Tourists visiting the Burj Khalifa have told how dozens of people “began to cry” after being stranded on the building’s observation deck for over an hour.
At the Top, a visitor attraction located on the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building, is temporarily closed to the public following “technical issues with the power supply” but is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, February 14.
A senior Dubai Civil Defence official confirmed to Gulf News on Monday there was an incident at the Burj Khalifa on Saturday evening.
The official said: “This is a minor case; it was not serious at all. Staff members at the Burj Khalifa handled the situation perfectly. Our role was to ensure the safety of the public. It is absolutely normal for a new building to face minor issues such as this, which involved one of the Burj Khalifa’s elevators.”
Gulf News spoke on Monday to several tourists who were stranded on the observation deck for over an hour on Saturday.
Michael Timms, a 31-year-old telecommunications engineer from the US, said: “I was walking around the observation deck when I heard this really loud noise and what looked like smoke or dust coming out from one of the elevator doors. There were at least 60 people on the deck at the time. Employees and security staff were telling people that everything was ok. But once it became clear we were not being allowed back down, some people got really angry while others started crying.”…SOURCE
The Sharjah municipality has implemented a new rule that forbids public kitchens from serving individual-sized meals to customers. It is being enforced from the first week of February.
Owners of public kitchens, however, are unhappy with the decision and said they would oppose the ban as it will lead to a loss in business. They have already filed a petition to the Sharjah Executive Council and the Sharjah Consultative Council to revoke the ban.
Sharjah Municipality distributed a circular to 36 public kitchens last Sunday stating that they are no longer allowed to sell individual meals to customers, and can only provide meals in large portions.
Public kitchens offer local dishes in addition to sandwiches and snacks. They are very popular among Emirati families during Ramadan and Eid as they have the choice of bringing in their own plates.
“We make our day-to-day income by selling individual meals and our customers have the choice of either sitting inside the premises or buying a take away meal. We have no choice but to obey the rules but that does not mean we agree with it,” said Nasser, a manager of a public kitchen in Al Khan.
“If we can only cater to banquets this will eventually put us out of business.”…SOURCE
The oasis city has reached a deal with the US-based company to provide a host of online services to connect with residents and manage its internal operations.
Residents will be able to check information on new developments on Google maps, have city documents translated to another language and, possibly, have a direct e-mail connection with the local government.
Internally, the municipality will use Google systems for tasks such as document management and project planning.
Al Ain to Incorporate Google Services
“We can help Al Ain to maximise the effectiveness of its e-government portal [and] link all the information and resources available to Al Ain residents,” said Matthew Landeg, the head of enterprise sales for Google.
He was in Al Ain to speak with municipality department heads about how the company could strengthen the city’s online resources and provide better services and greater transparency to the community.
One idea that came out of the meeting was to set up a Google e-mail account for every household and use it to communicate with residents.
“If this idea is indeed put into effect, the Al Ain Municipality will probably be the first in the world to do this,” a spokesman said…SOURCE
Just ask yourself, why would you buy when the charges may be as high as 100k per year for maintenance…
Homeowners in The Cove development in Ras al Khaimah could each face service bills of more than Dh100,000 (US$27,226) a year because the developer must rely on generators to provide power to the luxury resort.
That is more than the average cost of renting a villa in the emirate, which has been beset by acute electricity shortages.
“If they are running the airconditioning during the month, they are having a bill of Dh3000 to Dh4000 a month,” said Ashraf al Agamawy, the manager of the project, which includes a five-star Rotana Hotel.
“We don’t get electricity from the Government and are running over eight diesel generators, which is very expensive.
The Cove in Ras Al Khaimah
It costs me about Dh2.5 million per month.”
The Cove was launched in April 2005 by Orascom Hotels and Development, one of Egypt’s largest developers. It comprises 78 apartments and 188 villas, 75 of which were sold under a form of timeshare agreement with the Rotana Hotel.
