NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Fish in UAE free of disease, says EAD
Abu Dhabi: Oct. 05: Fish in the UAE are free of disease, according to the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Officials at the agency denied that the fish in the UAE have any diseases. They said the agency performs, as part of its research work, microbiological studies on marine life.
Kuwait had recently banned all fish import fresh and frozen from Iran and Pakistan. The ban was attributed to a suspicion that some fish imports from the two nations could contain the NAG virus that causes cholera, according to the Kuwait Times newspaper.
The laboratory department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health has announced that some of the fish imported from Iran and Pakistan carry the NAG virus. The fish were immediately disposed of properly, according to the department.
Officials at the EAD also mentioned that "most of the fish imports to the UAE come from India."
Cholera symptoms
Cholera is an acute, diarrhoeal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but sometimes it can be severe.
Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe disease characterised by profuse watery diarrhoea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.
GULF NEWS
104 girls, 82 boys of IHS Dubai receive outstanding awards
DUBAI — Oct. 05: A total of 104 girls and 82 boys of the Indian High School (IHS), Dubai, were honoured with outstanding awards at the Annual Academic Awards Day organised separately for girls and boys on October 2 and 3, respectively. The school felicitated student achievers from Grades II to XII for topping their class, while toppers of individual subjects from Grades IX to XII were also honoured. Toppers of Grades X and XII CBSE Board Exams were presented gold medals, while all students received plaques and scholarships.
On the occasion, the school also announced an entry scholarship of Dh3,000 from this academic year for students who join the IHS in Grade XI, and have achieved outstanding result in the CBSE Grade X examination. Indian Ambassador to UAE, C.M. Bhandari, who was the chief guest on the first day of the award function, congratulated the achievers.
Balesh Kumar, Consul, Economic and Education in the Consulate-General of India was the chief guest on the second day of the award function.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Fence 'will cut deaths on Dubai's danger highway'
Dubai: Oct. 05: The process of building a fence along the city's most dangerous road has started in a bid to prevent pedestrians from crossing it.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has started implementing a project to fence the entire length of Shaikh Zayed Road and part of Shaikh Rashid Road to reduce accidents involving pedestrians. According to RTA statistics, Shaikh Zayed Road claimed the highest number of pedestrian lives last year.
Out of the total of 100 pedestrian deaths on Dubai roads, some 23 people lost their lives while crossing this highway in 2005.
As part of its traffic safety measures, the RTA will install a 32km-long median fence along the full length of Shaikh Zayed Road from the Trade Centre roundabout to Jebel Ali and on Shaikh Rashid Road from the Trade Centre roundabout to Al Garhoud Bridge. It will cost around Dh21.7 million.
Pedestrian deaths
"The number of pedestrian deaths has increased sharply over the last three years. Four pedestrians died on Shaikh Zayed Road in 2003 and 12 in 2004 while the death toll touched 23 last year," said an RTA roads department official.
Currently, Shaikh Zayed Road has only two pedestrian crossing facilities between the Trade Centre roundabout and Defence Interchange.
There has been an overall increase in the number of pedestrian deaths on Dubai roads during the last three years. According to the RTA study, 69 pedestrians died in 2003 in traffic accidents. The number increased to 83 in 2004 while it touched 100 deaths in 2005.
"The RTA is concerned about this problem and has proposed a number of projects to curb pedestrian deaths," said the official.
The authority has already identified a number of blackspots where pedestrian accidents have occurred and proposed solutions.
The RTA will also soon bring out a traffic safety guide book, which will include statistics about accidents, causes of accidents and suggestions to avoid accidents.
Shaikh Rashid Road and the Shaikh Zayed Road corridor, from Garhoud Bridge to the Abu Dhabi border, is a 59-km-long freeway with residential, commercial and industrial developments on both sides.
GULF NEWS
Social worker accused of 'assaulting' teenage inmate
Dubai: Oct. 05: A social worker, introduced as a housewife according to records, is being tried for assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was staying at what is believed to be a women's shelter.
The public prosecution had charged the American housewife, S.G., married to a national, with assaulting the 15-year-old national girl, identified as K.A.
The housewife showed up at Dubai Court of Misdemeanours and pleaded innocent.
The housewife had received a call from the so-called shelter in summer. One of her assistants told her the girl was trying to leave the place along with a 17-year-old compatriot girl.
According to records, a national man was there to take the girls away from the place.
The housewife asked her assistant to prevent them from leaving and complained to police against the man whom she accused of trespassing. K.A. had finger marks on her hand as the assistant gripped her hand for about 20 minutes.
When the police arrived, the American went over to the 'shelter' with two policemen.
Documents
The man claimed that a woman who works in the public prosecution had asked him to pick up the girls. But the American told him he could not take the girls without proper documents from the concerned officials.
The judge adjourned the case until later this month to hear the claimant's statement and other witnesses.
GULF NEWS
Cashier robbed of over Dh120,000
DUBAI — Oct. 05:An Indian cashier was reported to have been robbed by two people yesterday morning while he was coming out of a bank. Dh120,000 was reportedly stolen from the teller before he could reach his workplace, located at Shaikh Zayed Road. The two thieves, however, managed to run away.
The victim had asked for help from passers-by who reported the matter to the police. The latter reached the spot immediately and cordoned off the area, while searching for the two accused.
Traps had been set by the policemen on the main roads and other roads leading to the reported scene.
The two suspects, according to the cashier, were Africans. One of the accused has been arrested, Khaleej Times has learnt. The manhunt is on to nab the second accused, who is expected to be held soon.
KHALEEJ TIMES
ATM axe robbery
Sharjah - Oct. 05:Two men armed with an axe attacked security staff as they filled up an ATM in a Sharjah supermarket, escaping with an unknown amount of cash. The incident occurred at the Mashreq Bank ATM in Makkah wal Madeena supermarket on Al Wahda Street on Monday afternoon.
Two security guards were counting the cash when the men the two attackers burst into the room. According to witnesses one of the guards was hit on the shoulder with the axe. The other guard, who was unarmed, fled. Mashraq Bank confirmed the incident but did not reveal how much money was stolen. Atif Bajawa, head of Mashreq’s Retail Banking Group, said the injured guard is in hospital but “out of harm’s way”.
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