A person can use a valid UAE licence even after the residence visa is cancelled, Dubai court ruled.
Driving licence valid after visa cancellation

A Former UAE residents can still use a valid driver’s licence while visiting Dubai even after having cancelled their residence visas, according to a recent landmark ruling.

The Dubai Court of Cassation issued a recent ruling which stipulates that a person can continue using his or her UAE-issued driving licence as long as it remains valid and even after having cancelled the residence visa.

“When the authorities terminate a resident’s visa that does not mean that his/her driving licence is unusable as well. A driver’s licence remains valid in UAE as long as it hasn’t expired. The document is considered applicable provided it was issued upon a valid residence visa,” said the landmark ruling which was issued upon a traffic case that surfaced at Dubai courts recently.

The Traffic Court of First Instance recently fined an Arab national Dh1,000 and revoked his driver’s licence for three months for drinking and driving but acquitted him of driving without a licence.

The Public Prosecution appealed the initial verdict before the Dubai Appeals Court which upheld the primary ruling.

The Public Prosecution said in its appeal that article 51 of the Federal Penal Code No 21, 2005, concerning traffic, and its amendments in the law No 12 of 2007, bans the accused from using his driver’s licence (which was issued upon a residence visa earlier before it was annulled and he left the country).

The Dubai Court of Cassation confirmed his acquittal and issued the landmark ruling.

Sama Dubai scraps Bahrain resort deal

A joint venture between Bahrain’s Nass Corporation and South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Holdings said on Tuesday its contract to build a hotel resort for Sama Dubai in Bahrain had been terminated,

The contract covered the luxury Salam resort, a luxury beach-front resort close to the Bahrain Formula 1 track. Sama Dubai, the international real estate arm of state-owned Dubai Holding, did not give a reason for the termination.

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Dubai traffic eases

Peak rush hour traffic Dubai is noticeably less as many people are taking public transport or are carpooling due to the economic downturn, reported Gulf News. Another factor that is said to be easing traffic is the recent completion of interchanges.

Dubai has been hit by two financial crises in the last eight months, which have combined to bring the emirate’s real estate market to a crawl.

As well as the current global credit crisis, Dubai has suffered from its own run on liquidity based around the hype surrounding the dropping of the dollar peg.

Rumours of a possible revaluation caused a number of global investors to speculate on the pegs, bringing billions of dollars into the UAE and, in turn, creating an influx of liquidity and allowing banks to lend at very attractive rates, Ali Al Shihabi, CEO of Rasmala Investment Holdings told delegates at the monthly Dubai Property Society meeting.

When the central banks put an end to speculation by issuing repeated denials, these speculators pulled capital from the region. By July the market was suffering from a major lack of liquidity, causing tightening in lending criteria, and by August, the emirate was undergoing its own mini credit crisis.

The global crisis being felt by countries across the world, has further compounded the problem by causing local markets to plummet and regional investors to question local stock – especially the real estate shares that prop up Dubai’s economy.

Repatriation of capital, Though the market is undeniably slowing, witnessed by the falling trend amongst speculators looking to flip off plan properties, there has been no sign of a halt in buying by end users.

If recent past precedent is any guide then Dubai will be a winner from the current global financial crisis. And remember, in big financial shakeouts there are always winners and losers.

After 9/11 – which at the time looked an absolute disaster for inward investment into the Middle East – Arab investors brought an estimated $1 trillion back to the region from America where it was under threat of seizure. It was this money that first powered up the Dubai property boom.

Similarly the invasion of Iraq in 2003 hardly appeared good for regional confidence at the time. But Dubai gained in the aftermath as a safe haven in a troubled region and from the war’s impact on oil prices that fuelled its trading and service economy.

Capital flight this will be a flight of capital to safety and quality. It could well mean that Dubai property prices have another up leg to come, and that the crisis today is no more than a slowdown in the bull market.

In the meantime, if a fall off in cash flow to under-capitalized developers results in a consolidation of the sector, that will be healthy in the long run.

