Tag Archives: horse-racing
No arrest in front of families for minor crimes in Sharjah
No arrest in front of families for minor crimes in Sharjah Ahmed Shaaban / 1 June 2013 The Sharjah Police have been told not to arrest anyone guilty of a minor crime in front of their families, as the first in a series of suburban majlises (councils) in Sharjah opens. Shaikh Sultan interacts with citizens after inaugurating the majlis at Mughaidar in Al Tala district of Sharjah on Thursday. — Wam His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who inaugurated the majlis at Mughaidar in Al Tala District on Thursday morning, said the councils were to be a safe haven for people to approach officials directly about their concerns. “We have always been dreaming of such outskirts majlises, and only today the dream has come true with the Mughaidar majlis, the first in a series to follow.” He added that the rationale behind such councils is to more efficiently fulfil people’s needs in terms of property, housing and other similar issues. “We…want these councils to enhance communication between officials and all members of the society.” Shaikh Sultan said there were many critical grounds behind the institution of these councils. “We’d like to protect people’s dignity, particularly home, in front of their wives and children.” Some people may make mistakes or do something wrong and hence the law enforcement bodies get involved, and arrest the wrongdoer in front of his family members. “Such kind of disgrace is not acceptable and does dishonour people.” Dr Shaikh Sultan said this should not happen in the case of minor crimes, such as bounced cheques or failure to pay loans or debts. “These are not big crimes such as murder, robberies and being a fugitive.” The police have been instructed never to storm any person’s house or arrest them before their family in these minor cases and violations. “Instead, the people in charge of these suburb councils need to interfere and talk to all parties concerned to amicably find a way out.” Shaikh Sultan said some people got angry about bad odour rising from their neighbours’ houses because of the sheep and cattle they were raising. “The suburban councils must interfere to protect neighbours’ rights and (there is) no need for police to interfere,” he said, indicating that people may also submit their comments and suggestions to the competent and prudent officials there to make the process more effective. Present at the inauguration were Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Shaikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. – ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com Sultan to chair pan-Arab Council of Elders The Sharjah Declaration on Family Cohesion, recently issued by the Arab Family Organisation (AFO), called for setting up of a council of elders and a centre for social studies to create a pan-Arab database for family researchers. The council will be chaired by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Members of the new council will be selected from Arab countries in consultation with Shaikh Sultan, according to the declaration which was issued this month by the board of trustees of the AFO’s Arab Family Award, at a meeting in Sharjah. The declaration urged stakeholders to study the effects of globalisation on Arab families in preparation for drawing up an Arab strategy to protect the families from destructive thought. It also called for tapping the capabilities of the United Nations agencies involved in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reinforce national capabilities in this regard. The declaration recommended a review of development strategies so as to eliminate social backhandedness, poverty, diseases and illiteracy, in rural areas in particular. It also recommended a review of social policies to make them more compatible with MDGs. It urged for the development of national statistics centres including the improvement of technical capabilities. A media strategy to promote the values of Arab families through cultural and educational programmes was demanded by the declaration. The declaration called for the launch of a charter of honour for Arab TV channels as part of efforts to promote the values of Arab families and culture. It underlined the importance of concerted efforts by the Arab media and educational institutions to formulate a pan-Arab vision for preserving standard Arabic language and the sublime values of Islam The declaration thanked the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his support to work for families in the UAE. It also thanked Dr Shaikh Sultan for extending his patronage to the AFO and congratulated Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, on winning the AFO’s Personality of the Year for Family Cohesion and Social Security award for 2013. — Wam Continue reading
Young and old slug it out at Scrabble Championship
