Carpenter admits threatening to kill driver for lack of fare

Dubai: A Chinese carpenter Thursday admitted threatening to kill a taxi driver because he did not have money to pay his fare.

Prosecutors charged the 46-year-old with using a knife and threatening to kill the 25-year-old Pakistani driver over a Dh50 tariff.

C.B. pleaded guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The driver, S.H. told Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad that the incident happened around 2am in Bani Yas Road.

International City

"The suspect asked me to drive him to the Chinese Cluster in the International City," he said.

"When we reached the place, the defendant seemed that he lost directions to his house.

"When the meter read Dh50, the suspect asked me to pull over and drop him. The suspect said he did not have enough money to pay.

Knife pulled

"He asked me to wait for him to get the money from his house — I refused and told him to pay instantly. He pulled out a knife from his pocket and pointed it at my belly. Then he said ‘do you want the money now?'."

According to prosecution records, the defendant stepped out of the taxi and walked to a security guard standing nearby. The driver called the police. Then the suspect offered his mobile phone as payment.

When the police arrived, the knife was found when the suspect was searched.

C.B. denied threatening the driver in his statement, alleging that the knife only fell from his jacket.

The verdict will be heard on Monday.

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Scientists need exposure

Sharjah: Scientists need more media exposure if youths are to take up studies and subsequently careers in science and engineering to curb the shortage of those opting into science professions.

Professor Nidhal Guessoum, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) spoke at the Belief in Dialogue conference hosted by AUS last week. The conference was held in conjunction with the British Council.

"If we want people to pursue science we need to give the scientists more importance by at least some exposure," said Guessoum. "There is not enough regional interest in science and this is a societal issue that chooses to give some professions either big or small importance."

Societal issue

Guessoum added the emphasis the media and society places on celebrities and sports stars is what gears the aspirations of the majority of youths towards those professions.

"If I ask a class of students to name famous scientists the numbers don't compare to if I ask them to name footballers or entertainers," he said. "This is because they [footballer and entertainers] are constantly on TV and make big money and live the good life."

Scientists, in comparison, are not privy to any of these career perks.

"Scientists have none of this, they are never on TV, they don't live the good life and they don't get big salaries," said Guessoum. "So people think who wants to be like that." However science is and has always been central to a society and its people as it is the root of all of its developments.

"Science is central in the life and minds of societies and this has been the case forever," he said. "People need to realise that science is absolutely crucial for modern societies just as they were for old and past ones."

Teaching science in Muslim world

Contrary to scientific teaching principles in the West, Guessoum believes science and religion cannot be separated or segregated in university classrooms in the Muslim world.

"When I teach, especially astronomy, I will invariably have students bring in their religious knowledge and relate it to scientific principles," he said. "We find ourselves always having to deal with these things in this part of the world or the non-Western world, where long ago they established some sort of separation."

He added his students always seem to address the relation to what science says and what they have been told from their religious backgrounds and therefore establishing a direct relation between the two.

However, for science and religion to co-exist in the classroom, science clearly needs to be outlined and defined as a mere methodology of achieving results and not a belief system.

"Teaching science is to teach the methods by which we reach certain results so therefore by definition it is separate to religious studies," he said. "It is not necessary to reject one or the other but just distinguish the methodologies."

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Green lifestyle event with an educational twist

Dubai: A lifestyle event with an educational twist is taking place at Dubai Mall until Friday showing off all kinds of innovative products available in the UAE that give shoppers more sustainable choices.

More than 70 exhibitors have set up booths and kiosks around the ground and lower ground floor as part of Epic Dubai Sustainable Living Expo.

"To be more sustainable people need to consume less but that is never ever going to happen. We want to help people put their dollars where their values are," said Nancy Wright, vice president of Vancouver-based Globe Foundation, the organisation behind Epic events. "We can make choices as consumers not to buy more, but to buy smarter," she said.

A series of live cooking demonstrations with organic produce and talks on environmental matters will also take place today and tomorrow.

