Dubai, 26 October 2004

Dubai Municipality head Sultan receives Swiss consul

Photo: Qassim Sultan in talks with the consul general of Switzerland in Dubai.

Director General of Dubai Municipality, Qassim Sultan, received at his office on Tuesday Mr. Hans Hauser, the Consul General of Switzerland in Dubai. During the meeting, they also reviewed areas of cooperation and ways of strengthening the friendly ties between Dubai and Switzerland. Mr. Sultan welcomed the consul and discussed with the Swiss diplomat the existing relations and cooperation between Dubai Municipality and the Consulate General of Switzerland. He also explored possibilities of further expanding these.

Mr. Hauser said he is quite impressed with the fast-paced development that is being witnessed by Dubai. He said the Light Rail project that is being taken up by Dubai is a wise decision. He also praised other city projects including the upcoming Zaabeel Park, new tunnels and bridges.Mr. Sultan said Dubai is providing as much as infrastructure facilities it can to attract more and more trade and tourists.

Mr. Hauser also invited Mr. Sultan for the inauguration of Swiss Business Hub, the new trade office of Switzerland in the consulate, which is scheduled to be opened on 22nd November. He said the new trade office will be catering to the Swiss business interests in the whole of GCC. Mr. Wafa Y Hijjawi, the Commercial Attaché in the Consulate General of Switzerland in Dubai also accompanied the new consul general during his visit to Mr. Sultan’s office.

Dubai eGovernment's eEmployee initiative evokes good response from government employees

Project seeks to enhance e-literacy among Government employees through
ICDL certification

October 26, 2004 eEmployee, the initiative from Dubai eGovernment designed to upgrade computer skills of government employees through online and classroom training leading to the ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence) certification, has generated enthusiastic response from government employees from different departments. Recently, 30 employees from Dubai Awqaf Department, 22 from Dubai Justice Department and 10 from Dubai Civil Defence enrolled in the eEmployee programme through the portal www.eEmployee.ae.

Dubai eGovernment has tied up with a major training institute to deliver the training. The topics covered in the programme include Basic Concepts of computer, Using the PC and Managing Files
, Word processing, Spreadsheets and Introduction to e-learn. The programme is designed to enhance the ability of government departments to deliver improved eServices to the public and the business
community. Each programme is delivered in four modules, in English and Arabic, involving 48 hours of learning. At the end of the programme, each employee gets an eEmployee certificate from Dubai eGovernment and an ICDL START certification, the internationally recognized computer proficiency standard that is owned by the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) and sponsored by the UNESCO's Cairo Office.

"eEmployee complements our earlier initiatives like e4all designed to enhance IT competency among all parties involved in the delivery of eServices," said Salem Al Shair, Director eServices, Dubai eGovernment. "Now that the community-focused initiatives have picked up momentum, we are turning our attention to raising IT competency levels of government employees. The new initiative will thus complete the picture of a well-knit eGovernment fully geared to deliver world-class eServices."

The initiative is interlinked with eLearn, a project aimed at delivering online training services to government departments, residents and businesses. The eLearn project presents learning opportunities that are an integral part of each participant's learning experience, where everyone has the chance to learn and improve his technical and business capabilities, regardless of his skills.

The dedicated portal (www.eemployee.ae) enables government employees to register and complete the course. Learners have the option of completing the eEmployee programme either online or through classroom training at designated training centres. The classroom training is delivered by experts
well versed with Dubai eGovernment systems."The employees of the Department of Awqaf are delighted to have the opportunity to upgrade their computer skills through the newly launched eEmployee programme of Dubai eGovernment," said Adeeb Lootah, Director Human Resources, Department of Awqaf. "As Dubai eGovernment has adopted best-of-breed systems for delivering high quality eServices, it has become absolutely essential for employees from all departments to hone their IT skills through computer courses. We really value this opportunity provided by Dubai eGovernment."

"We recognise the need for learning computer skills that will lead to better interaction between departments and Dubai eGovernment. The eEmployee programme is a valuable tool aimed at improving computer skills because its core is formed by the ICDL programme, the globally accepted certification for computer proficiency," said Aymen Abohunoud, Technical Coordinator, Dubai Civil Defence.

"Knowledge of computers has become critical for all departments, irrespective of their field of responsibility or area of operations. We believe the more computer proficiency one acquires, the more equipped one is to carry out one's duties. This is all the more important for government departments
because they have to deliver their services through the leading edge systems of Dubai eGovernment," said Ali Al Dehmes, Academic Officer, Dubai Justice Department. "We would like all our employees to join the eEmployee programme."

MHRD TO APPROACH CABINET ON 95 KV SCHOOLS OPENED IN VIOLATION OF NORMS

The Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Arjun Singh, has directed his Ministry to fix responsibility with regard to sanctioning of 95 Kendriya Vidyalayas in the recent past. It has now been found that these schools were sanctioned in violation of the norms for setting up of these institutions without sanction either by the Government or the executive committee of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan which had not met for three years. Shri Singh has also ordered that the matter may be taken to the Cabinet for an appropriate decision for the continuation of most of these schools and the allocation of resources for them. He has directed that the careers of the students admitted in these irregular schools are not jeopardized in any way.

The normal procedure for setting up schools would be through a Plan allocation, budgetary provisions and the approval of the appropriate authorities in the Government. KVs are opened on the basis of the location of Central Government employees in a particular area. The norm is the availability of 200 school going children from this category. The schools can also be opened for Government of India undertakings, which are totally by them. In addition, the schools require 15 acres of land and rent free temporary accommodation for school and staff quarters for at least 50% employees till the KVs is in a position to construct its own buildings.

