Arab TV serial criticising terrorism sparks anger
Keralamonitor News October 13 2005Indian Embassy Staff Complain of Unfair Labour Practice
ABU DHABI — Indian workers from the Gulf region often look forward to the Indian embassies for help and moral support during periods of crisis. In recent periods, a number of labour unrest incidents have been reported from various Gulf countries including the UAE, where a vibrant local media plays up such sensational stories. When the workers came out in large numbers through the Sheikh Zayed Road, a prestigious corporate address with world famous sky scrappers built by these ordinary construction workers, the police and labour officials come forward to pacify them. As the majority of construction workers hail from India, the Indian embassies are always crowded with such people in distress. In many labour cases, the Indian recruiting agents or labour supply companies are culprits. But what will happen to the labourers when the embassy employees themselves complain about unfair labour treatment in the Indian mission!
An interesting report in the Khaleej Times by Anjana Sarkar says the embassy staff itself is unhappy about the payment pattern and other benefits that they get. The locally hired employees of the Indian embassy want a total revision of their unfair labour contracts and want the Indian embassy to follow the UAE labour laws. "Working under the embassy’s sponsorship, over 25 of the administrative and clerical staff nurture grievances of having to bear the visa and medical expenses apart from settling for end-of-service benefits, that they claim, are much lesser than what expat workers employed in both public and private enterprises are entitled for," said the front page report in KT, a popular newspaper among Asians. The paper said that since the Indian embassy functions as per the rules and regulations of India, they are not accountable to the local authorities or rules!
The unnamed embassy employees said the Indian mission treat the non-diplomatic staff like a step mother and the staff members have to bear the entire visa, medical and related expenses. As per the employment contract, end-of-service benefits are calculated as one third of the last basic salary drawn irrespective of the number of years of service. While the same for all other expatriate workers who have completed five years is a month’s salary multiplied by total years of service. Daniel P George, a former media officer at the embassy and currently chief reporter of Emirates Evening Post told KT reporter that various head of chanceries gave false promises to look into the matter. 'Charity should begin at home. Embassy should first set its house in order before looking into the welfare of the Indian labourers,' commented Daniel, who himself reports a number of blue color labour unrest in the city. The main advantage of working in the Indian embassy is the higher pay scales that come with an yearly increment, as against the current market trends.
A top official at the embassy is quoted in the story as saying that all embassy staff are recruited as per the terms and conditions set by the Ministry of External Affairs. He pointed out that there is no written clause in any officially published document that states that the employer should bear the expenses of employees' visa. 'Any non-diplomatic staff at the embassy start at a salary of Dh2,700 plus a cost of living allowance (COLA) that has been recently hiked from 15 to 25 per cent in the wake of the current inflation,' Khaleej Times reported quoting an embassy official. It is the poor payment that tempts at least a section of the embassy staff to do some corruption. As Daniel has rightly put it "Charity Should Begin at Home."Low Cost Computers Launched in India
Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology, has unveiled the low-cost PC based on an x86 1600 MHz processor from the world renowned Advanced Micro Devices Inc., (AMD). Today's launch by Shri Maran is a step in furtherance of his championing the cause of introducing computers at an affordable price to the public as also to promote Internet penetration. As an important step in the product realization of this 50x15 vision, AMD in association with HCL, the leading Indian computer manufacturer, announced the availability of India’s most affordable home computer for its value, by offering a ready-to-use PC for Rs.9,990/-. This HCL PC is also available bundled with Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition at Rs.11,240/-.
Speaking at the launching function held here today, Shri Maran said, “I am very happy that AMD has taken this initiative to increase Internet penetration and enable a computer with AMD’s x86 1600 MHz processor at this price point. Along with affordable broadband solutions from BSNL at Rs. 250 per month, and with Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition, this PC can be used as a vehicle to significantly increase broadband penetration in India. AMD’s 50x15 vision shows AMD’s commitment to develop relevant technology solutions for India’s needs. All of these developments not only further the cause of the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), but also help to bridge the knowledge gap between different socio-economic groups to make them ready for the information age. I am very excited about the possibilities this announcement opens up for all Indians.”
