shameen Umm Al Quwain, September 13: Fishermen are banned from fishing in the East coast of the country until red tides disappear completely even as the Ministry of Environment and Water explores new methods of increasing productivity, a top official from the Ministry of Environment and Water told Khaleej Times.
Abu Dhabi, September 13: The prices of meats and fruits went up slightly in the third week of Ramadan compared with the previous week, says a survey by the Statistics Center Abu Dhabi (SCAD).
The Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, part of Department of Economic Development, which is closely monitoring the prices of essential food items falling under its Foodstuffs Price Index (FPI), noticed a sudden rise of 0.49 per cent in its index, during the third week of Ramadan, compared to the previous week of the month.
Abu Dhabi, September 13: The Red Crescent Authority (RCA) has commenced distribution of Dh6.5million initial Zakat Al Fitr in the country and abroad in line with the Ramadan Seasonal Projects undertaken annually by the RCA to alleviate suffering of the needy during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr days.
The zakat amounts are expected to rise during this week until the last day of Ramadan, a move that will increase the number of beneficiaries from the project both in the UAE and abroad.
Sharjah, September 13: Mobile vendors including ice cream and vegetable vans and, shops selling food items outside their outlets during Ramadan continue to flout the strict rules laid down by the municipalities of Sharjah and Ajman, officials said.
Vendors who violate the municipality regulations are liable to be strictly punished including deportation.
Despite the tough steps taken, a large number of unlicensed pick-up vans selling vegetables and fruits, are seen parked in some of the residential areas in Ajman.
Dubai,September 13: Passengers of Dubai Metro have expressed satisfaction over the swift and easy way of commuting that the new system offers.
But, they lament the overcrowded ticketing areas as passengers have to push their way in to secure a ticket, only to find, in some cases, machines not working.
Arnel Ramos, president of Filipino Digerati Association in UAE, told Khaleej Times that there is no doubt that expatriates can save a lot of money by taking the Metro.
Abu Dhabi, September 13: The National Health Insurance Company or Daman has taken action against two dental clinics for overcharging and indulging in malpractices.
Daman Chairman Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi said that immediate action was taken against clinics once the cases were discovered.
He added that under no circumstances will any form of abuse or fraud be tolerated by Daman.
“Any provider found committing any form of abuse or fraud will be dealt with immediately through all necessary legal actions,” he pointed out.
Dubai, September 13: The recent depressing developments on the job scene here have forced many to send their families home and as things stand it is almost impossible for them to cook or buy meals.
During Ramadan many of the new ‘bachelors’ and the workers laid off due to the depression, depend on the free meals at the Ramadan tents sponsored by charity organisations and mosques in Sharjah and Ajman.
This year the number of people attending the Ramadan tents has increased, more so with the number of unemployed workers suddenly increasing due to the economic downturn.
Abu Dhabi, September 13: While Dubai residents celebrated the opening of the Dubai Metro, which is expected to solve many of the traffic woes, people in Abu Dhabi are also excited about this newest mode of transportation.
Dubai, September 13: Schools in the emirate will have to appropriate their curricula to provide relevance to the community, improve attainment and application of Islamic education in a student’s life and maintain accurate attendance records according to a new set of guidelines by the education authority for the next cycle of school inspections.
Italy, September 13: Lebanon, a war drama by Israeli director Samuel Maoz, on Saturday won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival.
The film is set during the first day of Israel’s 1982 conflict in Lebanon as seen from the perspective of soldiers holed up in a tank – a claustrophobic experience audiences are made to share by the way the films is shot.
The 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival saw 25 films in competition.
–Agencies
Mumbai, September 13: All Set For Take-off: The five-day stalemate between Jet Airways and the agitating pilots ended on Saturday night after the airlines agreed to take back the pilots it had sacked.
PTI All Set For Take-off: The five-day stalemate between Jet Airways and the agitating pilots ended on Saturday night after the airlines agreed to take back the pilots it had sacked.
Amritsar, September 13: In the second cross-border attack in nearly two months, four rockets smashed into villages in Punjab, shattering the quiet night and
triggering a major scare. The attack forced BSF — perhaps for the first time — to retaliate with machine gun and mortar fire.
The BSF has lodged a strong protest with the Pak Rangers. It sounded an alert along the border late on Friday night. The attack happened the very day the BSF deployed its first female contingent along the international border in the Punjab sector.
