NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Mohammad pardons 513 prisoners in Dubai
Dubai - Dec. 06: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, has pardoned 513 prisoners at the Dubai Punitive and Corrective Establishments on the occasion of the country's National Day.
Shaikh Mohammad instructed Essam Al Humaidan, Dubai Attorney General, to swiftly take the necessary procedures to implement the amnesty.
Al Humaidan said Shaikh Mohammad's humanitarian gesture covers inmates of all nationalities who have served half of their jail terms.
"Executive procedures to implement the amnesty have been started by the Public Prosecution and Dubai Police to ensure the immediate release of pardoned inmates to give them a chance to get back on the right track," he said.
He praised Shaikh Mohammad for the noble gesture which underlines the true meaning of solidarity and tolerance in the UAE society.
Promotion
Also, under the directions of Shaikh Mohammad, Colonel Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director of Dubai Civil Defence, has been promoted to the rank of Brigadier. The order is effective from November 30.
Brigadier Al Matroushi said: "I take this opportunity to express my gratitude for this precious trust by Shaikh Mohammad and the generous care that he gives the Dubai Civil Defence, which had a big effect in improving the civil defence services in all firefighting, prevention and managerial fields."
GULF NEWS
Father waives charges against 'policeman who molested girl'
Dubai - Dec. 06: A father has waived charges against a policeman who is being tried for reportedly molesting his 14-year-old daughter in the back seat of a car.
The Public Prosecution charged the 27-year-old Omani suspect, H.H., with molesting the UAE national girl, M.B., who is believed to be under 14, after she agreed to go out with him.
The defendant's lawyer handed the waiver to the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday and requested the presiding judge Mahmoud Al Sharshabi to summon the victim and take her statement.
In her statement to the public prosecution, the girl said she met the suspect in an internet chatroom. Later, he called her and asked her out and picked her up from her house at around 11pm that evening.
The girl claimed the suspect switched off his car lights and parked his vehicle at the edge of the road. While she sat in the back seat, he molested her.
"The girl called him earlier by mistake. Later, they met and when they were in the defendant's car, she jumped to the backseat and asked him to join her. There was no intercourse, it was just a molestation," a policeman testified in court yesterday.
GULF NEWS
Labour units 'failing civic standards will be shut'
Dubai - Dec. 06: Labour accommodations that fail to comply with Dubai Municipality standards will either be shut down or demolished, said the civic body chief.
"Our committee on Environment and Labour Affairs is also revising the standards for labour accommodations, which will face stricter inspections," Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News yesterday.
"Although the municipality has been following up environmental, health, hygiene and safety standards at the labour accommodations for a long time, the campaign against them has been intensified after orders from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to improve living conditions," Lootah said.
He said the problem is that labour accommodation is in very old buildings. The municipality is also studying the option of demolishing such labour camps, which cannot be maintained or renovated.
GULF NEWS
80pc of health insurance cards issued in 1st phase
ABU DHABI — Dec. 06: Eighty per cent of the new health insurance cards designed for expatriates and their dependants before the year end have been issued, according to official sources at the National Health Insurance Company-Daman.
“Out of the targeted 250,000 insurance cards planned for the current year Daman has managed to issue 200,000 cards to expat employees and their eligible family members while 50,000 cards are being processed,” official sources at Daman told Khaleej Times yesterday.
The first phase of the national health insurance scheme was enforced on July 1 this year and covered employees in companies that accommodate more than 1,000 staff members.
The officials at Daman disclosed that the company has produced a lot of marketing materials in response to the public education needs. “We have launched a toll free 800432626 that is operational round-the-clock to receive the public inquiries about the project and its products. It is a well-equipped information call centre. We have also developed our Web site to become more user-friendly,” said the officials.
They said Daman has set up a medical department dubbed as ‘medical authorisation department’ staffed with medical professionals to provide the public with medical information about the treatment they might require and the best health institutions to go to.
On January 1, 2007, a second phase of the mandatory insurance project will be implemented for all residents of Abu Dhabi in accordance with a certain policy.