Young and old slug it out at Scrabble Championship Muaz Shabandri / 1 June 2013 Word lovers in Dubai are putting their lingo to the test with Scrabble champions from six countries fighting for glory at the 23rd Gulf Scrabble Championships happening this weekend. Each of the 30 participants will play 20 games over three days to finish with maximum points at the end of the contest. A test of lateral thinking and quick problem solving, scrabbling has a bounty of hot competition with the top two competitors from the UAE earning a spot to represent the country at the Scrabble Champions Tournament in Prague later this year. Players of all ages are competing at this year’s challenge and a quick look around the sports and recreation centre at Etisalat Academy makes it clear. Twelve-year-old Armaan Arafat is the youngest player at this year’s showing. She believes the opportunity is a good way to learn from the pros and become better at the game. “I first came across the game after attending a scrabble workshop two years back. Since then I played a few games with family members and I quickly got hooked on to it,” says Armaan, a student of Our Own English High School in Sharjah. Now she plays the game regularly in online game rooms and tests her skills with people in other parts of the world. Mohammed Aasim is among the other younger players. At 13, he qualified for the event after one of the players dropped out. “I hope to make it to the World Championship in a few years from now. These competitions (are a) good practice ground for new players like me.” He spends two hours everyday playing the game and it has helped him improve his vocabulary. Last year’s UAE champion, Ronald Credo is hoping to repeat his performance and land a spot at the championship in Prague. He faces tough competition from up to five other top players. “There are some very good Scrabble players in the UAE and it is not very easy to qualify for the world championship,” Credo acknowledged. His toughest competition comes from two-time UAE champion Mohammed Sulaiman who has also won a Scrabble championship in Malta. At 71, he is the oldest player in the tournament and said the “stress” of playing 20 games could be challenging. “It is very tiring for me and definitely my reflexes have become slow with age. Sometimes I feel I am not up to the mark but I still love playing the game,” Sulaiman said with a smile. His best finish in a World Scrabble Championship came in 2007, when he wound up in 20 th position. He qualified a second time in 2011 where he finished 23 rd . Chairman of UAE Scrabble Championship Nikhil Soneja said the competition was a good way to keep the ‘Scrabble culture’ alive. He said the game was becoming increasingly popular with more players from the UAE and other Gulf countries making it to the top 500 in the world rankings. “Over the last few years, UAE players have made a mark at the world level. This year, the UAE has been allowed to send two players and it’s because of the consistent good performance by the scrabble champions,” he said. Last year in December, 14-year-old Navya Zaveri created history by becoming the first player from the UAE to win a world-level scrabble championship. He finished top in the Under-16 category and this year he is playing his first tournament with adults. muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Dh1,000 fine each month for non-renewal of labour cards
Dh1,000 fine each month for non-renewal of labour cards Salah Al Deberky / 31 May 2013 The Labour Ministry is strict about the issuance of labour cards for private sector employees, and it is evidence of how serious employers are in implementing the terms and conditions of their contracts and the clear work relations with their respective employees,” said Humaid bin Demas, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour during the Open Day in Dubai on Thursday. In reply to employers who gave excuses that they were unaware of the conditions governing the issuance of the labour cards, and that the staff of Tas’heel, an online government system designed to simplify all labour related processes, did not inform them that it is necessary to get the cards issued, it was said that the issue of work permits contain a condition that it is important to get the labour card issued within 60 days from the date of the issue of the permit. Employers and representatives have appealed to the Ministry to waive off fines imposed on them for not applying for labour cards after giving justifications. Some of them said they had no knowledge of the importance of the card, while others said Tas’heel did not direct them about how to get it. Bin Demas said employers were just giving excuses and said every work permit stipulated the importance of getting a labour card. “Employers ignore the fact that they will be slapped a fine of Dh1,000 each month if the labour card is not got within 60 days,” and called on employers to abide by the rules and laws of the ministry has designed in the interest of the public. “The Ministry uses the date of the issue of the labour card as reference and record in legal matters concerning the company and its employees,” he added. The labour card guarantees and secures the rights of the two parties (employer and employee), and the continuity of labour relations between them, an obvious reference to a proper relationship between the two parties concerned, he reiterated. Labour cards of employees will be cancelled if the employers lagged in getting the cards renewed, he said noting that, renewal of the labour card takes only 15 minutes at Tas’heel offices. Elaborating, he said cancellation of the labour card would require the applicant to resubmit an application. Applicants at the ministry are required to re-activate the labour cards after being cancelled, but the procedure is not available at the ministry. salah@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