Under timeshare agreements, owners are allowed to use their villas for a maximum of four weeks a year…SOURCE
The Abu Shagara area in Sharjah suffered a power outage on Monday morning, sparking fears that the power snapping has come to revisit them like in August and early this month.
The frequent power outages that had badly affected Sharjah industrial areas eased during Eid Al Fitr and subsequent days, bringing residents relief. But on Monday, the power went off around 4am in Abu Shagara. It was not restored until 2.30pm, said residents.
Ajmal Hassan, who lives on the 15th floor of a building in the area, woke up in the morning to a dark apartment and wondered what had happened. “I never thought the power outage will happen again. I thought this must be a mistake, but I had paid my electricity bill. Then I opened the apartment door and found the whole floor in darkness,” Hassan said.
“I have a well-defined routine each morning. I prepare my coffee, have my shower, watch the news on television and then go for work. On Monday, I could not do that.”
Muwahib Ali said she lives in a tall tower with her family and she decided not go to work or send her children to school because they live on the 15th floor and could not use the lift… SOURCE
“Misuse” of the Metro by some commuters had led to intermittent service with delays at stations and causing inconvenience to commuters during the first two days of the Metro operation, an RTA official said.
Peyman Younes Parham, an RTA spokesperson, said: “Some passengers on board pushed emergency buttons to open or close the doors or just for fun and this led to delays in the train service,” he said, adding that most of the commuters do not yet know how to use the train… SOURCE
Long before the first train of the day, it was clear that the Dubai Metro’s debut weekend would provide the biggest challenge of its short history.
Crowds of would-be passengers descended on stations beginning early in the morning, unaware that no train would run until 2pm. The crush threatened to overwhelm both staff and the system, with officials estimating that 30,000 passengers passed through the turnstiles in the first two hours of operation yesterday.
Last night, several stations were briefly closed and service was suspended after reports that some passengers had been hitting the emergency stop buttons on the crowded trains.
At the Mall of the Emirates station, where some of the biggest crowds congregated, Metro employees used a megaphone to urge passengers to stay calm and not push. Workers were later joined by transport police after the queuing system threatened to break down as dozens of men tried to push their way through to platforms.
Nakheel Station was also closed for a while in the evening, with staff saying that a train had broken down, halting service for at least an hour. Trains were stationary at Al Rashidiya as well, at the end of the Red Line, for more than an hour, forcing some passengers to abandon their journeys.
Mohammed Sageer said he boarded a train with his family at 6pm and was still waiting to leave an hour later. There was no air conditioning and lights were flickering on and off at the station.
“There was no information, people were getting very confused and women and children were getting upset,” he said, adding that Metro staff were unable to offer refunds.
Services were due to be extended past the official closing time of midnight to 2am so passengers could return home…SOURCE
Dubai makes history with the opening of the Metro system at 9pm on Wednesday. The world’s largest automated driverless Metro system has been built by 30,000 workers at an unprecedented pace and will serve around 1.2 million passengers every day.
Reply to the article Schools to fly flag and play anthem published by The National. source…
“Raising the flag and playing the national anthem are a must for students when attending school because it reflects their national sentiments towards their nation, leadership and land,” Mr. al Qattami said in a statement issued by WAM, the state news agency It’s an interesting statement and a statement that embodies in its self a silent yet a very prominent reality of this country. Let me undo this jigsaw puzzle for you rather than putting the piece together. He talks about a national anthem and in this anthem there lay a verse “My country, my country, my country, my country” Whose country it this really? Is it my country cause I have lived here all my life and still need a visa or is it the country of the south Indian worker carrying glass for the windows of the skyscrapers to make this country glittery yet he as to go on a strike for his meek little pay or is this a country of those people who get the jobs where the only requirements they need to fulfill is “Only UAE nationals may apply”. This country defiantly is a country for those who can afford it. It has plenty to offer in its malls, its night clubs and its expensive developments. It has the most lit up highways for its people to enjoy. Only for those who can pay.