Guiding principles

Around 75 per cent of the exhibitors are local and regional companies. All are vetted and allowed to exhibit if their products or guiding principles are in line with environmental policies. Greenwashing, a term for falsely claiming to have environmental policies is not uncommon among unscrupulous businesses hoping to attract consumers that seek cleaner, healthier products for them and the planet.

"All kinds of companies that want to take part in these events often have no environmental credentials. We can't open it up to them because we cannot compromise the Epic brand," said Wright.

Tarnish companies

"Companies will always greenwash and tarnish other companies that are taking steps towards sustainability. I am hoping that governments will crack down on greenwashing and give environmental credentials more meaning," she said.

"I think we have passed the peak of greenwashing and today there is less, due to increased education."

Visitors can donate Dh20 at the Goumbook stand to plant a ghaf tree, drop off their mobile phones at the Nokia stand to be recycled and try charging their phone on an exercise bike.

"A good thing about health and beauty products is that the price compared to ordinary products are competitive from a price point. It makes it an easier choice," said Wright.

Epic talks

Bee'ah, Sharjah's waste management company at 3pm

Organic Foods and Café at 4pm

Dubai Police and Lootah Group at 5pm, Goumbook at 6pm, Dubai Municipality at 8pm and Dewa at 9.30pm

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Gulf News readers offer to help a stranded mother and her children

Dubai: A Filipino mother and her four children, who have been living on charity after their Lebanese father was deported over failure to repay a loan, will fly back home today after several Gulf News readers helped them with the airfare to the Philippines.

Readers rushed to help the mother and her children, who landed in trouble after her husband was jailed for defaulting on a loan repayment and deported to Lebanon, after Gulf News wrote about them.

"This is a heart-breaking story," a reader said yesterday. "We need to help the mother and her little kids to go back home in the hope that they will join the father soon."

Mary, the mother, and her children have been surviving mainly on charity for the past year. The mother and a relative, who was staying with them, were earning a meagre income as part-time housemaids.

Children's visa

The children's visas also got cancelled because they were on their father's sponsorship. Mary said her children — Joyce, 8, Jasmine, 7, Fatima, 3, and Ali, 1, — have Philippine passports and are eagerly waiting to go back home in the hope they will some day be able to rejoin their father.

"I'm very thankful to all those who helped me. I was suffering and I had no clue what to do," she said. "Readers even came to my house to bring food and medicine for my children," she said with tears in her eyes.

Husband fell ill

She said her ordeal started when her husband fell ill about three years ago. "My husband was very sick and he took the loan to pay for his heart surgery," she said. "When he failed to pay back the loan he was sent to jail and lost his job as well.

"My children do not go to school and sometimes we even stay without food," she said. "I never thought that my problems would be solved. I was helpless and I was not able to help my children," she said.

Several readers said they were touched by the story of the family. "This is very sad and we hope that the family will join the father soon," said a reader.

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District Feature: Sharjah's Al Sharq has a rich history

Dubai: Every Dh5 note has a picture of the Salem Al Mutawa mosque located in the Al Sharq area. Once the heartbeat of Khor Fakkan city, today you can barely feel its pulse.

Al Sharq area overlooks Khor Fakkan Corniche and more than 30 years ago, was the hustling bustling neighbourhood in the city, as traders, arriving at Khor Fakkan Port, used to flock to its souq among shops, which sold everything from fabrics to groceries to food.

Choosing the mosque, located in this area, as a symbol for one of the denominations of the national currency shows the significance of Al Sharq area and the major trading role it played long ago.

It is said that the mosque on the five dirham note was built some 200 years ago using gravel and palm tree trunks. The mosque was renovated in March this year and the residents living in that area now pray there. It has recently also been named after Salem Al Mutawa, a late resident of that area, who never missed any of the five prayer times at the mosque. A well which was dug in the mosque for ablution still provides sweet water. The sea is 20 metres away from this mosque.