All these norms were waived and 95 schools were set up without any rationale, just on the basis of orders directly issuing from the then HRD Minister’s office, bypassing the Ministry and in violation of procedures. This resulted in several schools being opened without proper facilities, with an inadequate number of teachers and students, which was much below the norm. In some cases, there is an average of 10-15 students in each class.

A consequence has been the deterioration in the quality of academic work in the existing schools because their teaching resources were depleted by the arbitrary deployment of their staff to the new schools. The KVs system has also been put to acute financial stress because of this expansion without provision for additional financial resources.

INDIA CALLS FOR HIGHER GLOBAL INVESTMENT IN AIDS VACCINE RESEARCH

FIRST MEETING OF S&T MINISTERS OF IBSA GROUP OPENS

The first meeting of the Science & Technology Ministers of India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Group opened here today with the Minister for Science & Technology and Ocean Development, Shri Kapil Sibal, calling for higher level of investment in the research for developing a vaccine against HIV/AIDS. Shri Sibal said currently only $3.6 billion is being spent on the disease while experts had projected that at least $8 billion should be allocated by the international community by this year for research. He regretted that agricultural subsidies in the developed countries alone amount to as much as $300 billion. Shri Sibal said that HIV/AIDS touches the entire humanity and as such what is required is increased funding, coordination amongst various countries and an appropriate policy framework. He informed the Group that India is working on a legislation, which will address various issues relating to HIV/AIDS e.g. discrimination, practices in blood banks etc. Shri Sibal called upon IBSA to form a core group which will remain at the forefront of an international movement against HIV/AIDS.

Shri Sibal said IBSA should also concentrate on biotechnology which impacts on agriculture and health. With population rise and diminishing returns from the agricultural fields the only way to solve the problem of feeding vast multitude may be possible only with the help of biotechnology. He also said that with the coming into operation of WTO regime developing countries will be in a position to export their food products if they are in a position to do so.

Turning to nano-technology, Shri Sibal said that at present the world leaders are the United States, Germany and Japan. However, with greater cooperation IBSA will be in a position to make an impact in this hi-tech area.

The Brazilian Minister for Science & Technology, Prof. Luis Manuel Rebello Fernandes said his country has made significant progress in designing and building 50-seater aircraft and were able to export $2 billion worth of aircraft last year. He also said that Brazil has developed expertise in producing soya, and its by-products which may be of use to other developing countries.

The South African Minister for Science & Technology, Mr. Dereck Andre Hanekom called for identifying specific areas for cooperation not only in science and technology but also related fields e.g. global trade talks. He appreciated India’s position on HIV/AIDS and said that research should also extend to other diseases like malaria which is the bigger killer in Africa.

The tri-lateral IBSA Dialogue Forum was established in pursuance of the decisions taken in the meeting of foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa at Brasilia in June 2003 for the purpose of bringing together three of the largest democracies in three main continents for a greater south-south cooperation. Science and Technology was one of the key areas identified for tri-lateral cooperation in the Brasilia Declaration.

INDIA AND DENMARK SIGN MOU TO PROMOTE COOPERATION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

India and Denmark today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote development of long term cooperation in the fields of biotechnology between the two countries and to facilitate joint collaboration on specific areas of interests. The MoU envisages exchange of scientists, technicians, training of young scientists as well as joint execution of scientific research and development projects. The MoU was signed by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development Shri Kapil Sibal and Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Mr. Helge Sander.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sibal said that India is poised to make a quantum jump in biotech business from the current level of $500 million to a whopping $9 billion in the next five years. Shri Sibal said that biotechnology holds tremendous promise to solve human problems in the field of food and medicine. “With the population growth taking place at a rate of 1.8% and per capita per acreage production of food crops not showing any sign of improvement, the problem can only be addressed through biotechnology” he said. He called for greater partnerships between public and private institutions to take innovations from laboratories to the market place.

In his address Mr. Sander said that his country is giving tremendous importance to high technology areas including biotechnology. He said Denmark is about to set up a Hi-Tech Foundation for research and development in biotechnology, nano-technology and information technology for which about two billion Euros will be spent in the seven years starting from 2005.

REJUVENATION OF A LOST TRADITION

Hamidullah Dar**

The valley of Kashmir has culturally a glorious past and its myriad forms of art have been acknowledged world over. Equally turbulent, however, have been the political overtures that left their imprint upon the cultural activities in the course of time. Many turns of the history found their place in the contemporary art forms and went by as a living account for posterity. The plunder of foreign rulers, evil social practices, atrocities by cunning jagirdars and the suffering of the innocent seeped into various art forms for centuries together that was rendered into a treasure for valley- dwellers.

Among the exemplary art forms that have flourished in the valley for the last eight hundred years, Bhande Pather is one that remained a cherished educating entertainment for the people. Despite facing many odds at the hands of ruling class, Bhande Pather evolved progressively absorbing contemporary changes in the political arena and social scenario in its fold not at the expense of its essence. It received royal patronage during the reign of Zainul Abideen (1420-70).

Devoid of any religious leaning, it is absolutely secular in nature. Another distinctive feature of Bhande Pather is the males playing the role of females. Bhand is an actor or a jester and Pather means drama. So Bhand Pather means a drama (usually sarcastically comic) played by jesters. Bhande Pather has three components: Beating (Vayun in Kashmiri), Dancing (Natchun) and Acting (Pather charun). The musical instruments employed are flute (surnai), dholki and nagar (a semi circular dholki). Some parties were using Sazi Kashmir but it was later discarded. Every Pather is accorded a peculiar tune to differentiate it from others, not only in content but in music also. Bhands display their art by playing to different tunes. Bhande Pather has a particular technique traversing which it reaches to its climax.