The anthem also says “Each of us swears to build you and work for you. Our work is pure, we work in purity” whose work are we talking about? And if work is so highly valued that it merits a mention in the anthem surly work has to be rewarded. Rewarded with the states of being an expatriate no matter what. Rewarded with deportation or rewarded with a ban after having a falling out with your employer.
I have sung this anthem all my school life and never once has the national sentiment towards this nation its leadership or even its land been evoked as I have always been an expatiate and always will be. Every time I wanted to say “Oh my homeland” I was reminded the expiry date of my visa. Every time the sentiment stimulated I was compartmentalized in one of the several boxes labeled Pakistani, Indian, Bengali, etc. I was never accepted as a part of the local community, the emarati community.
Never once welcomed with open arms and a smile instead was subjected to live like a Jew or a Christian in my own Islamic land. instead subjected to pay dhimmi. This literally means responsibility of protection. Protection from whom, from other neighboring Islamic countries. Protection from Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan…
lastly all that i can say to Mr. al Qattami and the leadership and the people of this nation. I am a Muslim expatriate from past 25 years now with an outsider or a refugees way of life living in an Islamic country forced to sing for a nation that will never be mine and wave a flag that will never see me worthy enough of defending its honor its dignity.
Dubai seriously needs to reconsider what it wants to be. No one will visit the equivalent of Saudi Arabia on a vacation.
Dubai’s shopping malls don’t just combine the awesome collections of international brand labels, but go further to enlighten newcomers on Emirati cultural rules and what’s the acceptable general behaviour.
The rules are on signs at the main entrances and distributed by security personnel as well.
It includes no smoking in the mall, wearing of respectable clothing and no kissing or public displays of affection, no consumption of alcohol in the mall and few other don’ts.
Sabina Khanvwani, Head of Public Relations and Marketing Department at Burjuman Centre, said despite the signs, there are still visitors who still need to be reminded of what is and what is not acceptable.
“Burjuman has already fixed stickers on the main entrances in order to deliver the message directly to them, some of them adhere and others don’t. We cannot enforce them to comply but we keep reminding them that Dubai is part of the UAE and it’s a Muslim country with a conservative society and must be respected.”
Most expatriates Gulf News spoke to say they didn’t do things on purpose or to annoy the Emirati community. They just grew up dressing that way.
Tania N. a 29-year-old Russian businesswoman, said she got confused when a security guard at the Mall of the Emirates handed her a brochure on how to dress appropriately.
“I respect Dubai, its religion, culture and people, I come here frequently for business and pleasure, and I was never asked to cover my shoulders or my knees until recently,” she said.
“I used to wear a sleeveless short gown or miniskirt and according to my background it is a decent outfit and doesn’t cause any kind of embarrassment. But lately a security approached me and in a polite way handed me a brochure that includes the mall’s courtesy policy regarding dress code and general behaviour.”
Asked whether she will adhere to the mall’s dress code, she said: “I really don’t find it necessary, besides I don’t have long or covered outfits, and the most importantly I didn’t do something bad to Dubai or its people.”
Katayoon Tahmoress M, an Iranian writer based in Dubai agrees with Tania.
“I love Dubai and I like its style. But the way I dress is completely a personal matter and I don’t allow anybody to educate me on what to wear and what not to wear.”
Gabriel and Elena, both Americans, said the visitors and expatriates should’ve been informed of the dress and behavioural rules before they fly into the country.
“Such instructions should be informed before we enter the country not while we are shopping. Besides the weather in Dubai is truly hot,” they said.
Mariam Al Salem and her Emirati companions said visitors and expatriates should tow the line.
“Our rules must be strictly followed,” Mariam said… SOURCE
04/14/2009 02:15 PM | By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
Sharjah: An 18-month-old baby has been declared an illegal resident by the Sharjah Naturalisation and Residency Department (SNRD) and has been given one week to leave the country after which she will get a one-year ban.
