EXPATRIATE local government employees in Dubai whose children were not allowed to join public schools this academic year in accordance with a recent Cabinet order, have not been paid compensation by their employers to register their kids at private schools, since the decision to pay education allowance covers only Federal expatriate employees.

Abdel Wahab Al Ansari, Acting Director of Private Education at the Dubai Educational Zone, told Khaleej Times yesterday that out of the 400 children of expatriate government employees who could not join public schools in Dubai because of the new law, 300 are children of expatriates working at government bodies in Dubai.

He said that local government departments in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have started paying their expatriate employees an educational allowance for educating their children in private schools, adding that the Dubai local government's expatriate employees will probably have to pay for their children's schooling out of their own pockets.

"Although the Abu Dhabi Educational Zone has had to start evening classes at some of its private schools in order to accommodate the large numbers of expatriate children who could not register at public schools this year, there is no need for taking such measures in Dubai since the number of private schools in Dubai is more than adequate to absorb the extra numbers of students," Mr Ansari said.

The UAE Cabinet decision earlier this year banned new registration of children of expatriate government employees in public schools. Federal government ministries have paid each of their expatriate employees Dh6,000 a year per child, to register their children in private schools instead.

Refering to the private education by-laws, Mr Ansari said that approximately 20 out of a total of 107 private schools in Dubai, were still based in villas and in inadequate premises as off April this year, but he stressed that many of these schools have applied for land grants from the municipality and are planning to move to more suitable premises.

He said that some schools have been allocated land and are starting construction of their new premises, while others are on a waiting list. He said that even among schools that are waiting for the construction of their new premises, many have already leased alternative premises conforming to the new regulations.

"By the end of December this year we will strictly enforce the by-laws of the Private Education Law regarding schools in villas.

The ban on such schools was supposed to haved been enforced since June 2000 but we gave them a grace period until the end of this year.

If some schools still require a further extension of the grace period they will have to approach Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi, Under-Secretary for Private and Qualitative Education at the UAE Ministry of Education and Youth," Mr Al Ansari said.

Regular inspections of private schools by the ministry's technical and administrative monitors will make sure that schools in Dubai comply with the private education by-laws, he said.

"Our technical inspectors will visit classrooms at private schools and evaluate the performance of teachers at these schools as well as the curriculum and the efficacy of the education process, but only for the Arabic language, Islamic studies and Arabic social studies classes. Our administrative inspectors will evaluate the school's administration and its efficacy as well as its compliance with the new regulations," Mr Ansari explained.

He said that schools that violate the new by-laws will be issued a warning the first and the second time but if the violation is repeated a third time, errant schools could be fined up to Dh10,000.

Mr Ansari said that three Iranian community schools have sought and been granted UAE Ministry of Education and Youth accreditation. The schools are: the Tawheed boys school, the Tawheed girls school and the Khadija Al Kubra school.

He said that such community schools need to be licensed by the Education Ministry if their students are to complete their studies in Iran, as Iranian education authorities require these community schools to be accredited by the host country's educational authorities.

SRILANKAN Airlines which is now the only direct operator between Colombo and Dubai, may increase its frequencies on the route, if the demand for more flights is felt in the coming months, an official of the airline said yesterday.

"With Emirates' suspension of flights between Dubai and Colombo, the capacity to Sri Lanka has been drastically reduced," said the official. Between them, Emirates and SriLankan operated 22 flights per week to the Sri Lankan capital.

Emirates announced on Monday that it would suspend flights to Colombo from today, citing "unprecedented insurance costs that Emirates flights to Colombo now incur".

Gulf Air has also suspended its operations to Colombo from Bahrain, Muscat and Abu Dhabi, citing prohibitive insurance costs.

Insurance underwriters have raised premiums on aircraft after last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. This increase adds to the war-risk insurance on aircraft flying to Sri Lanka, after July's Tamil Tiger attack on Colombo's international airport, in which SriLankan lost four aircraft. The carrier feels the demand for seats to Colombo from Dubai may increase, as the outbound air travel market has entered its annual slump.

PLANS are afoot to build a radiology unit within the compound of Dubai Hospital for the treatment of cancer cases, thereby forgoing the need to transfer cancer patients to Mafraq or Tawam hospitals in Abu Dhabi to receive such treatment, according to Dr Mohammed Abass Al Ali, Head of Oncology Section at Dubai Hospital.

