Tag Archives: sports
Catch this high-speed train from a skyscraper!
Catch this high-speed train from a skyscraper! (IANS) / 24 March 2014 The vertical train hub aims to resolve the inevitable challenges that cities will face by 2075, and offers a deliverable and sustainable solution for the future of the transport generation. Imagine taking your seat on a high-speed train through an elevator that is parked on the side of a skyscraper. It may sound wild but two British designers have the concept ready to roll on the track. Called as the Hyper-Speed Vertical Train Hub, this unusual transportation concept is the brainchild of designers Christopher Christophi and Lucas Mazarrasa. “The vertical train hub aims to resolve the inevitable challenges that cities will face by 2075, and offers a deliverable and sustainable solution for the future of the transport generation,” Christophi was quoted as saying. Here, the station for high-speed rail is built on the side of a skyscraper. As the train travels and transitions from its horizontal formation and ascends up the facade vertically, the carriages will pivot similar to that on a ‘Ferris wheel’. It would allow the passengers within the carriage to remain in an upright position and facing towards the cityscape, said a report on eVolo website. The carriages would be supported by a magnetic structure located at either side — eliminating the need for rails beneath and allowing the carriages and its passengers to connect to the tower. Trains, once ready to move, would shoot down the sides of the building into underground tunnels to their destinations. Each coach would have 10 people in two rows facing each other. Take an elevator to a specific floor to catch your train. Each terminal would have its own set of elevators to increase efficiency, the report added. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit (AFP) / 24 March 2014 Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday Arab League foreign ministers said they agreed on the draft resolutions on Sunday for a summit in Kuwait this week, despite deep rifts among member states. Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Mongi Hamdi speaks with his Qatari counterpart Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during the opening session of the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in preparation for the Arab Summit in Kuwait City on Sunday. UAE Minister of State Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber also seen in the picture. — AFP “There was no tension whatsoever in the meeting. Host country Kuwait in fact has smoothed relations,” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at the end of the one-day meeting. “The subject of the … withdrawal of ambassadors was never mentioned at all,” he said. “There were no controversial issues or problems, and the atmosphere was very positive,” he said, declining to answer if efforts will be made to heal the rifts. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recalled their ambassadors from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar in protest at Doha’s perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood, branded a terrorist organisation by Cairo and Riyadh. Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, however, said: “Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes.” Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs Fadhel Jawad has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences. Morocco’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Mezwar, said the ministers discussed efforts to combat international terrorism and ways to limit its impact on Arab countries. But he said Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood or whether to approve a new inter-Arab counter-terrorism pact were not discussed at the meeting. Zebari said all draft resolutions were unanimously approved by Arab foreign ministers. A draft resolution on the Syrian conflict, which entered its fourth year last week, urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility after the failure of Geneva peace talks between the regime and the opposition. The leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, Ahmad Al Jarba, has been invited to address the Arab summit. But Syria’s seat in the Arab League remains vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. The Arab League said the opposition still needs to meet some legal procedures to take up the seat. On the Palestinian issue, the ministers called on Arab states to provide $100 million in financial aid to the Palestinian Authority every month and rejected recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The ministers approved the basic charter of a Bahrain-based Arab human rights tribunal and recommended that the next summit be held in Egypt. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Work permit application in Abu Dhabi goes online from April
Work permit application in Abu Dhabi goes online from April (Wam) / 23 March 2014 New online protocols connect the Ministry of Labour work permits with the issuance of entry permits through the Ministry of Interior. Business owners in Abu Dhabi can apply online and follow-up on labour work permits without the need to personally visit service centres from next month. The Ministry of Labour has recently designated April 1 as the start date for business owners in the UAE capital to be able to electronically apply/follow up on labour work permits without the need for frequent service centre visits. The date marks the completion of the second phase of the electronic linkage project by implementing new online protocols that connect the Ministry of Labour work permits with the issuance of entry permits through the Ministry of Interior, using new services that enable applicants to electronically monitor their requests, the ministry said on Sunday. Humaid bin Deemas Al Suwaidi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs, said: “The completion of the second phase, which includes issuing electronic work permits within the city of Abu Dhabi after implementing it in other emirates, reaffirms the commitment of both ministries of Interior and Labour, to follow the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which refers to the unification of the federal government’s strategy in terms of partnership and integration between the federal government institutions and local communities to provide the best quality of services to customers in order to achieve their satisfaction.” “We will move forward to finalising the upcoming stages of the electronically linked project under the directives of Lt.-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; and Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour; as they follow-up on the current operational status and emphasise the need to complete all stages of the project with outstanding performance,” he continued. Al Suwaidi also said that the new measures will save time and efforts and cut costs on business owners, especially as it connects the work permit permission with the entry permit, therefore the applicant will enjoy completing the transaction in a single step without the need to visit the Residency and Foreign Affairs Department to review the entry permit status to complete work permit procedures related to the Ministry of Labour. “The completion of phase two basically revolves around adapting these new measures in Abu Dhabi, which include checking on all permit applications submitted by business owners in Abu Dhabi via the MoL’s “Tasheel” service centres or through facilities involved with Tasheel or official typing centres. After the check-up stage, the Ministry of Labour will exchange data electronically with Ministry of the Interior and respond to the applicants by approving or rejecting permits or even informing them of required documents if any are found missing,” Al Suwaidi said. He pointed out that before the approval notification, business owners will be required to pay any set fees related to issuing the permit, and provide the bank guarantee sum per worker within a period of 30 days from the date of notification. The permit will be cancelled in the event of not fulfilling the requirements during the period mentioned. “After finalising work permit payments and providing the bank guarantee, applicants must apply for entry permits from the Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs during the same 30-day period otherwise he’ll have to submit a new application,” he went on to say. “The reduction of the application/payment period from 60 to 30 days comes due to the fact that the new measures have reduced the steps to applying at the MoL offices, payment of fees and guarantees upon approval and request an entry permit. 30 days are considered long enough.” The electronic linkage project between the Ministries of Interior and the Ministry of Labour includes linking around 20 major services within several stages, the first phase included the cancellation of labour cards and work permits project. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