50x15 is AMD's commitment to enable affordable Internet access and computing capabilities for 50 per cent of the world population by the year 2015. AMD will be working to enable various computing platforms to address the needs of India, a core market for the global 50x15 initiative. These platforms, based on AMD’s x86 microprocessors, will address the key requirements such as affordability, internet readiness, wireless capability, low-power usage, dust-resistance, security, and ease-of-use.
For meeting this challenge, AMD desired Shri Dayanidhi Maran to join the newly formed 50x15 global advisory committee. The committee will comprise some of the world’s leading digital inclusion experts from industry, government, academia and the non-profit sector, all of whom will help define and guide the worldwide 50x15 programme over the next ten years.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Ajay Marathe, Corporate Vice President, AMD, and president, AMD India Ltd., said that this PC is an important step in the realization of DIT and AMD's joint vision to provide affordable computing and internet connectivity to the Indian people.
Low-cost computing platforms introduced in India need to adequately address three critical features in order to be viable – sustainable ecosystem support, affordability, and availability of product and service. With the introduction of this solution from HCL, based on AMD’s processor, customers can get a computer which offers -
a) Sustainable ecosystem support, backed by AMD’s technology for affordable computing solutions - a 1600 MHz x86 processor from AMD will allow users to affordably enjoy the functionality of a typical PC, such as basic computing, browsing on the internet, CD-ROM usage, multimedia applications such as games, broadband connectivity via the use of an external modem, and users can add options based on their needs;
b) An affordable package - under Rs.10,000/-;
c) Availability - products and service available immediately across the country at authorized HCL resellers.
IRAQ: Late ammendments to constitution woo Sunni support
BAGHDAD, 13 October (IRIN) - The Iraqi government has introduced a series of last-minute amendments to the country's new constitution aimed at winning support from the country's largely hostile Sunni community in Saturday's referendum.The Sunnis, who largely boycotted parliamentary elections in general, had previously been resolutely opposed to the new constitution. However, the changes, approved hurriedly by parliament on Wednesday, won belated endorsement from the Iraqi Islamic Party, one of two main groups representing Sunni Muslims.The Sunnis had feared that they would lose power and influence under the new constitution, which grants extensive autonomy to Shia Muslims in the south and ethnic Kurds in the north. These two regions contain most of Iraq's oil.
Sunnis also feared stigmatisation and discrimination as a result of clauses which condemn the Baathist leadership that held sway under deposed president Saddam Hussein.The strong-arm leader toppled by a US-led invasion in 2003 is Sunni and so where most of those who held positions of power and influence in his government. The late amendments dilute the constitution's commitment to federalism. But more importantly they open the way for an extensive revision of the document by a new parliament to be elected in December. All amendments adopted then would be endorsed by a second referendum in 2006."This article gives the chance to those Sunnis who boycotted the last January elections the chance to make important changes or amendments after the constitution has been approved," said Speaker of the Parliament Hajim al-Hassani.
Sunni split
However, while the Iraqi Islamic Party has embraced the new draft, all other Sunni organisations have continued to reject it.
The only split among them is whether to vote 'no' in the referendum or boycott the poll entirely."Although the Islamic Party decided to betray us, the rest of us are still united to win by rejecting the constitution, along with all the other minority groups," said Ahmed Rabia'a, a spokesman for the other Sunni parties, said.Besides the Sunnis, who account for 15 to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million population, the new constitution is opposed by the country's Christian, Turkoman and Assyrian minorities.
It has also been rejected by some influential leaders from Iraq's majority Shia community, including the radical cleric Moqtadar al-Sadr, who says it has been imposed by the US-led occupation forces.The new constitution will be thrown out if it is rejected by a two thirds majority in just three of Iraq's 18 provinces. The Sunnis form a majority in three western and northen provinces, giving them a theoretical chance to veto the document.Seif al-Sattar, a political analyst who formed part of the constitutional drafting committee, said the last minute changes to the constitution had been introduced too late to make any difference to the way people would vote.
"They had the possibility to introduce these changes two weeks ago, but they waited right till the end.It is not the right way to proceed and it will not make any differenc to the population, which is already largely resigned to the new constitution," he said.
