NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Tanker Chief Engineers Death - Mystery Unsolved
How did he die?
Dubai - May 13, 2007 - Mystery surrounds the death of a 36-year-old engineer who was found floating beside an oil tanker berthed at Dubai Dry Docks. Benny George’s body was discovered in the sea next to the Angneswar oil tanker, belonging to the the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), following extensive searches.
His wife Sini, who lived on board the vessel with their five-year-old daughter, said she saw her husband for the last time on Friday morning. A family friend said: “He left his room at 7am after breakfast and then went to the engine room and worked down there. He then left there at around 9am. No one knows what happened to him after that. This is a big mystery to all of us. We need to find out.”
The friend added: “We took his wife to Abu Dhabi to stay with relatives after he went missing. We informed her of his death this morning and she is absolutely shattered by the news.” Police have been informed of the death and are currently holding his body at the police mortuary while tests are carried out to determine how he died.
The family friend added: “He was a really normal person and had a great family life. I cannot believe there is any suggestion of suicide here.” It was also revealed yesterday by his wife that Benny had never learnt to swim. He worked as a chief engineer on the SCI oil tanker that has been undergoing maintenance at the dry dock for around three weeks. He had been working with the company for more than 14 years and has been married to Sini for seven years.
Ocean Masters Shipping Company, the vessel's agent, said yesterday that it could not comment until the medical reports and police investigation are completed.
SEVEN DAYS
Dh25.2 million for No. 5
ABU DHABI — MAY 13: The special number plate auction conducted yesterday at Emirates Palace Hotel has broken all world records so far with the single digit number plate ‘5’ fetching a whopping Dh25.2 million, auction organisers announced.
Abdullah Mattar of Emirates Auction Company, which organised the auction, said: 'The value of the distinguished number plate ‘5’ had left numbers sold in London (Dh2.2m) and Dubai (Dh3.15m for number 15) far behind. He added that 700 bidders from 13 nationalities vied for numbers of their choice and UAE bidders accounted for 87 per cent.
Bidders from Ukraine, China and Italy came escorted by their translators.
The Ukrainian bidder purchased the number plate 1001 for Dh550,000. Chinese struggled in vain to win the lucky number 88 as its value shot up to Dh4.2 million.
The auction of 41 number plates generated Dh76.2m. The auction saw stiff competition on the number 5 but the Al Awail Holding, an engineering and contracting investment company, emerged as the highest bidder offering Dh25.2 million. The same company won four numbers with 55 for Dh6.5 million, 45 for Dh5 million, 76 for Dh2.75 million and 55555 for Dh2 million.
Talal Khoury, CEO of Al Awail, stated that the bidding was mainly aimed at raising money for charity works. 'The prime objective is to deliver these funds to the people with special needs and the fund for victims of road accidents,' he affirmed.
Colonel Mohammed Al Ka'abi, Director of Vehicles Licensing Department, Abu Dhabi Police, said: 'The winning bidders will receive certificates of ownership entitling them to dispose of these numbers freely.'
According to Lt-Col. Abdul Rahman Al Kamali, the second auction of 90-100 numbers will be held on June 5.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Firms violating overtime limit risk stiff action
ABU DHABI — MAY 13: Companies which force labourers to work more than two hours of overtime in the summer months will face penalties.
According to Qaseem Jameel, deputy director in the Ministry of Labour's Inspection Department, the ministry will impose fines on companies which ignore rules.
“As per the labour law, in case of violation, apart from Dh10,000 fine, the firm's licence can be suspended for six months and the company can be downgraded to lower category (B or C),” Jameel said. He pointed out that if labourers are forced to work overtime for more than two hours a day, they have the right to seek transfer of sponsorship after referring to the MoL.
However, the law states that exceptions can be made in times of emergency or crisis.
The ministry is seeking to enforce international standards regarding occupational health and safety at construction sites all over the country.
Meanwhile, the ministry has emphasised the need for companies to submit quarterly reports on accidents. "Article 151 of the labour law states the necessity of filing the accident reports to the ministry every three months. The reports should include all the details of the accidents and the number of injured workers,” Jameel said.
"We request the companies in the capital to file accident reports on time because that would help facilitate the labourers' right to get medical care," Jameel added.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Readers reach out to family in distress
DUBAI — MAY 13: Life has finally changed for good for an Indian family which was until recently struggling to meet both ends meet after the death of their bread earner. They were forced to live without electricity and water in their home for days.
Sareena's husband, Abdul Razak, had died of cancer in Dubai Hospital recently, leaving behind four children.
Following a report published in Khaleej Times recently highlighting the ordeal of Sareena, some good samaritans in the UAE have extended support to the family.
"I still can't believe that all has changed so suddenly. After the Khaleej Times article, several readers came forward to help me and my kids," Sareena said.
