UAE
End of the road for old vehicles
End of the road for old vehiclesBy Joy Sengupta (Our staff reporter)KHALEEJ TIMES 19 February 2008
DUBAI — If you have been driving the same car for many years, it is high time you got rid of it lest you are ordered to dump it. The Dubai Municipality, in coordination with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), is working on a mechanism to fix the roadworthiness of different vehicles according to the years of use. The move comes after the preliminary report of a study conducted by the Dubai Municipality revealed that 6 to 12 per cent of the vehicles registered in Dubai were harmful to the environment as they exceeded the permissible levels of emissions.
“It is an important option before us. We would be providing the RTA with all the figures related to pollution and gas emissions caused by different vehicles. The municipality has done a study on the emissions by both heavy and light vehicles. Our officials visited several locations in Dubai and readings were taken from the vehicles using remote-sensing technology,” said Redha Hasan Salman, Head of Environment Protection and Safety Section at the municipality.
“This technology allows us to work without disrupting traffic movements. We don’t have to stop any vehicle and readings are generated automatically. We would organise the presentation of the findings on March 1 so that a decision could be taken on fixing the roadworthiness of vehicles on the basis of year of use. Both the departments are working together to ensure that Dubai remains smoke- and pollution-free,” the official added.
Earlier, RTA sources had also stated that both the departments were conducting a detailed survey on all vehicles registered in Dubai to find out the number of old vehicles and measure the rate of pollution caused by various brands of vehicles.
The senior RTA officials have already said that they were trying for an alternative to petrol and diesel in an effort to reduce and curb the pollution levels.
Only recently, three abras were fitted with CNG engines and trial runs are continuing.
New system for visa and labour card soon
New system for visa and labour card soon
By Ahmed Abdul Aziz (Our staff reporter) KHALEEJ TIMES 19 February 2008
ABU DHABI — The new link between the offices of the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and the Naturalisation and Residency Departments (NRDs) would be ready soon, said Ahmed Kajour, Executive Director of the IT and Technical Development Department at the ministry.
He told Khaleej Times on Sunday that the meeting with officials of the NRDs decided to create a new mechanism to issue and cancel the visa and the labour card on the spot at the offices of the MoL around the country.
“We are waiting for the endorsement of Lt. Gen. Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, to implement the new link between the two wings of the government soon,” said Khajour.
The meeting focused on the benefits, such as online application for employment visas and issuing of visas and labour cards.
“We seek to make all those steps in just one move. The public relations officers (PROs) and the companies’ owners can complete the formalities for getting work permits, employment visas and labour cards in just one move to save effort and time,” said Kajour.
In the case of workers who joined other firms after the expiry of their visas, their employers violated the residency law not the labour law, he said.
“We coordinate the efforts with the NRDs to avoid such illegal practices by cancelling the visas with the labour cards at the same time from the same premises.
Meanwhile, sources at the Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residency Department (ADNRD), who declined to be named, said the cooperation with the MoL came as part of a plan to facilitate completion of formalities by the applicants and also to weed out the illegal workers from the country after the last amnesty in 2007 succeeded in deporting or legalising the status of more than 300,000 illegals.
The official statistics of the MoL and the NRD showed that more than 3,000 illegals had been caught across the country in the last three months.
Tough new traffic law aims to reduce road deaths
Tough new traffic law aims to reduce road deaths
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 19, 2008, 00:35
Abu Dhabi: Motorists across the country will soon have a uniform driver’s licence, Gulf News has learnt.
A centralised system linking all the traffic departments in the country is also under way. This comes as the new Traffic Law takes effect from March 1.
“Discussions have been on for a while to decide upon a common type of card for all the licence holders unlike now when each emirate issues a different looking card,” said a senior traffic official.
“We follow the same rules and regulations so it is important for all the emirates to issue identical cards,” he said, without elaborating on when the system will come into effect.
The centralising of the traffic departments in the country has already been completed though the official launch of this system is yet to happen. “The system is awaiting the nod of the higher authorities”.
As per the officials at the Traffic Department in Abu Dhabi, one of the benefits of the centralised system would be that it would prevent licence seekers from opening files in different emirates simultaneously.
“It would make it possible for a licence holder to renew or apply for a licence in any emirate regardless of the emirate that issued his residence visa. It means a person who holds an Abu Dhabi visa can renew his licence in Dubai without any hassles and vice versa,” he said.
Application
However, as per the existing rules, a person can only apply for a driver’s licence in the emirate from where his/her visa has been issued.
“Changes on this are unlikely, because it will take a lot of adjustment. But it cannot be ruled out. It is a reality that many people who have visa from one emirate work in another emirate. Currently some professions like bank personnel are allowed to apply anywhere. It is being discussed if this should be opened to all regardless of their profession,” the official said
Meanwhile, the traffic departments all over the UAE are geared up to implement tougher regulations and fines to cut down the death toll due to traffic accidents. Serious offences will invite a minimum fine of Dh20,000 and the penalty may also include a jail term, as per the court ruling.