Voter confusion
Many Iraqis only received copies of the draft constitution a few days before the referendum and none of the five million copies distributed contain the last minute amendments approved this week. There is widespread confusion over what the new constitution will mean for Iraq and whether it will make any difference to the lives of people suffering the consequences of an escalating armed insurgency against the US presence in Iraq. Ali Hussein, a 29-year-old security guard, who for the first time in his life has a copy of the constitution in his hands, complained that the documents were distributed late and that dozens of his family members have no idea what it is all about. "For two nights I have lain awake trying to read what is inside this document and understand the importance and changes that it will cause in our lives," he told IRIN, suggesting that everybody just needed a little more time.
In the streets of the capital, there has been widespread discussion of the draft constitution and the sticking points that have persuaded many parties and community leaders to reject it. But many people are still not clear where or how to vote on Saturday, when all streets near polling stations will be closed to traffic to reduce the risk of suicide car bomb attacks on queues of voters. "My son told me that I have to go to the centre to vote but I really don't know what I'm going to vote for or how to do it. I know that it's about the constitution but what use will it be?" said 58-year-old Zahira Abdel Youssef.
"I don't know what to choose, because whatever I choose will not make a difference," she added. "My neighbour told me that the results have already been decided and it is all a joke." A survey conducted by the United Nations in September found that 65 percent of Iraqis knew little or nothing about the coming referendum, Around 70 percent of those questioned at the time had yet to receive a copy of the draft constitution, which was finalised in late August.
Thousands of potential voters have so far been unable to lay hands on the document, particularly in the far north. Farid Ayar, a spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), said only 100,000 of the one million copies printed in Kurdish had actually been distributed.Posters urging people to vote in the referendum appear to have made little impact and in many neighbourhoods local youths have simply torn them down.
Detainees can also vote
Detainees in government jails, will be allowed to vote in the referendum, including perhaps Saddam Hussein who is due to go on trial later this month.Some 6,500 polling stations will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and each station will have independent observers and political representatives in place to guarantee that voting takes place fairly and there is no fraud. "We have prepared excellent volunteers who will help in the voting process in partnership with international and local observers," Ayar said.Thousands of members of the police and armed forces, as well as US forces, will be on the streets to prevent insurgents from getting close to the polling stations and government buildings and a three-day curfew took effect on Thursday to halt night-time movements.Shops will be closed and the only way to get to the polling stations will be on foot.
Some potential voters said they were nervous about the possibility of insurgent attackss to disrupt polling, but many said they were determined to cast their vote."We should not be afraid because (abstention) is what the insurgents want," said Salwa Hisham, a 34-year-old mother of three living in Baghdad. "We should be strong and show them that we Iraqis want a better future for all of us."
Dubai Tycoon to Make Tamil Hindi Movies
Amjid Al Sabesi, a business tycoon in the Middle East, now ventures to Kodambakkam to produce a Tamil movie. He will be producing a movie titled Windows featuring Prithviraj as hero. It's a bi-lingual movie to be made in Tamil and Hindi respectively.A debutant Prasadh Prabhakaran will be penning the story, screenplay and dialogues besides directing the movie. Windows will be shot completely in Mumbai.On his foray into Tamil films, AlSabesi says, 'for the last few years, I have been watching Tamil films.The professionalism and varied themes here has attracted me. I hope to begin my innings here with Windows'. Windows, in other words, is the door of entry for him.
Gulf Air Magnificient Seven Land in Gulf
Seven of airline’s South African cabin crew touring country for week-long educational blitz
Photo: Gulf Air’s Magnificent ‘South African’ Seven with Muneer al-Busaidi, Key Account Manager, South Africa - Gulf Air Bahrain on the road in Johannesburg. l-r Sbonisile Shamase, Flight Attendant; Alexia Dooks, Flight Attendant; Alana Miessner, Flight Attendant; Theresa Saunders, Flight Attendant; Muneer al-Busaidi, Tanja van Rooyen, Flight Attendant; Ayesha Daniels, Flight Attendant; Mark Rowe, Sky Chef
12 October 2005: Gulf Air’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ has landed in Johannesburg, as seven of the airline’s South African cabin crew started a week-long educational tour around the country, ahead of the launch of Johannesburg-Bahrain services in December.The seven – six flight attendants and one of Gulf Air’s unique sky chefs – will be visiting travel agencies across South Africa to tell them about Gulf Air’s world-class, award-winning services, as well as running special promotions and competitions for agents.