Dr Al Ali told Khaleej Times yesterday that cancer treatment at Dubai Hospital was free of charge to holders of Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services health cards as were the chemotherapy drugs given to patients while they are in hospital. He said only pain killing medicines given to patients when they go home have to be purchased from private pharmacies.

He said that the oncology section at Dubai Hospital currently performs surgery on cancer patients, gives them chemotherapy and in some cases even hormone therapy. Dr Al Ali advised people with a family history of cancer to get regular check-ups and screening for different types of cancer, stressing that early detection is the key to recovery.

"The word cancer is still associated in the minds of many people with death; this is no longer true. There are many patients who get treatment early in the progression of their disease and live from 5 to 15 years or more after their initial diagnosis and treatment. There are more serious diseases than cancer," Dr Al Ali said.

Dr Al Ali called for more educational campaigns on television and radio and in other media to educate the public about the need for early detection and treatment of cancer.

He said that the most prevalant type of cancer among adult patients at the hospital was breast cancer, followed by cancer of the stomach, prostate cancer and colon cancer. He said that the genetic factor, having a family history of the disease, predisposes many people to develop cancer.

"Some believe that long and continuous use of contraceptive pills or late pregnancies are a major cause of breast cancer. But these days we are seeing an increasing number of young cancer victims in their early thirties who have breast cancer, which is normally considered a disease of the later stages of life," Dr Al Ali said, adding that young prostate cancer sufferers are increasingly common at Dubai Hospital. Prostate cancer usually strikes people in their 60s.

He said that while uterine cancer and ovarian cancer were common in the UAE, cervical cancer cases are rare, adding that since classification of patients' nationality is limited to UAE citizen or expatriate, tracing ethnic predisposition factors is difficult.

Dr Al Ali recommends that women with a family history of breast cancer undergo regular breast self-examination to detect any suspicious lumps. "Since I started working in this field in 1986, I have come across two cases of breast cancer in men. One was a Yemeni man and the other is a UAE national who is currently being treated at Dubai Hospital," Dr Al Ali said.

He said that screening for every type of cancer was impossible for the whole population and very costly but in countries were one type of cancer was endemic, like stomach cancer in Japan, regular screening for the whole population of one type of cancer was possible.

THE Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in collaboration with universities and the Ministry of Education and Youth has launched the UAE Educational IT Challenge, designed to promote best practices of IT in the classroom.

Announcing the launch at a Press conference in Dubai, Dr Sulaiman Al Jassim, Director, Community Relations and Manpower Development at HCT, said: "The UAE Educational IT Challenge is an excellent opportunity for students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities, both public and private institutions, in the country to share IT projects and ideas with each other."

"The UAE Challenge is modelled on the global challenges of Stockholm and Rome which are proven Forums for exchanging ideas and increasing the use of IT in schools and universities. The IT Challenge will bring together teachers, students and organisations to share ideas, and learn new ways of teaching and using IT skills and tools in the classroom," he said.

In addition to increasing IT usage in the classroom by teachers, students and institutions, Dr Al Jassim said that the competition aimed at sharing good ideas and best practice, rewarding excellence and innovation, promoting UAE projects internationally and creating stronger links between the three educational sectors.

The Challenge will run throughout the year with the final date for submission of projects fixed on Januray 30, 2002.

It will be open to public and private secondary schools, higher colleges and universities throughout the UAE. Projects will be invited in three categories and entry will be free. Awards will be given to best student, teacher and for organisational project in each category, in addition to three special awards for UAE nationals.

Dr Taiyeb Kamali, Acting Vice Chancellor of HCT and Director of Abu Dhabi Men's College, said that the challenge was unique and first of its kind in the UAE and was open to all.

He urged everyone to share their projects and ideas with others.

"Your participation will help bring our schools, colleges and our universities to the forefront of International Educational Practice," he said.

Dr Abdulla Mohammed Al Karam, Manager, Research Unit of Dubai Internet City (DIC), one of the key supporters and sponsor of the Challenge, said: "Our close involvement with the IT Challenge is part of our commitment to develop the skills and competencies of the country's youth to face the challenges of the information age."

The DIC has recognised the need for good quality local talent and importance of strong industry-academic links that constitute a major drive for talent in the knowledge economy.

