BRIEFS FOR 9

1.

Surveillance cameras have been fitted to 6,500 taxis in Dubai to ensure drivers are complying with professional driving standards and moral attitudes.

More than half of the Roads and Transport Authority’s fleet of taxis have had the monitoring equipment installed to check up on the conduct of cabbies.

The step conforms to the RTA’s strategic goal of people happiness and smart city drive.

All 10,221 cabs will be fitted with cameras by the end of the year.

“The System aims to ensure the compliance of taxi drivers with the rules and principles of professional and moral conducts,” said Adel Shakri, director of transportation systems, at the RTA’s Public Transport Agency.

“It even motivates them to observe optimal attitudes towards users of the taxi service.

“The footage of these cameras can be retrieved in case of any offences reported during the taxi trips to eliminate any complaints from service beneficiaries.”

2.

Thousands of worshipers have broken their fasts in almost 150 tents set up across Sharjah since Ramadan began on Thursday.
Dozens of tents have been set-up in areas of close proximity to low-income families and workers to provide them with iftar meals throughout the holy month.

Some 60 tents have been erected in Sharjah city while the remaining ones were distributed between Al Dhaid, Al Batayeh, Al Madam, Kalba, Khor Fakkan, and Diba Al Huson.
Abdullah bin Khadem, executive director of Sharjah Charity International, said the charity provides meals for more than 32,000 people in Sharjah daily. He said the charity also distributed meals to more than 20,000 people across 60 countries through their international campaigns.
The charity will also be handing out clothes to low-income workers and families ahead of Eid Al Fitr.

3.

Thousands of women and children across Africa have been treated in mobile clinics and medical centres as the Sheikha Fatima Global Humanitarian Campaign intensifies its efforts for Ramadan.

Noura Al Suwaidi, director of the General Women’s Union, said the orders to double humanitarian efforts during Ramadan came from Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.

“The campaign has reached out to thousands of women and children through its services and attracted the finest doctors, who are providing the best diagnostic, treatment and preventive services, to ease the pain of needy patients and raise community awareness about major diseases and methods of treatment and prevention,” Ms Al Suwaidi said.

The campaigns are being carried out in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Zanzibar and are supervised by volunteer Emirati and international doctors.

4.

Emirates Red Crescent is distributing iftar and suhoor meals in the major areas, streets and hospitals in Hadramaut.

The charity's team began distributed ready meals to patients and their caregivers at Al Mukalla Motherhood and Childhood Hospital and the Ibn Sina Specialised Hospital last Friday, in a bid to ease their suffering.

Ahmed Al Neyadi, gead of the ERC Team, said the project was launched to coincide with Ramadan and makes up part of the organisation's overall relief efforts in Hadramaut. The project will continue throughout the holy month, he said.

Mr Al Neyadi thanked the young people of Yemen who are helping to run the project.

He said that the ERC will continue to support the the residents of Hadramaut throughout Ramadan by providing iftar meals and food parcels to families.