Month: February 2011

Tehran, February 03: Iran’s saffron exports will increase by more than 10 percent to top an annual 100 tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).

Head of Iran’s Union of Sellers and Exporters of Saffron Gholam Reza Miri said the country exported 90 tons of the precious spice last year.

Iran, the largest saffron producer in the world, exports saffron to 46 countries including European and Persian Gulf countries, IRIB quoted Miri as saying.

Earlier last month, Miri said that Iran exported about 68 tons of saffron in the first three quarters of the year.

Jerusalem, February 03: An Israeli warplane has once again pounded the southern Gaza Strip, targeting the tunnel network used to transfer vital goods from Egypt to the blockaded territory.

The F-16 jet flew over the city of Rafah on Wednesday and fired a missile at a Palestinian tunnel, witnesses told Xinhua news agency.

The attack caused a huge explosion which destroyed the tunnel, but there were no immediate reports on the possible injuries.

Gaza City, February 03: The Israeli air force bombed a suspected smuggling tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border on Wednesday in response to rocket attacks, the military said. No casualties were reported.

“The site was targeted in response to the recent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip,” a military statement said, referring to Grad rockets and mortar rounds fired from Gaza on Monday night, one of which exploded near a wedding in southern Israel, although nobody was injured.

Witnesses in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah said there were no casualties in the Israel air raid.

Dubai, February 03: Emirates has supported a number of UAE national students by sponsoring its educational trip to Rome. Students from Zayed University are provided with a return economy class ticket to Rome on Emirates Airline as part of educational tours.

The all-female student group will spend 10 days travelling around Rome, Florence and Pompei on an educational trip, looking at specific aspects of Italian history as part of their Global Awareness and World History university classes at Zayed University.

Dubai, February 03: From next month onwards, hospitals and other healthcare establishments in Dubai will have to follow uniform guidelines for the investigation and surveillance of food-borne illnesses and food poisoning cases.

This will ensure that related symptoms are concluded a case of food poisoning or a food-borne disease only when clinical symptoms, food samples and lab tests tally. The application of such guidelines is expected to change the current scenario of some doctors misdiagnosing diarrhea and vomiting as symptoms of food poisoning.

Sharjah, February 03: The Shariah Court of First Instance on Wednesday sentenced two Asians to life imprisonment and another Asian to 14 years in jail and a fine of Dh50,000 for trafficking in 4kg of opium and pain-relieving drug Tramadol.

The convicts will be deported after serving their jail terms. Two defendants were found guilty of possession of opium and drug use, while the defendant was convicted of possession of opium.

The judgement was based on Federal Law No. 14 of 1995 regarding trafficking in and use of narcotic substances.

Ras Al Khaimah, February 03: A 27-year-old Indian expatriate attempted to commit suicide in Ras Al Khaimah after being dumped by his lover he left back in his hometown.

The love-sick man allegedly cut his neck with a knife while at his accommodation after he received information recently that his girlfriend got married to another man.

Dubai, February 03: The Deira Prosecution has launched a probe after 1.8 tonnes of expired meat bearing validity stickers were seized last week.

Deira Chief Prosecutor Youssef Foulaz said on Wednesday that the meat was about to be distributed in the market .

“The stickers were changed to show that the meat was fit for consumption. There are five suspects including the main one who is at large,” Foulaz said.

Dubai, February 03: A male worker and an unemployed woman stood trial in the Court of First Instance on Wednesday on the charges of human trafficking and illegal confinement.

The two, both Bangladeshis, allegedly forced two women into prostitution.

Acording to the prosecution records, the two defendants lured two compatriot women to the UAE with the offer of jobs as maids. Once they arrived here, the defendants seized their passports and visas and held them up in an apartment at Naif in Deira.

Abu Dhabi, February 03: In efforts to better safeguard the maritime transportation across the region in particular and major maritime countries over the world, industry experts gathered in the Capital on Wednesday to share challenges and new avenues set by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, known as the Rotterdam Rules.

The conference was aimed to raise local and regional awareness about these new rules that will impact international maritime transport and ease their decision about its ratification.

Dubai, February 03L The Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI), a leading centre of law studies and judicial training in the emirate, on Tuesday honoured its major partners who contributed to the success of the institute’s strategic plan for 2010.