As a result, DIC will soon launch a series of initiatives aimed at catalysing the developments of a critical mass of homegrown talent as well as establish regular programmes of interaction between industry and educational community.

He said that the DIC would in the future unveil several initiatives including a unique work placement programmes which would create physical and virtual environments for students and fresh graduates to gain practical industry experience with leading global IT companies.

Dr Al Karam also said that winners of the UAE Educational IT Challenge would be given an opportunity to participate in the global challenges in Rome and Stockholm next year.

Besides, winners of the global competitions will be encouraged to interact with IT companies to help in the commercialisation of their IT projects in the interest of the community's progress.

Plans are under way to make the UAE Educational IT Challenge an annual event. The winners of this challenge will be presented awards at a special ceremony to be held on April 6, 2002 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

The launch was also attended by directors of several HCT institutions and Zayed University in the UAE. Representatives of various sponsoring companies such as National Bank of Dubai, Emirates Internet and Multimedia, Gargash Enterprises LLC, Emaar Properties, Union National Bank and Plimsoll Logistics also attended the ceremony.

THE Pakistani mission in New York has issued a list of missing Pakistanis and those injured in the wake of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Centre in New York. The list prepared from different sources, is based on the presumption that these names appear to be Pakistani, said a Press release issued yesterday by the Pakistan embassy here.

The mission stated that the hospitals are not allowing visits to the victims and that efforts are on to reach the authorities concerned for confirmation of the nationality of the victims.

The list of injured is: Mohammad Abbas, Ahmad Ahsan, Amjad, Amena Aziz, Mohammad Chaudary, Mohammad Haleem, Jumma Haque, Sultana Khanum, Sultan Khan, Pervaiz Khanzada, Ahmad Noor and Raza Mujtaba, Sufal Naik, Sofia Naik and Syed Haq.

Among those reported missing are Tariq Amanullah, Yusuf Saad, Samad Afridi, Badruddin Lakhani, Tarannum Rahim, Taimour Khan,Mujeb Qazi, Naveed Rehman, Omar Malick, Omar Namoos, Jamil Swaati, Sanober Syed, Asad Samir, Arslan Khan Khakwami, Ehtesham U Raja, Salman (Sal) Hamdani, Khalid Shahid, Boyie Mohammad, Farnaz Chowdhury and Naseema Simjee.

The Pakistani mission has already established a 24-hour hotline service to give updates on the missing Pakistanis. According to reports in sections of the Press, some 650 Pakistanis were working in various offices located in WTC, while reports from other quarters suggest that up to 1,200 were working inside and around the buildings.

THE Pest Control Section of Dubai Municipality has fined last month six pest control companies and issued warning notices to 11 others for misapplication of pesticides.

This was disclosed in the monthly report of the Section which noted that actions were taken against the violators during routine inspections. Nineteen shops were given warning and one was fined under the local order 82/93 pertaining to the control of public health pests in the emirate.

The inspections were part of a series of measures taken by the section to preserve public health and prevent pest-borne diseases from occurring in the emirate.

Foodstuff shops, construction companies, and other establishments have to comply with general cleanliness rules stipulated by the section and should be free from pests that are harmful to human health.

The section has also undertaken regular programmes to control cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes in the Hamriyah Vegetable Market, Deira Fish Market, Karama, Shindagha, and Al Qusais. It noted that a mosquito survey in 43 areas showed 46.5 per cent infestation and necessary action was taken to fight this menace.

Also as a part of the section's summer training programme, nearly 100 students were trained under a new health education initiative in the form of a mobile exhibition on mosquito control. The programme, which aims at educating school children about the biology of mosquitoes and the health hazards posed by these insects, was organised at Al Raya Hall in Jumeirah.

The honour will be conferred on Shaikh Fatima during the third Childhood Festival to be held in Abu Dhabi from October 30 to November 7. - Wam

A TOTAL of 40 Muslim countries have confirmed their participation in the Dubai International Holy Quran Award to be organised for the fifth consecutive year during Ramadan this year, according to Mohammed Ahmed bin Touq, Secretary-General of the award.

A number of committees have been formed to finalise the preparations for the fifth session which is designed to be as successful as the four previous ones, Mr bin Touq said.

The Dubai International Holy Quran Award instituted by General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister, to serve Islam and encourage young Muslims to learn and follow the teachings of the Holy Book, covers two categories: the international Quran memorisation and recitation competition open only to young men, and the Islamic Personality of the Year, usually bestowed on renowned Muslim figures or establishments with great contributions to Islam.