Meanwhile, Colonel Gaith Al Za’abi, Director of Traffic Department at Ministry of Interior, said 14 changes have been made to the existing Traffic Law which would come into effect from March 1. A committee formed by the senior officials with the representation of all seven emirates has identified four core targets, he said.
Regulations: Offences and penalties
A minimum fine of Dh5,000 and a jail term not exceeding 3 months or either one of them for those
* Who drive a vehicle despite a court ruling against the same
* Who drive without a licence
* Who drive a vehicle not specified in the licence
* Who borrow number plates or sell them
A minimum fine of Dh5,000 and a jail term not exceeding one year or either one of them, for those who lend their car for illegal or criminal activities and those who do not report this to the police, despite having the information.
A fine of Dh500-Dh2,000 and a jail term not exceeding three months or either one of them, for those who provide false or incorrect information to the traffic police.
Know entry visas inside out
Know entry visas inside out By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 16, 2008, 00:32
Dubai: Anyone wanting to visit or to live in the UAE, whether alone or accompanied by their families must follow the rules and procedures set by the authorities regarding issuing visas, entry permits, work permits or any other kind of legal way to enter the country.
Visitors must know the differences and the definitions between entry visas, entry permits, work permits and other types of permit set by Labour Ministry and the Ministry of Interior.
Anyone wanting to apply for entry visa should know what the process entails, and understand the difference between an entry visa and an entry permit.
An entry visa is described as an approval, to be made in the visitors passport or travel document, allowing him or her to enter the country. This visa can be issued by a UAE embassy or consulate in the country of the person who is applying for the entry visa and it can also be issued by the Naturalisation and Residency department here.
An entry permit is a special document issued for the expatriates in order to allow them to enter the country and it can be issued only by the Naturalisation and Residency Department here.
An entry permit or entry visa will not be granted unless the applicant has a valid passport which allow him or her to enter the UAE and to return to their home country or the country which issued their passport.
Also in order to be able to enter the UAE, the visa or the entry permit must be approved by the authorities in accordance with the purpose for the visit.
In order to be able to enter the UAE, one needs a sponsor, which can be a company, an Emirati or an expatriate who has a residence visa.
You will not be allowed into the country if you have been banned or deported the UAE in the past, either for one year or permanently.
It you are banned for one year, do not attempt to come here before the end of the year.
Expatriates wishing to enter the country must submit an application for an entry visa to the UAE embassy or consulate in their own country. The UAE embassy or consulate will obtain an approval for the applicant from the Naturalisation and Residency Department here.
If you are sponsoring an expatriate who wishes to enter the country, you must abide by the information stated in the application. You will be responsible if the person you sponsored is deported, and will have to accompany him or her if necessary to avoid facing a penalty.
According to UAE labour and residency laws there are certain categories of expatriates, holding a residence visa, who are not allowed to sponsor or to recruit an expatriate even if they comply with salary requirements. These categories include domestic workers and labourers.
Motorists in the UAE to have uniform driving licence soon
Motorists in the UAE to have uniform driving licence soon
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 18, 2008, 10:26
Motorists in the UAE to have uniform driving licence soon
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
Published: February 18, 2008, 10:26
Abu Dhabi: Motorists across the country will soon have uniform driving licence, Gulf News learnt.
A centralised system, linking all the traffic departments in the country, is also under way. This comes as the new Traffic Law will take effect from March 1.
“Discussions have been on for a while to decide upon a common type of card for all the licence holders unlike now when each emirate issues a different looking card,” said a senior traffic official.
“We follow the same rules and regulations so it is important for all the emirates to issue identical cards,” he said, without elaborating on when the system will come into effect. The centralising of the traffic departments in the country has already been completed though the official launch of this system is yet to happen. “The system is waiting the nod of higher authorities.”
According to officials at the Traffic Department in Abu Dhabi, one of the benefits of the centralised system would be that it would prevent licence seekers from opening files in different emirates simultaneously.
President endorses new UAE Cabinet presented by Mohammad
President endorses new UAE Cabinet presented by Mohammad
By Samir Salama, Associate Editor, Ahmed A. Elewa, and Bassam Za’za’, Senior Reporters GULF NEWS
Abu Dhabi/Dubai: A major reshuffle of the UAE Cabinet was announced on Sunday, bringing in seven new faces to the federal government and raising the number of female ministers from two to four.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan endorsed the new Cabinet presented by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Khalifa wished the new cabinet members success, WAM stated. He also thanked the outgoing members for their efforts during their tenure.
The Cabinet, headed by Shaikh Mohammad, was expanded to 24 from 22 ministers and three state ministries were created.
