than never at all.

Visa rules change in the UAE....again

This article is from the 'Gulf News' dated 17 Jan '10 stating that visitors will be refused re-entry to the UAE if they take even a short trip outside the country (to Oman for example).  The article makes no mention of the 33 countries whose citizens are automatically issued with a 30 days visa on entry into the UAE with one renewal.  Has that changed now?
Or are these 'new' visa rules the same as were published in the 'Gulf News' on 10 July 2008 and 11 Nov 2009?
===========================
Visas for visit, transit and tourism are valid only for a single entry into the UAE, said a senior official at the Ministry of Interior, adding that visitors cannot return using the same permit even after a trip to a neighbouring country.
Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of the Dubai General Department for Residency and Foreigners Affairs, told Gulf News: "A visitor needs to get a new entry permit to re-enter the country once he or she leaves the country for any destination. The new entry permit will be issued only after one month from the date the visitor leaves the UAE."
Major General Al Merri was responding to a question about visitors who face difficulties in returning to the UAE after a short sightseeing trip to Oman or after leaving in a hurry for a meeting in Bahrain.
They cannot re-enter the UAE immediately since a new visa will be issued only after a gap of at least one month.
Application
The rule applies even if the visitors leave the country before the expiry of their entry permits, he said. "They have to wait for one month before applying for another entry permit."
Major General Al Merri said this happens to some people who arrive on tourist or visit visas to see family or friends or visit the country as tourists.
"They stay here for few days and then decide to go to Oman, Bahrain or any nearby country. These people believe they can return to the UAE using the same entry permit as they stayed here only for a few days.
"They think the entry permit is still valid since they did not use it till the expiry date," he said.
Major General Al Merri said the department, however, could take into consideration any exceptional circumstances pertaining to a particular visitor. But such a decision is taken on case-by-case basis.
"We want to make it easy and enjoyable for people who want to visit our country. But they should adhere to the rules," he said.
Multiple entry
Multiple entry visas are an option for businessmen who are frequent visitors to the UAE and who have a relationship with a reputable company here.
This visa is valid for six months from the date of issue and costs Dh1,000. However, each visit must not exceed 30 days.
Visit, tourist and transit visas are only for single entry.

If you didn't laugh, you'd cry

The Eggplant's take on the acquital.
==================
An Afghan grain dealer, Mohammed Shahpoor, has been convicted in a United Arab Emirates court of repeatedly running into the fist and torture instruments of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the half brother of Abu Dhabi’s president. The decision was handed down after Sheikh Issa was cleared of all counts of torture stemming from the same altercation between the two individuals in 2004. The incident became internationally known when a videotape of the event was broadcast on ABC News. “I was standing in the desert with my cattle prod, my rusted-nail board and my clenched fist minding my own business” explained Sheikh Issa to reporters outside the courthouse, “and this Afghan man came out of nowhere and repeatedly bludgeoned himself on my fist and various accessories. When I tried to drive away, he ran right under the tires. What really shocked me was when he tried to sodomize himself on my cattle prod. I mean really, what has the world come to?”

In the video of the altercation between Sheikh Issa and the Afghan grain dealer, the Afghan is seen capturing sand in his mouth and spitting it onto Sheikh Issa.
Sheikh Issa became visibly upset when a reporter asked him whether Shahpoor’s human rights had been violated. “What about my rights?” Issa yelled back “what about my right to carry around my cattle prod in the desert without being molested?” When asked what he will do now that he was exonerated of all charges, Sheikh Issa responded by saying “I’ll probably beat the hell out of some immigrants.”
Shahpoor, who was fined 10,000 dirhams for inconveniencing Sheikh Issa, will be sentenced for the more serious crime of “Damaging Royal Property” in the next six weeks. The cattle prod remains inoperable. Several legal experts say that the Afghan will likely receive the death penalty. “Actually, a state-administered death is probably the best Mr. Shahpoor can hope for at this point, because if he is released back into the public Shekh Issa will probably kill him in his own way” said Jamal Said, a professor of Law at the University of Dubai. Shahpoor was unavailable for comment after the trial as he was bussed to a nearby construction site. “The UAE needs to squeeze as much manual labor out of him as they can before he is dead” said a court official who was responsible for prisoner transfers.
Some outside observers are hailing the trial as a landmark event and a sign of increasing judicial independence on the part of the court system. “Many criticize legal institutions inside the UAE because laws are formulated by the royal family on an ad-hoc basis and then promulgated by judges who are appointed by the same royal family” explained Cedric Johnson, a legal expert who has written a book on UAE judicial system , “but what we see here is a royal family member who was actually accused of a crime, stood trial and abided by the verdict. It clearly demonstrates the increasing robustness of institutions in the UAE.”

