NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Daily
Fraud, forgery top list of economic crimes
DUBAI — May 12: The Department of Anti-Economic Crimes, Dubai Police, registered 301 cases in 2006, of which fraud and forgery topped the list.
Major Abdul Rahman Saeed Abdulla, director of Anti-Economic Crimes Department, said economic crimes affect development as well as government's economic policies.
He said that the department has investigated various types of economic crimes and coordinated with various national associations to prevent manipulation, especially fraud and forgery.
The department has also investigated crimes against banks, financial institutions and exchange markets. "It curbs manipulation of trade marks, seizes fake and stolen credit and ATM cards and also investigates forging of national and foreign currency," he added.
He stated that during the last two years, gangs from African countries were involved in several cases of fraud and cheated a number people by convincing them that they could multiply money through witchcraft.
In 2006, 81 'money multiplying' cases were recorded as against 54 cases in 2005.
Number of credit card frauds also went up to 10 in 2006 from seven in the previous year.
Maj Rahman felt that these types of crime affect the economy of the country. "The department has exerted more effort to combat forgery cases and has recorded 20 forgery cases during 2006," he pointed out.
He said in order to curb economic crimes, the department is collaborating with the Economic Department, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Customs and Intellectual Property Department in Ministry of Economy.
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Helicopter service to help beat traffic
DUBAI — May 12: Fed up of traffic jams? Relax, hope is in the air!
Business people in a hurry to get to a meeting or other professionals desperate to make it to a function on time can now beat the traffic jam by ordering a helicopter service being run by the Abu Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation Services.
The company provides helicopter flights for people to reach any destination in the UAE.
According to the company's Commercial Director Jason Martin one flight can take up to six passengers. "Even though a helicopter can be arranged at short notice, the company prefers a 24-hour advance booking," he said.
"The expediency with which we can dispatch aircraft to a customer depends mainly on the availability of the helicopters. We also need to contact our operations team and get enough information about the customer(s). If everything runs smoothly, a helicopter can arrive within one hour," Martin said.
The service, launched in November last year, operates everyday from 8am to 5pm. However, it has also flown people after hours to late-hour meetings and conducted flights even at midnight, stated Martin.
Some of the company's pilots have over 15 years' experience, he said, adding that there were set points where a helicopter could land, but pilots did their best to get as close as possible to customers.
Martin said a trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi lasts half an hour, the cost of which varies depending on destination. He advised that the best thing for prospective customers requiring more information was to call the company number 02-4448 866.
Falcon Aviation Services planned to expand its current fleet of six helicopters to eight by July 2007.
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Lack of exposure to sun can lead to osteoporosis
DUBAI — May 12: Eighty per cent of the post-menopausal Emirati women suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Ultraviolet rays from the sun remain the most important source of Vitamin D. However, the percentage of UAE women suffering from Vitamin D deficiency is much higher than those in countries which receive less sunshine as compared to the UAE.
This could be explained to factors such as lack of exposure to sunshine due to spending long hours indoors, local dress styles, and higher melanin and pigmentation of skin which prevents absorption of vitamin D, and even genetic factors, say experts.
Dr Mariam Mattar, Assistant Undersecretary of Preventive Medicine in the Ministry of Health (MoH) for Public Health and Primary Care (PHC), has urged Emirati women to understand these risks and find ways to help themselves.
"Wearing an abaya and staying indoors limits our exposure to the sun, but it is still possible for women to allow the sun rays to come in contact with their skin during the early morning for around 15 to 20 minutes every day. We can still preserve our culture while maintaining good health," she said.
Dr Mattar's comments came at a recent Press conference to announce the launch of the first annual, Bone Health Week, commencing on May 13. It is an awareness campaign being launched by the Dubai Bone and Joint Centre (DBAJ) and aims at preventing osteoporosis and arthritis in the UAE.
"We tend to see patients at a late stage of osteoporosis. If the deformities are detected and treated earlier, patients would not suffer from the condition. Preventing it altogether through public awareness would be ideal,” said Dr Humeira Badsha, specialist rheumatologist DBAJ.
This year's event will feature a ‘Bone Health Open Day’ for the general public on May 19 at the Jumeriah Beach Hotel, with various activities lined up for the day, such as free bone scanning for early diagnosis of osteoporosis, exercise tips, fitness training, diet, and nutritional advice etc.
The campaign will also include a national screening programme in association with the MoH for women at risk of osteoporosis in the emirates. It will commence on May 24 at the Hor Al Anz Primary Health Medical Centre in Deira.
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UAE-India task force to protect workers' rights
DUBAI — May 12: The UAE and India will soon form a joint task force in a bid to protect the rights of workers, it was announced yesterday.
UAE's Labour Minister Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Kaabi and his Indian counterpart Vayalar Ravi made this announcement at a Press conference in Dubai yesterday.
The decision follows the first meeting of the high-level delegations of the UAE and India as per the MoU signed between two countries recently.
Both the ministers termed the meeting as "fruitful", and disclosed that apart from the task force, a joint committee of the Ministry of Labour and Indian missions would also be set up to address the workers' issues.
"The committee will hold monthly sessions to review and monitor the labour issues. The complaints lodged by labourers through Indian missions will be addressed during the meetings of this committee," said Al Kaabi. Revealing further details, Ravi said that India and the UAE would launch training programmes for workers in construction, hospitality and health care sectors.
"The training programme will ensure that only qualified persons are recruited. With this, we can ensure that if a carpenter is required then only a carpenter is sent, and not a driver," Ravi said. Both ministers agreed that it was mandatory for both the worker and the employer to abide by the labour contracts.
When asked about the menace of unscrupulous agents who con the workers by offering them lucrative jobs, Ravi said the Indian government had already initiated a process to make amendments in the Immigration Act. "We have included new clauses as well as new penalties. The penalties range up to eight years of imprisonment. Agents will be made accountable," Ravi disclosed.
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