Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan tweeted that the supercar will  be driven by the lady police officers.

“Ferrari Police patrols would be used by women in the police force,” tweets Khalfan.

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah has issued Amiri decree No.2 of 2013, pertaining to the establishment of an Arab Islamic University in the emirate under the Arabic name “ AlJamea Al Qasimia”.

According to the decree,the “ Sharjah Islamic University” shall be the university’s official name in English.

The university’s headquarters shall be based in Sharjah. The university may have other branches and offices inside and outside the country.

The decree shall go into force from the date of issuance and shall be published in the official gazette .

Presiding over a preparatory meeting for celebrating Sharjah as the capital of Islamic culture at Al Badi Al Amir Palace, Shaikh Sultan said the Sharjah Islamic University will be built on a million square meter area, bring the emirate’s total university campus area to 15 million square meters.

he National Center of Meteorology ‘&’ Seismology (NCMS) issued a statement today in which it denied rumors about the United States Geological Survey (USGS) predicting a powerful earthquake that will hit the region during the period between 25 and 30 April.

“This is just a rumor. Earthquakes cannot be predicted,” NCMS said.

As one of the world’s major hubs, the UAE naturally plays host to millions of people working in the country and transiting every year. Therefore, the country’s security forces have played an important part in fighting global and regional terrorism and their continual monitoring of illegal and suspicious activities has been crucial in both discovering and then arresting this terrorist group.

A government spokesman said the cell was working in several ways, seeking to commit “acts in the UAE that would affect the security of the state and the safety of its citizens and residents”, but it also was working for Al Qaida in a more global sense by recruiting people and promoting its agenda as well as “providing Al Qaida with funds and logistical support to facilitate the extension of their activities to some countries in the region”.

“Many of the details of the arrest have not been published as is usual in security cases, but the whole file has been passed to the State Security Prosecution, which will conduct its own investigation and proceed to trial in due time. More details may emerge at that time, ” said English language local daily, Gulf News, in its editorial on Friday.

It added that the UAE has been very clear that it cannot allow terrorist activities to gain any foothold in the country and its zero-tolerance policy has been fundamental in the way it works to stop any individual who works to support this type of activities. The militant and destructive principles that guide these kinds of terrorists and criminals are directly opposed to how the UAE works.

“The UAE has been committed to encouraging peaceful development in the country and region and it has made a point of using its oil wealth to support a wide variety of aid and charitable activities around the world,” the paper said.

Therefore, it continued, as a responsible member of the international community, the UAE has worked closely with all major forces of the world to help contain and stop the menace of Al Qaida and its affiliates. These terrorists have failed to offer their followers any message of hope, since their message is restricted to violence, with no trace of building a new society or offering anything other than destruction and savagery.

“This kind of an asymmetrical war is a real challenge for all civilised communities, as they have more to defend against the terrorist cells that Al Qaida sponsors,” the paper said.

It added that all established nation states like the UAE work for the general betterment of all their members, seeking to encourage education, self-help and the rule of law. This is in stark contrast to the simplistic destruction offered by Al Qaida and its devotion to ripping down the elements of society that have been built up over centuries.

“Defending the UAE’s Arab and Muslim values means that the country’s security forces need to be on a state of continual alertness against Al Qaida and they are to be congratulated in their success this week,” it concluded.

- WAM

Dubai Mall shoppers were caught by surprise when a small fire led the mall management to shortly evacuate its premises. No injuries have been reported. Meanwhile, Dubai Media Office in a statement on Twitter said “fire in one of the restaurants at Dubai Mall has been brought under control”. 

It was handled smoothly and professionaly, said a customer service representative.

UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum paid a visit today to the Care Home for the elderly in the Mamzar area in Dubai. He was accompanied by HH Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai Deputy Ruler, Lt.General Musabbah Rashid Al Fattan Director at the Office of the Vice President and Prime Minister and Khalifa Saeed Suleiman Director General of the Dubai Protocol Department.

Sheikh Mohammed and his entourage were received by Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid Director General of Dubai Health Authority, Dr. Salwa Al-Suwaidi Director of the Care Home, and a number of other officials.

Sheikh Mohammed met with the elderly inmates who are given geriatric care and nursing at the Care Home and reassured himself of their welfare. The facility is run in accordance with the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to provide maximum comfort to the elderly people who represents a generation of parents and grandparents who lived and grew up in the UAE and struggled to build the country in its early stage.

The care home was eastablished in 1993 as per an order by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to provide the elderly citizens with all necessary care, treatment and means of comfortable life, Murooshid Explained.

Sheikh Mohammed was also briefed on the graphics and engineering design for the Dubai Rehabilitation Centre, which His Highness had ordered earlier to build in order to provide physical therapy and rehabilitate people with osteoporosis and other diseases related to old age.

“The implementation of these measures was in response to a site survey carried out by a work team of the RTA which concluded that some houses were affected by noises resulting from the squeaking & friction of train wheels when negotiating turns during tests carried out at Al Rashidiya Metro Depot,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.

Al Tayer confirmed that the homeowners received Dh250,000 each as compensation as some houses were reported have been impacted by the sound of train horns.
Al Tayer, however, assured the homeowners that RTA has been implementing a policy abandoning the use of horns and other alerting devices for more than a year.

Hence, plans of constructing sound barriers—that will also doubly work to ensure the homeowners’ privacy—are already being discussed and may materialise in the near future.

Indicators showed that the amount of noise monitored in Rashidiya Depot in the middle of last January was actually lower than the permissible rate during the construction period which also conformed to the standards of the Dubai Municipality.

The RTA has recently signed a joint agreement with the German GERB International company for assessing and measuring the impact of noise caused by the movement of trains, including the resulting vibrations, along with its impacts on the buildings along the Red Line.

Al Tayer noted that all houses inspected sustained several cracks which were attributable to several factors including vibrations resulting from the movement of trains back and forth in the station.

- Gulf News

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in his capacity as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, issued a decree allotting 2926 plots of land for housing for citizens in various parts of the emirate.

The decree also granted the national families a total of 70 homes built in different areas of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region.

The gesture reflects the keenness of Sheikh Khalifa on the stability and comfort of citizens and his diligence to ensure decent life and better future for growing generations.

The Eid-el-Fitr holidays for ministries and other federal government institutions will begin from Friday 17th August 2012 (29th Ramadan 1433) and will last until the 3rd of the month of Shawwal. Work will resume from the 4th of Shawaal, according to a circular issued by Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
On this occasion Al Qatami offered greetings to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of emirates.

The minister also offered greetings to the people of UAE and the Arab and Muslim nations around the world.

Meanwhile, Minister of Labour Saqr Ghobash issued a ministerial circular announcing the first and second days of the month of Shawwal as Eid-el-Fitr holidays for all establishments in the private sector.

Ghobash also offered Eid greetings to the leadership and the people of UAE and Arab and Muslim nations.

Juma Al Majid, Chairman of Board of Trustees of Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage gave Sheikh Yusuf Estes, winner of Islamic Personality of the year of the 16th edition of Dubai International Holy Quran Award, an insight into the Centre’s message and vision to promote and safeguard Arab, Islamic and international heritage.

Sheikh Estes visited the Centre’s original manuscripts units and library where he marveled at the method adopted in the restoration of old books and documents.

Commenting on the visitor book, the US scholar appreciated the significant efforts the Centre is making to safeguard valuable manuscripts.