Petrol stations in the UAE to be self service

Just like in the 'old days' in NZ and Australia, in the UAE there are attendants at the petrol stations who put in the petrol for you, wash the windscreen, take the money and give you the change, you don't have to leave your car.  The petrol distributors are introducing self service, some stations already have it and more are to follow.  The concept of getting out of the car and doing the fill myself is no problem in winter here but in 50 degree heat during summer I really don't fancy standing in the sun pumping gas so I'll pay the extra and tip the guy who does it for me.  They say it will speed the process up, but how many times have you put petrol in the car, gone inside to pay for it and been stuck behind someone who's doing what seems to be their weekly grocery shopping or someone who's child can't decide between peppermint and strawberry.
PS for readers outside the UAE, credit cards cannot be used to pay for petrol in the UAE either, its got to be cash.
Source and photo: ArabianBusiness.com
==============================
Fuel station attendants will be available for an extra charge to motorists once Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) introduces its self service option later this year.
Customers using the new self service offering will pay a flat rate for their fuel but those still wanting to use an attendant will have to pay extra, the company said on Thursday without saying what the cost would be.
ENOC said the self-serve concept for motorists would "bring about time and cost efficiencies and also reduce the waiting time at the service stations" in a statement.
The company added that it was considering the implementation of the self-serve concept as an option across its network of 170 service stations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates by the end of the first half of 2010.
Some of its employees currently involved in attending to customers at service stations may be transferred to other service stations in line with the company’s expansion across the UAE while other may also be trained for other careers within the company.
"The group is looking at providing motorists the choice to fill up petrol on their own and pay at normal retail prices, or use the full-serve option by attendants at an additional fee," the statement added.
According to ENOC, the move "is in keeping with international trends and offering customers greater convenience" and follows the results of a pilot scheme held in 2008.
"By learning from global best practices and integrating these into its local petroleum retailing business, EPPCO/ENOC hopes to benefit customers and the UAE community at large," it added.
The company said it has recently invested AED50 million to "modernise and automate all its service stations, and enhance customer service, operational efficiency and environmental performance".
Services at the revamped stations will be managed from a remote facility, saving time and introducing new ‘interactive’ features for customers at the fuel pump. The new systems will be fully operational within the first half of 2010, the company said.

Facebook is 'down' in the UAE

Facebook is 'down' in the UAE....again.  Nobody seems to know why.  Something to do with Iran maybe?  Anyway if you add an 's' to the url https//:www.facebook.com you'll get onto the log-in page.

Dubai World cuts 25% of UAE staff in shake-up

Job losses continue in Dubai.  An interesting view expressed by the group CEO in this article that lays off = substantial achievement.

Source: ArabianBusinss.com 15 October 2009
=============================
25 percent of Dubai World's UAE staff have been cut as part of a restructuring process.Dubai World said on Thursday that 25 percent of its UAE workforce has been cut as part of a major restructuring of the company aimed at saving $800m.
In all, about 15 percent of its employees worldwide have been axed as part of the plan to create "significant cost savings and increased efficiency".
Company chiefs said Dubai World's businesses were now well prepared to "thrive in both the current climate and the still uncertain future environment".
The reorganisation builds on the changes announced in June, when management of Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the real estate activities of Dubai Maritime City moved to Dubai World real estate company Nakheel.
The company is scheduled to benefit by more than $800m in operating savings over the next three years, it said in a statement.
The total workforce managed by Dubai World companies globally has been reduced by about 15 percent to less than 70,000.
However, the reduction is around 25 percent in the UAE, largely as a result of the downturn in the real estate market in the region, but did not give an exact number.
Dubai World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: “Whilst the challenges we faced are not unique, with no global entity immune from the pressures of the world wide recession, we are confident that Dubai World and its subsidiaries are appropriately focused and properly structured to embrace the new global reality.
“Our diverse portfolio of assets around the world, together with our significant interests here in Dubai, provides us with an exciting and compelling future.
"With the reorganisation, the Group enters this next vital phase of our evolution better able to withstand all economic eventualities. Dubai World remains a testament to the vision of our government and the UAE as a whole, today and tomorrow.”
Group chief executive officer of Dubai World Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah said: “This organisational restructuring is a substantial achievement and I would like to thank all our employees and our customers for their continued loyalty through these difficult times.”

Lebanese speaker in UAE amid Shiite expulsion row

 Interesting article.  About a week ago a workmate told me of a "friend of a friend" a man of Iranian descent, who's been expelled from Dubai despite living here for nearly 30 years.... you never know here what's fact what's fiction so I took it all with a grain of salt...seems it was true.
Source: Agence France-Presse 13 Oct 09

=================================
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Monday began a visit to the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of expelling Lebanese Shiites thought to have links to Hezbollah.
The official WAM news agency reported that Berri met officials in Abu Dhabi, but it did not specify the subject of the talks.
In Beirut, parliament spokesman Ali Hamdan told AFP on Thursday that Berri would discuss the deportation of hundreds of Lebanese Shiites in recent months.
The Lebanese, who have lived in the UAE for years, were expelled on suspicion of having links with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, their representative Hassan Alayan charged last month.
The UAE authorities have not commented on the allegations.
According to Alayan, the expulsions began after Lebanon’s June 7 parliamentary elections which were won by the Western-backed Saad Hariri camp at the expense of a Hezbollah-led coalition supported by Iran and Syria.
Some 100,000 Lebanese currently live in the mainly Sunni Muslim UAE.