There are thirteen stages through which Pather passes before reaching to reach its climax. These are Kaer, Surnai, Tchok, Natchun, Maskharee, Kurae, Baans, Gevan Huir, Boli, Mazaq, Adakari, Kasi walin and Duae Khair. The pather starts with Duae Khair and ends with the same.

Kaer means to assemble the audience through beating drum and then make them sit in a circle. Kaerdar is the same as Sutrdar of Sanskrit dramas. Playing Surnai, an instrument that bears resemblance to Shehnaie, is the second part of pather. The artists enter the circle of audience and start playing different tunes while standing to a side to the accompaniment of Dholki and Nagar. The different tunes played include Salaem, Thhuir, Dubaj, Nopat and Saelgah. While the Surnai is being played, the jesters make their way in the circle wearing the costumes suitable for the Pather to be played. The next step is the Tchok, which is considered to be the mainstay of the pather. It is a collection of dances in which every dance is done according to a particular tune and rhythm. Tchok is usually played in the dusk. Several forms of Tchok include Baed Aari (big circles), lokiet Aari (small circles), Yikvati Natchun (joint saltation), Byun Byun Natchun (individual saltation), Thhurao, Sael and Roosh.

Natchun or saltation is the unique style of crude dance that has been there in the Bhande Pather ever since it came into being. The make believe gestures while performing Natchun is its essence and identification as well. The rhythmic tunes that accompany the Natchun are considered of the highest quality. While this part of the Pather is on, audience stands up and starts cheering. The Magun or chief Bhand starts supplication and all the audience complement him with a serious mood. After this all the people go out for the dinner and it signifies a break in between the stages of Pather.

After a refreshing break, audience regains the enthusiasm and so do the tired Bhands. The musicians take their positions and start blowing the Surnai. Audience sits forming a circle and the Pather carry on. Maskhar or the jester has a special place in the whole of Pather. And his arrival in the circle tickles the spectators under the ribs as he is dressed ridiculously and his countenance wears a satirical look. Sporting a multi-colored cap with ribbons of cloth hanging from it, the jester wears a skirt and jogs like a monkey from one place to another. He imitates the misfortunes of some spectator and makes the people around laugh heartily. He even satires the main character of the Pather and is seen often receiving lashes from him.

Kurae is the lash, which is used to punish the Maskhar. Baans has become so famous that it has become a simile now. It is a stick broken vertically into a bunch of branches and it is used to attract the attention of yawning spectators by striking Baans at their heads. Bolae or dialects form the spice of Pather as different words from other languages are interwoven in Kashmiri sentences, which result in uncontrolled laughters on the part of spectators. Mazakh or joking is also an important part of Pather and jesters crack jokes upon audience as well as themselves. Adakari or acting that Bhands display is unmatchable. It seems as if they are born actors and even slightest slip is unthinkable.

Duae Khair is the concluding part of the Pather and it has Bhande Duae Khair has become a cliché now. Earlier Pather used to start in the first part of the night and would go till dawn but with the passage of time, the Pather started resuming at dusk.

With the onset of militancy in the State, however, Bhande Pather was almost lost for the younger generation, as there were no shows of it anymore. With a total population of 10,000, Bhands reside in 72 villages throughout the Kashmir valley. Bhands took other occupations to earn their livelihood. Some started weaving Kangris and some even were left with no option but to beg for loaves.

The current century dawned with renewed hopes for the Bhands as there is a sort of normalcy as far as the attacks on artists are concerned. It paved way for Bhands to organize their ranks and seize the opportunity at the very first moment. Marriage ceremonies, which used to be felt incomplete without Bhande Pather in eighties, are the first venue of Pather.

During current year, for example, the Bhagat Theatre has displayed its artistic skills in more than twenty-five private public shows and more important is the fact that people turn around in great numbers. Though the State government tried to provide security to Bhands, they refused the same saying that they are among their own people and security arrangements would become a barrier between artists and audience.

And if the trend picks up, better days are in the offing for Bhands and above that, for the folk theatre in Kashmir. **Srinagar-based Journalist.

October 22, 2004

PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT OMAN AWARDS HALLIBURTON CONTRACTS UP TO $500 MILLION

- Three major contracts awards for Halliburton's core services -

OMAN and HOUSTON, Texas – Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) announced today that it has been awarded three major contracts in Oman by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The total value of these contracts is estimated to be between $400 and $500 million over five years, with optional extensions of two years. The contracts cover the provision of cementing services, stimulation services, directional drilling services, logging-while-drilling services and mudlogging services.

"Halliburton has worked with PDO from the time the first wells were drilled in Oman in 1962. Since this time Halliburton has built a relationship based on the provision of fit for purpose technology and superior service quality, delivered in close alignment with PDO's goals," said Joe Rainey, Halliburton, vice president of the Middle East region. "The award of this contract furthers our commitment to Oman and the Middle East region."Halliburton is confident that the new contract awards will allow the company to make a significant contribution towards the achievement of PDO's future production and business improvement targets.

Halliburton is the leading service company in Oman for these services. With over 450 Omani nationals employed, Halliburton is dedicated to the community and looks forward to the work under these contracts. Currently celebrating its 85th anniversary, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. The company serves its customers with a broad range of products and services through its Energy Services and Engineering and Construction Groups.

MANI SHANKAR AIYAR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RUSSIA OIL & GAS WEEK IN MOSCOW

The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas & Panchayati Raj, Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, will lead a delegation, which is leaving tomorrow for Moscow to participate in the Fourth Round of the Russian Oil & Gas Week in Moscow. The Minister will also be visiting Skochinsky Institute of Mining, Moscow with whom ONGC is pursuing technical collaboration for Underground Coal Gassification (UCG).

UCG is a method of exploiting the coal deposits in-situ instead of mining the coal and bringing it to the surface. Through UCG, it is possible to exploit the deeper coals and lignites for their energy value, which are otherwise neither technically feasible nor economically viable at present. UCG opens a way to exploit such untapped resources.

