Dubai: Astronomers predict that the first day of Eid Al Adha may be October
26, a Friday.
According to Dr Humaid Majol Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Arab Union for
Astronomy and Space Science and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Sharjah
for Academic Affairs, “based on astronomical calculations, October 25 will be
the 9th of Dhu Al Hijja, Arafat Day, and consequently Friday will be the first
day of Eid Al Adha”.
Dubai:
Etisalat’s mobile subscribers who got SMSs from the telecom service provider
should update their personal information within three months, failing which
their mobile connection will be disconnected and later on their SIM card numbers
will be cancelled, a top etisalat official told Gulf News.
Hassan Al
Abdouli, Director of Channel Management at etisalat, said: “Etisalat has sent
SMSs to 1.5 million subscribers kindly asking them to update their personal
data within three months, otherwise they will be eligible to lose their SIM
cards. If the subscribers fail to update the information within the specified
period following the SMSs, the SIM card will be suspended and after another
three months the number will be cancelled as well.”
According to
etisalat’s policy, he said the telecom service provider can resell the number
to another customer three months after the number has been cancelled.
The
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE has launched the “My
Number, My Identity” campaign in collaboration with the two telecom service
providers (etisalat and du) to increase awareness on the new registration
procedures which are aimed to organise registration processes and requirements
for mobile phone services, provided by the licensees.
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The TRA has
warned that 18 months after the launch of the campaign, owners of the mobile
phone SIMs which were issued under their names will have to bear the
consequences of any misuse of SIM cards issued to them, their family members or
even friends.
“Etisalat has
around 8.6 million subscribers and we are going to inform them through several
phases requesting 1.5 million subscribers every three months to update their
mobile registration. After three months of this notice, the mobile subscription
would be disconnected and won’t be activated until the actual owner of the SIM
card submits the necessary documents to complete registration. The new
registration procedures will be considered as strict measures to protect the users’
rights against fraud, bad debt as well as criminal cases,” Al Abdouli said.
Al Abdouli said
that to register the personal information, etisalat subscribers should visit
any of the 104 etisalat offices or service centres across the Emirates and
submit original copies of their personal documents for authentication.
“It won’t take
more than ten minutes to fill up the form handing it to etisalat staff to enter
the date and save it,” he said.
“The
information will process automatically and subscribers would get SMSs saying
that they have completed the registration update successful.”
The service
will not be affected or interrupted during the process. It involves just
updating the customer profile, he added
Sharjah: Authorities in Sharjah plan to crackdown on illegal scrap dealers and trash scavengers whose activities pose a public health and safety risk, an official said.
The illegal collection and sale of recyclable waste was highlighted by Gulf News last week.
The report exposed how an army of scavengers have been recruited by unauthorised scrap traders to scour a Dubai landfill, near the Sharjah border, for metal, plastic and paper worth a fortune to recyclers.
Officials from Sharjah Police, immigration and the municipality are joining forces to curb the underground trade.
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The Sharjah Environment Co, better known as Bee’ah, is also involved in the efforts, which include dedicated “anti-scavenging teams.”
“New legislation by Sharjah Municipality is expected soon against this activity. Sharjah Police and Bee’ah are also working together on this,” said Ibrahim Al Houti, Bee’ah’s vice-president for operations. “We’re presently observing a situation of high levels of waste scavenging activity, where violators are collecting volumes of recyclable paper and cardboard from municipal waste collection bins located around Sharjah, and selling them directly to scrapers.”
To raise awareness, officials have set up posters on main roads to warn against the practice. The public service ads show pictures of scavengers rummaging trash bins and creating a mess on the roads.
The posters include a slogan: “Say No to Violators.”
They can be seen on Old Airport/Immigration Road and parts of the Buhairah Corniche, among other places in Sharjah.
Al Houti said: “This is a health concern to them and to the general population, as they could be potential pathways to transmit various diseases due to unsafe handling of waste materials and lack of protective equipment.”
“That’s why we are currently addressing this issue with the Sharjah Municipality and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Sharjah to introduce guidelines and laws to prevent waste scavenging in the Emirate,” He added.
Industry sources believe the blackmarket cash for trash trade is worth tens of millions of dirhams.
Gulf News reported last week how the scavengers say up to a thousand of them raid the landfill on Fridays, outnumbering the guards on duty to monitor the vast site.
One scavenger, who makes around Dh600 a month from the illegal practice, admitted: “A few of us keep the guards busy with chases, while others collect the stuff. We’ve got our own turfs and teams.”
Al Houti said: “Demand for aluminium and paper recycling is increasing in our region — the former is especially very high in demand by recycling firms. Last year, the anti-scavenging team collected an average of 300 tonnes per month of cardboard alone, that’s not to mention how much is available in aluminium and plastic materials. This translates to millions of dirhams worth of material diverted out of the proper waste management system and sold illegally to scrapers.”
