ABU DHABI // The Emirates Identity Authority has opened a new national ID card registration centre in Al Ain and plans to have another operating in Abu Dhabi by the end of the month. A large registration centre in Musaffah will replace two of the current registration centres in the city, with the centre at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre remaining open for the time being. Dr Ali al Khouri, the deputy chairman of the authority's higher management committee, said the layout of the previous office was confusing, "making people go into a weird process".
"The layout we had previously required two or three offices," he said. "With the new process, each office functions as a single registration unit, which is faster by 70 per cent." The open-plan design is intended to improve the flow of people, and give them an overview of the registration process before they begin. "We want to be very transparent. Nobody is going to be favoured over another." The rest of the emirate's registration centres will adopt the new layout by the end of next year.
On May 2, the authority announced that ID cards would be mandatory for drivers applying for a licence or registering a vehicle. However, just a week later, after registration centres were overwhelmed by a rush of applicants, that decision was reversed. Since then, the authority has introduced 23 typing centres - six of which opened for the first time yesterday - with trained staff to help people complete their application forms and scan their passports.
The typing centres also arrange appointments at the registration centre for fingerprints to be scanned and photographs taken. Applicants are sent their appointment times by text message. They were intended to shift some of the work of the registration centres, to improve waiting times, Mr al Khouri said. The authority hopes that by the end of the year it will be registering about 8,000 applicants a day. Currently it can handle about 5,000.
@Email:mdetrie@thenational.ae
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How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
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The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
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