shameen

Man Arrested for Issuing
 Dh640,500 in Dud Cheques

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Dubai, August 31: The General Department of Criminal Investigation of the Dubai Police has arrested a man who allegedly issued dud cheques worth Dh640,500.

A number of shops owners informed the police that the 35-year-old suspect had taken goods from them and issued to them dud cheques.

They told the police that the suspect had shut down the company against which the cheques were issued.

The police failed to reach the suspect who had switched off his mobile phone and had no fixed address.

Mohammed to Launch Metro

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Dubai, August 31: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will officially launch Dubai Metro on September 9, 2009.

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said the emirate’s plan for the train system were coming
to fruition. “Launching Dubai Metro on September 9 is a true manifestation of the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to uplift the infrastructure of the emirate of Dubai,”

Parents Exercise Caution
as Schools Reopen

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Dubai, August 31: The start of the academic year saw quieter school corridors as many parents chose to keep their children back home as a precautionary measure over swine flu fears.

Sharjah resident Sheeba Shaji decided to keep her children home for fear they might catch an infection due to their low immunity. “My elder son is allergic and suffers from wheezing and sneezing occasionally. I was worried about his vulnerability and I was also scared that the school might send him back just because he sneezes due to his allergy,” she said.

VIP Web Domain Name Holder Gets Dh4m Offer

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Abu Dhabi, August 31: A UAE-based businessman is set to make millions from the sale of a highly desired web domain name.

Brendan O’Shea, the Irish business development director in an Abu Dhabi management consultancy, has been offered Dh4 million by an Emirati for the web domain name vip.ae, which he registered in early 2007 to promote an event for VIPs in the UAE capital.

Schools Told to Note H1N1 Symptoms

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Dubai, August 31: Clinical judgement and common sense are the keywords for schools while identifying sick children and sending them for home isolation due to suspected H1N1 infection.

Experts are stressing on this message for avoiding a situation in which any child that sneezes or coughs for reasons not linked to swine flu is treated as a suspected H1N1 patient.

This is also important because some of the initial symptoms of H1N1 infection are similar to those of all other types of influenza, common cold, and certain allergies, especially in 
asthmatic people.

Sharjah Power Failure Frustrates Residents

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Sharjah, August 31: Residents of Sharjah’s Industrial Area No 1 and some parts in Industrial Areas 13 and 17 are extremely frustrated with the power failure experienced during the last three days.

Residents and commercial business owners said they had witnessed failure in power supply up to four times a day during the weekend.

Riaz, a resident of Industrial Area No 1, said power supply had barely been on for three hours in recent days. “The power does not last three hours. So far I have already spent more than Dh2,400 staying in hotels,” he said.

Businesses Upbeat as Launch Date Nears

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Dubai, August 31: Shopkeepers and staff of businesses based around the 10 stations that are opening on the Dubai Metro were looking forward to the launch day.

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) officials on Sunday named the 10 stations that would open on September 9: Rashidiya, Terminal 3 (Dubai International Airport), City Center, Al Rigga, Union, Khalid bin Al Waleed, Jafliah, Financial Center, Mall of the Emirates, and Nakheel Harbour & Tower.

The remaining stations on the Red Line will be opened in phases over the next few months, said officials.

Woman Dies as Flu Fears Keep Students Away

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Dubai, August 31: A woman has become the UAE’s second swine flu fatality, and as parents worried about the spread of the H1N1 virus, fewer students than normal turned up for the first day of the new school term on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Asian woman who died was pregnant but her baby was delivered through C-section and is in good health, Wam reported.

According to school principals, up to half of primary section pupils were absent on Sunday but, with some exceptions, most high school students attended on the first day.

India Calls Off Chandrayaan Moon Mission

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Panaji, August 31: India on Sunday decided to terminate its first unmanned moon mission as contact could not be re-established with the spacecraft Chandrayaan, a top space official 
said here.

“We are disappointed with what has happened, but we have managed to salvage a large volume of data,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair told reporters here.

“We are content with the result,” he said. Earlier, Indian scientists tried to restore radio contact with the lunarcraft Chandrayaan-1.

Fire at Guwahati Refinery Doused

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Guwahati, August 31: A fire broke out at the Guwahati Refinery on Sunday, creating panic in the area. It was extinguished in about half-an-hour and authorities said there were no casualties or damage to the plant.

A refinery spokesperson said the fire broke outside the Sulphur Recovery Unit of the plant on Sunday afternoon during a routine shutdown.

India’s Defence Drive Attracts Global Suppliers

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New Delhi, August 31: India’s drive to protect itself after last year’s Mumbai attacks is attracting interest from some of the world’s biggest companies who see opportunities in the push for improved homeland security.

The government, after shunning the private sector for decades, is embracing it as an ally in the quest for new security strategies and technologies following the Mumbai bloodbath last November that left 166 people dead.

Gaddafi, Berlusconi launch Libya highway project

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Touisha, August 31: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi laid the foundation stone on Sunday for an ambitious highway stretching along the entire Libyan coast, an AFP correspondent said.

The 1,200 kilometre (750 mile) highway has long been demanded by Libya as compensation for Rome’s occupation and colonial rule over the north African country from 1911 until World War II.