The Al Sharq area currently houses several hundreds of people, mostly shopkeepers who work at the old style souq, which still stands alive to tell the tales of bygone years.

Thirty years ago, Al Sharq area was inhabited by Emiratis mostly and some Arabs. After the UAE became one federation in 1971, and as the country and its cities developed, the old area of Al Sharq became almost abandoned by Emirati families as they moved to live and work in the new city developments. Old Emirati residents still remember the first clinic in Khor Fakkan, which was located in the Al Sharq neighbourhood. Today, that clinic structure has become a shop for car polishing.

The Al Sharq area also had the first Khor Fakkan municipality building, which has also been abandoned. It also has a building which housed a branch of the British Bank, the first bank at that time. However, old residents of the area say the branch was closed after the security guard there was killed in that building long ago.

Trading port

Ali Abdullah Al Mirza, an 81-year-old Emirati trader and fisherman, who was a former resident of Al Sharq area, said it (the area) was the heart of Khor Fakkan city years ago because it overlooked the sea.

"It was a very busy area because ships, carrying goods and traders from around the world, would arrive to the city's port for trading purposes. It also helped the people of this city to travel to various destinations which helped open up their minds and learn a lot," said Al Mirza, who lives in another neighbourhood not far from the Al Sharq area.

Talking about how Al Sharq area looked in those days, Al Mirza said: "There were around 300 houses in this area at that time with the majority being [of] Emirati families and some Arabs. The houses were built of palm tree trunks and stones and were close to each other. The two most famous families who lived in the area were Al Naqbi families and Al Hammadi families,"

Al Mirza said although he moved to another neighbourhood, his fondest memories are of the Al Sharq area, where he spent most of his youngdays.

Sulaiman Al Naqbi, another Emirati who lived in the Al Sharq area, said: "The old souq, which has kept its old style in terms of the structure and the use of wooden doors and big locks, is a distinct feature of the area."

According to him, this souq still has some old shops, which are no longer commonly seen in other parts of the country because they have been replaced by modern developments.

"One of the shops which I am certain may not be found easily now are the shops which repair old TV sets. You can find the large boxy TV sets lying in these shops for maintenance," he said.

Umm Mahmoud, an Egyptian who was entering her flat in the only tall structure in the area, said she still loves living in the area.

"I moved to Khor Fakkan 20 years ago after my marriage. My husband and I lived in this neighbourhood and saw the changes it has gone through as years passed. I still love this area and don't think of moving away because to me everything seems close. I buy my groceries from the grocery in the old souq, which is only walking distance. The mosque is very close by for my husband. We often go walking on the corniche which is a road away from here. I do miss what was once the busy nature of this area, but I have got used to the quietness," she said giggling.

Building lives

Mohiuddin, a grocer at Kirla Supermarket, said he witnessed the massive changes the Al Sharq area has gone through.

"I arrived here from Bombay [Mumbai] in 1971 and since then has been working in various shops in this souq. The shops were small boxy shops owned by Emiratis. I started working in this supermarket in 1978. This area was a mountainous area which overlooked the sea. There were no roads and the only vehicle which would move here was the old Land Rover," he recalled.

Another shopkeeper, Azad, working at Al Rayan shop, which sold everything from handbags, watches, perfumes, clothes and other things, said, although he has been working in this shop for three years, it [the shop] has been there for 32 years and has evolved with time.

"Of course, now the business is not as strong as it used to be, as my other colleagues who have been working in this shop tell me, but we still get elderly Emiratis who especially come looking for old style stuff," he said.

Al Sharq area now may not be as busy or as appealing as it used to be, but a visit there is sure to shed light on its rich history and culture. The area is filled with stories of how its inhabitants lived simply, yet comfortably despite their struggles.

HIGHLIGHTS

1 Salem Al Mutawa Mosque
The structure adorns the back of the the Dh5 note. The mosque still maintains the traditional style in which it was built and is a must-see if one is visited Al Sharq.