The losers will be the people who cannot afford their installment payments and who were relying on flipping to cash out before payments became due. Over-stretched speculators both among buyers and sellers will go through a painful consolidation period, unless new capital arrives from overseas very quickly.

Given that their financial distress may be very immediate this is where a shakeout is most likely. However, the market for completed property in many locations is severely undersupplied and will not suffer much – prices for villas are still going up, and even in the middle of last week’s crisis, completed properties were selling in Dubai, although at a slower pace than previously.

Dubai: Authorities have decided to stop issuing driving licences to certain categories of residents to curb the sharp rise in the number of vehicles, Gulf News has learnt.

Residents belonging to up to 100 categories will not be given licences. These include nurses, cooks, carpenters, housemaids, watchmen, tailors, cafeteria waiters, unskilled labourers, gardeners and bakers.

People belonging to other categories, which do not require a university degree, will not be able to open a driving licence file at traffic police departments all over UAE.

A Sharjah Police official told Gulf News that the interior ministry has instructed traffic departments last week to stop opening driving licence files for people belonging to about 100 categories as mentioned in their residence visa.

Not a new legislation

“The move is meant to reduce the huge number of vehicles by limiting the number of professionals allowed to obtain driving licences,” the official said.

The official said the decision was implemented last week and many applications from these categories were turned down.

The police official said that this was not a new law as there used to be restrictions on issuing driving licences.

“The law was then relaxed by the ministry and everyone was allowed to obtain driving licences. But due to a massive increase in the number of vehicles, the ministry has decided to restrict issuing driving licences,” he said.

The official said that those whose residence visa shows that they fall under these categories will not be able to open a driving licence file.

A driving school instructor said the school received the decision last week. She said this would affect the schools as many applications will be rejected.

Akmal, an Indian domestic helper who works for a family in Sharjah, said a driving school and the Sharjah traffic department turned down his application.

Akmal’s sponsor told Gulf News that he tried to open a driving licence file for his domestic help, but it was rejected. “I was told that if the profession in the residence visa is driver and that he came to work as a driver then he can obtain a licence, otherwise there is no way for him,” he said.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article1954666.ece

MICHAEL JACKSON has become a Muslim — and changed his name to MIKAEEL.
The skint superstar, 50, donned Islamic garb to pledge allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a pal’s mansion in Los Angeles, The Sun can reveal.

Jacko sat on the floor wearing a tiny hat after an Imam was summoned to officiate — days before the singer is due to appear at London’s High Court where he is being sued by an Arab sheik.

UAE residents can register for identity cards at post offices

Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) and Emirates Post have joined hands to provide registration facilities for the identity cards through post offices across the UAE.

The move follows the appointment of Emirates Marketing and Promotions (EMP), a subsidiary of Emirates Post Holding, by EIDA as the exclusive agent for managing the registration for Population Register and ID cards.

Members of the public can buy special envelops, priced Dh40, from post offices, fill up the registration form and submit the envelope to the post office counter.

As part of its responsibility, EMP will scrutinise the forms. If there is an error in the data, customer will be informed by SMS or by the call centre.

Emirates Post will then send the completed forms to the applicant through his P.O. Box, mentioning the date on which he can go to the EIDA centre to submit the form and acquire the identity card.

Ebrahim Bin Karam, CEO of Emirates Post, said: “Emirates Post is delighted to be involved in this important community project. This arrangement will save effort and speed up the registration process. The post offices are fully geared to meet the demand of applicants, as the identity card is being made compulsory for all residents. Our staff has been specially trained to handle queries from our customers.”

“We are pleased to enter into a partnership with Emirates Post and EMP because of the large postal network and the expertise in mailing and call centre operations,” said Darwish Al Zarouni, CEO of Emirates Identity Authority.

“This will reduce the margin of error and avoid unnecessary trips to the EIDA centers. We expect this process will simplify and expedite the procedure.”

