DUBAI // The Dubai Municipality will conduct a series of inspections to ensure the holy month passes without any problems.
Public health, safety and civic officers will scour Ramadan tents, eateries and the streets to try to keep people safe from harm and harassment, authorities said yesterday.
Municipal inspectors have been given special shifts for Ramadan so that checks can be conducted when the daily fast is broken each evening. They will operate three shifts with four inspectors, including at least two female officials, doing the rounds in each, said Mohammed Rafeeq of the Municipality's market management section. "Our inspectors would focus on mosques as many beggars wait outside them," he said. "We will also look at markets and community areas."
The section arrested nearly 500 street vendors, beggars and illegal car washers in May and those numbers are expected to go up during Ramadan, when beggars from both inside and outside the UAE target Dubai as they seek easy touches. The main areas of focus are expected to be public spots in Bur Dubai and Deira, Mr Rafeeq said.
Public health and safety officers also have been assigned to check on Ramadan tents, and fines would be slapped on people violating municipal regulations. Officers will be especially vigilant about tent operators having proper permits for shisha smoking after 57 people were killed in a wedding tent fire last year in Kuwait.
"We will intensify inspections in public areas with a focus on Ramadan tents," said Redha Salman, the director of the municipality's public health and safety department. "Tents serving shishas would be checked to see if they have the permit to allow smoking and are abiding by all the requirements."
Event companies and hotels violating Ramadan tent rules can be fined from Dh1,000 to Dh50,000. Cafeterias and restaurants, meanwhile, will face stringent inspections by food safety officers during the holy month as several cafeterias serve fried food in the open for people to break their fast in the evening. The municipality has warned that such food should be kept at the right temperature and should be covered well to avoid contamination.
Ahmad Abdul Rahman al Ali, the head of the food inspection section, said hot food must be preserved at temperatures of more than 65°C while cold products should be kept below 5°C.
Sweet shops that prepare special Ramadan dishes also will be checked for food safety.
Other preparations include sewage and waste treatment, where a plan is being formulated to handle increased demand during the month.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The specs
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Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km