"A KT reader has offered me a job of human resource coordinator in a private company in Dubai. Some good samaritans have paid up one year's school fees for my daughters, 12-year-old Anam and three-year-old Fatima," Sareena said, adding, "they have also offered to pay fees for next five years."
Further, Manzil School for Special Needs in Sharjah has offered free education for Sareena's mentally-challenged 17-year-old daughter Jamshene.
Sareena, who started going to work a month ago and has already shifted to a villa in Rashidiyah, said, “So many people came forward to help us. Thanks to Khaleej Times.”
KHALEEJ TIMES
Khadi a fashion statement: Raje
DUBAI — MAY 13: After being censured for walking the ramp to promote the Indian handspun and hand-woven fabric, Khadi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will soon be on her way to New York tomorrow to receive the prestigious United Nations ‘Women Together Award 2007’.
During a brief trip to Dubai to inaugurate an exhibition in the Indian Festival, Raje defended her action saying, "People do not understand the difference between going on stage and walking the ramp."
Speaking to Khaleej Times yesterday after inaugurating the exhibition, the fiery chief minister asserted, "Khadi is a fine mixture of economy and as much a dream. While people have relegated it to be a relic of the past, it is as much a thing of the future. It can never lose its relevance. In fact, it is a fashion statement now internationally."
She reasoned that after her stint as a union minister for state for small scale Industries, she understood the need to promote cluster development and empower women. Raje, who had drawn flack from the Sangh Parivar after she walked the ramp in Jaipur and Bangalore last year, plans to dedicate this award to spinners and weavers.
Asked about her being deified in her state, the chief minister quickly retorted, "How am I responsible for it?', adding "It is embarrassing to bump into my own enlarged posters. But I am not going to be policing people for this."
Addressing fellow Rajasthinis in Dubai, she waxed eloquently on how the state had come a long way and pointed out how the World Bank, in a recent report on the 12 upwardly mobile states, had ranked Rajasthan third.
She also promised to make the state power-surplus by the year 2009 and invited Non Resident Indians to invest in the state, which is now seeking alternative industries, apart from tourism.
"I do plan to pick up pointers from Dubai," said Raje, when asked if she would replicate ideas to promote tourism in her home state.
The Indian Festival is being held between May 12 and May 16 and is showcasing different facets of India, including real estate, gem and jewellery, handicrafts, tourism, education and IT, among other things. The entry is free and the exhibition is open to the public from 11am to 9pm.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Missing boy found in Ajman
DUBAI — MAY 13: Mohsen Mohammed, the Grade IX student of a private school in the Al Garhoud area, who went missing last Tuesday, has been found in Ajman.
Colonel Khalil Ibrahim, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Criminal Investigation of Dubai Police, said a police patrol found the 14-year-old in a public park on Friday evening and he was in good health.
According to Colonel Ibrahim, Mohsen told the police that after getting expelled from school last Tuesday for not abiding by the rule of wearing the school uniform, he landed in Ajman and wandered in the streets and on the beach for a long time before arriving at the public park.
Colonel Khalil said the student was afraid of going back home. He added that the boy was handed over to his father at 2am on Friday after the latter gave an assurance to the police that he would not impose any harsh punishment on his son.
The father, Mohamed Hussein Mohammed, blamed the school managemnet for the trauma the family had to suffer.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Hypertension a major health threat
DUBAI — MAY 13: Hypertension is one of the most common health threats for people living in the UAE, one of the leading doctors of the country has revealed.
Speaking during the launch of Regional Alliance for Hypertension Awareness (RAHA), Dr Fahed Kouli, Nephrologist at the American Hospital Dubai, said, “high blood pressure or hypertension as it is commonly known, is a chronic disease that can cause damage to the body and must be taken seriously. It occurs without symptoms and is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.” Dr Kouli added: “While the condition can be easily diagnosed and successfully treated, nearly 70 per cent of the people who have high blood pressure, unfortunately, do not have it under control. There is a clear need to find better ways to educate the public about the consequences of high blood pressure. Raising awareness on hypertension is crucial for public health. The formation of RAHA is a good step towards achieving this goal,” he noted.
The RAHA campaign comprises patients, relatives of patients and volunteers who have teamed up to spread awareness about the perils of hypertension in the region. The group hopes to start its work in the UAE and then reach out to other countries.
“We have formed this alliance to help people like us. We have all suffered from hypertension personally or have had family members, relatives or friends who have suffered from heart attack or stroke because of hypertension,” said Dr Maryam Kaladary, spokesperson for RAHA. “We know that the disease can be controlled. It is important that people get the message - hypertension can kill.”
RAHA is the first-ever awareness initiative on the cause of hypertension and its fatal risks such as stroke and heart attack. It aims to become the authoritative voice on preventing deaths caused by strokes and heart attacks due to high blood pressure levels or hypertension.
As its first major project in the UAE, RAHA will be spearheading the UAE's celebration of the World Hypertension Day on May 17, 2007.
KHALEEJ TIMES