Nayana Sanjay Kumar was born in October 2007 at Al Qasimi hospital in Sharjah, but her parents, both Indians from Kerala, could not sponsor their new-born baby as their salary was not enough at the time.
The girl’s mother, Sheeja, who works as a nurse at a Ministry of Health run government hospital told Gulf News that when her baby was born, she tried to sponsor her, but the application was rejected by the SNRD as she and her husband were not earning enough to sponsor the girl.
“In October 2008 my salary was increased. I was then able to sponsor my baby, but when I applied for a residency visa for her at the SNRD it was rejected too. My baby was declared an illegal resident and I had to pay hefty fines because she had been staying illegally in the country for one year since she was born,” the mother said.
Sheeja said SNRD officials told her the baby had to leave the country in less than a week with an outpass to avoid the fines, otherwise she would get a one-year ban.
“I was told that after one year I could obtain a new visa for my baby and bring her back to live with me,” she said.
“I told them my baby is very young, she is only one year old and I cannot send her away from me, but they did not listen to me, saying the law will be implemented equally.”…
04/14/2009 02:39 PM | By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
Dubai: The Dubai Police chief expressed surprise at the response of Doha Centre for Media Freedom in condemning Dubai Police’s request to restrict access to pornographic materials on the internet.
The Doha Centre for Media Freedom stated in a press release that they sent an open letter to the internet giant Google “warning it not to give in to calls for censorship [by Dubai Police].”
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, said: “I did not request Google representatives to block pornographic materials uploaded on YouTube from Qatar internet services, but asked them to take this into account in the UAE.”
He was responding to a press release released by the Doha Centre for Media Freedom in which they condemned the Dubai Police for calling for a campaign to restrict electronic content that is pornographic, mocks religions, strengthens atheism, fosters a feeling of insecurity or is unsuitable for young children.
YouTube, a video sharing website, was the focus of a much-debated discussion reported earlier in Gulf News between Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Muzainah, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Giselle Hescuk, Google’s head of development for Europe and the Middle East.
The press release incorrectly stated that Lieutenant-General Dahi drew up a censorship plan with Hescuk, “which the UAE authorities said would maintain religious harmony and prevent any infringements of religious and ethnic integrity in the light of local culture and traditions.”…
…Isolated incidents of ‘bling’ reoccur throughout the space, most notably in the bar area, where a sense of self confident, old-school glamour presides. One whole wall is adorned in black leather; marble coats the bar’s surface and upstands; red, crocodile leather bar stools and lounge seats inject a vibrant splash of colour; and wooden flooring reinforces the comfortable, all-encompassing nature of the space. “One of my joys is designing bars,” Mackenzie admitted. “This is where the glitz and glamour come in, but in a small area. It is moody, cosy and secluded, like a dining room in Paris.”
The restaurant’s location in a shariah-compliant hotel dictated that the bar would act only as a holding area, rather than a fully-fledged attraction in its own right. This presented a design challenge that Outcast was able to overcome by creating an intimate pocket nestled inconspicuously into one corner.
“We created a space that was not immediately visible to people dining in the restaurant or even walking past. It is actually possible to have a meal in the restaurant and leave without even noticing the bar – which was quite a design challenge,” Penketh said.
Overtones of glamour are also inherent in the elaborate crystal chandeliers that tumble elegantly from the ceilings elsewhere in the restaurant. “Again,
we wanted to bring in a bit of glitz
and glamour, and the lighting and crystals are part of that. Everything else is pretty angular and straightforward,” commented Mackenzie… The underlying inspiration for the restaurant was a classical dining room, with strong art deco influences from the 1920s and 30s. A simple yet striking colour scheme favours beige, black and red – but while the design is subtle and understated, it is also extremely rich, Penketh pointed out.
“We were careful not to overdesign, but every inch of the space contains some level of detail. It is a very rich design but we’ve created something that is comfortable and that you are not overwhelmed by,” he elaborated. “There is an incredible amount of work in the detailing and this grows on you as you sit in the restaurant.”
