News in brief: 22/09

School opens three weeks late
Sharjah: The Sharjah International Private School (SIS) has begun its academic year three weeks later than the due date due to a power shortage, an Arabic newspaper reported.

Parents were left wondering how the school was granted permission to operate without abiding by safety rules and adhering to the education process in general.
The angry parents complained about the bus fees that they had already paid to cover that period.

UAE sends aid for Cairo rock slide victims
Cairo: Relief aid is being sent by the UAE for the victims of the rock slide in Cairo, Egypt, an Arabic newspaper reported.

The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA), in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Cairo, sent food aid to 500 families affected by the rock slide as part of the UAE?s humanitarian aid thrust.

Polygamy charge against housewife
Dubai: An Emirati housewife (of Indian origin) and a Pakistani electrician have been charged with polygamy and forging their marriage contract, reported Gulf News.
Under Sharia law, a woman cannot have two husbands at one time.

According to records, the 35-year-old woman left her Emirati husband's house here and eloped with the 42-year-old Pakistani to his home country where they claimed she was unmarried and entered into a marriage contract.

The Public Prosecution charged the housewife, M.N., and the electrician, S.D., with committing polygamy and forging their marriage contract by falsely claiming to the Pakistani authorities that M.N. was a virgin and had never been married.

They were additionally charged with committing adultery.
Public Prosecution records said the suspects reportedly forged the marriage contract so they could have it approved by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The woman's Emirati husband, H.G., testified: "We married in 1985 and have children. The youngest child is 17... she stayed with the children at my house in Dubai until she left two or three years ago. She used to come and take the children out occasionally."

M.N.'s 17-year-old son claimed he once saw the electrician following their car when they were in Bur Dubai.

M.N.'s 21-year-old daughter testified: "I didn't know anything about the situation... but four years ago I saw S.D. driving behind us.

"He also came to our house three times and asked us to hand M.N. over to him. He claimed she was his wife."

The housewife denied all the charges when she appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The electrician also pleaded not guilty. The court will reconvene to proceed with the case.

No respite for motorists who fail to pay fines
Dubai: Dubai Police?s Traffic Department will start pursuing motorists who have failed to pay their fines for traffic violations, right to their homes or even workplaces to make them pay, an official announced, reported Gulf News.

Lieutenant Colonel Saif Muhairi Al Mazroui, Deputy Director of the Dubai Police General Department of Traffic, said traffic police will locate the violating driver and hand him a list of offences and pending fines.

The person will be given one month?s time to pay up, said Al Mazroui, adding that if the motorist fails to pay during this period, his vehicle will be impounded.

He added that the traffic department has coordinated with a number of government departments to prevent the violators from having any transactions with those departments. This move comes as a result of the total fines for this year?s traffic violations touching Dh390 million.

Furthermore, the violators? residence visas, trade licences and vehicle registration will not be renewed until they pay their dues. Besides the insurance companies will hike the insurance premiums for motorists who have a high rate of violations.

The RTA and the Traffic Department are planning to sign an agreement with insurance companies and other local government departments to stop motorists from business transactions until a good traffic conduct certificate is obtained, showing his record since he secured a driving licence, Al Mazroui said.

Customer protection intensifies inspections before Eid Sharjah: The Consumer Protection Department launched an inspection campaign yesterday to control prices and quality of commodities for Eid, Al Bayan reported.

Fahad Suhail, the Department Director, directed section heads to submit daily reports that include price information from areas such as Al Rolla, Al Ghuwair and the Central Souq, in addition to confiscating harmful toys.

Expired tea seized
Dibba-Fujairah: Health authorities have seized large quantities of expired tea bags at a number of grocery stores here, Al Khaleej reported.

Engineer Hassan Al Yamahi, Acting Director of Dibba-Fujairah Municipality, said inspection teams noticed the item on shelves with a note on the side of the box mentioning ?Not for Sale?.
The inspectors seized the tea and referred it to a laboratory where tests proved the tea bags had expired and were unfit for human consumption.

Contaminated water in Sharjah schools
Sharjah: Contaminated water was supplied to a number of schools in Sharjah, school directors complained to Al Khaleej newspaper.

More than ten schools in Sharjah were supplied with contaminated water despite the schools? efforts to hire specialised companies for water sterilisation.

Old water pipes that haven?t been checked or replaced since installation were cited as the reason behind the contamination.