Tag Archives: business
Federer trounces Berdych to clinch sixth title in Dubai
Federer trounces Berdych to clinch sixth title in Dubai Alex Leach / 2 March 2014 Roger Federer came back from a set and a break down against Tomas Berdych to clinch his sixth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship title here on Saturday night. Federer broke in the third game of the first set as Berdych netted a forehand, but he lost his own service game immediately thereafter with similarly sloppy play off the same wing. The Swiss was broken again when a poor second serve sat up nicely for his 28-year-old opponent, whose forceful return could only be directed back into the net by Federer. Berdych thus had the initial impetus and he kept that momentum for the remainder of the opener, winning it with a characteristically strong serve to Federer’s backhand that meekly found the net. The Rotterdam Open winner then looked to be honing in on his second tournament win in succession as another wayward Federer forehand coughed up another break of service. However, just as Federer’s challenge looked to be cruelly falling short at the final hurdle, he retaliated with two breaks to force a crunch third-set decider; Berdych’s backhand and forehand misfiring at the crucial moments respectively. Another long Berdych forehand in the fourth game there handed the perennial winner and all-time record holder here a two-game cushion and he didn’t look back from that point on. Berdych’s failure to capitalise on some crucial break point opportunities in the seventh game perhaps adversely affected his service game in the subsequent eighth as Federer scented victory. He still staved off two championship points to make Federer serve for the half dozen, which he did with typical aplomb to close it out 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 58 minutes. “I’m really happy with my game tonight and for the week,” the 17-time Grand Slam champion said. “It has been tough match clearly and Tomas had the advantage. He could — and maybe should — have brought it home. “I guess I got a little lucky at times out here tonight, but I fought well and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome at the end of course. I stayed calm and then, once I was I got back on even terms, I really started to play better. “I really enjoy playing against Tomas. He’s a great player and he’s had a great streak as well, what with winning in Rotterdam and reaching the semis of the Australian Open, so I wish Tomas all the best for the coming weeks as well.” This win in the emirate was the 78th on the ATP Tour for Federer, who moved above John McEnroe in the all-time list to outright third behind Ivan Lendl (second, 94) and Jimmy Connors (first, 109). It also places Dubai among the Swiss’ happiest hunting grounds alongside the Barclays ATP Tour Finals (six), Halle (six) and — of course — Wimbledon (seven). Federer collects $465,830 and 500 Emirates Airline ATP Ranking points as a consequence, whereas Berdych pockets $210,020 and 300 Emirates Airline ATP Ranking points for his runner-up finish. alex@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Man pays PRO for visa, spends one night in detention
Man pays PRO for visa, spends one night in detention Marie Nammour / 2 March 2014 Legally speaking, if you want a thing well done, do it yourself; never trust a person you hardly know with handling your sensitive documents. Take for instance the case of Samir (name changed), who took the easy way out to sponsor his 4-month-old daughter’s residence visa by seeking the services of a PRO. However, after making the due visa payments, instead of getting the visa, he found himself involved in a forgery case. Samir, 26, works as a manager in a real estate firm and lives in a hotel apartment. He told Khaleej Times that since the day he trusted the PRO with his daughter’s visa application, his life has taken a turn for the worse. Samir claims he paid the PRO Dh2,500 to have the visa issued and to cover expenses such as typing, medical fitness fees, Emirates ID fees, and other typing expenses. He went to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) on November 20 last year to collect the visa. “He told me I need to go in person to collect the visa since I am the girl’s father.” To his surprise, he was apprehended by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers and taken to Al Aweer Detention Centre where he spent one night. He was released on bail after depositing his passport. “I have been told at the Land Department that my Ejari certificate was forged. It bore a serial number that belongs to a tailor shop’s tenancy contract while its details are mine. The PRO forged it.” KT has learnt that the police are on the lookout for the PRO in connection with the case. “This whole thing happened when my daughter was only one-month old. Now she’s almost four-months old and I have not got the chance to hold her yet.” Samir said he loves Dubai and doesn’t want to be deported because of someone else’s wrongdoing. He submitted an authentic tenancy contract and was unaware the Ejari letter was forged, he claimed. His case is currently under investigation by the Naturalisation and Residency Prosecution. “I never told that man to forge any document for me. I paid him for his services and enclosed my application with authentic documents. I was not aware of what he did with it.” Legal procedure Hotel apartment residents should submit their tenancy documents at the GDRFA, as the Land Department in Dubai is no longer issuing tenancy contract registration certificates or Ejari letters in such cases. An Ejari customer service employee said that residents living in hotel apartments and wanting to sponsor a family member should submit their tenancy contracts, among other documents, for verification at the GDRFA. “We, in Ejari, register tenancy contracts for residents of residential flats when they apply for visas for a family member. As for the residents who live in hotel apartments they should submit their tenancy documents for verification at the GDRFA.” The applicant should also get a letter from the hotel stating that he is a tenant of a room at the hotel paying a specific annual rent. The letter should bear the hotel manager’s signature and be stamped with the hotel’s official seal, according to the Ejari employee. Earlier, Ali Humeid bin Khatem, the head of the Naturalisation and Residency Prosecution, in an interview with KT , urged all residents to refrain from forging and presenting forged tenancy contracts registration certificates because “they would be caught and be held legally accountable”. He advised the residents who want to sponsor their relatives to avoid fraudulent ways when applying for visas. “They should indeed have a rented flat or own property so that they could provide the required documents to be able to sponsor their relatives,” the Chief Prosecutor said. Thanks to the Ejari programme, he said, forgery cases are being easily detected and exposed. “The Ejari staff, available at the Residency and the Land departments as well as in several other branches across Dubai, are there to verify the authenticity of the tenancy contracts and then issue the visa applicants tenancy contract registration certificates.” Penalty for forgery According to article 217 of the Federal Penal Code, whoever forges an official document shall be sentenced to a period not exceeding five years in prison. According to article 121 of the Federal Penal Code, the courts, both Criminal and the Misdemeanours, may order the deportation of the accused, if found guilty, in forgery cases. mary@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
All can learn from ‘five star’ service centres: Mohammed
All can learn from ‘five star’ service centres: Mohammed (Wam) / 27 February 2014 Shaikh Mohammed unveils plaque at Ministry of Education Shaikh Mohammed unveils the ‘five-star’ plaque at the Ministry of Education office in Dubai on Wednesday as Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed and Humaid Mohammed Al Qattami look on. — Wam His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has stressed that the government service centres, which recently scored the five-star rating, are open for all to learn from their experiences since the government is one team, where all learn from each other and compete in the interest of the government. Shaikh Mohammed made the remarks while touring the service centre at the Ministry of Education in Dubai to unveil the five-star plaque attained by the centre in accordance with the results of the rating of government service centres. The event was attended by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Shaikh Mohammed said the education sector deserves better services from the ministry — not less than five stars. He toured the centre, which provides 12 main government services. It handled over 11,000 transactions and received 14,000 phone calls last year. Shaikh Mohammed thanked the officials, citing their self-denial as an example. He said, “Real success lies in continuous and non-stop develop-ment and determination.” The project to evaluate the service centres launched by Shaikh Mohammed is expected to bring about a quality shift in the efficiency of government services and catapult them to the international standards. The mandatory rating process will continue until the end of this year to evaluate all customer service centres so as to assess their quick response to clients. The UAE is world’s first country to adopt the rating system of the government service centres in accordance with integrated frame-work of standards similar to those implemented at hotels, banks and aviation companies. The others present included Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education; Musbeh bin Rashid Al Fattan, Director of the Office of the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director-General of Protocol and Hospitality Department in Dubai. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