India has huge coal resources at depths below 600 meters. Even if a small fraction of this coal is exploited, it will go a long way to supplement oil and gas reserves. In order to meet the growing demand of energy driven by economic growth, the country has to make sustained efforts for new sources of energy. UCG provides a very good alternative energy source. The product gas can substitute natural gas in all the applications. The UCG project is indeed economically viable, further all the components of the necessary technology and expertise is available in ONGC. Therefore, it is planned to access the overall technology from our Russian collaborators immediately. In due course, substantial gas products potential can be built and sustained on the basis of known coal reserves in India.

The visit of the Minister to Skochinsky Institute of Mining will pave the foundation for entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ONGC and Skochinsky Institute of Mining for cooperation in the field of UCG.

Dubai Municipality Starts Smoking Ban in Public Places

Photo: Zuhoor Al Sabbagh, Poster showing health hazards of smoking.

Dubai Municipality has proclaimed the general strategy for the campaign banning smoking in public places under the slogan, “Together to preserve your health.” The strategy include enhancing the participation of all individuals of the society, creating awareness about smoking ban, and educating them on the health hazards attached to smoking.

Zuhoor Al Sabbagh, Head of Clinic and Medical Services Section said that the strategy is focused on placing educational materials in all the shopping centres on an annual basis, publishing leaflets and advertisements every three months annually warning against smoking, organizing seminars and lectures annually, along with a no-smoking campaign for at least 21 days a year, which will start from 2005.

She said the Ministry of Health, Department of Health and Medical Services and Economic Development Department will co-operate with the Municipality in achieving these aims.

The strategy for no-smoking campaign also aims at enhancing the strategic participation of other concerned departments by creating awareness through mosques, other worship centres and educational institutions with the help of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Department on a quarterly basis, and also along with the awareness campaigns about fire, in co-operation with Civil Defence and educational institutions. In addition to this, help from other media will be sought in order to achieve the aims of the campaign. This include publishing news items about the campaign and broadcasting radio messages, in co-ordination with Dubai Radio and local newspapers. Etisalat bills will be used to print advertisements about the campaign.

She said the third objective of the strategy is to make all the shopping centres strictly implement the no-smoking rule. For this, the co-ordination of the management of these shopping centres would be sought to stop cigarettes, place sign boards banning smoking, and stop placing ashtrays in the shopping malls by the end of 2005. Co-operation of the Department of Economic Development would also be sought for this.

The fourth objective is to discourage violators and increase legal authority by way of issuing administrative orders with specific rules to implement. The order will also give law enforcement power to about 200 people including individuals from the public, Municipality officials, Police, security guards, and doctors. This would be done in co-operation with the legal authorities, Dubai Police and security guards. In addition to this, some Municipality officers would be specially appointed for this purpose in co-ordination with the Personnel Department of the civic body to monitor the implementation of the ban under the annual programme during 2005.

Al Sabbagh said the launching of this campaign is part of the Municipality’s objectives to protect public health and safety of the society. She said the Public Health Department believes that it is necessary to get co-operation for these earnest efforts in order to better the civic habits aimed at protecting the safety of the people and properties. The Municipality had last month launched, with the participation of other government bodies and private organizations, a wide media campaign to create awareness about the hazards of smoking under the slogan, “Together to preserve your health.”

In the meanwhile, a committee of Municipality inspectors formed for the campaign visited Al Ghurair Centre, to get a brief about the extent of implementation of the order banning smoking in public places. Most of the ashtrays have been removed from the mall. Whatever left would be removed in the next two weeks. It was found that the mall has placed enough number of sign boards banning smoking. They were instructed to place Municipality sign boards also.

INDO-ASEAN RELATIONSHIP SHOULD LEAD TO AN ASIAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

PM Inaugurates Indo-Asean Business Summit

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh affirmed the Government’s commitment to intensify the process of regional cooperation and integration between India and ASEAN. Inaugurating the Third India-ASEAN Business Summit here today, Dr. Manmohan Singh envisioned an Asian Economic Community, which encompasses ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea and India. The Prime Minister referred to the Early Harvest Programme, which provides for immediate tariff concessions through trade liberalisation. He also underlined the Government’s objective of stepping up the rate of growth of Indian economy to 7 per cent to 8 per cent over the next decade and to make efforts to promote such investment and to create a conducive climate for investors and entrepreneurs.

Dr. Manmohan Singh emphasised the fact that Indian economy could absorb up to $150 billion of foreign investment in the infrastructure and invited the ASEAN businesses to invest in India. The Prime Minister also advised the State Governments to be proactive in developing mutually beneficial co-operation with the ASEAN region. He also called upon the Indian business community to invest in South East Asia.ASEAN Secretary General, Mr. Ong Keng Yong, President-elect, CII, Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar and President, FICCI Mr. Yogendra Kumar Modi were among the delegates.

Media Monitor - 18 October 2004

Journalist Ali-Reza Jabari released after more than 18 months in prison

Reporters Without Borders welcomed the release on 14 October 2004 of Ali-Reza Jabari, contributor to several newspapers, after more than 18 months in prison.The worldwide press freedom organisation said that international pressure and a campaign by Chilean author Isabel Allende were responsible for the decision to free Jabari who, despite being more than 60 years old and suffering heart trouble, received 174 lashes in detention.Isabel Allende had lobbied the highest authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to secure the ailing journalist's early release, said Reporters Without Borders.Jabari was sentenced on 19 April 2003 to four years in prison, 253 lashes and a fine of six million Rials (about 1,000 euros) for "drinking and distributing alcoholic drinks, adultery and incitement to immoral acts", a charge regularly used against secular figures. Jabari is an outspoken commentator who writes for the monthly
Adineh and a member of the Iranian Writers Association.

