NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE : THE NATIONAL

 
TV staff told: You are fired ... Oh, sorry, no you’re not

DUBAI - APR 23: The employees of an English-language television station were fired en masse yesterday then told three hours later they had their jobs back and it had all been a big mistake.

About 40 workers at City 7 TV received an internal e-mail from the company’s human resources department telling them their employment had been terminated, effective immediately.

The e-mail said: “Dear All, we are re-launching the channel, thus we will restructure the entire task force, currently we will terminate / redundant all the staff and thereafter, start afresh. Best Regards, Fatema Zainuddin, VP-HR Department.”

Three hours later, the HR department sent out another e-mail apologising to staff and asking them to return to work “immediately”. The station’s owner, Mohidin bin Hendi, said the on-again, off-again firings were the result of a misunderstanding at a meeting. “It was a mistake by the HR department who misunderstood what was said in the meeting,” said Mr bin Hendi.

“I own this station and I may do what I want with it, but there are no dismissals and everyone has been asked to return to work.”

Employees at the station have complained for some time that they were either not paid their salaries or that they were being paid late.

Drugs cases dominate Dubai courts

DUBAI - APR 23: Drug crimes are the most common type of case to come before the Dubai criminal courts, authorities have disclosed, as police outline tough new measures to keep narcotics out of jails.

Despite harsh penalties for drug offending, the crime has represented the largest group of cases to be heard by the courts in the past eight months, the chief justice of the Dubai criminal courts, Ahmad Ibrahim Saif, said in an interview.

Since September, 231 drug-related cases were heard by Dubai courts. This compares with 214 dishonesty offences, ranging from theft to embezzlement, 78 cases of forgery and identification fraud, 45 sex crimes and 45 cases of violent offending.

Justice Saif said drug cases, often linked to abuse, had represented the largest group for some time.

Drug abuse cases are the most common despite the law being very tough on drug crimes in an attempt to curtail such offences, he said.

Most drug offences carry a minimum jail term of four years, while the penalty for smuggling with intent to distribute is 10 years and a fine of Dh50,000 (US$13,600). Trading in narcotics, which includes selling relatively small quantities, can carry a life sentence, or even the death penalty in the most serious cases.

The figures have been released as police prepare to introduce scanners capable of detecting drugs inside human bodies into all prisons and police holding cells.

The prevalence of drugs has been identified as a serious issue by law enforcement officials both domestically and internationally.

A report released by the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board in February said the UAE had become a “major exporting and trans-shipping area” for highly addictive drugs, such as heroin and amphetamines.

While praising the Government’s increased efforts to tackle the drug trade, the report criticised what it saw as a failure to take “adequate measures” against criminals or collect data about the scale of drug abuse within the country.

Major General Khamis Muttar al Mazeina, the deputy chief of Dubai Police, said one measure to tackle the drug flow was the introduction of X-ray machines at all prisons to prevent narcotics from reaching detainees.

“Anyone who enters a police station will have to be checked by the device,” he said. “Every individual passing through will be subjected to very rigorous searches including visitors, policemen, jail guards, jail workers such as food servers and cleaners and inmates,” he said. “The device will expose drugs hidden in items of clothing, in foods or goods carried on or inside the body itself.”

Manual checks of inmates and visitors have not always been successful in preventing narcotics from being smuggled through, because carriers will often conceal them in sensitive areas that are not subjected to searches. “The machine will be a big step forward in our efforts to fight drug smuggling,” he said.

Guards will continue to carry out physical checks, and anyone leaving a prison or holding cell for medical attention will also be checked on their return.

This week, a man was caught trying to smuggle an illegal substance to a detainee who was receiving medical attention in Rashid Hospital.

“In some cases, there will be an arrangement between an inmate and someone from the outside to traffic drugs,” said Gen al Mazeina. “They could arrange to meet in a hospital washroom or in a washroom at the courts when they are being taken for sentencing or a hearing and that’s where the exchange and hiding of the substances would take place.”

Earlier this year, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, said drugs were being smuggled into jails despite searches of all visitors. “No one is allowed to enter jail without being thoroughly searched,” he said. “However, in some cases inmates or their visitors hide the drugs in places which cannot be touched.”

In January, a 23-year-old Emirati died of a heroin overdose in a holding cell, and the family have still not been told how the drugs were able to reach him. An official said that 30 people were caught trying to bring drugs into prisons last year.

Police also want to outlaw Spice, a branded synthetic smoking mixture with cannabis-like effects that has been sold internationally since 2002. Gen al Mazeina said the drug should be added to the list of banned substances.

Earlier this year, Lt Col Hassan al Shamsi, head of the Ministry of Interior’s anti-narcotics department, said 50 nationalities were involved last year in drug use, possession and trafficking, though he did not give the number of people involved.

The quantities seized in the country in 2008 included 1,013kg of hashish, 379kg of heroin and 23kg of opium. In 2007, authorities confiscated 858kg of hashish, 177kg of heroin and 9kg of opium.

Emirate to close its bars and clubs

UMM AL QAIWAIN - APR 23: Bars and nightclubs in Umm al Qaiwain will soon go dark in what officials say is a drive to stop street fights and road accidents attributed to consumption of alcohol.

The Government has ordered establishments that serve alcohol, play loud music and stay open past midnight to close on May 1.

The decree, issued by the Ministry of Economy, follows increasing complaints by the emirate’s residents that nightclubs were too loud.

No official figures were available yesterday as to how many bars and clubs would be affected by the decision, but the emirate’s police chief, Col Sultan al Shweikh, said there were only a handful.