The Secretary-General of the award explained that Muslim countries and Islamic communities all over the world are usually contacted six months in advance, and invitations for participations are usually issued ahead of time.

"Upon receiving the nominations from participating countries, we make sure that the age of the nominees for the contest is within the required limit, then we send the relevant documents of each and every participant to the Naturalisation and Residency Department to issue them visas, then we coordinate with travel agents to finalise the travel arrangements of contestants, their companions and the members of the judging panel," Mr Touq said. He observed that this year the number of countries which confirmed their participation is higher than in the previous years.

These countries are: Jordan, Niger, Yemen, Senegal, Egypt, Libya, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Eritrea, Belgium, Guinea, Uganda, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Congo, Tunisia, Central African Republic, Burkina Fasso, Nigeria, Togo, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Bosnia, Bahrain, Romania, Mauritania, Indonesia, Turkey, Mali and Tajikistan, among others.

Mr Touq said he expected the various committees of the award to give a better qualitative performance this year. He said that the activities' committee has prepared a programme including lectures to be delivered by renowned Islamic personalities.

Khalid Rashid, head of the financial and administrative committee, said that the budget allocation for the award's fifth session was based on the requirements reported by various committees.

"We have already prepared lists with the names of organising committee members as well as members of sub-committees and volunteers, and we are in the process of issuing them ID cards and passes which will allow them to access Dubai International Airport to receive participants," Mr Rashid said.

VEHICULAR traffic is currently diverted from the work site of the Bu Kidra interchange to a makeshift interchange in order to ensure a smooth traffic flow in this busy area.

Khalid Mohammed Al Marri, head of the Roads Implementation Section at Dubai Municipality, said that the new interchange was located on a 3-km-long newly-built road between the Al Ain-Oud Metha and Ras Al Khor-Nad Al Sheba roads.

He said the necessary safety devices, traffic lights and signboards had been provided in the area to avoid any accidents or congestion.

The municipality has already completed nearly 20 per cent of work on this Dh112 million project which will ease traffic on this fast developing area of the emirate.

The project involves the construction of a full cloverleaf interchange that will provide free flow for arriving and departing traffic from the interchange and proper connection to access and egress from the adjacent road network. The work began in April this year and is expected to be completed by end-May 2002.

He noted that the project mainly consisted of the construction of a portion of the back road (Road 602), the cloverleaf Bu Kidra interchange, a new interchange at the intersection of Road 313 with Al Ain freeway (E66) and another interchange at the intersection of the realigned road 309 (coming from CMC interchange) with the Back Road.

He said the project would include construction of roadway signage and pavement marking, street lighting, irrigation ducts, diversion and/or protection of services such as electricity and water, telephone, sewerage, storm drainage and irrigation systems.

A FIRE which broke out at the Port Rashid Terminal and completely destroyed two cargo containers last Monday was caused by the negligence of the owners of the containers, according to Dubai Civil Defence.

The containers, which had liquid gas lighters, had been left under the blazing sun at the port for too long. Losses are estimated at Dh120,000. The fire, which first started in one of the containers at terminal 31 at the port, spread to the second which contained similar cargo.

When the fire-fighting unit arrived at the port from Satwa Fire Station, they found the gas lighters were exploding inside the containers like bullets.

The firemen put out the fire in 10 minutes and started cooling operations. A third container, located next to the two that were ablaze, was saved from the flames by the quick action of civil defence.

Lt. Jamal Ahmad and Lt. Othman Mohammed Ahli oversaw the operations. Lt. Ahli said that there was a delay in informing civil defence about the fire. He said the owners of the containers did not take enough care with such type of cargo which had been left unattended in high temperatures.

THE All Kerala Colleges Alumni Forum (AKCAF) celebrated Onam, the harvest festival of Malayalees, on Friday at the Renaissance Hotel, Dubai with a spectacular display of Kerala's traditional art and cultural programmes.

The highlight of the weeklong celebrations was the world's largest floral carpet arrangement at the same venue on Wednesday. Measuring some 6,000sq-ft, the floral carpet was made of 3,000 kilos of flowers flown in from India.

