DUBAI // Sunken ships at the bottom of Dubai Creek that are estimated to weigh hundreds of tonnes are wreaking havoc on the marine environment.
Today, Dubai Police will deploy 40 divers to locate the ships and other debris left by negligent ship and boat owners and use sea cranes to retrieve any wrecks.
The dive is part of Dubai Municipality's three-day Marasina Campaign, a joint effort by police, Dubai Customs, the private sector and thousands of volunteers, who will clean the city's beaches and creek.
Now in its sixth year, the campaign targets students and the shipping industry, whether they be sailors, fishermen, boat owners or oil tanker operators, to raise awareness on the dangers of marine pollution.
Last year, almost 50 tonnes of waste were collected by 1,500 volunteers.
Captain Yahya Hussain Mohammed, the head of sea rescue at Dubai Police, said additional Civil Defence divers from the fire and rescue department would support the municipality and the shipping repair yard Jadaf Dubai by working to identify wrecks from 9am to 12pm.
"It's obvious there are big spots in the creek full of old debris from boats and other equipment, some of which can amount to more than six tonnes," said Capt Mohammed.
He stressed that factories around the coastal areas should contact the police or municipality if they were unsure about their waste, because "they are not allowed to dump and there are penalties".
The director general of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, said the sea constituted an integral environmental system and pollution brought by ships could have a devastating effect on the marine ecology.
The municipality will also look at enforcing stricter penalties for littering or other types of marine damage as a result of human behaviour.
"We have laws and regulations and monitoring teams. When we gather under one umbrella, like today, it's to bring together one message and that is: everyone is responsible," Mr Lootah said. "Sometimes we have to put in place stricter regulations because if you embark on campaigns, use media and other tools, [sometimes] people do not listen.
Then you are forced to go for certain punishments."
Overfishing and exploitation of aquatic life also had a significant impact on the marine environment, according to the director of the environment department at Dubai Municipality, Hamdan Al Shaer.
"We want to educate people on the historical importance of the marine environment and how it should be sustained," said Mr Al Shaer. "It's a source of life and threats from oil spills, for example, affect fish and recreational activities."
melshoush@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
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General Intelligence Directorate
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Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
What are the main cyber security threats?
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Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
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Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
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