As an incentive, Emirates Post has announced a three-month promotion for those registering at post offices, offering members of the public three laptops and other attractive prizes in monthly draws to be held between October and December 2008.

Fatima is UAE’s first woman marriage registrar
By Samir Salama

The UAE has appointed its first woman marriage registrar, a job hitherto reserved for men.

Fatima Saeed Obaid Al Awani became the first female marriage registrar in the UAE, according to a decision by Abu Dhabi Judiciary Department. Her appointment makes the UAE the second Arab country to have a female marriage registrar after Egypt, which appointed its first female registrar last month.

Many conservative clerics believe Sharia prohibits a woman from becoming a registrar because it states that the testimony of two women is equivalent to one man in court. They believe a marriage contract signed by a woman would be illegal.

More liberal minded clerics believe a marriage registrar is an official who purely plays an administrative role for the state and her signature on the contract does not violate Sharia.

The move to appoint Fatima is in line with instructions by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to engage women in major fields of the UAE’s development.

Fatima graduated from the UAE University in the year 2000 with a Bachelors’ Degree in Sharia and law, and has been in the judicial corps ever since. She thanked the UAE leadership for bestowing the trust upon her.

WE WISH HER GOOD LUCK & SUCCESS

EARTH QUAKE IN BALUCHISTAN

Pakistan — Rescue teams and family members searched frantically for survivors late till midnight, in a string of villages in southwestern Province of Balcochistan in Pakistan where at least 170 people were killed by a powerful earthquake, on Wednesday wee hours.

Thousands of people were left homeless by the predawn temblor in the rural area, where many residents live in mud-brick homes that collapsed with the force of the magnitude 6.4 quake. Authorities said the death toll could rise as rescuers make their way to remote villages that had been cut off by landslides.

Even in good conditions, roads in the area are primitive. Pakistani army helicopters and cargo planes were ferrying in emergency aid, including food, tents and blankets. Medical teams were converging on the scene near the border with Afghanistan, but help arrived too late for some.

President ordered the national and provincial governments as well as the army to swiftly provide all necessary aid. The tremor was yet another challenge for his young government, which is struggling with a flagging economy, repeated clashes with insurgents in the border region, and conflicts with its American allies over U.S. military strikes into Pakistani territory.

The quake, which struck as most people were asleep, was centered about 50 miles northeast of the city of Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s impoverished Baluchistan province. With the chill of winter setting in, many of the survivors lost everything, including warm clothing, in the rubble of their homes.

The area was rocked by a magnitude 6.2 aftershock Wednesday, terrifying thousands of people who were preparing to spend a freezing night in the open.

In some of the hardest-hit villages in Zirat and Pishin districts, entire families were buried in the ruins of mud-brick compounds, and survivors were digging mass graves, using whatever implements they could find.

The death toll is expected to rise as many bodies may be buried under rubbles when the calamity leveled about 2,000 mud-walled houses in northern part of Balochistan province on Wednesday

We are working under banner of NGO dedicated for Baluchistan

The Iqbal Foundation

We are asking for relief goods and donations in shape of material, we do not need cash we need material & men power, we need trucks to transport goods, dry food, grain, warm clothing, tents, drinking water, clothing for children & women.

Please contact us 24/7

Cell number +92 300 2008238

emailto: ahmediqbalbaloch@hotmail.com

Overseas contributors Send your donations to :

Iqbal Foundation.
Account number. 0031-01006865,
Bank Alfalah Ltd, Clifton Branch
SWIFT Code. ALFHPKKA
Karachi – Pakistan

Avoid These 7 Work Taboos
By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

Whether it’s dancing on top of the bar at the company holiday party, chewing with one’s mouth open or falling asleep in a meeting, everyone is guilty of committing some kind of faux pas — social, professional or otherwise.

To avoid putting your career on the line, try to avoid committing the following taboos while on the clock.