2 Al Sharq old souq
It houses several stores ranging from a supermarket, shops selling miscellaneous goods and shops repairing old TV sets. Even today when the shops close, the large wooden doors are locked with big metal locks.

3 Al Sharq Fort
It stands magnificently atop a a mountain. A visit to this imposing structure will reveal the rich history of the Al Sharq area.

Al SHARQ'S LOCATION
Al Sharq area is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Khor Fakkan city. It overlooks Khor Fakkan Corniche. More than 30 years ago, it was the hustling bustling neighbourhood in the city, as traders, arriving at Khor Fakkan Port, used to flock to its shops, which sold everything from fabric to groceries to food.

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Abdullah's India visit to cement ties

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, will pay an official visit to India on June 27 along with a high-level delegation, UAE government sources and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi told Gulf News Wednesday.

The high-profile visit may result in the conclusion of some agreements in important areas of cooperation, the UAE sources said.

Shaikh Abdullah will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials, as well as several business leaders and CEOs of key companies in the areas of shipping, aviation, telecommunication and energy.

He will hold discussions with the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna as well as senior Indian leaders including the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral and international issues, M.K. Lokesh, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, said. India and the UAE have close relations based on historic foundations, he said.

Currently, the two countries are its largest trading partners with bilateral trade amounting to around $44 billion (Dh161.48 billion) in 2009-2010. Investments are growing substantially from both sides, the ambassador said.

In addition, the UAE is an important supplier of crude oil to India. Both countries share common perceptions on major global issues in the security, economic and environmental fields, Lokesh said.

Partnership

"Both sides have expressed their desire to take their partnership to strategic levels. The visit comes at a time when new global challenges are emerging and both the countries have common interests in their early resolution," the ambassador said.

India recognises and appreciates the growing role of the UAE in regional and global affairs and its initiatives in maritime security, peace-keeping operations and regional peace initiatives as well as in other areas like global governance, environment, and renewable energy sectors, Lokesh said.

The visit will provide a valuable opportunity to further cement the warm and friendly relations that exist between the two countries, he said.

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Man caught selling pills is charged

Dubai: An Arab man was arrested selling a banned pain killer in Ghusais on June 10, Dubai Police have said.

Upon receiving a tip-off from a source, a team from the Anti-Narcotics Department set up a trap for the man in a car park.

Police arrested the 28-year-old, identified as A.A.A., and searched his car and home in Sharjah, where over 4,000 Tramadol pills were found.

The drug is a strong pain killer sometimes used recreationally and prohibited in the UAE.

The suspect confessed that the pills were his, adding that he takes and sells them.

He was charged with owning, using and promoting narcotics and referred to the public prosecution.

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Death games on high seas

Dubai: Close on the heels of the tragic death of 14-year-old Emirati Abdullah Al Amiri in a jet ski accident near Palm Jumeirah last month and the permanent disfiguring of 10-year-old Daniel Clamens, another near-fatal accident has shocked beach-goers in Dubai.

A 27-year-old South African rugby player, J.B., fell off a double storey boat on June 17 onto a platform and knocked his head on the motor of the boat, the impact of which threw him into the water. The accident broke his neck and caused brain injury. While the victim's wife is unavailable for comment, sources claim that the man has been declared medically brain-dead and is currently in a state of coma.

These accidents have prompted warnings from safety experts urging water sport lovers to be cautious while hitting the beaches here. Talking to XPRESS, Candy Fanucci, Founder of Pirate Surf Rescue Team in Dubai, highlights the dangers of unsupervised water sports on Dubai's open beaches. "Jet skis are accidents waiting to happen. If you see someone on a jet ski while you're in the sea, stay as far away from them as possible. They have the reflection of the water and the sun in their eyes, which makes them largely unable to spot a swimmer in their proximity," she says.

The South African lifeguard explains how trying to help a person with a neck injury could lead to further damage. "By being ill-informed, one can actually harm the victim more than benefit them. A person who has fallen off a boat, such as the victim in question, should be left alone until qualified medical help arrives. Moving the patient may cause terminal paralysis," she warns.

