NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies

Villa-theft gangs busted

DUBAI — MAY 12: Three gangs comprising Africans, Europeans and Asians have been arrested for stealing valuables from villas in Jumeirah.

All the accused were yesterday referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution.

Colonel Khalil Ibrahim, Acting Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation of Dubai Police, said several complaints were received from villa owners in Jumeirah regarding a series of thefts.

On May 1, the CID team managed to arrest one of the gangs comprising two Afghans, identified as SA and OM, from Al Rafaa. During investigation, they admitted that they had entered UAE illegally and had robbed a number of villas in Jumeirah. 

On May 4, acting on a tip-off, the CID team arrested three members of another gang. They confessed to stealing electronic gadgets from a number of houses in Jumeirah.

Also on May 4, the police  arrested a Sudanese who robbed a villa in Jumeirah.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Etisalat offers ‘Auto-Pay’ service

ABU DHABI — MAY 10: Etisalat customers can now enjoy greater control of their finances. Thanks to Etisalat's new 'Auto-Pay' service, customers can now earmark fixed budgets and make regular, scheduled payments using their credit cards.

Using the Auto-Pay service, Etisalat customers can securely pay any of the Etisalat bills — mobile (GSM and prepaid), fixed-line, Internet (Al Shamil and Dial-up) and television (E-Vision), as well as renew their Wasel accounts and recharge their Wasel prepaid connections, on a weekly or monthly basis, with a current offer of 10 per cent additional credit on the recharge amount for Wasel prepaid accounts. To set up AutoPay service, customers can log on to www.etisalat.ae/online, register a mobile account, and follow the steps therein.

Etisalat has opened seven new retail outlets across the Emirates. They are all located in convenient and popular locations like the Mega Mall in Sharjah, Arrival Hall at Sharjah International Airport, Ajman City Centre, Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain, Madinat Zayed Centre in Abu Dhabi, Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, and Manar Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.

These locations are in addition to the existing outlets located at the Dubai World Trade Centre and Arrival Hall - Dubai International Airport.

KHALEEJ TIMES

10 water buses will start running in July

DUBAI — MAY 10: Ten boats constituting the first phase of the Water Bus project will be ready for operations by early July, a senior Roads and Transport Authority official said yesterday.

During a visit to SEASPRY Factory which is carrying out the assembly works on the water bus fleet, Engineer Eissa Al Dosari, CEO of Marine Transport Agency, said 40 per cent of the manufacturing work have been completed.

Al Dosari added, "During the next two weeks, more details will be worked out about the general structure of the water bus."

He pointed out that the total cost of the project is Dh10 million.

"There will be eight buses devoted to public transport, one for tourists in Dubai Creek and another for VIPs which has got seating arrangements following Arab majlis style," he said.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Dubai beauty clinics need MoH approval

DUBAI — MAY 10:All beauty clinics in Dubai will now have to acquire permission from the Ministry of Health prior to advertising procedures or products that could affect human health, said a senior health official yesterday.

Dr Abdelkarim Al Zarouni, Director-General of Health Advertisement Department at MoH, while commenting on the recently issued law regulating health advertisement in the country, told Khaleej Times yesterday, "This regulation is particularly for beauty clinics that offer treatments such as Botox, liposuction, weight reduction treatments, skin and laser treatments etc."

He added that though salons are licensed by the Dubai Municipality, the treatments that they offer have to be approved by the MoH.

"They will have to apply for a licence to advertise their establishment, equipment and technical help before they go ahead and claim that they offer certain kind of treatments," said Dr Zarouni.

He, however, clarified that the beauty clinics/salons could advertise for procedures such as hair dyeing, manicure/pedicure, etc.

He also said that the MoH would then carry out checks to verify the claims of  the salon. "If the MoH criteria is met, only then will the salon be allowed to print and advertise themselves," he added.

"Penalties including warnings, monetary fines and a closure of the establishment could ensue if the rules are not followed," explained Dr Zarouni.

He explained that the law had been enforced to protect customers. "It is also beneficial for the advertisers as well because they are being forced to promote themselves in an ethical way," he added.

In March, the MoH announced a law regulating health advertisement system in the country. The law number 7 for 2007 aims at controlling the health advertisement system in the country.

According to the articles stated in the law, companies and individuals cannot print ads that may mislead about products or may cause harm to the public.

KHALEEJ TIMES

ILA marks 31st anniversary

ABU DHABI — MAY 10: The Indian Ladies Association (ILA) yesterday celebrated its 31st anniversary with colourful programmes and a gala dinner for its members at Hilton Hotel's Al Qasr Ballroom in Abu Dhabi.

The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, CM Bhandari, who was the chief guest for the event, said, "The association fosters a good understanding among our countrymen." 

The association also provides a platform for interaction between UAE nationals and Indian expatriates, Bhandari added.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Sharjah - Conman captured

Sharjah - May 10: A fugitive wanted in the UAE and across the world for swindling people out of dhs1.2 billion has been arrested in India. Madhav Patel, 49, is accused of using forged documents of trade transactions to convince people to invest money with him - promising returns of as much as 25 per cent.

He left the UAE in 1999 after his Sharjah-based metal trading company ran into financial difficulties. It was only when the banks investigated this collapse that they discovered the company only existed on paper. Many victims, who claimed to have invested millions with Patel, said they were shown documents detailing transactions carried out by his company.

However, when they had not received any profit after a couple of months they checked with buyers who were supposed to be involved in the deals and it was only then that the fraud was discovered. In his absence the Dubai courts have issued several verdicts against Patel.  According to Bahraini newspaper the Gulf Daily News, Patel is now awaiting trial in Mumbai on an unrelated fraud charge.

Patel’s father has also been arrested on a fraud charge, after his son gave the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) his address during questioning. "Subsequently, the CBI arrested his father in New Delhi. Both were produced before a Mumbai court, which granted bail to them,” a CBI spokesman said.

Patel is wanted by law enforcement agencies across the world including Interpol, the City of London Police, Britain’s Serious Fraud Office and several Gulf countries for allegedly defrauding a number of Middle East banks.

SEVEN DAYS

Dubai - Love rival murdered

Dubai - May 10: A man went on trial at the Court of First Instance yesterday accused of stabbing his friend to death for having an affair with his girlfriend. The accused was drinking alcohol at his home in Muraqabat with the victim when he pulled out a knife and stabbed him three times in the chest.

“He was annoying me and I was trying to avoid him and not get involved in a fight. I didn’t intend to kill him. I accidentally killed him,” the accused said. A Sudanese man who lived nearby heard the victim scream for help and went over to investigate. He claims the accused told him: “I killed him because he is a stupid person.” The trial is now adjourned until later this month.

SEVEN DAYS