DNA testing for all residents of the UAE

Source: The National
========================
The UAE aims to start collecting genetic samples from residents within 12 months as part of its controversial DNA database project, the programme’s director said yesterday, making it the first country in the world to do so.
Dr Ahmed al Marzooqi, the director of the National DNA Database, also said the order for millions of people to allow lab technicians to collect samples of their DNA by swabbing their cheeks would probably be given as a security directive and not require the passage of new legislation.
“The first step is to set up the infrastructure and hire the lab technicians,” he said in an interview with The National.
“This should take us approximately one year.”
Then, he said, the UAE would start collecting DNA samples from the general public, beginning with juveniles.
“The aim is to eventually have a profile of the entire population,” said Dr Marzooqi, who is also the chairman of the DNA Working Group, made up of various police forces across the Emirates.
“Our goal is to sample one million per year, which could take as long as 10 years if you factor in the population growth.”
Some officials have suggested that the DNA programme may require new legislation, which would then need to be considered by the Federal National Council.
But Dr al Marzooqi said this might not be the case.
“We are not sure if this will go through the Federal National Council or not,” he said. “It could simply be decided as a security matter and not need the legislation of the FNC.”
The legislative route seems increasingly remote given that a new government department, the National DNA Database, has already been formed within the Ministry of Interior and collection kits ordered to help the police gather genetic material.
At present, only 5,000 DNA profiles are stored, all of convicted felons.
The notion of collecting DNA samples from non-criminals has raised ethical concerns about privacy protection.
In Britain, for example, such use of DNA was contested last year in the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that Britain must purge non-criminal genetic material from its database.
The UAE has not accepted the jurisdiction of any such body.
Even attempting such a database – in which DNA is gathered from the entire population, even those who have never gone through the legal system – is basically unheard of, said Sir Alec Jeffreys, the British genetics pioneer who invented the DNA profiling system.
He expressed concern over the lack of legislation required for a national database.
“It will be interesting to see how this develops,” he said.
“How this works out will really set the scene for how other countries approach this problem. If it’s seen as a great success which the population and citizenry fully endorse, I think it will open the way for a lot of other countries going down this route.
“If it turns into a disaster for whatever reason, that will be the end of the story. You are the interesting experiment at this point.”
Dr al Marzooqi, who is also Interpol’s single Middle Eastern representative in its DNA Monitoring Expert Group, said he was aware of the project’s challenges.
“We are certain the pros will outweigh the cons,” he said. “The issue of privacy is just as important for us as it is important for the public. We will implement strict usage rules and will take secondary tests in court cases to verify the identity matches.”
Other nations could use information from the UAE’s data bank, but not access the material, he said. Treaties and other international agreements would dictate the specifics.
“If there is co-operation with the country seeking the DNA profile, we share this information through Interpol – only the DNA profile, and obviously not the sample,” he said.
Because each country may have its own database of DNA profiles, Dr al Marzooqi said, databases would not be merged with those of any other country.
“Not every country who asks will be given this information,” he said.
The database, he added, would be “instrumental in helping with unsolved crimes, identifying unknown bodies and will also be a great help in major disasters, either man-made or natural”.
It is the latest development in a string of scientific methods the country uses in law enforcement. Most recently, eye-scan and facial-recognition programmes have been incorporated into the Department of Naturalisation and Residency’s efforts to build a national identity database. The compulsory National Identity Card, intended to cover the whole population of the UAE, also maintains personal identification information that could be merged with the DNA database.

Mercedes-Benz fake parts destroyed in Sharjah

Photo: Fotosearch

Article source: DriveArabia
================================
Thousands of counterfeit Mercedes-Benz spare parts worth over Dhs 8 million have been seized and destroyed after a major raid in Sharjah, UAE.
More than 65,000 fake commercial vehicle parts including brake pads, turbochargers, alternators, oil coolers, piston rings, gasket kits and belt tighteners were recovered in a joint operation between law enforcement authorities, a law firm and Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant.
Hundreds of boxes of the fake parts were seized in Sharjah industrial estate from a Chinese counterfeiter, who has a record of copying other brands and was earlier this year prevented from exhibiting at the Automechanika exhibition.
“We work very closely with the local authorities to beat the counterfeiters who are actively cheating companies out of millions of dirhams,” said Mr. Ivo Kapitski, Vice President and Director, After Sales, Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant. “We believe that this raid sends a strong message to the others dealing in fake auto parts and would like to thank the authorities for their hard work and diligence.”
Besides being illegal, the trade in counterfeit parts has a negative impact on the economy when it comes to national revenues. It could also have a possible fatal impact on drivers and their passengers if counterfeit parts such as brake pads malfunction, as well as reducing the brand-owner’s return-on-investment when it comes to unlawful exploitation for a quick profit by the counterfeiters.
“These parts are manufactured solely to make a quick profit. They use low quality materials and are not subject to the extensive quality tests that we perform at Mercedes-Benz,” added Mr. Kapitski. “Although the customers may think they have a good bargain, we advise them to report any kind of suspected parts to their local Mercedes-Benz distributor.