Earlier this month, 10-year-old Daniel Clamens had his face ripped apart in an accident on Al Mamzar Beach involving a jet ski. Clamens, who was on a banana boat being towed by a neighbour's boat, fell off the tube and was instantly hit by a man on a jet ski who was chasing the boat in order to launch himself off the waves. The jet ski hit Clamens straight in the face, damaging four of his vital nerves and cutting off half of his face. The 10-year-old is undergoing a series of surgeries.

Safety gear a must

Last month, 14-year-old Emirati Abdullah Al Amiri died in a jet ski accident near Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Hotel in Dubai. Police reports say Al Amiri and three friends were on a raft while a fourth friend was on the jet ski.

When a wave toppled the raft over, Al Amiri, who wasn't wearing a life jacket, was pulled under the water, and resurfaced in another spot, where the jet ski struck the 14-year-old in the head, causing death. If the teenager had worn a life jacket, he would have bobbed on the surface of the water, making himself more visible to his friends.

"The use of safety gear for water sports is an issue that needs to be addressed asap [as soon as possible]," says Fanucci, adding, "Ideally, beaches should be segregated into zones for different water sports. Each area should be demarcated, creating a circuit or track for each sport."

"Boats should be away from water skis, which should be away from the surfers, swimmers and those on jet skis. As per government regulations all users of jet skis should have a life vest, helmet, fire extinguisher, emergency whistle and goggles on hand. What people don't understand is that a jet ski is no different from a motorcycle, often reaching similar speeds. When you fall on water, the impact is just as harsh as falling onto a tarmac road," Fanucci says.

Fanucci gives the example of a 10-year-old girl who was hit by a surf board on Sunset Beach in Jumeirah two weeks ago.

"The girl was in the shallow water and a beginner surfer got carried on the wave towards the shoreline. The surf board hit the child straight on the head. Fortunately, the injury was minor and she didn't have a concussion, but it was just another reminder of the importance of safety procedures on beaches. It may seem like a fun day out on the beach, but participating in unauthorised water sports is just as dangerous as participating in unauthorised motor sports. It's not all fun and games when things go wrong."

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai received in Kabul Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Min

Shaikh Abdullah conveyed to the Afghan President the greetings of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. He also conveyed their wishes for the progress and prosperity of the people of Afghanistan.

Shaikh Abdullah reiterated the need for concerted international efforts to support the development programmes in Afghanistan for the welfare of the Afghan people.

Shaikh Abdullah had arrived in Kabul on Wednesday, along with his British counterpart William Hague to discuss with the Afghan government, the progress made in reinforcing the efforts of the international coalition in Afghanistan.

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Reaching out to African students

Dubai: An old Arabic proverb says if you educate a woman, you educate an entire nation. It is a saying the Al Maktoum Foundation has taken as a fundamental principle for its work.

Over the years the foundation has built, and operates, nearly 40 schools in Africa. It is at one of these schools tucked away in a rural town in Kenya that a small group of Emirati students from Zayed University (ZU) found their calling.

Fatima Al Sayegh, Khadija Al Abbas and Arwa Al Mazroui's lives changed when their capstone graduation project landed them at a girl's school in the Kenyan town of Kajiado. Their project is Al Bedayah (Arabic for ‘the beginning') and the idea is to promote self-learning through the social media.

Their proposal was to create a website to essentially be a social media portal for self-education, on which they would tutor students in Africa. Their idea was such a hit they received the sponsorship and backing of the Al Maktoum Foundation, which exists under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.

"The notion that students here in the UAE would help other students in Africa learn about social media was a powerful proposition," said project supervisor, Dr Badran Badra, Professor of Communication and Media Sciences at ZU. "However, I wasn't totally surprised to see an idea like Al Bedaya because of the UAE's strong tradition of helping other nations."

Tapping the global village

He added it was therefore not unusual to see Emirate students looking to other countries and societies to extend their humanitarian work.

