NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Air India Express slapped with Dh50,000 compensation claim
ABU DHABI — MAY 22: An Indian passenger has sent a legal notice to the Air India Express (AIE), India's budget airline, claiming a compensation of nearly Dh50,000, for cancelling his Mangalore-Abu Dhabi ticket, without informing him.
Abdul Gafoor Kadavath, who works as a senior officer with the Union National Bank, Abu Dhabi, has claimed the compensation in lieu of what he says the damages and harassment he had to bear as the airline cancelled his ticket during his trip to India in March this year.
The airline's finance department at its Santacruz office in Mumbai claims they had cancelled the ticket because they did not receive any money from the passenger. However, the passenger's Mashreqbank records show that he had transferred the money to the airline by his bank's master card within the specified period.
Kadavnath claims he had booked six air tickets from Mangalore to Abu Dhabi using the Mashreqbank master card and received a confirmation status on February 21, 2007 but was shocked when he was told at the Mangalore Airport on March 24, 2007 that his confirmed ticket had been cancelled on March 15, 2007 by the airline's Mumbai office.
Kadavath, who has been residing in the UAE for past 25 years, claims the airline had nine days to inform him regarding the cancellation of the tickets but they didn't do so. "This is a 'breach of contract' made from your side," Kadavath's legal notice, a copy of which is with the Khaleej Times, says.
When contacted, K. Lakshmanan, Manager in the Abu Dhabi office of AIE said, "after the ticket cancellations, our Mumbai office tried to inform him repeatedly and sent numerous messages to him but he did not reply."
KHALEEJ TIMES
All fingers of US visa seekers to be printed
DUBAI — MAY - 22:UAE residents who want to travel to the US will soon have to give fingerprints of all the 10 fingers instead of just two.
In an attempt to strengthen existing screening process and bring down the number of 'false positive matches', the American Embassy in the UAE is in the process of moving from a two-finger scanner to a ten-finger scanner by this summer and will introduce it in Dubai and Abu Dhabi by August.
The spokesperson of the American Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Wes Robertson, said: "The US government is transitioning from two-fingerprint to 10-fingerprint scans, a technology that is more accurate and produces fewer 'false positive' matches. We expect the introduction of the 10-fingerprint scan of visa applicants in the UAE by this summer."
In the current process, two index fingers of a visa applicant are electronically scanned in an inkless process during the consular officer's interview with the applicant. There will be no extra fee charged and most visas will continue to be processed in two days.
"The scanning capability will be installed at both the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai," added Robertson, emphasising that there would be no separate visa application centres. He specified that all collection of finger scans will be done in US government offices like the consular office in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai.
The Embassy also assured that the move would facilitate easier access into the country and maintained that the use of biometrics assists immigration inspectors in the verification of the identity of a traveller. "Biometrics collected at US embassies and consulates abroad are checked at the ports of entry to verify that the person travelling with the visa is the same person who was issued the visa," the spokesperson noted. The US Congress mandated the use of biometrics in the US in 2002 to help identify people who might pose a threat to the security of the country.
The biometric identifier method chosen for use with US visas is a digital photo and electronic fingerprint scans. This is a worldwide programme and would be implemented in many countries by the end of this year.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Three cars in The Gardens vandalised
DUBAI — MAY 22: Residents of The Gardens were shocked to find on Sunday morning three cars, which were parked near buildings 62 and 63, vandalised by unidentified persons.
However, no theft was reported.
A resident, whose car was vandalised, said: "It was a shocking incident. When I saw my car on Sunday, the indicator lights and the windscreen of my car were smashed."
However, he added, "I did not lose any valuables which were kept inside the car. I have informed The Gardens’ security officers and the police."
Another resident, who had been living in the residential complex for the past four years, said: “The Gardens is normally a safe place to live in. Security personnel are deployed on the premises all the time. We are really surprised that this could happen here.”
A security officer at The Gardens confirmed the incident had occurred, but refused to give details. "The matter has been reported to police. I cannot say more about it as I am not authorised to speak to the Press," he said.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Five firms get nod to operate waterbus
DUBAI — MAY 22: The Marine Transportation Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has given the thumbs up to five international companies to operate and maintain the waterbus scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of July 2007.
Engineer Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of Marine Transport Agency, RTA stated that the agency has attracted the best companies and qualified five international companies bidding from Holland, Australia, Singapore, Turkey and UK for operating and maintaining the waterbus.
“The qualifying process has been carried out within the timeframe set for this purpose spanning from May 5 up to the end of July."
KHALEEJ TIMES
Dubai - Parents upset at school fees hike
Dubai - MAY 22: Parents of students at Dubai American Academy (DAA) have expressed their anger at news their children’s school fees will rise 20 per cent in September this year. The GEMS school has become the latest to announce fee hikes for the next school year, confirming yesterday an increase of 20 per cent will be effective from September 2007.
A school spokesperson blamed rent increases and operational costs as the reason for the hike. But one parent, claiming to speak on behalf of a group of parents at DAA, said the rise was unacceptable and would bring their annual fees to more than dhs50,000.
She said: “The increase is very high. With the cost of living and rents rising as well it is very difficult for us to remain here.” A spokesperson for DAA however said there had been no fee increase at the school since 2004, adding: “Operating costs, including rents, have increased across the emirate and these have also had an effect on the education sector. Rent for teachers’ accommodations have increased by as much as 40 per cent alone.”
SEVEN DAYS
Dubai - The car park killer
Dubai - MAY 22: A man who beat another man to death after an argument over a parking space outside a church in Oud Metha was sentenced to three years in prison at the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday. The assault occurred on December 9 last year as the defendant, JK, waited with his uncle for a space to become available.
After sitting there for a short time a car left, but as the pair went to pull into the vacant space, another vehicle nipped in ahead of them. The court heard that this incensed JK who jumped out of his uncle’s car to remonstrate with the other vehicle, which was being driven by the victim, Kunjumon Thomas. A heated argument began between the two before JK’s uncle intervened and pulled him back into the car. After they found another space, JK and his uncle tried to make their into the church but found their way blocked by Thomas and two of his friends, who challenged JK to a fight. A scuffle broke out, with Thomas and JK exchanging blows, and in the ensuing melee Thomas was knocked to the ground.
Passers by then jumped in as the police and ambulance services were called. Unfortunately Thomas was dead when the ambulance arrived and the cause was later pronounced to be bleeding to the brain, which was believed to have been caused by the flurry of punches. JK had told the court: “I killed him accidentally and he insisted on fighting me even when I tried to avoid him.”
JK was also convicted of swearing at the victim and will be deported after serving his sentence. The case will transfer to the appeals court later this month.
SEVEN DAYS