Tag Archives: environment
Hospital bill paid, baby Mohammed returns home
Hospital bill paid, baby Mohammed returns home Nivriti Butalia / 22 January 2014 Premature baby discharged after a bill of over Dh170,000 at Al Baraha Hospital settled with the help of hundreds of KT readers. Infant of the fortnight, little Mohammed has finally come home. Born nearly three months ago on October 25, 2013, Mohammed — who, incidentally, shares a birthday with his father, Sayed — was discharged on Tuesday morning after a bill of over Dh170,000 was finally settled, thanks to donations by hundreds of KT readers. Mohammed’s father Sayed, along with his trusted aide and friend Mazher marched out of the ICU wing of Al Baraha Hospital in Deira — baby swaddled in a white and blue blanket in Sayed’s arms, Mazher lugging Sayed’s backpack and another polybag of baby-things, headed towards Mazher’s car. Staff of the hospital clicked photographs of Mohammed and Sayed as they left the hospital premises. There were no other family members present. “I never want to see another hospital, another ICU. I never again want to see hospital lights,” an exhausted but relieved Sayed told Khaleej Times . “If I sit down I will fall asleep,” he smiled, explaining why he won’t take a seat in the waiting room while the paper work wound up. Grateful for all the help that has come his way, Sayed kept repeating to all well-wishers and people in the hospital who were stopping to congratulate him for being able to take his baby home: “Alhumdullilah… Alhumdullilah (All praise and thanks be to Allah)”. The X-ray technicians and the security guards are now his friends. The nurses admire his fortitude. At the reception, the burqa-clad ladies think he’s not like the others. They talk of his virtues — “so patient, so decent, not screaming and shouting like others”. Sayed is most looking forward to Wednesday morning when his mother, sister and baby daughter arrive in Dubai. They are coming to basically, take over and provide some relief in childcare duties, to help out Sayed. Except that he has to work a night shift, Sayed is eagerly awaiting his daughter’s reaction to her baby brother whom she has never met. “I want to catch it on video,” he says in Hindi. He wants to see if she does her trademark thing of gingerly prodding a new specimen — in this case, her new baby brother, and then recoiling in glee, as if given an electric shock. That’s the moment he’s waiting for. Although Mohammed has been diagnosed with Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA) — a hole in the heart — that doctors have told him is treatable, Sayed is feeling “90 per cent better and more optimistic” than last week. Besides being indebted to donors who came forward with the money, Sayed is indebted to his friend Mazher — who has turned his voice hoarse fielding phone calls all day, incurring the wrath of his manager at work since instead of being in office, he’s been by the side of his friend in hospital all of last week. nivriti@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Federal National Council hails army conscription
Federal National Council hails army conscription Nissar Hoath / 22 January 2014 Members say move will ensure citizen’s participation and help serve national interests The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday overwhelmingly welcomed and supported the government decision to make it compulsory for Emirati males aged 18 to 30 to serve in the UAE’s armed forces. National service will also cover military training, and high school graduates will have to be part of the military for nine months, while those who have not completed high school will serve two years. However, it will be voluntary for women. Most of the members hailed the move saying it will serve and protect national interests. “All these young trained men and women will always be there to provide their services in all kinds of natural and unnatural disasters,” said a member. The session chaired by Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr was also attended by Mariam Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, and Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of FNC Affairs. In his remarks during the debate on the compulsory military service for Emiratis, the Speaker hailed the directives and decision by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for issuing a Federal Law on the compulsory national military and reserve service. “This kind of guidance comes in the framework of our wise leadership to recognise the importance of citizens’ participation in defending their homeland, further protect national security and serve national interests,” said Al Murr. The Speaker also hailed His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for launching the UAE’s National Agenda during the next seven years to achieve the “Vision 2021” making the country one of the best in the world in various fields. The other issue that came under debate on Tuesday was the new child law protection, which was approved by the council during its last session. Members further reviewed the law called Wadeema’s Law by the government. The council during its last session passed it with minor amendments, including changing the name of the law from Wadeema to Child’s Right Law. The bill was drafted by the Federal Government after a girl child was brutally murdered and dumped in the desert by her father and his girlfriend in 2011 when a children’s protection law was awaiting approval. nissar@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UAE court convicts 30 Muslim Brotherhood men