Washington, September 12: US will accept Iran’s offer of talks but maintained that nuclear issue would be the central part of it, even as Tehran in its proposal has insisted that it would not negotiate over the future of its nuclear programme.
“We will seek an early meeting and we will seek to test Iran’s willingness to engage,” Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters.
The meeting could be even before the annual General Assembly meeting of the United Nations in New York later this month.
Taipei, September 12: Media in Taiwan were divided on Saturday over former president Chen Shui-bian’s conviction on corruption charges, with some hailing it as a “milestone” while others said it was a “flawed” process.
The Taipei district court sentenced Chen to life in jail on Friday after a corruption trial that he said was political revenge for his lifelong push to declare formal independence from China.
Kolkata, September 12: In the midst of a controversy over austerity measures imposed by his ministry, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday arrived here from New Delhi, flying economy class with a budget airline.
“It’s nothing new to me. During elections and whenever I travel on commercial flights, I almost (always) travelled economy class. It’s nothing new,” he told reporters here.
His office said in Delhi that he would return on Sunday by economy class on an Air India flight.
New Delhi, September 12: After Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s directive, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has given instructions to the officials of the Railway Board and zonal railways to adopt austerity measures.
She has also asked the six ministers of state from her party, Trinamool Congress, to do the same.
“Instructions have been issued to all concerned that expenditure should be curtailed wherever it is possible,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.
Mamata never travels in saloon car in trains as Railway Minister and prefers flying economy class, he said.
New Delhi, September 12: China has sought to provoke India once again by raising severe objection to the visit of Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which it claims as its own.
The Dalai Lama plans to visit soon the northeastern state, an aide said on Friday, in a trip that could again rile Beijing after it denounced his visit to Taiwan this month.
Chhime Chhoekyapa, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s aide, told news agencies that the Dalai Lama would be in Arunachal Pradesh in the second week of November.
Amritsar, September 12: Pakistan’s border security forces on Saturday denied firing several rockets into the Indian territory from across the border in the Attari-Wagah sector.
Two rockets were fired from Pakistan on Friday night towards the Indian territory, which fell in agriculture fields in two adjacent villages, drawing retaliation from BSF using machine guns.
Washington, September 12: Cranking up pressure on Pakistan, the Obama administration on Saturday asked it to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
The US nudge came a day after Home Minister P Chidambaram did some hard talk, telling Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top security officials that Pakistan was dilly-dallying in prosecuting those responsible for the 26/11 carnage, including the mastermind Hafiz Mohd Saeed, the LeT founder who was roaming free in that country.
Dhaka, September 12: Bangladesh says it will not hand over Indian separatist leader Anup Chetia, who served a jail term here for entering the country with fake documents, but stressed it would not allow its territory to be used by militants.
Amritsar: Even as the Pakistani authorities on Saturday denied that any rockets were fired from their side into the Indian territory, paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) officials here said that they were fully equipped to retaliate against any provocation from the neighbouring country.
Senior BSF officials, who inspected the spot and the rockets that were fired, said three 107 MM rockets were fired into India Friday night near the Attari-Wagah check post.
Lucknow, September 12: A suspected agent of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district, an official of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said on Saturday.
Imtiaz Ali, who hails from Jhansi, was nabbed by ATS sleuths from Bhauti area in Kanpur, about 80 km from state capital Lucknow.
“Documents related to defence establishments in various districts of Uttar Pradesh have been recovered from Ali’s possession,” a senior ATS official told a media service.
Mumbai, September 12: Fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar and his family members have moved Bombay High Court, seeking to remove an ‘observation’ on their passports that restricts their travel abroad.
Ministry of External Affairs had made observation recently that passports are “valid to travel between UAE and India only”.
As a result, the family, currently settled in Dubai (UAE), cannot visit other countries.
Caracas,September 12: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he has signed military agreements with Russia and is soon expecting the arrival of some “little rockets.”
Chavez says the rockets reach up to 186 miles (300 kilometers) and are strictly for defense purposes.
Chavez returned Friday from a world tour including a visit to Russia, where he met with President Dmitry Medvedev.
London, September 12: England’s public prosecutor said he would seek a retrial of three men accused of involvement in a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, following a hung jury in their court case.
The defendants are to face a third trial on the charge of conspiracy to murder, the Crown Prosecution Service said, believing it was in the public interest and there remained a realistic prospect of conviction.