NEWS FROM THE UAE
'Nightlines' coming soon to the aid of late night travellers
Dubai: Oct.21:A new public bus service is being introduced in Dubai to offer cheaper, safe and convenient transport facilities for late night travellers.
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will launch five new routes, called the 'Nightlines', from October 24.
It is the first public bus service in the Gulf for late night travellers. These routes will cover the entire city from 11.30pm to 6am.
Nightline route (N1) runs from Al Rashidiya bus station to the Greens via Al Ghubaiba bus station. Route N2 will run from Al Ghusais bus station via Al Ghubaiba Bus Station to Marina Dubai and Sheraton Hotel-Al Sufouh.
Routes
Route N3 runs from Airport Terminal 2 via Al Ghubaiba bus station to Jebel Ali Free Zone bus station, and N4 from Al Ghusais bus station via Al Karama to Al Satwa bus station and N5 from Al Ghubaiba bus station via Al Karama to Gold Souq bus station.
Mohammad Obaid Al Mualla, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the RTA, said the night bus service is mainly meant for people who work late or shop and aims to offer them a safe and affordable way to travel.
"Coming home from shopping or cinema or even from work late at night, people will have bus service available," he said.
Fares
Fares for the 'Nightlines' will be Dh2.70 for a single journey when paid with E-go card, and Dh3 if paid cash.
Owners of an E-go monthly concession card can use the new 'Nightlines' for free.
GULF NEWS
Free parking during Eid holidays
Dubai: Oct. 21: Motorists in Dubai do not have to pay for parking in paid parking zones from today until October 26.
The Dubai Roads and Transports Authority has announced that it has exempted motorists from paying the fees during the Eid holidays.
In Sharjah also, parking will be free from today until Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when Eid Al Fitr is announced.
GULF NEWS
Token system at residency section
Dubai: Oct. 21: Queue jumping at the headquarters of Dubai's busy immigration offices here will soon be a thing of the past, a senior official told Gulf News.
This develops as a priority numbering system has been implemented at the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) to control the rush of people that troop in to its offices each working day.
DNRD deals with a daily average of 75,000 transactions, out of which 25,000 are applications for entry permits and 5,000 are residence visa applications.
Experimental counters
Now, with two experimental counters opened in the last two days before the Eid break, the priority number system (similar to that used by banks) had minimised the chaos in two experimental counters. The orderly scene in these two counters is in stark contrast to the chaos in other counters where the system has not been in place yet.
The system is part of reforms introduced by Brigadier Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Administration.
"There's always a better way to run our affairs here," he said in an exclusive interview with Gulf News. "We aim to do more work in less time."
NNow, every person who transacts his business with DNRD must ask an officer on duty to draw a priority number which contain the department name, city, date, time and counter number.
The next step will include all the department counters. Brig Al Merri also said their offices will be open continuously from 7.30am to 9pm after the Eid holidays (it used to be open from 7.30am to 2.30pm and 4 to 8pm).
BBrig Al Merri called all people who have any suggestions, inquiries, complaints or problems to e-mail him personally on maridnrd@eim.ae.
GULF NEWS
Campaign aims to familiarise residents with ground-breaking Metro project
Dubai: Oct.21: The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has set up information stands at malls across the city as part of the Dubai Metro Marketing Campaign.
The promotion, which began recently, is aimed at familiarising people about Dubai Metro project.
The malls where the promotions are taking place include City Centre, BurJuman and Al Guhrair.
Promoters dressed in T-shirts embossed with Metro and Gulf News logos drew people to the information stands with water bottles and chocolate dates.
The information stands have touch-screen computer kiosks, which help people to visit the Dubai Metro website and get the latest information about the ground-breaking project.
Abdulmajid Al Khaja, CEO of the Dubai Metro, said: "The campaign has been designed to be informative and interesting. We are carrying on extensive research to identify the needs of our commuters."
Dr Aisha Busmit, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at the RTA, said: "The Metro will complement the other modes of public transport and its efficiency and speed will help people reach their destination safely and on time."
GULF NEWS
Drug under scrutiny for instruction discrepancies
Dubai: Oct. 21: A drug that treats female hormonal imbalances is under scrutiny by UAE health authorities due to discrepancies in its English and Arabic instructions.
The leaflet along with Progyluton, an estrogen-containing drug produced by Schering of Germany, contains two major discrepancies. The leaflet in English advises users to discontinue the drug only after consulting a doctor if irregular bleeding occurs. The Arabic version says users should discontinue the drug immediately and consult a doctor in the event of irregular bleeding.
Secondly, the English leaflet advises users to stop taking the drug at least six weeks before undergoing surgery, but the Arabic version advises six months.
When contacted, officials at the Health Ministry and the General Authority for Health Services (Gahs) in Abu Dhabi said they were looking into the matter.
Dr Mohammad Abu Al Khair, drug consultant at Gahs, ruled out withdrawing the hormone replacement drug from the market as the threat posed by the contradicting information was not immediate.
"The waiting time of six months before scheduling surgery is the issue," he said.
He said not many would be affected as the drug was listed as a controlled drug in the UAE, which can only be sold with a prescription from a specialist.
He also said Gahs would send a notice to the manufacturer to correct all the mistakes contained in the leaflet and replace current stocks "as soon as possible".
Progyluton contains the female hormone estrogen, used to regulate the hormonal cycle in women who menstruate irregularly due to surgical removal of ovaries, castration or irradiation treatment or premature menopause.
GULF NEWS