UAE court convicts 30 Muslim Brotherhood men Staff Reporter / 22 January 2014 State Security Circuit at the Federal Supreme Court orders the convicts to be jailed for terms ranging from three months to five years. Thirty people accused of links to the Muslim Brotherhood, and charged with setting up a branch of the organisation in the UAE, were sentenced by the State Security Circuit at the Federal Supreme Court to jail terms ranging from three months to five years. The verdicts were issued in the presence of 24 accused. Six others were sentenced in absentia. Fair trial, says human rights association In a statement, the Emirates Human Rights Association said it had followed up the trials of 20 Egyptians and 10 Emiratis, who were allegedly involved in the Egyptian Muslims brotherhood cell, at the Supreme Federal court in Abu Dhabi. “The prosecutions were held in a transparent, clear and open aura,” the statement said, noting that the defendants, throughout the trial, were defending themselves and through lawyers. The trial was attended by representatives from Egypt’s embassy and Egyptian Journalists Syndicate. In reply to a question on the arrest and torture, Jameela Al Hamili, member of the board of directors of the association said the procedures of arrest are legal, and no complaint on torture was sent. news@khaleejtimes.com Earlier, the court heard statements from the accused, the defence team and witnesses and reviewed the reports of experts. The court also ordered the dissolution of the Brotherhood in the UAE, closure of all its offices, as well as confiscation of seized equipment. It also ordered the deportation of the foreign national accused after completion of their jail terms. According to a copy of the verdict which has been obtained by Khaleej Times , Medhat Rajab Abdellah Ammar was sentenced to five years in jail, while Saleh Faraj Daifallah Al Malhatani, Salah Mohammed Rizq Al Mashad, Ibrahim Abdel Aziz Ibrahim Ahmed, Murad Mohammed Hamid Othman Badawi, Othman Abdel Rahman Suliman Matkees, Al Sayyid Awaad Hifni Moussa, Hamada Abdel Aziz Abdel Maqsood and Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Dhufairti were each sentenced to four years in prison. Ahmed Mahmoud Taha was acquitted of the charges. Ahmed Labeeb Jaffar , Hassan Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Al Shaiba Al Nuaimi, Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait, Ali Saeed Al Ghandi, Rashid Omran Al Shamsi, Mohammed Ali Saleh Al Mansour, Tariq Ibrahim Abdel Rahim Al Qasim and Hussein Ali Abdullah Al Najjar were ordered to serve a year in prison. Ahmed Rashid Al Taboor Al Nuaimi, Hassan Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Al Shaiba Al Nuaimi, Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait and Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Dhufairi each received three months, while another defendant Hamad Hassan Ali Reqait was let off with a fine of Dh3,000. The foreign nationals accused in the plan are to be deported after serving out their jail terms. The sitting judge, in his ruling said: “Inspired by the rules of the Islamic Shariah, and guided by the principles of the law, the court has given the defendants to prove their innocene and has conducted the trial with utmost transparency as per the UAE constitution and international conventions.” “This court had issued its verdict studying the documents and results of investigations, as well listening to the statements of the defendants,” the judge said. The Public Prosecution stressed that the accused intended to set up a branch affiliated to the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood. “They structured the organisation and set up a general administrative centre under which there are central committees and offices, which are located all over the country.” The Muslim Brotherhood members collected monthly subscription fee, the prosecution told the court. Their actions posed a threat to state security, the prosecution said, and added that their investigation was held in a fair manner. Defence lawyers, meanwhile, challenged the role of the investigators and alleged the evidence gathered did not prove any wrongdoing. “The charges against the accused have been cooked up, and charges of theft are not true because there is no tangible evidence,” the defence lawyers told the court. — news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