Oasis Leasing Shares Subscription Surpass Offer

DUBAI - October 19, 2004 Oasis International Leasing’s AED 200 million rights issue has been oversubscribed by AED 58 million, according to the company.The Abu Dhabi-based big ticket leasing company said the additional 20 million shares will be allocated according to UAE federal laws and Abu Dhabi Security Market regulations.

“Oversubscription of offered shares is undoubtedly a success for that offer and a double success if the oversubscribed shares are exclusively for existing shareholders, which is what happened with the Oasis Leasing rights issue,” said Mohammed Saif Al Mazrouei, Chairman, Oasis Leasing.The company offered 20 million additional shares to shareholders between October 2 and 11. The rights issue raises Oasis Leasing’s paid up capital to AED 700 million.

Gordon Dixon, CEO, Oasis Leasing, said the new capital would be used to expand the company’s asset portfolio: “In line with our diversification strategy we are actively pursuing business opportunities in shipping, oil, and power plant industries which will enable us to take advantage of the different business cycles.”Dixon confirmed discussions with Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, on the financing of a number of new aircraft purchases from both Airbus and Boeing, are continuing. “Leasing is one option Eithad Airways is examining. It is still too early to make assumptions about how many aircraft will be leased, but we are hopeful there will be a significant role for us,” he said.

Department of Economic Development joins Dubai eGovernment's AskDubai platform

Callers can access round-the-clock information on licencing and commercial permits through the hi-tech contact centre

19 October, 2004 The Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai's department that organize all economic activity, has joined Dubai eGovernment's AskDubai contact centre to provide round-the-clock access to information through multiple channels on two key areas: Licenses and Commercial Permits. DED is the seventh government department to go live on the AskDubai platform for providing a more dynamic and interactive communication channel to the public.

Callers can obtain information on all vital issues concerning Licencing, including change of trade name, registration amendments, cancellation of licence, registration of companies, professional business company, branch of a foreign company, representative office of a foreign company or banking liaison office, licence renewal requirements, fees for all types of registrations, capital requirements.

When calling AskDubai on 700040000, customers can easily track the status of their transactions with the Department of Economic Development by simply providing the Transaction Reference to the customer service representative. The status will be instantly given while the customer is on hold.The AskDubai contact center will also provide information related to Commercial Permits, including all aspects of organizing sales, promotions, raffles, draws, exhibitions as well as online payments, cancellation of permits for advertising signboards, licences for Internet cafes, permits for counters and kiosks, satellite offices and rules and regulations for all the above activities.

"With Dubai's standing as the region's commercial hub rising every year, the pressure on the Department of Economic Development has increased," said Mr. Ali Ibrahim, Deputy General Director for Executive Affairs, Department of Economic Development. "There has been a manifold increase in the number of commercial establishments setting up businesses and those applying for commercial permits for diverse business activities in Dubai. This implies an increased number of queries regarding documentation, fees and other requirements. It is, therefore, no longer feasible to deliver these services through in-house inquiry service."

"We have been studying closely AskDubai's state of the art technologies that give multiple access using advanced CRM systems, allowing interactive 24-hour response mechanisms. AskDubai offers an ideal combination of agents and electronic systems to deliver customer satisfaction. We have collaborated with AskDubai to ensure that agents are fully trained in all aspects of our services so that they can provide accurate guidance to callers.""It is a matter of great pride for Dubai eGovernment that such a pivotal department as the Department of Economic Development has joined AskDubai," said Mahmood Al Bastaki, Business Process Re-engineering Consultant, Dubai eGovernment. "AskDubai has been designed to handle the large-volume calls generated by departments like DED. We expect the trend of outsourcing the call centre requirements to gain further momentum, as it allows government departments to focus on their core operations and leave the management of customer response mechanisms to experts. AskDubai provides the ideal solution through multiple choice of communication such as the Internet, fax, voice mail, SMS and agents."

Outlining the advantages of an integrated and shared call centre for government departments, Al Bastaki said AskDubai served as a single point of contact to government departments in Dubai, and it was accessible round the clock, provided bilingual support through multiple channels and unified inquiries, complaints and feedback.Since its launch in June 2003, AskDubai has been adopted by six government departments, namely Dubai Police, Dubai Development Board, Dubai Land Department Dubai Municipality, Dubai Civil Defence and DOHMS. It has handled more than 75,000 inbound calls and 1,500 emails as of July 2004. In addition, it initiated more than 23,000 outbound calls and 700 online chats.

Customers can contact AskDubai on phone line 7000 40000 or submit their queries to help@dubai.ae available on the portal www.dubai.ae or send a fax on 04 330 3399. Those wishing to post comments can go to "Feedback." There is a facility to chat online with one of the agents. Users can also go to the "Schedule a Callback" link to be called back at an appointed time. They can choose "Chat and Talk" link if they want a representative to call them back on the telephone while they are still chatting online.

Future Bank launched with initial paid up capital of US$ 99 million

DUBAI 19/10/04 The shareholders of Future Bank B.S.C. © convened a Constituent General Assembly Meeting on 11 October 2004 in Bahrain to complete the incorporation formalities of the Bank as a closed joint stock company under Commercial Registration Number 54514, first issued on 6 September 2004. The Bank has been licensed by the Bahrain Monetary Agency as a Full Commercial Banking unit with an Offshore Banking Unit branch in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Future Bank is an equal joint venture between Ahli United Bank BSC, Bank Melli Iran (BMI) and Bank Saderat Iran (BSI) with an authorised capital of $200million and an initial paid-up capital of $99mllion. The Bank has secured BMA approval to acquire the Bahrain operations of BMI and BSI in the Kingdom of Bahrain, comprising of three branches and an offshore banking unit. The Chairman of the Bank, Dr. Valiallah Seif said: “The strategy of Future Bank is to develop the business links between the GCC countries and Iran.

