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Arab Idol set to enthral at Clusters of Light
Arab Idol set to enthral at Clusters of Light Staff Reporter / 24 March 2014 Assaf will join a stellar cast of Arab performers including Ali Hajjar, Lotfi Bouchnak and Hussein Al Jasmi in addition to a large global team consisting over 700 people. Acclaimed young Palestinian artist Mohammed Assaf — who won the Arab Idol competition in 2013 — arrived in Sharjah to perform in the oratorio Clusters of Light . Assaf will join a stellar cast of Arab performers including Ali Hajjar, Lotfi Bouchnak and Hussein Al Jasmi in addition to a large global team consisting over 700 people. The performance is the inaugural event of Sharjah’s tenure as the Islamic Culture Capital 2014. Composed by Khalid Shaikh, a distinguished Bahraini artist, Clusters of Light is about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and reviews the history of Islam from the Prophet’s birth to his death. Mohammed Assaf said, “I am excited, of course. It will be a thrill to see the audience’s reaction to the many surprises in the show, and to its sheer scale and ambition. I am confident this show will be so spectacular that it will remain in people’s memories forever.” He said he is excited to share the stage with Arab performers when the show opens on March 26 at the 4,500 seat Open Majaz Island Theatre. Assaf became gained international fame after he won the hugely popular talent programme Arab Idol in its second season. He has since gained global recognition and critical acclaim. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com 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
Russian troops smash their way into Ukrainian base
Russian troops smash their way into Ukrainian base (Reuters) / 23 March 2014 The facilities at Belbek and Novofedorovka had been among the last still under Ukrainian control after Moscow’s armed takeover and subsequent annexation of Crimea. Russian troops smashed their way into a Ukrainian airbase in Crimea with armoured vehicles, automatic fire and stun grenades on Saturday, while Ukrainian forces abandoned a naval base after attacks by pro-Russian protesters. The facilities at Belbek and Novofedorovka had been among the last still under Ukrainian control after Moscow’s armed takeover and subsequent annexation of Crimea, which has a majority ethnic Russian population and harbours one of Russia’s biggest naval bases. A Reuters reporter said armoured vehicles had smashed through the walls of a compound at the Belbek airbase and that he had heard bursts of gunfire and grenades, making the takeover one of the more dramatic of Russia’s largely bloodless occupation of Crimea. Russian forces had already seized Belbek’s airstrip and warplanes at the start of the crisis. The compound seized on Saturday contained barracks, arms depots and a command building. Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, the commander of the base, said a Ukrainian serviceman had been injured and that he himself he was being taken away by the Russians for talks at an unspecified location. After the Russians entered by force, Mamchur told his troops he would inform the high command that they had stood their ground. The soldiers applauded, chanting “Long live Ukraine!”. Many stood to take pictures of each other in front of the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag, which continued to fly over the base. Asked if he thought he would return safely, Mamchur said: “That remains to be seen. For now we are placing all our weapons in the base’s storage.” Earlier, an unidentified Russian officer with no rank insignia had gone to the fence to try to negotiate a surrender, but had been rebuffed by a Ukrainian officer with the words: “We have no documents from the Ukrainian president stating that this is Russian soil. Bring me such a document and we will leave.” Ukraine’s naval base at Novofedorovka, near Sevastopol, was vacated after unarmed pro-Russian protesters attempted to force their way in, Ukrainian military spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said in a Facebook post. He said the Ukrainians had first repelled the protesters with smoke bombs, but then left of their own volition. He quoted a sailor at the base as saying the Ukrainians had walked out singing their national anthem and waving the Ukrainian flag. Seleznyov also said Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporizhya, had been taken to Sevastopol’s Yuzhnaya Bay by Russian forces on Friday. “The Ukrainian commander left the submarine, refusing to raise the Russian flag. It has been seized,” he said. There have been few casualties since Russian forces started seizing control of military facilities in Crimea, though one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and two others wounded in a shooting in Simferopol earlier this week. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that Crimea’s bases were still formally under Ukrainian control, but most are now occupied by Russian troops and fly Russia’s tricolour flag. On Friday, extravagant firework displays were staged in Crimea and Moscow to mark the formal unification of the peninsula with Russia, which Kiev and Western leaders refuse to recognise and have answered with sanctions. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
