The UAE Public Prosecution (PP) explained today, through posts on its social media accounts, the penalties for collecting and processing personal data and information in contravention of laws.

According to Article 13 of the Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumors and Cybercrimes, “whoever uses information technology or any means of information technology to collect, archive or process personal information and data relating to Emiratis or residents of the UAE in contravention of the legislation in force in the State” shall be sentenced to detention and/or a fine ranging between AED50,000 and AED500,000.

This explanation is a part of the Public Prosecution’s continuous efforts to enhance legal culture among members of the community and increase their awareness about the latest legislations in the country.

Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited today the DP World Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Sheikh Hamdan praised the achievements of prominent companies and establishments in Dubai and their pioneering contributions to various sectors during his visit. As a result of the range of services and products offered by these establishments, the country has been able to rise in rankings across several global indices and cement its involvement in the global economy, he explained.

He was also briefed on the high-speed Hyperloop system and its logistics counterpart Cargospeed, developed by DP World in conjunction with Virgin Hyperloop; in addition to BoxBay, the new and intelligent High Bay Storage (HBS) system.

His Highness commended DP World and various national institutions for contributing to enhancing Dubai’s status as a global economic capital and a leading trade hub at the conclusion of the tour.

Newly-appointed Philippine Consul General in Dubai Renato N. Dueñas, Jr. met with His Excellency Rashid Abdulla Al Qaseer, Deputy Director of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (MoFAIC) – Dubai Office, today, officially accrediting him as the Philippines’ head of the mission in the United Arab Emirates’ most populous emirate.

MoFAIC Dubai Deputy Director Al Qaseer welcomed Mr. Dueñas’ appointment as the Philippine’s top diplomat in Dubai, and noted that the latter’s experience as deputy consul general in the emirate for four years prior to assuming this new post provides a unique advantage for both the Philippines and the UAE. Both officials also highlighted the very large number of Filipinos in the UAE, particularly Dubai, and took note of the many challenges everyone is presently facing due to the pandemic.

During the meeting, Consul General Dueñas took the opportunity to renew the Philippine Government’s commitment to pursuing greater cooperation with the UAE, particularly with the Emirate of Dubai, in all areas of mutual interest. He also expressed on behalf of the Philippine Government its gratitude to the host government for supporting the Filipino community in Dubai throughout the past two decades during which the population of Filipino workers in the emirate rose dramatically.

Speaking on his new role, Mr. Dueñas said, “I am extremely honored to be assuming post as consul general in the one of the most dynamic cities in the world and the second home of nearly half a million Filipinos. While the task is a daunting one, I am confident that, with the support of the host government and the Filipino community here, we can and will overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Rest assured, the Philippine consulate in Dubai will do its utmost in helping Filipinos continue to thrive in this part of the world.”

Consul General Dueñas is a seasoned career diplomat and has been in the Philippine foreign service corps for 23 years. He has served in the Philippine embassies in Egypt, Iran, and Libya. As the Philippine consul general in Dubai, he is responsible for promoting Philippine interests in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, including looking after the welfare of over 400,000 Filipinos living in the said parts of the UAE.

Mohammad Al Dahbashi, Managing Partner of ADG Legal, social media said that users are responsible for verifying information’s source and credibility before uploading it.

Netizens shall be cautious about the content they are about to post. The authorities urged online users in the UAE to stop spreading and sharing information from unaccredited sources. Even taking pictures of people without asking permission can face a fine of up to AED 500,000.  

Spreading content that contains blasphemy and defames religions can be fined AED 250,000 to AED 1 million with prison term. 

“The law is clear in stating that a person will be penalized when sharing any content that contains rumors, fake news, unofficial news or anything that disrupts national security,” said Al Dahbashi.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed that Dubai Metro has eliminated about one billion journeys on private vehicles from its launch date in Sept 2009 to the end of 2020.

He noted that the total cumulative benefits of the metro amounted to AED115 billion and that it had reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tons.

“RTA has launched numerous projects and initiatives to boost the public and sustainable transport to increase the proportion of journeys made by sustainable modes and walk from 30% in 2020 to more than 43% by 2030. Besides mass transit means comprising the metro, tram and buses, mobility systems include taxi e-hail service, smart car rental (shared transport) service, bus on demand service, bike and scooter rental services besides expanding the use of smart technologies. For instance, nol card can be used in paying for purchases made at 12,000 retail outlets besides entry of Dubai’s public parks and museums.”

Al Tayer made this statement in an address to the main session of the Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) under the headline: Sustainability in Mobility Projects. Attendees included Her Excellency Anne-Marie Edrak, Minister of Transport of France, and Dr. Marc Esposito, Professor at Harvard University. The session was moderated Sherine Metwally.

“The vision of our leader His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, aims to make the Dubai the best city for living and doing business in the world. On this ground, the Dubai Master Urban Plan 2040 was set and focused on serving the inhabitants and achieving sustainable urban development,” he remarked.