Al Bedaya is a website that incorporates different free online tools such as Google and Wikipedia, with the aim of promoting self-education. However, the idea stemmed from the students' own learning experience at university. "As university students, we believe most of the knowledge we've retained through the years is information we sought out on our own through our investigative research," said Fatima. "We therefore believe self-education is the best kind and as the saying goes: a formal education will make you a living, but self-education will make you a fortune."

The website www.al-bedaya.org is split into three parts: lessons, research and fun. During their eight-day trip to Kenya the ZU students tutored over 40 female students. The students learned how to access free education web tools such as BBC Learning in order to quench their thirst for knowledge.

"The website essentially teaches how to use Google and social networking sites because of the vast amounts of news we get on Twitter for example," said Fatima. "The tutorial includes blogs and sites like YouTube and most useful Web2.0 user-generated interaction sites to bring the global village to the tip of the students' fingers."

Changing perspectives

Mohammad Bin Ganem, Secretary General of the Al Maktoum Foundation, said an initiative like Al Bedaya has a reciprocal benefit for both sets of students.

"It is important for our country's young women to know other civilisations around them and see how they suffer and struggle to survive," said Bin Ganem. "In our country, the UAE, the youth take everything for granted and therefore if they see the realities of life in other nations their perspectives will change."

Fatima affirms Bin Ganem's opinion as the recent public relations and advertising graduate believes she has found her calling in Al Bedaya. "I never thought my capstone project would be what I'd want to do for a living but it is," she said. "It's not something I expect to find a profit from because it's more personal, but right now we are exhausting all our efforts to keep Al Bedaya alive."

The recent ZU graduates are in talks with the Al Maktoum Foundation to continue the project in more of the foundation's African schools. This initiative not only educates African students to equip them for the development of their nations but to serve as an example for African women.

"When we asked some of the girls if they think they can have an impact on their society they weren't very positive; because in their culture a woman's place is in the kitchen," said Fatima.

"[But] as Emirati women we were an example to them because years ago, in a culture with similar views as theirs; no one would have thought we'd now see women taking up active and powerful roles in our society."

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Awareness drive helps cut pedestrian deaths in Dubai

Dubai: Pedestrian death toll continues to decline on Dubai roads, with a 35 per cent drop in fatalities during the first three months this year as compared to last year, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced Tuesday.

Statistics show a huge improvement in pedestrian safety over the years, Hussain Al Banna, director of Traffic at the RTA's Traffic and Roads Agency said.

During the first three months of this year, 11 pedestrian fatalities were recorded as compared to 17 during the same period last year, he said.

Over 67 per cent of the accidents took place in the night, Al Banna said.

Further drop

"We will continue with our awareness efforts this year and expect a further drop in pedestrian fatalities; which already dropped from 78 cases in 2009 to 43 in 2010."

Last year, the pedestrians killed in traffic accidents hit a record low in a decade with 2.8 cases per 100,000 of population. In 2001, five cases were recorded per 100,000 of the population.

The number climbed steadily going from 6.8 in 2004 to an all time high of 9.5 in 2009. The number has been dropping since 2009.

In 2008, seven cases were recorded and 4.4 cases in 2009.

Positive trend

Al Banna attributed the positive trend to awareness campaigns organised by RTA to enhance pedestrian safety, particularly among workers, as well as the building of foot bridges across the city.

"The awareness campaign carried out by the RTA this year started off at the workers' accommodation at Sonapur and covered Al Quoz, Jebel Ali, Al Barsha, Al Ghusais schools complex and RTA customer service centres."

Be attentive

It focused on educating workers on the importance of being attentive and making sure the road is clear of traffic before crossing the road.

Earlier, the RTA had identified seven areas where the most number of accidents involving pedestrians took place — including Al Quoz, Al Wasl, and the service roads of Shaikh Zayed Road.

But this year, so far, the accidents were not concentrated in certain areas, but rather spread out.

"RTA has been successful in reducing the number of fatalities caused by traffic accidents during the last three years, and the situation improved year after year.

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