The Bank will in this context seek regulatory approvals to transfer the existing licenses of BMI and BSI in the Sultanate of Oman and the State of Qatar.” He added: “Future Bank will also seek offshore banking limits in Kish Island, Iran as a prelude to establishing a domestic presence in Iran when the regulatory framework permits.” Dr Seif expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Bahrain Monetary Agency, the Bahrain Ministry of Commerce and the Central Bank of Iran for their support and guidance in the successful formation of the joint venture.

NDIA AND RUSSIA MUST COLLABORATE TO EXPLOIT GAS HYDRATE RESERVES: SHRI KAPIL SIBAL

TENTH TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT AND EXHIBITION OPENS IN NEW DELHI

The Minister for Science & Technology and Ocean Development Shri Kapil Sibal has called for technological collaboration between India and Russia to explore and use gas hydrates as a source of energy. Gas hydrates are crystalline solids found at a depth of about a kilometer from the Ocean floor and contains methane gas. Inaugurating the 10th Technology summit and Technology Platform here today, Shri Sibal said that gas hydrates could be the answer to the challenges faced by the country in the energy sector. He said that with the price of a barrel of crude oil touching 55 dollars, a significant chunk of our forex earning would be used up for importing crude oil.

Delving into the historical relationship between India and Russia, Shri Sibal said that both the countries have undergone major changes since 1987 when the Integrated Long Term programme was signed for technological collaborations between the two countries. Today the two countries face new challenges – Russia has moved towards a market economy and Indian companies are competing in the world market. In this context, cooperation between the two countries in research and development in high technology areas will be of significance and beneficial for the two countries. Shri Sibal proposed that Russia should transfer technology to India while retaining at the same time intellectual property rights.

Complimenting the CII which has collaborated with the Department of Science & Technology to host the Summit for the first time, Shri Sibal suggested greater involvement of industry in R&D for development of new products. “We have an active entrepreneurial base in India. We intend to collaborate with the upcoming entrepreneurs in Russia in Science & Technology to forge joint ventures for the advantage of both countries”, he said.

Delivering the keynote address the President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Science Research, Bangalore, Prof. C.N.R Rao said that there is no technology so far in the world to commercially exploit the gas hydrates which holds the promise of ameliorating the energy problem of the world. He said commercial exploitation of this unique source of energy will require high level of engineering and design and the two countries should come together to make it a reality. Shri Sibal also inaugurated an Exhibition featuring various products and technological developments resulting from India- Russia collaboration. The two-day summit will provide a window to new ideas and symbiotic partnership in the technological arena.

SriLankan Airlines’ profits fuel further expansion IT, airport, cargo and catering divisions all set for growth

(Dubai, 19th October 2004): Following the announcement of a near doubling of profits for the year 2003/2004, SriLankan Airlines is continuing its staged growth in all areas. Airline management has revealed plans to expand IT capabilities, airport facilities and catering and cargo divisions, as well as bringing in additional capacity in its fleet and adding new destinations.

A net profit after tax of Rs. 4,555.14 million (US$44 million) was reported by the airline and its SriLankan Catering Services subsidiary, an increase of 94.97 per cent over the previous financial year. This increase was attributed in part to SriLankan’s dynamic expansion on Indian routes.

Total operating revenue rose 24.6 per cent, while passenger numbers increased by 14.3 per cent to 2.06 million. Meanwhile, the airline fleet expanded to 17 with the acquisition of two A340s, two A320s, another Antonov AN12F freighter and a Cessna Caravan floatplane.According to CEO Peter Hill, while the airline had achieved many of its goals during the past year, there was more to come in 2004/5 to meet a projected 28 per cent revenue growth.He said: “The addition of China to our network will be a landmark, while we will continue expansion in to India with the launch of our eleventh destination, Ahmedabad.

“The successful launch of our domestic air taxi service will be followed up with more destinations and the acquisition of two more amphibious aircraft, while we will also add to our Airbus fleet in the coming year.”On the ground, Hill said the final touches were being made to a new business class lounge at Colombo airport, scheduled to open by year end, while a new US$25 million flight kitchen will be launched in September 2005, quadrupling current capacity. The cargo centre will also double capacity in the coming year – while a new all-freight service to China will begin this winter.

“Equally exciting are the developments by our IT division, which is fine-tuning every aspect of a project to introduce e-ticketing with a fully automated Internet booking engine for SriLankan Airlines,” he said. “Our website at www.srilankan.aero is constantly being updated, and customers can already pre-order duty-free items or meals in business class, while additional features in the coming year will include a new generation cargo system.”

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Hill said the airline was committed to widening its network to offer convenient links between the region and south Asia, as well as farther afield.“We are now offering daily connections to 10 destinations in India via Colombo, as well as providing a gateway in to the Maldives for leisure travellers – while the promotion of Sri Lanka itself as a holiday destination is reaping rewards with both expatriates and Arabs discovering the wide range of attractions on the island.”

GPTC in Libya awards over 120-million-dollar GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 3G deal to Nokia

Nokia will supply state-of-the-art core and radio networks to serve the majority of GPTC's customers.

Nokia has won a deal, valued at over 120 million USD, to supply GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 3G network equipment to the Libyan General Post and Telecommunications Company (GPTC) for a new nationwide mobile network. This is Nokia's first network deal in Libya. Deliveries begin immediately.

