Tag Archives: technology
News items promoting tobacco may be banned
News items promoting tobacco may be banned Asma Ali Zain / 26 December 2013 As the January 21 deadline of the implementation of the Anti-Tobacco Law approaches, different organisations and civic bodies are readying to take action against violators. Reinforcement of the Anti-Tobacco Law is off to a smooth start, said a senior health official, and hinted at a ban on news items promoting tobacco use. As the January 21 deadline of the implementation of the Anti-Tobacco Law approaches, different organisations and civic bodies are readying to take action against violators. The executive regulations were approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in Cabinet Resolution No. 24 issued on July 21 this year, and will come into effect on January 21, 2014. Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the Health Ministry said she is in talks with the National Media Council (NMC) to prevent indirect promotion of tobacco through newspaper articles. “According to the law and bylaws, direct or indirect promotion of tobacco is prohibited…and I am in talks with the NMC to put a curb on news articles that appear mostly in Ramadan and (about) Ramadan tents,” she said. She also said the civic bodies, especially the Sharjah Municipality, has already started implementing the law and had recently banned sale of cigarettes in groceries. “Sharjah is the only city in the world that does not have shisha cafes.” “However, the Dubai Municipality needs to be stricter in implementation especially against shisha cafes in some parts of the city,” said Dr Wedad. Talking about the ban on smoking in cars with children under 12, Dr Wedad said that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior to implement this law. “In New York, a person is fined even if caught smoking in a car with only a child seat present,” she added. The law bans any content that advertises tobacco products. Importation of tobacco products that are not in line with technical standards set by the UAE is not allowed and growing or producing tobacco for commercial purposes is also forbidden. Tobacco products cannot be displayed near items marketed for children or sportswear, health, food and electronic products. Tobacco products are also forbidden to be sold within 100 metres of places of worship, and within 150 metres of kindergartens, schools, universities and colleges. Shisha cafes will have to be at least 150 metres away from residential areas and their operational timing will also be restricted. Shisha will not be served to customers younger than 18 years, and the cafes will be forbidden from delivering shishas to apartments. The law also provides specifications on the packaging of tobacco products with a large warning label on the front to raise awareness on the dangers of tobacco. Violators will be fined Dh100,000 to Dh1 million, and the fines can be doubled if the offence is repeated. asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Etisalat launches UAE’s first unlimited Wi-Fi data roaming
Etisalat launches UAE’s first unlimited Wi-Fi data roaming (Wam) / 26 December 2013 Subscribers of Etisalat’s roaming packages can avail of the weekly or monthly access pass. Etisalat, today announced the UAE’s first eWIFI offer aimed at providing unlimited Wi-Fi data roaming access, with convenient daily, weekly, monthly options, for customers when they travel abroad. Through a partnership with iPass – one of the world’s biggest Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator companies with a network of 1.4 million access points across 130 countries – Etisalat will offer travelling customers ease of access and unlimited high-speed connectivity at different places, including hotel and conference venues and global airports. The offer works with both prepaid and postpaid lines. Subscribers of Etisalat’s roaming packages can avail of the weekly or monthly access pass. Khaled El Khouly, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat – UAE, said: “This offer is another example of our constant innovation that has now helped combine the best of two offers. Earlier this year, we launched the mobile data roaming packages for our customers, enabling hassle-free travel without high mobile data costs. The Traveller Combo enabled subscribers to choose the mobile data roaming pack that is most suitable for them. Now, customers can get unlimited access to Wi-Fi at high speed on top of current weekly/monthly roaming benefits. With the eWIFI offer, customers get added value by remaining continuously connected. Our constant endeavour is to provide customers three essential features: variety of choice, competitive pricing and ease of use. This offer provides all three requirements with the widest network of hotspots and simple-to-use features like the hotspot finder, which helps customers find iPass hotspots (maps with Wi-Fi hotspots highlighted) easily.” The unlimited and fast Wi-Fi Internet access across iPass network hotspots is available at competitive prices for use on Wi-Fi devices including all laptops and iOS and Android devices. Continue reading
Thai govt rejects election delay despite deadly violence
