Tag Archives: education
UAE hails 98.1 % yes vote in Egypt referendum
UAE hails 98.1 % yes vote in Egypt referendum (AP, Wam) / 19 January 2014 Egypt’s High Election Commission says 38.6 per cent of the country’s more than 53 million eligible voters took part in the two-day poll. Egypt’s election committee said 98.1 per cent of voters have approved a new, military-backed constitution in the first vote since a coup toppled the country’s president. Egypt’s High Election Commission said on Saturday that 38.6 per cent of the country’s more than 53 million eligible voters took part in the two-day poll. That’s 20.5 million voters casting ballots. UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated the Egyptian people on the success of the referendum on the constitution. “The move is major milestone towards the roadmap for the future which will usher sisterly Egypt into the aspired stability and development,” Shaikh Abdullah said, expressing his pleasure at the huge turnout of voters and their landslide approval for the new constitution, reflecting in a clear way the will of the Egyptian people and their support for the framework which will govern the state and society. Shaikh Abdullah also expressed his confidence that this step would contribute to enhancing stability and confidence in the future of Egypt, promoting its regional and international standing and delivering stability, development and prosperity to the Egyptian people. This was the first vote since the military removed Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohammed Mursi, following massive protests in July. Officials view the vote as key in legitimising the country’s military-backed interim government and its plan for parliamentary and presidential elections. — AP, Wam For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
‘Park and Ride’ to ease traffic on Capital roads
‘Park and Ride’ to ease traffic on Capital roads Staff Reporter / 19 January 2014 The initiative allows commuters to park their vehicles outside the city and travel within the city in buses free of charge. In order to tackle the ever-increasing vehicular traffic in the capital, the Department of Transport (DoT) has rolled out a ‘Park and Ride’ initiative, allowing commuters to park their vehicles outside the city and travel within the city in buses free of charge. The DoT said the scheme has been designed for motorists coming from Abu Dhabi’s suburbs and other emirates, as they can park their vehicle for free in the 600 parking bays available at Zayed Sports City, and commute free of charge for unlimited times on the same day to various areas in Abu Dhabi. A bus shuttle service launched from Zayed Sports City will see a bus travel every 15 minutes at peak hours and every 30 minutes at normal hours of the day. The initially free service for car parking at Zayed Sports City and commuting to and from the city is available from 6am till 8.30pm, Sunday to Thursday. Special tickets are available at the booth on site at Zayed Sports City. The ticket, which will be free to the driver and a maximum three passengers of the vehicle, is valid for one full day and can be used for unlimited bus journeys in Abu Dhabi. The aim of the Park and Ride scheme is to enable drivers to park their vehicles for free in a safe and secure environment while continuing the rest of their journey on the public transport network. It has many advantages such as reducing parking demands downtown; reducing road congestion and the need to build more road capacity; minimising environmental impacts; and reducing costs for motorists’ fuel. Director of the DoT’s Integrated Transport Planning (ITP) Badr Al Qamzi, said: “Park and Ride is one of the key strategic initiatives undertaken by the DoT in 2012 in the Corniche area as a pilot project to enable a larger number of motorists to park their vehicles and continue their journey to other parts of the city for free. Finding a parking space for their vehicles or arriving at a certain time can consume a lot of time and efforts, especially in congested areas downtown. The availability of Wifi (free internet) on board Park and Ride public transport buses ensures an added value to commuters.” news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
NCMS urges caution: Unstable weather forecast
NCMS urges caution: Unstable weather forecast 19 January 2014 Unstable weather will persist over the next few days in the UAE. Residents enjoying the weather during the rain in Dubai — KT Photo by Shihab The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) are advising caution on the road and in the sea over the coming days. Different parts of the country received light to moderate scattered showers on Saturday and on Sunday morning. NCMS said poor weather conditions were likely to continue, and advised people not to go out into the sea and asked motorists to take precautions while driving due to poor visibility caused by dust and sand storms. The centre also warned motorists to avoid valleys during rainfall. Resident covers himself during the rain in Dubai. KT photo by Rahul Gajjar Unstable weather will persist over the country tomorrow and it will be partly cloudy to cloudy in general over most areas. Some areas will see thunder and showers. Temperatures are also expected to dip during the daytime. The sea will continue to be rough on Monday, and the weather will be cloudy to partly cloudy, with a probability of some rain, especially in the northern and eastern areas. Clouds will decrease gradually by afternoon. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
