Month: July 2008
RTA legalises car-pooling
RTA legalises car-pooling
By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: July 22, 2008, 13:11
Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has legalised car pooling by launching Sharekni, “a share your car service.”
The move aims to give people a way to legally car-pool in Dubai and encourages motorists to share rides and cut traffic congestion.
Abdul Aziz Malek, CEO of the Dubai Taxi Agency at the RTA, announced the launch of the free service yesterday in the form of a dedicated website.
“The services comes after extensive field studies carried out by a specialist team in the Public Transport Agency (PTA) in collaboration with a global consulting firm, which found that car occupancy is 1.6 person per one private car and this is one of the factors that is worsening the problem of traffic jams on the streets and roads of Dubai,” he said.
Malek said those sharing cars with relatives and friends need not register. RTA inspectors check vehicles only if they suspect that someone is picking passengers up on the road or using their vehicle as an illegal taxi.
Database
He said the those interested in car-pooling should visit the RTA’s website to register.
The website offers various options, which includes a search to find drivers or passengers in a certain company or emirate.
The PTA will maintain a database of subscribers and car owners. Residents can log on to either one of the two websites, the dedicated website or the RTA’s website, and register to acquire a six-month valid permit and be part of the car-pooling service. Parties may agree a fee between themselves or share costs.
Malek said the maximum number of passengers in one car is four and all their names must be mentioned on the permit.
Currently, RTA inspectors issue a Dh5,000 fine to motorists for car-pooling or running an illegal taxi. The fine is aimed at stopping people from using their cars as illegal taxis. But there have been numerous complaints of motorists being fined while sharing cars with friends and colleagues.
Mohammad Bin Fahad, Acting Director of Planning and Business Development at the PTA, said the initiative will help lower costs commuters incur by using one car for sole use in addition to reducing stress caused by traffic jams especially during peak hours.
He said it will also contribute to reducing emissions from the large numbers of private cars, which means cutting pollution. “The service will also contribute effectively in reducing the phenomenon of illegal taxis, as all passengers in one car will have to be registered and their names mentioned on the permit which the driver will carry.”
For car-pooling register at website http://www.sharekni.ae or the RTA’s website http://www.rta.ae.
Stress buster
Residents said the service would not only ease traffic on roads but also minimise road rage. Almost all of them agreed it would also lessen the burden on their pockets.
Mohammad Rizwan, a Pakistani, currently car-pools. He said: “Five of us travel from Sharjah to Dubai Media City. All of us hold valid UAE driving licences and own a car. Each one of us takes turns to drive the rest of our colleagues to work every day. In my view car-pooling has lessened the stress level when driving in traffic and getting stuck. We all chit-chat and reach our office in a happy mood.”
Avinash G., an Indian computer analyst who lives in Bur Dubai, uses car-pooling to reach his place of work in Jebel Ali.
“There are four of us in the car. A couple of us get off on Shaikh Zayed Road while the rest get off in Jebel Ali. We are all charged Dh150 per month by the driver who runs this service. He is an office boy who after dropping us goes to work. He comes to pick us up after he leaves his work at 6.30pm. I have to wait half an hour after work for him but it’s worth the wait. I used to drive and I hated the traffic. I only take my own car out during weekends or to run errands,” he said.
Raziya Kazmi, a Bangladeshi who works as a secretary has no intention of getting a driving licence of her own. She lives in Hor Al Anz and has been making use of a car-pooling service run by an office boy. “I have been using the service for two years. I work in Rashidiya. We are charged as per the location of our workplace. For example I pay Dh200 a month, a fellow passenger whose office is on Shaikh Zayed Road is charged Dh250. The public buses are so overloaded and so I prefer car-pooling. It is economical.”
To register log on to: http://www.sharekni.ae
New procedures for visit visas to start soon
New procedures for visit visas to start soon
By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: July 22, 2008, 22:22
Dubai: Applications can be filed starting next Tuesday for new visit visas which were revamped under a Federal ruling last June, a senior residency department official said on Tuesday.