Under the agreement, Nokia will be the main supplier of the new operator's core network, including packet core, as well as supplier of half of the radio network. Nokia's radio network will serve Tripoli and the western half of the country, providing coverage to over 60% of the new operator's subscriber base. The majority of the radio network supplied by Nokia will be EDGE-capable, and Nokia will also provide WCDMA 3G capable base stations. In addition, Nokia will supply its GPRS solution and the Nokia MSC Server System, the new voice core solution for 2G and 3G. This is the first deployment of a 3GPP Release 4 architecture in Africa.

"We foresee great progress in the telecommunications landscape in Libya," says Eng. Mohamed Moammar Al Gathafi, Chairman, GPTC. "Widespread mobile phone service will bring undisputed benefits for our society, and we are doing our utmost to ensure the highest quality of service. The agreement with Nokia is a strong indication of our efforts in this arena." "We are extremely pleased to be a part of GPTC's drive to bring quality mobile service to the people of Libya," says Dr. Walid Moneimne, Senior Vice President, EMEA, Networks, Nokia. "We are determined to work for the future success of its business, and this deal is proof of our commitment to this market."

"We are grateful for the trust that GPTC has placed in our strong solutions, implementation expertise, and customer support," adds Sam Olnen, Sales Director for EMEA, Networks, Nokia. Nokia will also provide implementation and care services, including network planning, project management, spare part management for multivendor hardware, and training to maintain the competitiveness of GPTC's new network. The services will be provided using Nokia NetAct(TM), the only fully-featured, multi-vendor, multi-technology operations support system on a single platform.

Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.

Gold Jewellery Exports Cross $ 1 billion this year

Exports of gold jewellery from India crossed US $ one billion in five months (April-August) of the current financial year 2004-2005, having increased by a record 141 % to reach a figure of US $ 1007.14 million ( i.e., $ I billion ) as against US $ 416.96 million worth of exports during the corresponding period of the last financial year 2003-2004. This was indicated by Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry, at the inauguration of India’s largest gold and jewellery show – “Festival of Gold 2004” – here today.

The Festival, which will be on for a week (18-24,2004), is being organised by MMTC Limited, India’s leading bullion trader and a Government of India enterprise. Shri S.D. Kapoor, Chairman and Managing Director, MMTC, was present along with senior officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and MMTC, besides the Bollywood actress, Ms. Dia Mirza, who displayed some of the most vibrant and scintillating creations. The varieties of gold and precious stone jewellery at the exhibition, the seventh in the series, are all hallmarked and certified for purity by MMTC.

Shri S. D. Kapoor said that “the forum provided by the company is a tribute to the famed artisans from different parts of the country with the sole objective of reaching their craft to the customers with the guarantee of purity and trust from MMTC”. The Indian jewellery market is growing at the rate of 15 to 20 % each year. Timed in sync with the festive season, the Festival of Gold is an exciting opportunity for traders and consumers alike to transact in a large range of precious stones and semi-precious jewellery, hallmarked for quality and purity. The exhibition is being supported by the World Gold Council (WGC).

Visit Visa Racket Still Rampant in Dubai : KM Bureau Dubai

Workers of More Safety and Security Want Protection from Company owner More

PASSPORT COLLECTION CENTRE AT JHUNJHUNU, RAJASTHAN

A Passport Collection Centre is to be opened at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. It has been approved by the Central Government. The Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Shri Sis Ram Ola, took the initiative for this. He has described it as a significant step for the inhabitants of Jhunjhunu district in particular from where a large number of labourers go to the West Asian countries for jobs. The educated people from the district also go abroad for trade and higher education. They have to travel to Delhi or Jaipur for passports. Once the Passport Collection Centre becomes operational in Jhunjhunu they would not have to face the ordeal, he said.The proposed Passport Collection Centre at Jhunjhunu would also serve the people living in Churu, Sujangarh and Ganganagar districts of the state.

MAURITIUS MINISTER SEEKS ASSISTANCE FOR PROMOTION OF TAMIL CULTURE

The Mauritius Art and Culture Minister, Mr. Motee Ramdass today called on the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss and sought his help in the promotion of the Tamil art and culture in the island nation. The Mauritius Minister was accompanied by the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of Tamil Cultural Centre Trust. The delegation explained to the Minister that there was a vibrant Tamil population in the island and the younger generation was unaware of the origin of Tamil culture although they were initiated into singing of Tamil kirtans and songs in schools.

The Tamil Culture Trust sought the help of the Minister in promoting Tamil art, culture and language. They wanted that the Tamil music schools should be accredited to a university of Tamilnadu so that proper degrees could be awarded. The delegation also sought the assistance of the Minister in setting up of a world class eye care hospital. Dr. Ramadoss promised the delegation that all assistance would be extended by his party as also the other partners in the DPA Alliance in Tamilnadu. He informed the delegation that the leader of his party organizes a function every year to felicitate Tamil writers and leaders all over the world. The parties in the DPA Alliance in Tamilnadu had convinced the Centre on the importance of Tamil and it had recently been declared as a classical language.

VIETNAM SHOWS KEEN INTEREST IN INDIAN BUDDHIST SITES

Vietnam has shown keen interest in Indian Buddhist sites. To facilitate visit of Vietnamese in larger groups, both the countries will consider possibilities of direct airlink and other measures required. This was decided in bilateral talks between Ms. Renuka Chowdhury, Minister of State for Tourism and Ms Vo Thi Thang, Minister for Tourism of Vietnam, here today.

Both the sides also agreed to exchange tour operators, travel writers and expertise in other areas of tourism. Several measures for promotion of bilateral cooperation in tourism were discussed during the meeting. Ms. Renuka Chowdhury said that India gives very high priority to south Asian countries in tourism promotion, as there are strong cultural bonds with these countries. Exchange of tourists will further strengthen these bonds. She said that India has already allowed unrestricted flights from Vietnam to facilitate tourists as a part of initiatives taken to increase connectivity with ASEAN countries. She also announced that India would provide human resource development training and IT expertise to Vietnam in the area of tourism. She expressed desire to have Vietnamese expertise in the area of marine tourism.