Residents have been urged to report any scavenging activity on 800-Tandeef (800-8263333) or by notifying Sharjah Police.
To view our video of the illegal scrap pickers, log on to www.gulfnews.com
Dubai: After almost a month of hearing mostly sad news, the family of the slain Filipina businesswoman received good news on Sunday from the Sharjah Public Prosecution — their mum’s remains could be released within the week.
Lorna Lim Varona, 51, a Filipina businesswoman, was found dead inside the trunk of her car in Sharjah with six stab wounds on August 31.
Maria Lourdes, Varona’s eldest daughter, told Gulf News that Sharjah Public Prosecution had started processing the release papers for their mother’s remains yesterday and will hopefully be completed by Tuesday.
“When we heard the news we were very glad that finally we can bring her home and she could finally rest in peace,” Lourdes said.
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“At least now we can have a definite timeline and plan accordingly for her last rites,” she added.
The family will then have to present Varona’s death certificate and autopsy report at the Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai which will then issue a No Objection Certificate that is required by airline companies in shipping human remains. This, a consulate official said, could be accomplished within minutes if all the documentary requirements are met.
As soon as Varona’s body is released, it will be shipped to the Philippines for a five-day closed casket wake at the Holy Trinity Memorial Chapel in Paranaque, a city south of Manila.
Sharjah: Twelve Asian workers were rushed to Al Qasimi and Al Kuwait hospitals Sunday morning from a workers’ accommodation in Industrial Area 10 in Sharjah with symptoms of suspected pesticide poisoning.
All the workers had earlier complained of dizzy spells and vomiting. It is learnt that workers living in a room adjacent to the one whose occupants reported sick may have used banned chemicals for fumigation.
The workers, who sources say are Bangladeshis, were questioned by Sharjah Police and an investigation is continuing. It is not clear if any charges have been filed against anyone.
Three men whose condition was reported to be more serious than the others were admitted to Al Qasimi Hospital and the rest were admitted to Al Kuwaiti Hospital where they will remain under observation for the next 48 hours, Dr Safiya Al Khaja, a doctor at Al Qasimi Hospital, told Gulf News.
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Authorities initially suspected the workers were suffering from food poisoning, but hospital officials said they believed chemical poisoning from banned pest control products may be responsible.
Doctors initially treated the case as food poisoning but on speaking to the affected men, were told that workers in the neighbouring room at the workers accommodation had used pesticides.
“Many of the workers vomited and some fainted,” said Asif, a Pakistani foreman of a furniture factory four of whose employees took ill. “We found four pieces of pesticide in the neighbouring room,” he said.
Hospital officials said only licensed and certified companies are permitted to administer pest control products in the UAE, and the municipality must approve each professional. “This is an education issue. People have to know what to do before and after treatment,” Dr Safiya said.
Earlier this month, two-year-old Habiba Hesham Abdul Rahman died after exposure to pesticides. Her brother Abdul Rahman was left critically ill in hospital but has since made a recovery. Seven suspects have been arrested for running unlicensed pesticide companies. “Controlling pests is really the job of experts,” Dr Safiya said.
The hospitalised workers are suspected to have been poisoned by aluminium phosphide, a highly toxic substance used to kill insects and rodents.
Dubai: A total of 127 illegal Asian residents were arrested in Dubai in a few hours as part of a campaign by the General Directorate For Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
Lt Colonel Khalaf Ahmad Al Ghaith, Assistant Director General at GDRFA, said the men were arrested in the Satwa area on September 15.
He said: “We received a tip from a member of the public and after checking the credibility of the tip we arrested the illegal men, who were taken to Al Aweer deportation centre. The case will be transferred to the public prosecutor for more investigation.”
Lt Colonel Al Ghaith added that a series of intensive random inspection campaigns had been implemented in different areas of Dubai and promised to track offenders of the residency law “around the clock”.
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“Any breach of the law threatens the stability of the society, because illegal residents can commit crimes and affect the safety of the country,” said Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director General of General Directorate of GDRFA.
Meanwhile, a total of 66 illegal Asian and African domestic helpers were arrested last week in the Al Bidaa, Satwa and Jumeirah areas of Dubai as part of the GDFRA campaign.
Major General Al Merri said they were charged with absconding from their sponsor and staying and working in the emirate illegally.
Lt Colonel Al Ghaith said: “We are contacting their original sponsors and if it is proved that they were working illegally, the people who hired them will have to pay a Dh50,000 fine.”
He encouraged illegal residents to approach the department in order to amend their legal status or leave the country and called on members of the public to cooperate with the authority and report illegal residents by calling 8005111.