Al Tayer touched on a plethora of mega projects that had been accomplished by RTA in a record time without undermining quality and safety. “The portfolio of such projects is highlighted by the Dubai Metro, the longest driverless metro system in the whole world. The metro network, which spans 74 km, had been completed in just four years. The total length of the rail network is about 101 km. There is also the Dubai Water Canal Project, which was completed despite the associated complex challenges such as the route of the canal intersecting three main roads encompassing 28 traffic lanes in an area characterised by a complete infrastructure and a massive network of utility lines.

RTA also accomplished a host of vital projects during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic exceeding USD5.5 billion in value involving Route 2020 for expanding the Dubai Metro, Dubai Intelligent Traffic Systems Centre at Al Barsha, Al Shindagha Corridor including the Infinity Bridge, and Al Khawaneej Corridor,” he explained.

Al Tayer spoke about the key success factors in future mobility based on smart technologies.

“Our leaders had anticipated the future trends of digital transformation and artificial intelligence at an early stage. In 2013, the Smart Dubai initiative was rolled out and in 2016, Dubai Strategy for Self-Driving Transport was launched with the aim to transform 25 percent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into journeys on self-driving transport means by 2030,” he commented.

Al Tayer highlighted the key success factors for adopting public transport as a key service in towns as maintaining effective communication with clients to identify their needs, and benefiting from the expertise of metropolitan cities to start from where they have ended. They also include selecting the most appropriate work model for the city, ensuring the flexibility of policies to adapt to the fast-changing developments of transport means, and making savings to strike a balance between transport needs and sustainability, which will pave the way for achieving high living standards.

Anne-Marie Idrac, Minister of Transport of France, praised the infrastructure of Dubai which uses high technology in transport means such as the driverless Dubai Metro as well as trials in operating autonomous vehicles.

“Over the next few years, mobility is poised to experience rapid transformation likewise e-shopping. We will see growing numbers of autonomous vehicles and expansion in non-conventional mass transit means. Sustainability means eco-friendly mobility in which transit means are powered by electricity and clean power. It also involves the use of smart technologies in public transport means such as the metro and tram,” she added.

Dr. Marc Esposito, Professor at Harvard University, said, “The UAE has gone far and wide in technological transformation in all fields. the country has a clear vision in this regard that merits it to play a key role in the future

It will be the world’s tallest commercial tower when completed. The facade of Dubai’s Uptown Tower is now 90% complete.

Last week, the Tower reached a height of 329 meters, according to the DMCC.

The 78-story architectural marvel, which will be located in the Burj 2020 District, is expected to be the world’s tallest commercial tower.

.@DMCCAuthority announces that the centrepiece of the Uptown Dubai District, Uptown Tower, has topped out at 329 metres last week. This architectural masterpiece is already making its mark on the Dubai skyline with façade works 90% complete. pic.twitter.com/z462Fr67hX

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 26, 2022

Netizens shall be cautious about the content they are about to post. The authorities urged online users in the UAE to stop spreading and sharing information from unaccredited sources. Even taking pictures of people without asking permission can face a fine of up to AED 500,000.  

According to Mohammad Al Dahbashi, Managing Partner of ADG Legal, social media users are responsible for verifying information’s source and credibility before uploading it.

“The law is clear in stating that a person will be penalized when sharing any content that contains rumors, fake news, unofficial news or anything that disrupts national security,” said Al Dahbashi.

Here are the full list of penalties and fines for committing social media violations

Emirates 2022 World Stamp Exhibition, the first international philatelic exhibition in the region, ended with great success on Sunday, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

Coinciding with Expo 2020 Dubai, the event featured more than 175 exhibits from 27 countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Oceania.

The international event was a major step towards increasing positive collaborations and celebrating the richness of culture and traditions. It highlighted the significance of postage stamps in human history, with a majority of visitors being philatelists or numismatists.

The 175 framed exhibits competed for best in class within ten categories. A panel comprising of 20 judges evaluated the exhibits based on factors such as the rarity of the exhibit, how the featured items were presented and the way the stamps within their collection were described. Five exhibits were awarded with Large Gold medals and seventeen exhibits were awarded Gold medals. Twenty large vermeil and twenty-three vermeil, seventeen large silver, eleven silver, and eleven bronze.

Two special awards were also presented for the best overall GCC exhibit and best overall International exhibit. The GCC award was coveted by Thomas Johansen, a resident of the UAE for his “Muscat 1864 to1948” exhibit and Vit Vanicek from the Czech Republic was awarded the best international award for his “Postal History of Czech Lands (From the Beginning until 1867)” exhibit.

The event, which began on 19th January, also featured insightful seminars by field experts. Two philatelic seminars were held on the fourth day, with Charles J. G. Verge, board member of the Canadian Philatelic Society, lead the first session on ‘Treatment, Scope, and Development,’ followed by Colin Fraser, Partner Frasers, who talked about ‘Importance & Rarity’ during the second session.

Abdulla Mohammed Alashram, Group CEO of Emirates Post Group, said, “The response towards the exhibition, which was held in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai, has been extremely positive and further enhances the UAE’s position as a hub of cultural exchange and a celebration of the nation’s rich heritage and cultural richness.”