The new fee schedule for the visas, which range from visit visas to visas for medical treatment should have started August 1, according to an earlier announcement, but have been pushed forward due to the weekend holidays.
July 30 is an official government holiday. The rules apply to nationalities who currently have to get sponsorship before arriving in the country.
The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) and the Economic Department will meet with representatives of hotels, tourist agencies, hospitals and educational institutions on Wednesday to brief them on how the changes will be implemented.
Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of DNRD, reiterated the fact that all visitors should have health insurance cover and sponsors have to pay a Dh1,000 refundable deposit.
He said the visit visa holder will be allowed to enter the UAE once within two months from the date of issue of the visa. According to the amendments, there will be 16 new types of visas.
Residents can apply for a visa for their spouse or blood relative. Expatriates will not be allowed to sponsor friends. And sponsoring other blood relatives will require approval of a senior officer.
Under the new rules, expatriates cannot apply for relatives who wish to come to the UAE for medical treatment, only hospitals can.
‘No instructions given’
Typing centres still do not have a clue what applications to fill out when new visa rules come into effect.
“We are aware new visa rules will be implemented soon but we are still working on the same old visa and residency applications,” said Mohammad, an employee at a typing centre in Jafiliya, Dubai.
“So far everything in our system is the same, including the online fees. So far, we have no instructions on the changes,” said Ali at a typing centre in Sharjah.
The Federal authorities announced 16 types of visas and new fees under the revamped rules earlier in June. These include visas for medical treatment to entry visas for students.
Under the rules, expatriates are not allowed to sponsor friends to visit the UAE.
New visa fees in Dhs
Short Entry (visit) Visa – 500 (1 month)
Long Entry (visit) Visa – 1,000 (3 months)
Multiple Entry Visa – 2,000
Entry Visa for Study – 1,000
Renewal of Study Visa – 500
Entry Visa for Medical Treatment – 1,000
Renewal of Medical Treatment Visa – 500
Entry Visa for Expos and Conferences – 100
Tourism Entry Visa – 100
Renewal of Tourism Visa – 500
Entry Visa for GCC State Residents – 100
Renewal of GCC State Resident’s Visa – 500
Entry Visa for GCC State Resident’s Companions – 100
Renewal of GCC State Residents Companions’ Visa – 200
Mission Entry Visa – 200
Transit Entry Visa – 100
Source: B.A.J./GULF NEWS
Off-campus courses in Bharatanatyam
Off-campus courses in Bharatanatyam
The world’s first off-campus degree programme in Bharatanatyam offered through a joint venture of Bharathidasan University and Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, Tiruchi, is taking firm root in India and abroad.
For the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Diploma courses that are offered under the distance mode, the enrolment is poised to go up to 350 during the current academic year, from 220 last year. Enrolment started with 45 students in 2004-2 005. It increased to 62 students in 2005-2006 and 170 in 2006-2007.
Students from Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Assam in India, and from countries such as Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, France, Canada and the United States of America already benefit from these courses.
Those running dance schools, dance teachers, performing artistes, or those employed in any other profession, or doing any degree in any discipline in regular colleges, and housewives have enrolled for these courses.
Reputed cultural centres and art centres in India and abroad seek to be recognised as co-ordinating centres for the Kalai Kaviri Off-Campus Degree Programme.
Says Rev. Msgr. S.M. George, Founder and Director of the Off-Campus Degree Programme, who is also the Founder of Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Tiruchi: “The off-campus programmes have revolutionised the concept of promoting and popularising the fine art forms across barriers.”
Impressed by the concept, Bharatanatyam artiste Saraswathi promoting the cause of fine arts with Padma Vibhushan Dr. Balamuralikrishna for the past 20 years and Director of Vipanchee Natyalaya, Chennai, recommends her students who have dance schools all over the globe for admission to Kalai Kaviri Off-Campus programme.
Eligibility options for joining this programme is of a wide range.
A graduate in any other discipline with proficiency in full Maargam (practical and theory) in Bharatanatyam (but does not have a Diploma in Bharatanatyam from any university or government institution) can take a ‘Special Eligibility Test’ both in theory and practicals, for direct admission to M.F.A.
