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Tougher rules for shisha cafes in UAE from 2014
Tougher rules for shisha cafes in UAE from 2014 (Wam) / 27 October 2013 Shisha cafes to be restricted to places 150 metres away from residential buildings and populated neighbourhoods, schools, mosques, and others. Tougher rules related to shisha smoking in cafes and eateries, both public and private, across the country’s Capital will be implemented early next year, in a bid to promote a stop-smoking message. Abu Dhabi Business Centre (ADBC), affiliated to the Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi, announced that it would start the application of the Regulations of Federal Law No. (15) of the year 2009 on tobacco control. The announcement came during a joint coordinating meeting between the Department of Economic Development (DED), the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the Department of Municipal Affairs and Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture. During the meeting, it was agreed on to determine the time remaining for cafes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to adjust their positions until January 31 of next year, calling for the owners of cafes to review the Regulations of the law and the terms contained therein for the exercise of their activity. The new regulations prohibits the exercise of these activities in residential areas not authorised by the department unless only in specific places, 150 metres away from residential buildings and populated neighbourhoods, schools, mosques, and others. The opening hours for cafes have been set from 10am till 12am, and the regulation also stipulates that cafes must not provide water pipe tobacco and tobacco products to those who are under 18 years and prohibits their presence in places providing shisha. The distance between two smokers has also been specified at two square metres. Ahmad Tarish Qubaisi, Acting Director of the Department of Trade Protection at the ADBC, assured that the DED will begin, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, to implement a plan designed to clarify the regulations and conditions contained in the law to cafes and private areas offering smoking-related activities. Qubaisi stressed the necessity of not hiring any commercial sites to exercise the activity of smoking shisha unless approval has been given by ADBC. Violating the provisions of the law amounts to imprisonment for a period of two years and a fine of up to Dh1 million, doubled in case of repetition of the offence, according to the provisions of Articles (13), (14), (15), (16) of the Act. Director of the Department of Environment, Health and Safety in the Department of Municipal Affairs Abdul Rahman Marzouki, said the issuance of Federal Law No. 15 of 2009 on Tobacco Control, aims at promoting a stop-smoking message. Marzouki also said the Department has prevented smoking in each of the malls, men’s and women’s salons, while coordinating with the authorities concerned to implement and enforce the provisions of the Act and the Regulations. Continue reading
UAE rulers receive Eid Al Adha well-wishers
UAE rulers receive Eid Al Adha well-wishers (Wam) / 17 October 2013 Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates exchanged best wishes on Eid with the well-wishers, crowds of citizens and expatriate residents. SHARJAH, RAS AL KHAIMAH, FUJAIRAH, UMM AL QUWAIN — Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah and Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu’alla of Umm Al Quwain received crowds of well-wishers in their palaces on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid Al Adha. They exchanged best wishes on Eid with the well-wishers, who included Shaikhs, senior officials, dignitaries, Arab, Islamic and foreign Consuls-General accredited to the UAE, CEOs, Arab and GCC officials and crowds of citizens and expatriate residents. Also among the high-profile well-wishers were Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC); Juma Al Majid, Chairman of the Dubai Economic Council; Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC); Abdullah Mohammed Al Othman, Qatari Ambassador to the UAE; and Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Minister of the Kuwaiti Ruler’s Court. Shaikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, received Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on Wednesday at Al Zaher Palace. Shaikh Al Khalifa called on him to offer best wishes on the advent of Eid Al Adha. Shaikh Salman is in the UAE to attend the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, which will kick off at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium today. The Ajman Crown Prince also accepted Eid greetings from a number of other well-wishers including Shaikhs, ministers, senior officials, diplomats and dignitaries. Continue reading
Movies a passion for Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak
Movies a passion for Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak Dhanusha Gokulan / 17 October 2013 Majid Abdulrazak has written, directed, acted in and produced three movies since his first film, Eqaab Bitten by the movie bug For Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak, the turning point in his life was when he read The Count of Monte Cristo, the 1844 novel by French novelist Alexandre Dumas. “Everyone has a turning point in their life, mine was when I finished The Count of Monte Cristo. I read the comic version for the first time when I was 13 and since then, I have always kept a copy of it near me. Even now I have about 15 copies at home,” said Majid. Another turning point in Majid’s life was when he met British author Wilfred Thesiger, popularly known as Mubarak bin London among bedouins. Majid’s wife brought Thesiger to their house when he was visiting the country. “It was in the 80s. I was sleeping at home and he walked into our house. I felt I was dreaming and it took me a while to understand that he was really there. Back then, I did not even dream that I would be making a movie based on his travels,” said Majid. He got candid with Khaleej Times about his passion for cinema, his early inspirations, his chance meeting with Thesiger, the challenges he has had to face as a filmmaker, and his latest movie Bani Adam. He is the first Emirati to have made two full-length feature films, spending millions of dirhams on his movies. “I used to run a successful business making furniture in the 80s. But I was not happy doing that. I understood that my true calling was being a filmmaker,” said Majid. A self-professed loner and traveller, Majid takes time off and travels for over a month while conceptualising a movie. “Pre-production and post-production can be done at leisure, but shooting is when your time is most precious,” he said. The Emirati filmmaker has written, directed, acted in and produced three movies since his first film Eqaab, based on The Count of Monte Cristo, which released in 2006. The bug for a career in the film industry bit him at a very young age. However he forayed into the industry only recently. “Cinema is still young here. I come from a very orthodox family and I still face severe criticism from my family for being a filmmaker. In their eyes, being in this industry equals being an entertainer. My family does watch my movies, but they do not discuss or talk about it, and it is considered a taboo subject,” said Majid. However, he continued to pursue his dreams and went on to fulfill his biggest dream of being a moviemaker. A love triangle Bani Adam will be released in cinemas in the GCC on November 7. The film depicts the realities of life in the Gulf and portrays a dramatic love triangle. Sultan, a rich man, suffers from childhood guilt; Salem is from a low-income family; and Khalil, Sultan’s treasurer, ishes for his daughter Maitha to marry Sultan, who’s in love with Maha. To further complicate matters, Maha and Maitha are both in love with Salem. An interesting plot, Bani Adam promises to be a good watch, according to Majid. “The film has commercial elements and is also an intelligent movie. My only request to local people is that they take time and watch the movie. Only if there is support from the local public will movie makers like me be able to make more movies,” said Majid. Since Eqaab, he has made two other movies — The Arabian Sands, based on Thesiger’s travels across the Empty Quarter; and Bani Adams, which is a tragic love story. Eqaab, according to the director, was an ambitious project. Shot simultaneously in three different languages, it was to have been released in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. “Finally we released the movie in Arabic and Urdu. I think it was due to lack of good publicity, that the movie did not do well,” he said. Majid believes that there is no dearth of talent in the country; however, there is a shortage of interest amongst local people. “People here still prefer watching Hollywood or Bollywood movies,” he said. “Bollywood movies today are not like how they used to be. I happened to see the new Hindi release Besharam, and I walked out of the theatre after 10 minutes. I grew up watching Hindi movies made in the 40s and 50s. I am still a very big fan of veteran actor Dilip Kumar. At that time, those were the only movies we had access to.” The uniqueness in Majid’s approach to filmmaking is that he understands the artistic value and hard work behind making good cinema. However, he said that pleasing the local audiences remains the biggest challenge for filmmakers because people prefer commercial cinema from Bollywood and Hollywood to cinema by local filmmakers. — dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