Some 500 people worked for seven hours to create the carpet featuring a captivating design in an attempt to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Friday's cultural programmes, attended by more than 2,500 members of the organisation, were organised by the alumni of the Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta.

AKCAF, the Dubai-based apex body, has in its fold old students' associations of 35 Kerala colleges.

Asoke Kumar Mukerji, consul-general of India, was the chief guest at the public meeting. Dr Alexander Karakkal, former pro-vice chancellor of Kannur University, was the guest of honour. Captain P.P. Singh, Air India regional director, Isaac John, AKCAF president, and K.P.K. Vengara, director UAQ Radio, made felicitation speeches.

Sajan K. Mathew, president, Catholicate College Alumni Association, presided over the meeting. A 130-page souvenir marking the occasion was launched at the function.

A medley of riveting entertainment programmes starting with a Ranga Pooja enthralled the audience. Other highlights of the day included a cultural procession featuring traditionally-dressed girls carrying "Thalapoli," accompanied by Panchavadyam - Kerala's five traditional percussion instruments - Edakka, Thimila, Maddalam, Elathalam and Kompu - to greet the legendary king "Mahabali".

Folk artistes in colourful costumes danced to the tunes of various types of drums, accompanied by ornately dressed girls and women in traditional costume. The day also featured the finals of various competitions held during the preceding week. These included Vallappattu, Thiruvathirakali, Kaduvakali, light music and cinematic dance.

A breathtaking fusion music involving a 10-piece orchestra and 40 singers and a jugal bandi of different dance items, kalaripayattu, karakattam, kuthirakali, pulikali, a music concert and Sarigama contest were part of the cultural extravagnaza. Onam lunch, featuring over 25 vegetarian dishes, was served to the participants.

STRESSING the need to provide enhanced job opportunities to UAE nationals, a Work Readiness Programme was inaugurated in Dubai by the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) of the Higher Colleges of Technology and Tanmia, The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority, yesterday.

The programme, geared for UAE nationals registered with Tanmia and for those seeking employment, began on September 8. Some 40 national trainees have been engaged in a 12-week training programme which prepares successful graduates for the private and public sector workforce.

Dr Tayeb Kamali, Managing Director of CERT, said that the landmark programme prepared nationals by equipping them with skills that will serve them and the nation.

"Participants in this innovative programme will concentrate on developing knowledge and characteristics that will help them become productive, eager contributors to the mission and objectives of their employers from day one. We are pleased that Tanmia has involved us in their comprehensive approach to employment," he said.

Dr Kamali added that educational opportunities in the UAE have so far been adequate and that there was no need to focus on sending nationals for further training abroad.

Yousuf Abdulghani, Director-General of Tanmia, said that the work readiness programme was a result of an extensive survey conducted by Tanmia among employers to determine the specific skills and characteristics which employers wanted to see in their employees.

Mr Abdulghani stressed that Tanmia would not take the role of academic institutions but develop training programmes to prepare UAE nationals to enter the labour market.

Men and women enrolled in the programme are developing skills in modern office procedures and office management, designed to lead them to positions as administrative and personal assistants, secretaries, etc. Two separate tracts, in Arabic and English, focus on developing the trainee's skills in business communications, work readiness attitude, knowledge of business practices, computing and math, among others.

TWO men have been arrested in Dubai for copying computer software and selling the pirated copies. Police identified them as S. K. and T. Q., from Pakistan.

The arrests were made after the Dubai Police CID received information that a computer shop in Al Rifa'a area was copying and selling computer software registered in the name of an international computer company. A CID team was assigned to organise a sting operation to catch the suspects.

A member of the team posing as a buyer paid Dh400 as advance payment for the PC containing the pirated software. The total cost of the computer came to Dh2,350. The undercover police officer agreed to pay the remaining amount upon delivery of the machine.

The following day the undercover agent returned to the shop and paid the rest of the amount to and took delivery of the computer. At that point, the two accused were taken into custody. The computer was seized along with 22 pirated CDs. The accused admitted they had been loading pirated programmes on computers they were selling. They have been released on bail and referred to court for trial.

AN ABU DHABI-based political analyst and expert on Middle East affairs yesterday said that reports appearing in a section of the Press and on some web sites that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was the most likely culprit behind last week's terror attacks in the United States could be credible.

If the Mossad, he said, had masterminded the attacks then it achieved the Israeli objective of diverting the world attention from the daily massacre of Palestinian men, women and children in occupied territories.