Taboo No. 1: Kissing a co-worker

The likely scenario: You’ve had a crush on your co-worker since you started working a few months ago. Now it’s the holiday party and you’ve taken full advantage of the open bar and the liquid courage it’s provided you to flirt with your fling. Before you know it, you’re locking lips for all to see — and talk about come Monday morning. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone; 35 percent of workers in a 2007 survey admitted to kissing a co-worker.

Our advice: If you can’t restrain your desires to smooch your colleague, at least do yourself the favor of waiting until you’re behind closed doors.

Taboo No. 2: Lying about your credentials

You’ve read the stories in the newspapers — CEOs, celebrities and ordinary workers alike are fired every day for one common crime: lying. In a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, one candidate invented a school that didn’t exist, while another went as far as submitting samples of work — that actually belonged to the interviewer. Thirty-eight percent of workers surveyed indicated they had embellished their job responsibilities, 18 percent lied about their skill sets and 10 percent lied about their academic degrees.

Our advice: Whether it’s about your education, experience or previous employers, fudging anything on your résumé is never a good idea.

Taboo No. 3: Wearing inappropriate clothing

How many times have you heard, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have?” Yet how many times do we see this mantra avoided in our offices? Something tells me that the marketing assistant from the 15th floor doesn’t strive for a career in prostitution, so why is she dressing that way? Not only does dressing inappropriately at work send the message that you don’t care about your professional image, it also hinders your chances of moving up the corporate ladder. In a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, 41 percent of employers said that people who dress professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in their organization.

Our advice: Follow the mantra — and mean it.

Taboo No. 4: Gossiping

Rumors in the workplace are like gasoline on a trash-can fire — they spread … fast. While lighthearted conversations around the water cooler are one thing, standing around dishing about your co-workers is another. Unfortunately, it’s a common scenario in most corporate cultures: 19 percent of workers in a 2007 survey said they have spread a rumor about a fellow employee.

Our advice: Co-workers who gossip or spread ugly rumors can harm the work environment. Do your best to stay clear of these people. If you can’t get away, at least avoid engaging in the tittle-tattle.

Taboo No. 5: Drinking too much … inside or outside the office

It’s not the 1960s, people. This means it is not OK to keep a bottle of whiskey in your desk drawer and pour yourself a drink every time you want to celebrate or glower. Employees seem to be confused on this standard office rule, as 31 percent of those surveyed by CareerBuilder.com admitted to tipping the bottle at work.

Our advice: Unless you’re having a party in the office (approved by management), save the libations for happy hour. Even then, always drink responsibly.

Taboo No. 6: Forgetting someone’s name

Have you ever been in a meeting with an important client and, to your horror, when you introduce him to your boss you can’t remember the client’s name? Such a grave mistake is not only taboo, it’s embarrassing. The easiest way to overcome this gaffe is by asking the nameless client if he’s met your boss, Albert Hanson. Hopefully, your client will respond by introducing himself.

Our advice: Forgetting a name has happened to everyone. The best way to recover is by trying something like the aforementioned tactic. If your plan backfires, however, the best thing to do is apologize and admit your mistake.

Taboo No. 7: E-mail mishaps

Whether it’s hitting “reply all” by accident, sending an e-mail to the wrong person or making adverse comments for all to see, examples of e-mail mess-ups are endless. Be careful when it comes to e-mail; it’s not private and can be the quickest way to end your career if you misuse it.

Our advice: Never say anything in an e-mail you don’t want broadcast to the world. Also, keep e-mail use to a minimum and give a little face-to-face time a try once in awhile.

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger, She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Dubai Terminal 3 testing finished

Dubai Airports has finished operational testing of the new Terminal 3 at the International airport. It means that Emirates’ airlines operations can now start to be phased into the new terminal, starting 14 October. The terminal will be opened in four phases to ensure that systems and processes are all in place and tested.

Etisalat reduces IP Connect fees

UAE telecoms provider Etisalat has announced that it will reduce its IP Connect fees by up to 70% in a bid to increase the service’s popularity. The move, applicable from October 1, includes the introduction of possible annual contracts and monthly rather than quarterly billing.