The move is aimed at “supporting the flexibility of the government, and its ability to respond rapidly to the needs of development,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
In the reshuffle, the first since Shaikh Mohammad took over as Prime Minister two years ago, a new portfolio for foreign trade has been created.
All key ministers, including defence, interior, foreign affairs and energy have retained their portfolios.
Meanwhile, Industrial Affairs in the former Ministry of Finance and Industry has been moved to the Ministry of Economy.
The Ministry of State for Cabinet Affairs has become a full-fledged ministry to which the former Government Sector Development Ministry was added.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs will retain his portfolio as State Minister for Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs.
Five ministers have left. Mohammad Bin Nakhira Al Daheri, Minister of Justice, was replaced by Hadef Bin Jua’an Al Daheri.
Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, new Minister of State for Financial Affairs, takes over from Dr Mohammad Khalfan Bin Kharbash.
New members
Saqr Gobash, new Minister of Labour, takes over from Dr Ali Bin Abdullah Al Ka’abi. Mohammad Hussain Al Sha’ali, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, was replaced by Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash and Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, has replaced Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Kindi.
The three other new faces, who become Ministers of State, are Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Khalifa Bakheet Al Falasi and Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi.
“We want an up-to-date government, an efficient and modern administration, operating in full transparency in the spirit of a harmonised single team seeking the enhancement of productivity, while enjoying the highest possible efficiency and vitality to run the various utilities in the country,” WAM quoted Shaikh Mohammad as saying.
He said the changes came as a result of the Federal Government Strategy. “The institutional framework has been changed with the aim of supporting the flexibility and speed of government response, especially with the implementation of the strategies assigned to it,” he added.
“This will help materialise the vision of the enlightened leadership to rank it as a leading government in the region.”
Following in the full list of Cabinet members, headed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Defence:
1) Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister
2) Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy Prime Minister
3) Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Minister of Finance
4) Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior
5) Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs.
6) Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
7) Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
8) Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works.
9) Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade.
10) Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
11) Mohammad Bin Dhaen Al Hamli, Minister of Energy.
12) Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri , Minister of Economy.
13) Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs.
14) Dr Hanif Hassan Ali, Minister of Education.
15) Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Health. 16) Abdul Rehman Al Owais, Minister of Culture.
17) Dr Hadef Bin Jua’an Al Dhaheri, Minister of Justice.
18) Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water.
19) Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour.
20) Dr Mohammad Anwar Gargash , Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
21) Obaid Humaid Al Tayer , Minister of State for Financial Affairs.
22) Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State.
23) Dr Khalifa Bakhit Al Falasi, Minister of State.
24) Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State.
Motorists cautioned as dust storms expected to hit country after fog
Motorists cautioned as dust storms expected to hit country after fog
By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 18, 2008, 14:26
Dubai: Very strong Shammal winds with speed of over 45 kmp/h will hit the country on Wednesday whipping up dust, according to the Dubai Meteorological office.
The winds will bring down temperature by three to four degrees to about 24 degrees Celsius. The unsettled weather will continue till Friday morning when it will start to clear up.
Motorists should be on the alert early on Tuesday morning as there is still a chance of fog. On Monday morning, thick fog shrouded the emirates, bringing visibility down to 100 meters.
Number plate ‘1’ fetches over Dh52m, enters Guinness Book
Number plate ‘1’ fetches over Dh52m, enters Guinness Book
By Adel Arafah (KHALEEJ TIMES Our staff reporter)17 February 2008
ABU DHABI – The coveted car plate number 1 set a new Guinness World Record by fetching a staggering Dh52.2 million at an auction held at the Emirates Palace Hotel in the capital on Saturday. It was bought by Emirati businessman Saeed Abdulghafar Khoury, who said that he insisted on bidding for the number despite fierce competition.
This he did in response to Minister of Interior Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s announcement that the revenues of the auction would be used for establishing a centre for the rehabilitation of accident victims.
He said he will not sell the number plate 1.
A total of 90 car plate numbers auctioned last night yielded Dh89 million.
Number plate 1111 was sold for Dh2.32 million, number 96 for Dh2.5 million, number 32 for Dh2.5 million, number 100 for Dh2.82 million, number 51 for Dh2.15, number 78 for Dh2.04 million, and number 81 for Dh2 million.
Abdullah Matar Al Mannaei, Managing Director of Emirates Auction, said that the car plate number 1 has set a new Guinness World Record for being the most expensive car plate in the world. The last record was for the number plate (5), which was sold in the first auction for Dh25 millions.
He added that a team from the Guinness World Records and international news agencies were present at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi to cover the international event.
Picking up somebody else’s rubbish for environment’s sake
Picking up somebody else’s rubbish for environment’s sake
By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: February 13, 2008, 17:08
Abu Dhabi: Black rubbish bags were filled in no time last weekend by members of Abu Dhabi 4×4 Club, who took turns in the desert specifically to pick up the mess frequently left out by campers and quad bikers.
