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Ramadan gift for a million kids
Ramadan gift for a million kids Muaz Shabandari / 11 July 2013 One million children around the world will become the beneficiaries of a new Ramadan campaign launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The initiative aims at collecting donations during the holy month of Ramadan to supply clothing to one million children. Calling on people to support the campaign, Shaikh Mohammed announced the initiative on Twitter. Tweeting with the hashtag #Dress1MillionNeedyChildren, he said: “Giving joy and support to 1 million children is our mission for this Ramadan. I invite everyone to be part of this campaign, and remember that the more we give, the more we get back.” Every Ramadan, Shaikh Mohammed announces a new charity campaign, in line with the tradition of giving and generosity of the people of UAE. Previous campaigns include the launch of Dubai Cares, Noor Dubai and the family village for orphans. “Giving is a deeply rooted value in our religion, and the UAE has built its foundation on that basis,” said Shaikh Mohammed in one of his tweets. This year’s campaign will be hosted in partnership with the UAE Red Crescent Authority and it will continue until September 19, which falls on UAE’s Humanitarian Work Day, and marks the 9th anniversary of the death of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. On the occasion of the launch, Shaikh Mohammed emphasised: “The Holy Month of Ramadan represents an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the values of goodness, giving and cooperation, which increases the importance of launching social and charitable constructive initiatives during the month, especially those initiatives in which the people of the UAE can share and collaborate.” He added: “In the Emirates, we have a tradition of goodness, to extend a helping hand to disadvantaged groups in different parts of the world, especially the poor and needy, as well as disadvantaged children regardless of colour and race. The spirit of giving is a characteristic of Zayed’s sons and daughters, it is a culture which is deeply rooted in our community.” Commending the initiative, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares said: “Philanthropic as he is, it is in the nature of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to always take the initiative when it comes to supporting those affected by harsh realities around the world.” He added: “It is no surprise that His Highness aims to reach out to the underprivileged, specifically addressing the need of one million children worldwide. This campaign encourages the entire UAE community to extend its support to those who are forced to make do with little in their lives, providing them with basic necessities and helping them maintain their dignity in the harsh environment they live in.” “It is a great campaign and the first beneficiaries of the initiative will be children at a refugee camp in Jordan supported by the UAE Red Crescent. We hope to reach the target in two weeks and help these children at the earliest,” said Mohammed Abdullah Alhaj Al Zaroni, Manager of the UAE Red Crescent’s Dubai branch. To support the campaign, send a message to 7040 (Dh40 for one child). To support four children, send a message to 7160 (Dh160). To support six children, send a message to 7240 (Dh240). To support 10 children, send a message to 7400 (Dh 400). Donations can also be made through bank transfers to the UAE Red Crescent. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (A/C number — 20000530), Dubai Islamic Bank (A/C number — 003-52051541-7001), Emirates Islamic Bank (A/C number — 0071679679-014). For more information on supporting the initiative, contact 800-RED (733) –muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea
DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea Staff Reporter / 11 July 2013 To preserve the marine environment, 70,000 baby fish have been released into the sea. Khalid Sulaitin, head of Environment Emergency Office, said, “70,000 fingerlings of Sobaity and Sha’am fishes were released in the Mamzar sea to preserve the environment and biodiversity.” Sulaitin explained that till about 30-35 years ago, there used to be a healthy population of fish in the waters at Al Mamzar but the new projects had endangered their lives. They were now working to fix that gap, and the releasing of these fishlings in the water was a step in that direction. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality said that the civic body had chosen these two types of fish considering their rapid breeding — they lay eggs in less than six months and proliferate in a maximum period of six to nine months. Each egg of these fish contained two to three million larva, which meant it could quickly proliferate, feeding the marine environment with a large number of fish. As for the heat, Lootah said, “The summer does not pose a threat to them as they acclimatise with the water temperature and the depth of the water will be appropriate for them. They will be far from Al Mamzar Beach dedicated to marine and other games, which will allow it to reproduce without any risk.” He added that the municipality would cooperate with the Emirates Association for Fishermen to release approximately 150,000 to 200,000 fingerlings of different species of local and other fishes every year expecting a large amount of growth in fisheries. Sulaitin said he was in touch with Al Mubarak Fishes Co,, the company which donated these fish. Lootah urged the public to help in the preservation of the marine environment by supporting such eco-friendly projects. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
First Delhi gang-rape verdict deferred: prosecutor
First Delhi gang-rape verdict deferred: prosecutor (AFP) / 11 July 2013 A New Delhi court trying a teenager over a fatal gang-rape last December that shocked India deferred on Thursday announcing the first verdict in the case, lawyers said. A juveniles’ court has finished hearing the case of the youngest suspect, aged 17 at the time of the assault on a moving bus, and had been widely expected to announce a verdict on Thursday. “The court has completed the hearing. The order has been deferred to 25th of July,” public prosecutor Madhav Khurana told reporters who had massed outside the court. The crime, which saw the 23-year-old student victim die of internal injuries inflicted during the attack, generated widespread anger about endemic sex crime in India to the boil. Several weeks of sometimes violent protests pushed parliament to pass a new law toughening sentences for rapists, while a round of public soul-searching sought answers to the rising tide of violence against women. The victim’s family had called for him to be tried as an adult, alongside five men initially arrested over the assault on December 16 who face the death penalty. The trial of the adult suspects — one of whom died while in jail from a suspected suicide in March — continues in a separate court but is expected to wrap up in the next few months. The parents of the victim, whom AFP is also not naming in accordance with Indian law, were present inside the small juveniles’ court on Thursday. “We hope we get justice on July 25th,” said the mother, who has previously called for all suspects to be hanged, before entering the court. Reporters were not allowed inside the courtroom. The juvenile suspect, a runaway who reportedly left home aged 11, can be sent to a correctional facility for a maximum three-year term, which will take into account the time he has already spent in custody. The teenager, the youngest of six children according to his mother, was employed to clean the bus allegedly used for the attack and often slept rough or inside the vehicle, reports say. He has denied any involvement in the crime. The maximum sentence of three years’ detention is likely to cause further anger in India where the suspects, some of whom have been beaten up in jail, are public hate figures. Amid pressure to put the juvenile on trial in an adult court, officials conducted an investigation to determine his age and concluded he was 17. A government panel set up after the Delhi gang-rape to recommend changes to sex crime laws rejected calls to lower the age at which people can be tried as adults from 18 to 16. The panel’s report in January said India’s justice system continued to “breed more criminals including juveniles in our prison and reformatory system by ghettoing them in juvenile homes”. The report, overseen by a retired Supreme Court judge, added that it was “completely dissatisfied with the operation of children’s institutions.” Shahbaz Khan, from the “Haq: Centre for Child Rights”, told AFP that there were “no proper care plans” for institutionalised children which undermined the intention of rehabilitating wrong-doers. Ranjana Kumari, a women’s rights activist from the Centre for Social Research, said police and the courts were still too slow to respond to the victims of sex crime. “What we got was a good piece of legislation and an increase in the number of women with the confidence to report crimes against them. But so what? That’s not good enough,” she said. Kumari said the teenager’s likely punishment was too lenient, and he should have been tried as an adult. “This is a very gruesome crime and he was almost an adult at the time it was committed,” she said. Continue reading