Daman has released different insurance products for the community that include enhanced policy, regional policy and global policy, and depend on the salary package of the insured.
Meanwhile, the General Authority for Health Services, Abu Dhabi-GAHS, yesterday authorised 80 hospitals, medical centres, private clinics and pharmacies to participate in the insurance scheme. According to the Health Insurance Law, only authorised healthcare service providers are entitled to provide healthcare services pursuant to the health insurance scheme. GAHS will issue a certificate of authorisation once the application of the health care providers has been approved, the certificate will be valid for one year and renewable under the same terms.
Authorised health facilities
ABU DHABI — THE authorised health facilities and pharmacies include:
Al Noor Hospital — Abu Dhabi
Al Noor Hospital — Al Ain
Dar Al Shifaa Hospital — Abu Dhabi
New Medical Centre Hospital — Abu Dhabi
National Hospital — Abu Dhabi
Al Reef International Hospital-Abu Dhabi
Oasis Hospital — Al Ain
Ahalia Hospital — Abu Dhabi
Al Baitar Specialised Medical Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Al Khaleej Medical Centre — Al Ain
Al Noor Hospital Clinics — Madinat Zayed
Al Quds Specialised Dental Centre — Abu Dhabi
American Crescent Healthcare Centre — Abu Dhabi
Asmat Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Dr Abdullah Azzam Pediatric Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Dr Ahmed Hassan Fikry Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Dr Hikmat Matar’s Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Middle East Specialised Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Mubarak Medical Centre — Al Ain
New National Medical Centre — Mussafah
Pearly Smile Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Tabarak Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Prince Specialist Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Amrita Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Ansam Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Baniyas Al Ahlia Medical Centre — Baniyas
International Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Al Noor Hospital Clinics — Mussafah
Al Hosn Medical Center — Abu Dhabi
Victory Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Al Mahabba Dental Clinic — Abu Dhabi
Al Ain Speciality Medical Centre — Al Ain
Al Mazroui Hospital Clinics — Mussafah
Al Mazroui Medical Centre — Abu Dhabi
Mina Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Specialised Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Al Shahd Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Arafat Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Sands Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Mubarak Pharmacy — Al Ain
Life Line Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Prince Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Lara Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Reema Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Maryam Pharmacy — Abu Dhab
Alya Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Knights Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Al Kamal Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
New General Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
Al Ittihad Pharmacy — Abu Dhabi
KHALEEJ TIMES
Private firms to get govt projects on basis of Emiratisation rate
DUBAI — Dec. 06: Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Kaabi, Minister of Labour, said that the speech on Emiratisation and demographic imbalance by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was open and transparent.
He added that the new plan mentions that compliance with emiratisation is to determine the number of government projects given to private companies.
He said that the supreme committee, presided over by Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, has already submitted a future plan to the cabinet for fixing the problem of demographic imbalance and labour market.
The UAE government is paying much attention to workers’ rights, including timely salaries, and providing accommodation.
The government has adopted a number of strict measures against companies breaking the system. Fines of Dh200 million have been slapped against violating companies. For instance, the Ministry of Labour has imposed fines of Dh5 million against the companies found flouting the noon-break during summer months, Al Kaabi observed.
Dr Al Kaabi pinpointed that the ministry has recently decreased the number of workers being brought in from outside. The private sector has been advised to depend on technology and machinery more than workers, particularly unskilled ones.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Cordial UAE-India ties hailed
ABU DHABI — Dec. 06: India and the UAE enjoy very close relations which are built on friendship, trust and mutual benefit, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Chandra Mohan Bhandari has said.
He added that the expatriate Indian community contributes immensely in building these ties and maintaining them.
He was delivering a lecture at the Information Affairs Office of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, on Monday on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the UAE Federation.
He pointed out that India and the UAE share the same position on all major international issues and work together for peace and stability in every part of the globe in multilateral fora, including the United Nations.
The ambassador also stated that the UAE National Day is an occasion for paying tribute to the wonderful achievements realised by the Federal Supreme Council under the leadership of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and the other members of the Council.
He also commended the cultural, urban, and environmental achievements made in the UAE as a translation of the vision of late Shaikh Zayed.
KHALEEJ TIMES