“The aim is to protect the lives of people from road accidents, people driving into light poles and skidding off the road,” Col al Shweikh said.

He stressed that the problem was mostly with nightclubs that played loud music and stayed open until the early hours of the morning. “Night clubs harm security,” he said. “There are fights among club-goers every week.”

The police chief added that the decision would also apply to beach cabins in which DJ parties were held.

But hotels would still be able to serve alcohol in rooms to non-Muslims. Hotel managers are predicting a loss of business.

But for Saeed Mohammed, who lives near a nightclub, the regulations came as good news because, he said, the emirate was “morally degenerating”.

He said the clubs were too loud and that the streets of Fallaj Mualla were filled with “scantily dressed women at night, interrupting all passers-by as if we were all their customers”.

Some tourists, on the other hand, were disappointed.

“Many people come here because they believe this emirate is tolerant of other cultures,” said Sarah Carina from Sweden. “I wish they would learn from Dubai’s growth. It’s the only place where every culture thrives in harmony.”

When Mr al Shweikh was asked if the decision would adversely affect tourism in the emirate, he said: “We don’t want nightclub tourism. Tourists can come to see the emirate’s attractions and its people.”

UAE scores victory as cricket host

DUBAI - APR 23: It was a great victory for Pakistan last night over the cricket world champions Australia in a tense game at Dubai Sports City. But for the city and the nation, the historic first match marked an even greater milestone.

The game heralded the emergence of Dubai as an international cricket venue and could lay the foundations for major tournaments to be hosted in the UAE in the near future.

The large Pakistan community and close geographical proximity have made the UAE the favoured “second home” for Pakistan, following the terror attacks last month that made domestic fixtures untenable. Shahid Afridi, the all-rounder and crowd favourite, made sure his fans weren’t disappointed when he took six wickets to pave the way for a four-wicket win over Australia.

Following the success of the Abu Dhabi-hosted West Indies series in November, the addition of another world-class stadium and the visit of the world champions have put the cricketing spotlight firmly on the UAE.

With terrorism and political instability making cricket in the subcontinent a risky proposition, the UAE’s emergence as the leading neutral venue could not have come at a better time. The series serves as a showcase to demonstrate that the UAE has the infrastructure, security and cricketing culture to replace Pakistan as a World Cup host in 2011.

The festival of cricket in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which will include five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a Twenty 20 match, started with a bang yesterday as both teams sought to entertain the passionate crowd.

The arena, which has taken three years to complete, welcomed its first cricket supporters and thorough organisation and planning helped avoid the chaos that has marred some sporting events in the city in the past.

The majority of the crowd were drawn from the city’s large Pakistani community, many of whom wore face paint and waved giant flags from the terraces of the state-of-the art, 25,000-capacity stadium.

However, a small but vocal group of Australians assured that the match was played in a competitive, carnival atmosphere.

Peter Chapman, 41, a civil engineer from England, had expected chaotic scenes at the ground but was pleasantly surprised by the organisation.

“I feared that, being a new ground, there would be long delays entering the stadium but to their credit it was well signposted and the stewards were very helpful. My expectations were exceeded.”

Umanath Rama, 37, from Dubai, said he was amazed that he managed to park his car and find his seat within 15 minutes.

“There was ample parking and regular shuttle buses took people right to the stadium entrance. The stadium is new and it hasn’t got as much infrastructure as an existing one but considering that I think it has been organised well.”

Given recent tragic events security at the ground was very tight, with every supporter passing through a metal detector and all bags thoroughly searched. Brett Draper, 31, a marketing executive from Adelaide, said that tight security was important following the recent incidents in Pakistan. “The reason this series is being played here in the first place is that the management and players are confident that the UAE is a safe and secure venue. The security checks did lead to a slight delay but I think everyone expected that and if it means the safety of the supporters and players is assured then it is justified.”

Rashid Mahmood, 49, an electrical supervisor from Pakistan, said that the security staff were fair and courteous and looked forward to the stadium establishing itself as one of the best on the world. “There are many Pakistan supporters in Dubai and so it is a natural choice as a home venue for the team. It is a popular destination and the facilities here are among the most modern and innovative in the world. I am proud to be part of history with the first ever international cricket match in Dubai.

“I think it is fantastic for Dubai. You can hear by the chants of the crowd how enthusiastic they are about cricket. The anticipation has been building for weeks and it is the talk of the town. I hope it will be the home of Pakistan cricket for many years. I’m sure other teams will come here soon.

“The stadium is absolutely fantastic. The ring design is beautiful and all the seats enjoy a great view. You really feel part of the action. The stadium has been visible on the horizon for months and it is great it is finally being used. With ICC headquarters here and the Global Academy opening, Dubai is becoming an important centre for cricket and the stadium opening is a major milestone in meeting that ambition.”

The ground filled up rapidly from around 6pm as people rushed to attend the game after work. The high attendance and vocal, passionate support went some way to show that Dubai will prove a popular cricketing venue. “I’ve seen cricket all over the world and the crowd here today are perhaps the most passionate. The mix of cultures in Dubai really helps create an atmosphere. All teams that travel are assured of some home support because it is so cosmopolitan” said Mr Chapman.

As daylight began to ebb the stadium’s advanced “ring of fire” lighting system was demonstrated for the first time, replicating daylight conditions with over 350 adjustable floodlights. The lighting is just one of the technological innovations being showcased in the stadium, which is the newest and most advanced international cricket stadium in the world. It was an encouraging start for the Sports City Stadium and the Friday game could see the first sell-out at the stadium. The stadium will also host the first ever Twenty 20 international in the UAE on the 7th May.