B.F.A. and M.F.A. courses in Bharathanatyam can be done concurrently or simultaneously by students undergoing other UG and PG degree courses in other disciplines in the regular colleges.
Those with a pass in Class X and ten years of experience in teaching Bharatanatyam can join B.F.A. And those with Plus-Two qualification and teaching experience can join the second of the three-year undergraduation programme through lateral entry.
The website http://www.kalaikaviri-offcamp.com provides more information. Application forms can also be downloaded.
R. KRISHNAMOORTHY for THE HINDU
DEWA brings awareness campaign to malls and private companies
DEWA brings awareness campaign to malls and private companies
Staff Report KHALEEJ TIMES Published: July 21, 2008, 13:20
Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a campaign to raise awareness of water and energy conservation among the public under the slogan “Now that you know, don’t let it go.”
The campaign is a sequel to the “Your Decision Campaign” that marked the introduction of a slab-based tariff system.
The new campaign, which will be implemented at government departments, private companies and shopping malls, seeks to educate the public on avoidance of wastage of water and power to conserve environment and natural resources.
The campaign focuses on behaviour of consumers when it comes to wasting water and electricity, through visual and written communications collateral, giving facts and explanatory messages on natural resources and the importance of saving them.
It uses various channels, including posters, to convey the message of water and energy conservation to governmental departments, private companies and in shopping malls.
DEWA is putting stickers on water taps and electric switches and distributing booklets and brochures to employees and visitors. Moreover, the campaign also uses portable advertising billboards showing its slogan and fact sheets.
The process of electricity production in Dubai requires 7,000 staff workers, 1,219 kilometres of overhead lines and 2,129 km of underground cables.
Water production needs 43 desalinating units and a 769 km pipeline to meet the consumers’ daily demand.
Mission visa holders must leave and return on work visa
Mission visa holders must leave and return on work visa
By Ahmed Abdul Aziz (Our staff reporter)22 July 2008
ABU DHABI — Workers who enter the country on temporary work permit (mission visa) must leave the country and re-enter if their sponsors seek employment visas, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Labour (MoL).
This was stated yesterday by the Acting-General Manager in the MoL, Humaid bin Deemas, during the ‘Open Day’ in the ministry’s office that was attended by nearly 100 people who sought to find solutions to their problems.
Bin Deemas rejected an application from a contracting company in the capital to apply for a permanent work permit to complete the formalities for issuance of employment residence visa to an engineer who had entered the country on mission visa.
“The engineer must leave the country because the mission visa was issued for three months and extended for three months. Hence, the worker must depart from the country and the company can then apply for an employment visa to bring him back and complete the formalities of either residence or employment visa,” Bin Deemas clarified.
He added that the ministry allowed the companies to bring workers on mission visas for a period of three to six months.
The mission visa costs Dh600 (including Dh100 application fee) in addition to Dh3,000 refundable bank guarantee. This three-month mission visa is extendable at a cost of Dh600.
“The worker must leave the country and the company must produce a statement from the Naturalisation and Residency Department (NRD) confirming that the person had left the country,” added Bin Deemas.
According to the Naturalisation and Residency Department instructions, there is no limit on the period that the worker should stay out of the country in case he had departed after the expiry of the mission visa until the issuance of fresh employment visa.
The ministry’ strongly stressed that the companies shouldn’t apply to bring in labourers who were banned from work in the country as these applications would be rejected and the firms would lose the Dh100 application fees.
There is no need to attest the academic certifications of the worker to get a mission permit issued, the ministry said.
UAE to shut 150,000-200,000 bpd oil output Oct-Nov
UAE to shut 150,000-200,000 bpd oil output Oct-Nov
(Reuters) 21 July 2008
DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates will reduce oil output by 150,000 to 200,000 barrels per day for 40 days in October and November for maintenance, an official at state oil company ADNOC said on Monday.
The scheduled shutdown will cut oil output from the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter by up to 7.5 percent. The OPEC-member pumped around 2.6 million bpd in June, a Reuters survey showed.