USS Missouri to get Pearl Harbor shipyard makeover

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Hawaii, August 31: The “Mighty Mo,” the World War II battleship best known for hosting the formal surrender of Japan in 1945, is heading to the shipyard for repairs.

The USS Missouri, now a decommissioned vessel called the Battleship Missouri Memorial, will leave its historic spot at Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor in October.

US expects ‘strong alliance’ with new Japan PM

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Washington, August 31: The White House said Sunday it expected a “strong alliance” with Japan’s incoming center-left government after voters ended a half-century of nearly unbroken rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

The White House described the vote in Japan as a “historic election in one of the world’s leading democracies.”

Hurricane Jimena bellows off Mexican Pacific

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Los Cabos, August 31: Hurricane Jimena blew into a dangerous Category 4 storm off Mexico’s Pacific Coast and was on track to buffet resorts on the Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday.

Jimena, a small but powerful hurricane that has intensified quickly since it formed early on Saturday, had winds of near 135 mph (215 kmh) with higher gusts, and further strengthening was expected in the hours ahead.

Blackwater tapped foreigners on secret CIA program

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Washington, August 31: When the CIA revived a plan to kill or capture terrorists in 2004, the agency turned to the well-connected security company then known as Blackwater USA.

With Blackwater’s lucrative government security work and contacts arrayed in hot spots around the world, company officials offered the services of foreigners supposedly skilled at tracking terrorists in lawless regions and countries where the CIA had no working relationships with the government.

Merkel’s party loses ground in German votes

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Berlin, August 31: Voters inflicted losses on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in state elections Sunday, a setback weeks before a national election that she hopes will produce a new center-right government.

Merkel’s center-left rival in the Sept. 27 national ballot, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, celebrated her party’s “dramatic losses.” However, the results were unspectacular for his Social Democrats, who trail in national polls.

Inhalable measles vaccine soon in India

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New Delhi, August 30: single deep breath will soon be enough to vaccinate children against measles as human trials of an inhalable vaccine for the deadly disease are expected to begin early next year in India.

Serum Institute of India will be conducting the trials of the new vaccine in the country.

“The phase-I trials are expected to begin by the first quarter of next year once the animal testing, currently under process, is completed,” Prasad Kulkarni, Additional Medical Director, Serum Institute of India said.

New drug reduces risks for heart patients

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Barcelona, August 30: A new drug to prevent blood clots in heart patients reduced their chances of dying by more than 20 percent compared to the standard treatment, new research says.

Researchers followed 18,624 patients worldwide from 2006 to 2008. About half the patients were taking clopidogrel, also known as Plavix, while the other half were taking an experimental drug called ticagrelor, or Brilinta, made by AstraZeneca PLC.

Now, a spacecraft to save Earth!

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London, August 30: British scientists have designed a spacecraft which they claim is capable of saving Earth from a catastrophic asteroid collision.

A team at British space company EADS Astrium has made the spacecraft, “gravity tractor”, which will be deployed when an orbiting rock is detected on a collision course with Earth — in fact, it will intercept the asteroid and position itself to fly alongside it, just 160 feet from its surface.

‘Efforts on to restore link with Chandrayaan’

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Bangalore, August 30: Indian scientists are still trying to restore radio contact with Chandrayaan-1, but the chances of re-establishing contact are slim, a senior space official said on Sunday.

“Efforts are still on to restore the signal with the mooncraft though chances are slim. If we fail to establish the link again, we may call off the mission much earlier than the two-year schedule,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S Satish said.

Flintoff targets World Cup victory

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London, August 30: Andrew Flintoff has targeted a win at the ICC Cricket World Cup before he retires from all forms of the game.

Flintoff who is currently recovering after undergoing an operation on his knee hopes to play in 2011 and 2015.

“Obviously there are no guarantees but, having spoken to the surgeon, I`m confident I`ll be able to get back on the field,” said Flintoff.

“There`s no bigger incentive than playing for England. I`m still going to play cricket and still try to bowl at 90mph. Give me a few months and you`ll be watching me.”

England prospect Denly renews rivalry with Lee

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Manchester, August 30: England`s latest batting prospect Joe Denly is set to renew an old rivalry on Sunday against Australia fast bowler Brett Lee who gave him an early insight into batting in international cricket.

England and Australia meet in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals at Old Trafford with the second on Tuesday, before a seven-match one-day series follows a dramatic summer in which England regained the Ashes.

BCCI severs ties with IPL event Management Company

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New Delhi, August 30: The Indian Cricket Board has cancelled its contract with event management company IMG World, which played a significant role in the success of the first two editions of the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

The decision to snap ties was taken after the BCCI Working Committee refused to approve the terms and conditions of the contract.

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, who negotiated the agreement with IMG senior vice-president Andrew Wildblood, conveyed the board`s decision to the company in a letter.

Shah ready to be ‘main man’ against Australia

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Manchester, August 30: Owais Shah is looking forward to being one of England`s `go-to` batsmen in their upcoming Twenty20 clashes and one-day internationals (ODIs) against Australia.

The 30-year-old Middlesex batsman has appeared in 60 ODIs and 16 Twenty20s yet has played just six Tests despite making 88 on debut against India in Mumbai three years ago.