Thai govt rejects election delay despite deadly violence (AFP) / 26 December 2013 Thai government rejected the proposal, saying it would not solve the bitter standoff. Anti-government protesters react to tear gas fired by riot police at a gymnasium in Bangkok, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. – AP Thailand’s government Thursday rejected calls to postpone February elections after clashes between police and opposition protesters in the capital left one policeman dead and dozens wounded on both sides. The new outbreak of civil strife deepened the crisis facing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government has been shaken by weeks of mass street rallies seeking to curb her family’s political dominance. The long-running conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based middle class and elite against rural and working-class voters loyal to Yingluck’s older brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted as premier by a military coup in 2006. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Thursday at rock-throwing demonstrators who tried to force their way into a sports stadium in the capital where election candidates were gathered to register for the February 2 polls. The protesters — who want to overthrow Yingluck’s government and install an unelected “people’s council” in its place — accuse billionaire tycoon-turned-politician Thaksin of corruption and say he controls his sister’s government from his base in Dubai. They have vowed to block the February election, saying it will only return Thaksin’s allies to power. Nearly 100 people from both sides were injured, according to the emergency services. Twenty-five police officers were hospitalised, with 10 in serious condition, according to a police spokesman. One police officer died of a gunshot wound. “Today democracy in Thailand is hijacked by violence & thuggery. Shame!” Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch, wrote on Twitter. As the violence escalated the Election Commission recommended the February polls be delayed indefinitely. “We cannot organise free and fair elections under the constitution in the current circumstances,” said commission member Prawit Rattanapien, who along with other vote officials had to be evacuated from the stadium by helicopter. But the government rejected the proposal, saying it would not solve the bitter standoff. “The government believes delaying an election will cause more violence,” Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana said in a televised address to the nation. He noted that under the constitution, an election should normally be held no more than 60 days after the dissolution of parliament, which happened in early December. The main opposition Democrat Party — which has not won an elected majority in about two decades — has vowed to boycott the vote. Thailand has seen several bouts of political turmoil since Thaksin’s overthrow. His supporters have accused the protesters of trying to incite the military to seize power again, in a country which has seen 18 successful or attempted coups since 1932. Those wounded Thursday included one protester who was reported in serious condition with an apparent gunshot wound to his head. Two journalists, one Thai and one Japanese, were among the injured, according to the public health ministry. Security forces denied firing live rounds, saying only rubber bullets and tear gas were used against demonstrators. “Protesters are not peaceful and unarmed as they claimed,” another deputy prime minister, Surapong Tovichakchaikul, said in a televised address. “They are intimidating officials and trespassing in government buildings.” The weeks-long unrest, which has drawn tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets, has left six people dead and nearly 400 wounded. It is the worst civil strife since 2010, when more than 90 civilians were killed in a bloody military crackdown on pro-Thaksin protests under the previous government. Thaksin is adored among rural communities and the working class, particularly in the north and northeast. But he is reviled by the elite, the Bangkok middle class and many southerners, who see him as corrupt and a threat to the revered monarchy. Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election since 2001, most recently with a landslide victory under Yingluck two years ago. The protesters want loosely-defined reforms — such as an end to alleged “vote buying” — before new elections are held in around a year to 18 months. The rallies were triggered by a controversial amnesty bill, since abandoned by the ruling party, which Thaksin’s opponents feared would have allowed his return without going to jail for a corruption conviction which he says is politically motivated. The National Anti-Corruption Commission said Thursday that it would press abuse of power charges against the speakers of the two houses of parliament in relation to another controversial proposed law, to amend the make-up of the Senate. The anti-graft body said it was still considering whether to press the same charge against 381 other politicians, including Yingluck, who supported the bill. Continue reading