The expert, who didn't want to be identified, was asked to comment on reports which appeared in Arabic dailies Al Ittihad and Al Khaleej yesterday saying that about 4,000 Israelis who worked in various offices in the two towers of New York's World Trade Center were conspicuously absent when the terrorist attacks took place. The report was based on information received from various sources, including Al Manar TV of Lebanon.

It was said that immediately after the attacks and the collapse of the towers, Israel started mourning the loss of 4,000 of its men. Then it suddenly stopped talking about the loss of Israeli lives altogether.

Jordan's Al Watan paper in a report quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the Israeli Shabak agency had quietly worked to ensure the absence from work that fateful morning of the Israelis working at the Trade Center.

Regarding the alleged involvement of 19 Arabs in the attacks, the expert said: "The Mossad can do anything. Since there are so many cases of mistaken identities and similarities in the names of suspects, one can draw his own conclusion. I would assume that the 19 people had been abducted by the Mossad."

He further said: "The Mossad being masters in dirty business, it is possible that its plot included abduction of some Arabs who have a few things in common, like those attending flight schools, to make the whole thing look logical and credible."

According to Al Manar Television, the fact that such a large number of Israelis did not go to the Trade Center that morning had also aroused suspicions among US investigators who were trying to find out how did they come to know about the attacks before they had taken place.

The Beirut-based TV channel said that its report was corroborated by the fact not one Israeli casualty had been reported so far although such a large number of Israelis worked in the offices in the two towers.

DUBAI will have its first Fish Museum by the last quarter of next year, a Dubai Municipality official told Khaleej Times on Monday.

Humaid Saeed Al Marri, Director of Markets and Abattoirs Department, said the Historical Buildings Section will design the museum building to be located near the Administration Office of the Deira Fish Market which is currently undergoing a refurbishment programme.

"It will be a relatively small-sized museum, but will be equipped to offer the visitors every information about fishes in the Arabian Gulf region, types of boats and fishing equipment," he said.

However, the museum will not feature an aquarium, said Mr Al Marri who held discussions on the project with the Marine Resources Research Centre (MRRC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Umm Al Quwain. "We will consider about setting up an aquarium and marine section in the second phase of the project," the official said.

The proposed museum will feature specimens of various fishes found in the Arabian Gulf waters and types of boats and equipments used for fishing. Posters with image of each fish will also be on displa to educate the visitors. "The very idea behind this museum is to make the residents and tourists aware of the rich maritime history and variety of fishes of the UAE. It will offer a slice of our history and tradition," said Mr Al Marri.

He said that a number of tourists visit the Deira Fish Market out of their curiosity to know about varieties of fishes available in the local waters and the vessels and equipments used by the fishermen. The museum project is part of the plan currently under way for improving the facilities at the Deira Fish Market.

The municipality is working towards introducing separate parking facilities for meat and fish traders. in the market, the number of fish stalls will go up by 10 per cent, while the fish slicing section will become five times bigger.

In order to ensure more hygiene and check stinking smell, it was decided to locate the waste area far away from the main building of the market. The municipality is constructing platforms for fish slicing which is currently carried out on the floor.

There will be a spacious seating area in addition to more slots for cars parking. "We hope that all the works would be completed by January next year," Mr Al Marri said. He said the municipality has introduced uniforms for people working in different sections of the market.

"We are planning to introduce photo-based ID cards for them which will have details about their sponsors, the nature of their work and personal information," the official said.

Mohammed Noor Mushroum, Head of Buildings and Facilities Maintenance Section at the General Maintenance Department at Dubai Municipality, said the improvement works would cost Dh1.5 million.

The buildings and other facilities are being painted after necessary maintenance work. The municipality has spent Dh800,000 in the first phase of the improvement works programme at the market which was established in November 1988. There are 226 fish stalls where nearly 30 tonnes of fish is sold daily at the market. In addition, there are 30 meat selling stalls and 60 vegetables stalls and 45 foodstuff shops.

HEART of the Nation, the humanitarian campaign launched in the name of the President, His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has evoked a tremendous response from the public who want to collect and keep memorabilia of their beloved leader.

This has motivated the trio, Mohammed Sultan Thani, Mohammed Al Jumairi and Moussa Sultan Halyan behind the concept to extend the fundraising campaign for charity and introduce a set of exlusive pictures on 2002 calendars and diaries which can be ordered in bulk.