Near Al Khatam in Abu Dhabi, silver foil wrappers and plastic bottles pepper the horizon. Already degraded by the sun, plastic bags, feed bags and coal bags, rusty tins and plastic containers break and shatter into fragments when picked up, leaving their trace in the sand.
Khaled Al Muqtab, an Emirati club member marshal and instigator of the environment-focused tryst in the dunes, said he organised the trip after reading a recent Gulf News report on the accidental deaths of camels from eating plastic bags. The plastic forms calcified rocks weighing dozens of kilogrammes, which starves to death four-legged desert wanderers like camels, donkeys or gazelles.
Snapping on blue latex gloves, the volunteer off-roaders look around them at the trash. They do not have to look far, and the group quickly separates to start filling bags.
“I didn’t expect there to be so much trash in such a small area. It’s everywhere,” said Al Muqtab, pausing to listen in to the walkie-talkie in his pocket used by all the off-roaders to communicate. He hears another group has made a find – a different kind of treasure however. He jumps in his car to take the trailer to them and load the abandoned water tanker, probably from a nearby farm.
“This area is so popular for families to come camping and have picnics but there is water bottles and plastic bags everywhere. Municipality seems to be making an effort by at least providing skips and dumpsters but people don’t make the effort to throw their trash there instead,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi 4×4 Club travels into the desert at least twice a week and has been witnessing the increase in waste forming small piles all over the place. “We’ve seen a camel trying to eat plastic today, before our eyes,” he said.
In hours, the cars pulling trailers have made too many trips to count to dump their load of bulging black bags into a municipality skip. A waste management truck even came and emptied the skip once before the group quickly filled it again.
“There is a huge lack of education and awareness. If one person thinks leaving a plastic bag won’t do much damage, then 1,000 people think this is creating a lot of problem. I’m really shocked by what we found today,” he said.
“I really think there needs to be more education in our schools, in a year the problem would not be what it is today.”
Driving over a newly-cleaned up area is a moment of pride for Carolyn, an Australian driver who lived in New Zealand for over a decade. “It’s great to see this spot so clean and to think that we did this.”
“At the end of the day, we have to realise that we have cleaned up a very small area of what is out there, I just hope that we have helped in some way,” said Al Muqtab.
A brief history
The Abu Dhabi 4×4 Club was founded in May 2006. The main purpose of the Club is to have an off-road club based in Abu Dhabi that gathers all the Abu Dhabi based off-roaders in a family-oriented association, meet new people and share the technical and driving knowledge with each other.
Club members are now in talks to organise a monthly desert clean up drive as the idea was very well received by all members and had a very good turnout. For more information on the Abu Dhabi 4×4 club, go to http://www.ad4x4.com
Join us in the Clean up campaign
Join us in the Clean up campaign
Abu Dhabi’s coastline is in dire need of your help. Waste from construction sites, boats and from the land have littered our coastline, not only causing an eye sore but also endangering precious marine life such as dugongs and sea turtles, our health and our fragile environment. Abu Dhabi Government is really very concerned about this issue.
There is still time to show your commitment.
Join us in the Clean up campaign as we move along the Abu Dhabi coast in our endeavour to keep our coast clean
How do we join in this time?
Join us in our Clean-Up Campaign on Saturday February 16th, 2008 at the Public beach at Mirfa in the western region
A tent will be set up at the site. Gloves, trash bags and refreshments will be available. The clean up will start at 8.30Am in the morning. The clean up will go on for about 2 hours.
Interested volunteers from Abu Dhabi will collect at 6.30am at Spinneys parking lot in Khalidiyah. The clean up site is at Mirfa public beach. The plan is for all volunteers to collect and move together from Spinneys Khalidiya in Abu Dhabi. Buses are being arranged for all those who don’t have cars to commute.It would take about one and half an hour to reach Mirfa coast in the western region. After the event, volunteers who traveled by bus will be dropped back at Spinneys supermarket. For those who want to travel by bus, please do contact and reserve your seats latest by 13th of February.
Who all can participate?
Social centers, general public, Private sector, Government organizations, youth etc
How do I/ we participate?
To volunteer in this important campaign, kindly complete the Registration form and submit it online to graghwa@ead.ae or moali@ead.ae or mhaneefa@ead.ae or ralmadfai@ead.ae
Please note spaces are limited so it is based on a first-come first-serve basis. Those companies / organization who can bring in their own buses or cars with their group, do inform us how many of you are coming
Did you know that we collected 6,720 kg of waste from the Mussafah Industrial area for the February 09 clean up campaign!
For more details, please visit: http://www.ead.ae/en/?T=4&ID=3554
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