They were joined by Gulf Air’s General Manager Southern Africa, John Anderson, and Regional General Manager Europe, America and Africa, Rohan Alce. John Anderson said: “The Gulf Air returning to Johannesburg in December is very different to the Gulf Air of eight years ago. We think it is important to tell travel agencies about how our services and our destinations have developed. “We are the only airline with more than 200 in-flight Sky Chefs who serve our first class customers, the only airline to have a Sky Nanny on each long-haul flight and the airline with the best regional network in the Middle East.“Our Magnificent Seven will visit travel agents across the country, showing them the high levels of service their customer will get from Gulf Air.” A similar tour is also happening this week in Ireland, to promote Gulf Air’s other new destination being launched in December, Dublin. Rohan Alce added: “We are already seeing strong bookings between Dublin and Johannesburg. Our connection through Bahrain is quick and convenient and is attracting high levels of interest.”
Empost expands its Health Pack service to Umm Al Quwein medical center
Move follows success of the service in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah
October 09, 2005 Empost, the UAE's national courier company, has announced that its Health Pack service has been extended to the medical centers in Umm Al Quwein, as part of its strategic partnership with the UAE Ministry of Health. The move follows the success of the service in Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Following the agreement between Empost and the UAQ Medical Zone, residents of Umm Al Quwein will be ensured of timely delivery of health cards, medical reports, fitness cards, birth certificates and other medical documents directly to their homes or offices.
Mr. Sultan Bin Rashid Al Kharji, Director, Umm Al Quwein Medical Zone, said: "We believe that all service providers have the responsibility to introduce more innovative ways to enhance customer satisfaction. We are pleased to join hands with Empost to achieve our goal of offering added convenience to our customers. With the introduction of the Health Pack service, residents of Umm Al Quwein will no longer have to waste their energies on routine tasks like collecting medical documents."Sultan Al Midfa, CEO, Empost, said: "Being the official courier of the Ministry of Health, Empost provides the Ministry with an internal courier service, delivering its inter-emirate mails. Our total mail management service ensures fast and cost-effective management of the Ministry's mailbox. Empost provides an integrated courier service to the Ministry of Health enabling it to focus on its core jobsa."
Customers can avail the Health Pack service by purchasing a sticker for Dhs 10 after depositing the required documents at the medical centre. Empost will deliver the document back to the customer within 48 hours. "Health Pack is yet another innovative service from Empost, designed to speed up procedures and eliminate excessive paper work at the different medical zones in the UAE. With our in-depth understanding of the functioning of government bodies, we are able to create customized solutions. We have already proved how beneficial this service is in three emirates, we are now pleased to extend it to Umm Al Quwein. We are on track to implement a larger objective of making the service available across the UAE," Al Midfa added.Empost delivers customized courier solutions designed to meet current requirements, which are also adaptable to future needs and business development. Empost has 65 stores in the UAE offering a comprehensive range of courier and postal services including stationary, stamps and gifts.