The three young nationals behind Writer Advertising, which conceptualised the campaign on behalf of the Department of Ports and Customs of Dubai, hit upon the idea after having designed the 2001 calendar for the department.

The set of 12 sepia prints on the calendar depicts Shaikh Zayed in various moods taken from different times in his life - having qahwah, clapping during a dance, praying, waving, moving prayer beads, holding a khanjar, wielding a staff, accepting military honours, signing documents, conducting a majlis, in contemplative mood, and as a horseman and falconer.

Each of the prints (taken from original paintings done by designer and artist Moussa) carries a line from the poems penned by General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, praising Shaikh Zayed.

The portraits were commissioned for the calendar by the Dubai Customs, and Gen. Shaikh Mohammed had personally approved the preliminary sketches, suggesting changes in portraits where ever he felt that Shaikh Zayed's likeness had not been brought out, said Moussa. "When he approved the final sketches, I was so satisfied," said Mr Moussa.

Initially, 5,000 copies of the calendar were printed for Dubai Customs for distribution to their clients and government departments.

"Within a couple of weeks, they ran short of stock, as they were flooded with various requests from government departments, asking for more copies," said Mohammed Sultan Thani.

"As the concept had proved so popular, and there was huge demands for the items, we presented to Dubai customs, custodian of the original collection, the idea of reproducing the prints on a variety of items which could be bought by the public and the proceeds could go to a charity of its choice."

As a result, the Heart of the Nation project was launched on Shaikh Zayed's Accession Day, August 6, which ended on December 2, 2001. This was aimed at "encompassing the spirit of these two nationally important dates," said Mohammed Thani.

The collection being retailed exclusively at Emarat petrol stations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates consists of postcards, car stickers for the interior and exterior, badges, compact discs and book labels, car shades, posters and limited edition laser embedded plaques.

The Writer marketing team is now contacting the universities in the country to stock and display the collection at their bookshops and sell it directly to students.

"The current campaign is based on retail sales to the public," said Mohammed Al Jumairi. "We now propose to offer private and government companies the option of ordering their 2002 Shaikh Zayed diaries and calendars for distribution to their clients. This will tremendously boost the proceeds for charity."

He added that Writer would only be taking their costs from the project, with the rest being deposited directly in a separate Heart of the Nation bank account.

THE Emirates Telecommunications and Marine Services FZE (E-marine) has so far installed over 13,000 kilometres of telecom cabling in the Indian Ocean and another 2,500 kilometres in the Arabian Gulf, an official said yesterday.

E-marine CEO, Omar Jassim bin Kalban, said the wholly-owned subsidiary of Etisalat also maintains the submarine cables for the UAE domestic network as well as the links between the UAE and India, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Talking to reporters on board one of its two cable ships,CS Etisalat, the official said that E-marine is the only company in the region engaged in submarine cable installations, maintenance and repair, with the nearest competitors based in Europe or the Far East.

For the first time since it came into being in the 1980s, E-marine has participated in the Oil & Gas Show which concluded yesterday at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

"This is the first time that we have participated in this exhibition and we are delighted to have received a tremendous response," said Mr Omar. "We have been contacted by firms from all over the region and we are currently looking to employ our resources and expertise more for the ongoing development in the oil and gas sector," he added.

Following the recent completion of a major submarine composite power cable laying project for its client, Zadco, in Abu Dhabi, the company has ambitious expansion plans in the oil and gas sector. It has decided to participate in the exhibition to showcase its services and capabilities.

He said the CS Etisalat, built by order in 1990 in Helsinki, has a tonnage of 2,221 with a cable uplift capacity of 760 tonnes and a speed of 13 knots with an endurance capacity of 35 days. The second ship, CS Umm Al Anber, has a tonnage of 7,800 with a cable uplift capacity of 4,500 tonnes and a speed of 13 knots with an endurance capacity of 48 days.

He said the company opened a depot in Jebel Ali Free Zone in 1998 which led to an increase in spare operational capacity. So the decision was made to diversify itself in the oil and gas sector. The availability of a submarine cable depot with sophisticated facilities in Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi enables the company to provide professional services for the storage of composite power cables in accordance with the highest international standards. "This facility guarantees longer storage life for the cable," he remarked.