Sculpted ceilings
The depth of the design is intended to reveal itself only upon closer inspection. Ceilings, for example, have been carefully sculpted, with different layers, coffered effects and elaborate inlays acting as a sophisticated differentiator of spaces. “Ceilings are an important element in restaurants at the high end of the market. You have to use them to define the space.
“We’ve also used the ceiling to create perspective and to give the impression of more space. Most people don’t look up when they go into a restaurant but part of our aim was to make sure that the longer you spend in there, the
more you notice how much is going on,”
Penketh explained.
The carefully considered nature of the design also reveals itself in the seating, which was all conceptualised from scratch and manufactured in Dubai. Different types and heights of seating create choice for diners, as well as visual contrast across the space. Along one side of the restaurant, red banquet seating melds itself into curved booths cut into the wall to create secluded, semi-enclosed cocoons…SOURCE
The education ministry asked all private schools on Sunday to scrutinise textbooks, before prescribing them to students, to ensure they do not contain texts or images ‘defaming’ or ‘affronting’ God, religion or the UAE.
This move follows a recent complaint against a Grade VIII English textbook Elements of Literature — The Holt Reader (Second Course) in which God is reportedly described as a ‘toy’.
“We took the book and studied it case by case after we received complaints. There were certain pages that were inappropriate and there was a chapter that specifically described God as a toy. The education zone should now follow up with the schools,” Dr Mariam Al Ali, Director of the Supervising and Monitoring of Private Schools Department, Ministry of Education, told Khaleej Times.
Schools that follow international curricula are expected to strictly adhere to the ministry’s new standards, introduced last year, while prescribing books, or face ‘closure’. The new standards urge schools to omit flags and emblems of countries and organisations that do not share normal relations with the UAE. They have also been asked to refrain from discussing alcohol, drugs or homosexuality — issues unacceptable to the Arab and Muslim society.
“Schools should keep in mind the rules and regulations of the ministry and scrutinise text books for the best interests of the child,” Dr Ali said. “Schools have to abide by the new bylaws. We will warn schools and will not hesitate to close them down if they do not follow our norms. Our objective is not to close schools but make them aware.”…SOURCE
04/11/2009 10:54 PM | By Mariam M. Al Serkal and Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporters
Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Beaches were on the alert last week as the red tide passed through the Gulf waters, stirring the curiosity of residents as to where it was going to hit next.
The Environment Agency at Abu Dhabi (EAD) said that the red tide did not affect the capital, as its usual life cycle is about 3 to 4 days.
Last week red tide was spotted along the Dubai coastline, which prompted Dubai Municipality to close the beaches near the Burj Al Arab and Umm Suqueim Park.
Residents were also warned to avoid eating seafood that had been collected from the algal bloom area since it may be contaminated. City Talk took to the streets and asked residents if they are worried about the red tide and how this has affected them.
Mohammad Al Taweel, 27-year-old sales developer, Saudi Arabia, said: “I was planning to go to the beach [at] the weekend but have cancelled the plan now just to be safe. I read about it in the newspapers and am aware of the red tide phenomena, although I am not exactly sure what side effect it has on humans. But that has not stopped me from eating fish.”
Sibtain Hirji, real estate manager from the United Kingdom, 48, said: “The red tide is supposed to be harmless but it does give you rashes. I have seen that many beaches are empty now but think that people are only scared about it this week, and people will start going to the beach again soon. I have read that it is dangerous to eat fish that are affected by it, so I am not eating it and will wait a couple of weeks before buying it again.”
Jelena Bundesmann, German manager, 45, said: “I spend a lot of time on the beach, and have noticed that the water is milky and that there is less visibility and marine life. There are also more algae on the shores but that is not going to stop me from going to the beach and swimming, unless I see that reddish-brownish colour around me in the water. I will not stop eating fish unless they prove to me that the red tide has an impact on it until then, I have to assume that they only catch fish in good areas in the sea since fish only survive in good water conditions.”…