Read the Full Report from the New York Times
October 12, 2005
Ramadan Ritual: Fast Daily, Pray, Head to the MallBy HASSAN M. FATTAH
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 7 - The decorations are hanging, the cash registers are clanging, and the air of holiday cheer is everywhere. For a holy month, Ramadan is not what it used to be. Once an ascetic month of fasting, prayer and reflection on God, Ramadan has gradually taken on the commercial trappings of Christmas and Hanukkah, from the hanging lights that festoon windows to the Ramadan greeting cards and Ramadan sales and advertising campaigns that have
become the backbone of commerce for the month. Marketers and businesses have caught on to the potential of 1.3 billion
people at home fasting or breaking their daily fasts and getting back to normal life, a captive audience eager for entertainment and celebration, and more than willing to feast when the sun goes down.Here in Dubai, the region's supermall, commercialism has taken on a life of its own as almost everything has been dressed in the cloak of Ramadan, from consumer goods to cars. Malls are open till the early morning, and the nights rock away at dinner parties in desert tents. "Ramadan is changing from a religious month to a cultural or social event," said Muhammad el-Kuwaiz, a Saudi management consultant based in Dubai. "You're using faith to commercialize something else. It doesn't feel right." Sheik Ahmed Abdelaziz Haddad, the grand mufti of the Islamic Affairs Department in Dubai, puts it even more succinctly. "The problem isn't that people are trading and doing business," he said. "It's that people have taken this month to be a month of shopping." Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, is considered the holiest month of the year. It is during this month, Muslims believe, that the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelations of the Koran from the Archangel Gabriel. From then on, Muslims have been ordered to forgo food, water and other worldly pleasures during the day for the entire month as a pillar of their faith, a sacrifice to show they have not forgotten God and the less fortunate. The fast begins at dawn and lasts until sundown, with special prayers held in the evenings in an air of heightened spirituality and meditation.
But walk through many Arab cities this month, and the spirit may also move you to buy, buy and buy some more. In Egypt, hotels and restaurants advertise Ramadan feasts while an advertising sweepstakes calls on people to read all 30 days of ads to
win a prize. In Beirut, Lebanon, worshipers hang colored lights that say Ramadan Kareem, or blessed Ramadan. A Mercedes advertisement in a Dubai newspaper plays on the theme of the crescent, a common Islamic symbol: "Welcome Ramadan with a visit to Gargash Enterprises and you'll soon be feeling over the moon."Companies and political candidates campaigning for parliamentary elections in Egypt next month give away traditional Ramadan lanterns emblazoned with their names and company logos. A shopping mall here even features a Ramadan display with an uncanny resemblance to a Nativity scene, complete with moving camels, a village elder reading stories and a desert scene. A program in Dubai offers a different twist, of a million dirham raffle - about $275,000 - with half the total going to local and international charities.
"It's not something bad to have increased shopping in Ramadan" said Mohammed Mahgoub, the commercial committee adviser for the campaign. "The more people buy, the more they share." The Ramadan consumption is more conspicuous here and in cities like Cairo than in, say, Saudi Arabia. For advertisers Ramadan is like a 30-day Super Bowl weekend, when TV
channels broadcast their best programming and competitors jostle for market share. Some brands spend as much as half of their advertising budget in this month alone. With those kinds of resources being brought to bear, it may be no wonder that many people are troubled by the creeping commercialism. "It is supposed to be about spirituality, but it drives me crazy that it is all about food and banquets," said Naglaa Abdel Fattah, 30, a secretary in Cairo. "I do not feel the spirit of Ramadan anymore.""I call my friend and all she talks about is the 10 dishes her family is preparing for iftar," Ms. Fattah said, referring to the breaking of the fast after sundown. "This is extravagant." Sheik Haddad says Muslims who take the month lightly are doing
themselves an eternal disservice. "A Muslim who is focused on the worldly trade will miss the benefits he
could get in the hereafter," he said. "What we see happening today in the commercialism of Ramadan is caused by Muslim ignorance of what is required of them to benefit their souls. God defined this month to save them and to protect their souls." But his message seems increasingly unheeded in the malls and shopping arcades here. Many malls are closed in the afternoons, or are empty because people usually slumber then. But they come to life after sundown, after many people feast, and they stay open until 2 a.m."Why can't religion and fun go hand in hand?" asked an Iraqi man who spoke on condition that his name not be used because of the sensitivity of religious matters here. "You want to be part of it. The whole thing is one big celebration, and people enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with it." But to Mr. Kuwaiz and others, there is plenty wrong with it. "You're supposed to exercise abstinence, and the opposite happens," he complained. "Ramadan has become a month where people exercise
gluttony." Nada El Sawy contributed reporting from Dubai for this article, and Abeer Allam from Cairo.Courtesy : New York Times Report