‘It’s for 40 days, around 150,000 to 200,000 bpd,’ the official at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The work will cut output just as consumer oil demand rises ahead of peak demand in the northern hemisphere for heating during winter. UAE crude is favoured by Japanese refiners making heating oil.
Refiners in Japan say the UAE has offered them more oil in September to compensate for lower volumes during the maintenance.
The offshore Lower Zakum and Umm Shaif fields will be partially shut down, the official added. Lower Zakum typically pumps at around 280,000 bpd, while Umm Shaif produces around 200,000 bpd.
JAPAN GAS IMPORTS
Work at a gas facility on Das Island will force the shutdown, the source said. ADNOC unit ADGAS plans to shut one of three processing facilities on Das that produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) — gas chilled to its liquid form for export.
Das receives natural gas produced at the offshore oilfields, and the only way the UAE could continue producing oil at full tilt during maintenance would be to burn the gas.
But the UAE has a strict no-flaring policy so will limit oil output to reduce the associated gas flow, the official said.
The Das facility exports around 5.5 million tonnes per year (tpy) of LNG, and around 85 percent of shipments go to Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) in Japan.
TEPCO has been forced to increase consumption of fossil fuels for power generation to offset the loss of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, which has been shut indefinitely since a major earthquake on July 16, 2007.
ADGAS officials were unavailable for comment on Monday. It was unclear how much LNG and natural gas liquids output would be affected by the shutdown.
The Lower Zakum and Umm Shaif fields are operated by ADMA-OPCO. State-owned ADNOC owns 60 percent of ADMA-OPCO, while the rest is held by BP, Total and the Japanese Oil Development Co.
The maintenance in 2008 will be lighter than in 2007, when work at offshore fields cut UAE output by 600,000 bpd.
News of the maintenance had little impact on the spot oil market, but it could support prices in the next few weeks.
‘It will add some pressure on the spot market, but it seems there has been no big effect until now,’ a trader said.
September-loading Murban, Abu Dhabi’s flagship crude, started trading last week at small premiums to the ADNOC official selling price.
ADNOC’s shutdown of about 600,000 bpd of crude in November last year sent premiums for Murban soaring to $1.20-1.30 a barrel above the official price as refiners snapped up the few remaining cargoes.
ADNCO then hiked its Murban official price to a near record-high premium to regional benchmark oil.
Emirates to do away with paper to cut weight
Emirates to do away with paper to cut weight
By Saifur Rahman, Business Editor GULF NEWS Published: July 20, 2008, 23:43
Dubai: Emirates airline said on Sunday it could reduce up to one tonne in weight by doing away with in-flight magazines, newspapers, entertainment guides and shopping catalogues. This is part of its cost-cutting measures.
“We are looking into ways to reduce the extra weight that will help reduce fuel emission and cut costs. By doing away with the printed materials, we could save up to one tonne in weight in an A380 aircraft,” an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News.
Emirates, which is the biggest customer of A380s, with 58 A380s on firm order, will receive its first super jumbo next week, which will be put into service a few weeks later.
With a reduction of two kilograms of paperweight per seat, the load could be reduced substantially.
Similar content
Emirates says it plans to feed similar content into its in-flight entertainment system – ICE – that will offer news, features and information including the in-flight magazine and catalogue.
“We are working on these to offer the passengers a better experience,” the spokesperson said.
“However, this means, we will have to subscribe to certain channels and suppliers.”
He said the airline will retrofit the new third-generation ICE system in all aircraft on the fleet, gradually.
Face recognition system to be installed at all UAE entry points
Face recognition system to be installed at all UAE entry points
By Samir Salama, Associate Editor
Published: July 20, 2008, 15:34
Abu Dhabi: In an attempt to enhance homeland security and deliver the highest level of public safety, a biometric face recognition system will soon be installed at all entry points in the UAE.
The highly-advanced technology will be used for the first time in the world, said Major Dr Fawwaz Khalil Dawood, head of the committee in charge of the system at the Interior Minister’s office.
“The system will perform identification checks of all people who enter the country and those at transit lounges from a distance and without their active participation,” he said.