Vietnamese Minister said that Indian Buddhist sites are very popular destination. Vietnam is looking up at more tourism opportunities with India by increase connectivity and exchange of tourism expertise, she added. She announced that very soon Vietnam would hold road shows in various Indian cities and invite travel writers. She said that her country has decided to give high focus to India in its tourism promotion plans.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

BROADBAND: ALWAYS-ON DATA CONNECTION

Broadband servicehas enabled one to lead better quality of life through various applications such as tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance, entertainment as well as employment generation . The service has made the growth of GDP possible through high-speed access to information and web-based communication. Keeping this in view, the Government has finalised ‘Broadband Policy – 2004’ to accelerate the growth of Broadband services. The key reflections of the Policy have been - affordability and reliability of Broadband services, incentives for creation of additional infrastructure, employment opportunities, induction of latest technologies, national security and bring in competitive environment so as to reduce regulatory interventions.

The demand for Broadband is primarily conditioned and driven by Internet and Personal Computer (PC) penetration. The level of Internet and Broadband access in the country is low as compared to many Asian countries. Currently, high speed Internet access is available at various speeds from 64 kilobits per second (kbps) onwards and presently, an always-on high speed Internet access at 128 kbps is considered as ‘Broadband’. There are no uniform standards for Broadband connectivity and various countries follow various standards. Therefore, the Government envisions an accelerated growth in Internet penetration and PC as the success of Broadband would largely be dependent on their spread.

Broadband Policy 2004

Broadband has been defined as an always-on data connection supporting interactive services including Internet access with minimum download speed of 256 Kbps per subscriber. The service providers are encouraged to select technologies and equipments offering higher data rate. The new broadband policy aims to target three million broadband subscribers and six million Internet subscribers with a timeframe of December 2005. By the end of year 2010, the policy aims to target 20 million broadband subscribers and 40 million Internet subscribers.

The policy encourages creation and growth of infrastructure through various technologies that can mutually co-exist like optical fibre technologies, digital subscriber lines on copper loop, cable TV network, Satellite and terrestrial wireless technologies. The choice is left to the service provider.

Copper loop using Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) can provide Broadband services. The age and the condition of copper loop in the country may at best provide 6 million broadband connections. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.(BSNL)/Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd.(MTNL) along with other owners of copper loop are expected to provide about two million connections by the end of 2005. Further recognising that last mile copper loop is not a ‘bottleneck facility’ for broadband services, access providers shall be free to enter into mutually agreed commercial arrangements for utilisation of available copper loop for expansion of broadband services including content. Use of brand name being treated as a part of the value shall be permitted in such commercial arrangement.

With the new policy in place, the Government intends to make available transponder capacity for Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) services at competitive rates after taking into consideration the security requirements. The Department of Telecom (DoT), in consultation with the concerned Ministries, would soon be proposing additional measures with regard to Open Sky Policy for VSAT operators. VSAT operators would be closely associated while determining the transponder usage charges.

The service providers shall be permitted to enter into franchisee agreement with cable TV network operators. The licensee, however, shall be responsible for compliance of the terms and conditions of the licence. Further in the case of Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, the service providers shall be permitted to provide Receive-Only-Internet Service after obtaining ISP licence from DoT. The DTH Service providers will also be permitted to provide bi-directional Internet services after obtaining VSAT and ISP licence from the DoT.

Significance

The New Broadband Policy is multi-faceted. With the new policy in force, the spread of fibre networks shall be emphasised keeping in view the long term perspective as they are able to provide huge amounts of bandwidth in the last mile as well as provide a true IP and converged network that can deliver high quality voice, data and video.

It has been decided to de-license 2.40-2.48 GHz band for low power outdoor use on non-protection, non-interference and non-exclusive basis. The 5.15-5.35 GHz band shall be de-licensed for the indoor use of low power Wi-Fi systems. For outdoor use, the band 5.25-5.35 GHz shall be de-licensed in consultation with Department of Space while delicensing in the band 5.15-5.25 GHz would be considered after the process of vacation.

To simplify Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations (SACFA)/Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) clearance, the VSAT operators shall be allowed to start the installation process for VSAT terminals after a period of one month of submitting all relevant documents to WPC for SACFA/WPC clearance wherever the total height of such installation is less than 5 meters above the rooftop of an authorised building. In the case of Receive-Only VSAT terminals and DTH with Receive-Only-Internet, no SACFA/WPC clearance will be required wherever the total height of such installation is less than 5 metres above the rooftop of an authorised building.

A transparent scheme is being outlined separately for time-bound frequency allocation, siting clearance and wireless licensing by removing the cumbersome procedures, computerization and by setting predetermined standards. To keep pace with technological advances, throughput and antenna size for VSATs are proposed to be reviewed periodically.

Commercial VSAT service providers having ISP licence shall be permitted use of same hub station and remote station to provide internet service directly to the subscribers. Further this remote stations shall be permitted to be used as a distribution point to provide Internet services to multiple independent subscribers.

The role of other facilitators such as electricity authorities, various departments of State governments such as IT, Local Self Governments, Panchayats, Health and Family Welfare and Education is very important to carry the advantage of broadband services to the users particularly in rural areas.

The Government has assigned high priority to indigenous manufacture of broadband related equipments and shall endeavour to work closely with the concerned ministries and manufacturers’ associations so that the equipments are made available at an affordable price.

Another milestone for KM reporting - Visa Agent involved in the case below is n Police Custody at Kanooor --KM Special watch this space.