A facial recognition system verifies a person from a digital image or a video frame by comparing selected facial features from the image and a facial database.
The system analyzes the relative position, size and shape of the eyes, nose, cheekbones and jaw.
It also identifies a face from a range of angles, including a profile view.
The technology was launched by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at Abu Dhabi international Airport last week.
How it works
The face recognition system performs identification checks on all people who enter the country from a distance and without the subjects’ active participation.
It ensures the person who checks in is the rightful holder of the passport.
The system also ensures the resident who enters the country is the same person who went out of the country.
It integrates the iris recognition system, currently being deployed at 35 land, sea and air border point across the UAE.
It takes just two seconds from the time of capturing the image to the time of responses and has a 0.5 per cent error.
The iris recognition system has blocked more than 250,000 deportees, who attempted to return to the country on forged documents, ever since it was deployed in 2003.
Chennai centre to offer kidney transplants across blood groups
Chennai centre to offer kidney transplants across blood groups
Sunday July 20 2008 20:36 IST IANS
CHENNAI: A hospital in this Tamil Nadu capital city on Sunday inaugurated a centre that will conduct complex kidney transplants using Japanese technology where the donor and the recipient need not have the same blood groups.
The MIOT group (Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumacare) has started the Institute of Nephrology in collaboration with the Tokyo Women’s Medical University, which has pioneered advanced kidney transplant technologies for many decades.
Normally when the donor and the recipient have different blood groups, the recipient’s body develops antibodies against the donor’s blood. The patient’s body then rejects the organ. Blood group matches are, therefore, imperative in organ transplants.
The institute will offer “kidney transplants across blood groups”. This means, anyone can donate a kidney to anyone, the blood group of donor and recipient do not have to match.
The procedure can revolutionise kidney transplant in India, where according to an AIIMS study every year 150,000 new kidney patients are added to the existing burden and diabetes and blood pressure cause a large number of kidney failures.
“This will hugely increase India’s kidney donor pool,” said P.V.A. Mohandas, the managing director of MIOT Hospital.
“We have entered into a knowhow and technology exchange understanding with the Japanese university,” he added.
“Japan is a pioneer in the field of incompatible blood group transplants,” Kazunari Tanabe, head of department of urology at the Graduate School of Medicine in the Tokyo Women’s Medical University, said here Sunday.
“Japan wants to associate with other Asian countries for further research in this technology and that is why we have decided to associate with this Indian institution,” Tanabe said.
The MIOT Institute of Nephrology, set up with an initial funding of about Rs.100 million, will provide about a 100 dialysis a day and will have two dedicated operation theatres for nephrology cases. It starts off with about 30 transplants a month.
Of every hundred patients treated at the institute, 20 will be poor patients whose treatment will be subsidised.
IGNOU to train students for career in BPO
IGNOU to train students for career in BPO
IANS New Delhi, July 19, 2008
The India Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will soon start a diploma programme to train students from across the country to take up jobs in business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, well known as call centres.
This will be a one-year diploma course conducted jointly by Accenture Services, a Bangalore based global technology service and outsourcing company.
“You know the BPO situation in our country. It’s a growing industry and the number of trained manpower required is huge. Here we have stepped in to provide trained human capital,” IGNOU spokesman Ravi Mohan told IANS.
Mohan said the varsity has already signed an agreement with Accenture. Candidates who have passed 10+2 or equivalent can apply for the course.
“It is just not outsourcing for foreign companies, many Indian companies, government offices too have opened and will open call centres for better customer relations.
“This course will create a pool of professionals who will be able to handle the job better and reduce attrition rate,” Mohan added.
Those having IGNOU’s certificate course in communication skills will have an edge but alternatively students shall be screened through a communication evaluation test.
The specialization would be offered in finance and accounting, insurance, banking, human resources, sourcing and category management, customer contact services, health care, pharma, engineering services, equity research, capital markets, order management and technical writing and learning services.
IGNOU shall ensure that the course will be imparted through a mix of education delivery channels across India including print, CD, web-based learning materials, contact sessions and simulated exercises labs for language and application learning.
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