Obama girls get dating advice from their watchful dad

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama says he's not worried about his daughters starting to date. After all, he's got some help keeping an eye on them.

Malia, age 15, and Sasha, age 12, are "very sensible," Obama told comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey in a television interview that aired on Friday.

"And the second thing is, I've got men with guns following them around all the time," Obama quipped, referring to the Secret Service detail that is a constant presence around his family.

"This is the main reason I ran for re-election," he joked in the light-hearted interview taped at the White House. "You know I'm going to have them covered for most of high school." Obama and his family left for a two-week holiday in Hawaii on Friday.

He and his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, have worked hard to keep their daughters out of the public eye as much as possible during his presidency.

"They're doing great, but they grow up so fast," Obama said in the interview.

Obama said he worries about "getting in the way of the girls just having a normal life" and said he has taught them to make good decisions about relationships.

"What I've told them before is, as long as that young man is showing you respect, and is kind to you, then I'm not going to be hovering over every second," he said.

"I think it's intimidating enough to be asking out the daughter of the president without me adding to that intimidation factor," he said.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Walsh)

New Year's Day holiday for UAE

New Year's Day has been declared a holiday for UAE residents.

Both public and private sector employees will be off on Wednesday, January 1, 2014 to mark the start of the new year, according to official news agency WAM

Meanwhile, Emirates 24/7 has published a list of all public holidays for next year. According to the website, goverment sector employees will likely enjoy 13 public holidays in 2014, while private sector employees will have 10 days off.

RELATED: How to spend New Year's Eve in Dubai

Here's a look at the list:

Occasion	Date	Day	Duration (No. of Days)
New Year’s Day	Jan 1	Wednesday	1
Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday* (PBUH)	Jan 13	Monday	1
Israa & Miaraj Night*	May 26	Monday	1
Beginning of Ramadan*	Jun 28	Saturday	0
Eid Al Fitr*	Jul 28	Mon/Tue/Wed	3
Arafat (Haj) Day*	Oct 3	Friday	1
Eid Al Adha*	Oct 4	Sat/Sun/Mon	3
Hijri New Year’s Day*	Oct 25	Saturday	1
UAE National Day	Dec 2	Tue/Wed	2

Prince Mishaal named new Makkah governor

Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who was hitherto governor of the Makkah region, has been appointed minister of education, replacing Prince Faisal bin Abdullah. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, who was the governor of Najran, will take charge as the new Makkah governor.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made the new appointments by issuing a Royal Decree, which said Prince Faisal bin Abdullah was relieved of his position as education minister upon his request.

Prince Khaled, the third son of the late King Faisal, has previously worked as the governor of the Asir region from 1971 to 2007 and at the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Arab Gulf soccer championship was his brainchild. Since 2007 he has been the governor of Makkah.

Prince Khaled is a member of the Allegiance Council, representing his father. He has been widely regarded by Saudis as a good administrator who has been doing his work with clarity and determination.

He was the chairman of a ministerial committee that was set up to find out the culprits behind 2009 Jeddah floods. He supervised a large number of giant projects that were carried out during the past three years to prevent flooding in Jeddah. He has won the applause of Jeddawis for spurring the city’s development.

Prince Mishaal is the sixth son of King Abdullah. He was appointed governor of Najran in March 2009. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science from King Saud University in Riyadh, he pursued his higher education in the UK. He has worked as head of the computer department at the National Guard from 1997 to 2003. He was later appointed minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry where he worked until 2006. He has also worked as an adviser at the Royal Court.

Dubai government employees get 100% salary hike

By Samreen Hayat | The 971 Report 

Dubai government has increased the salaries of public sector employees by up to 100%, it announced on Tuesday. 

Under a 'nature of work allowance', employees of 32 government departments will receive salary hikes between 30-100%, depending on their current role.

Salaries for doctors, financial controllers and auditors will be doubled provided the increase does not exceed AED 25,000 per month. 

Engineers, legal advisors, financial planners, investment managers, Ruler’s Court employees, internal auditors, university teachers and specialised Human Resources and Information Technology employees will be receive a 50% increase of up to AED10,000 per month.  Night shift employees are eligible to a 25% increase.

The increase takes effect in December and will be paid retroactively to June 2013. 

"The allowance aims at empowering government departments to boost their capability to attract specialised and outstanding human resources, and retain them," state news agency WAM said in a statement. 

Al Habtoor says eyeing Dubai Expo 2020 projects

Dubai conglomerate Al Habtoor Group is the latest developer to make public interest in projects around Expo 2020 with CEO Mohammed Al Habtoor saying it would look at development deals.

Al Habtoor, who is also vice-chairman of the group, said after the opening of the Waldorf Astoria Dubai on the Palm Jumeirah next week, it had three hotels under construction in Dubai – St Regis, W and Westin – which were expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

He said after that, it would look at opportunities around Expo2020.

“We are building another 1,600 rooms on Sheikh Zayed Road, which is there in the heart of Dubai, so I think that also will help for the growth,” he said.

“2020, that’s five years later, so between 2015 and 2020 we might have some agreement with the government to build more.”

Al Habtoor suggested development opportunities could be “around the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens”.

The gardens, which will form part of the mammoth Mohammed bin Rashid City project, were first announced in 2008 as a $54.4bn parks project stretching 82 sqkm and to be developed by Dubai Properties.

Located between Al Khail Road and Emirates Road, the idea was for a community of 250,000 people with almost three quarters of the total area - roughly 60 sqkm  - dedicated to green space.

“They will require also some development there,” Al Habtoor said of that area. “We might agree on something, but so far we’re concentrating on what we have.”

Emaar Properties last week said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai World Central to develop an integrated urban centre and golf destination at the home of the Expo 2020 site.

The project is the first of the key infrastructure development projects to be announced following the UAE's winning of the World Expo 2020 hosting bid.

The development will be spread over an area of 13.63 sqm with the first phase of the project to include a golf-course villa community, several hotels, a high-end shopping mall, leisure attractions, and a business hub that promotes youth entrepreneurship.

By Beatrice Thomas

Dubai Silicon Oasis The First Free Zone To Offer Free Wi-Fi Throughout Hi-tech Park

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EmiratesWi-Fi for the implementation of wireless internet throughout the integrated free zone technology park.

The move marks the free zone's first step towards turning Dubai Silicon Oasis into a smart city in accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As a key player in realizing the leadership's vision of shaping Dubai into a smart city, DSO is working towards integrating best innovative solutions that facilitate the transformation.

The agreement was signed at the DSO headquarters by Eng. Muammar Al Katheeri, Executive Vice-President of Engineering Management at DSOA, and Eng. Maher Al Zarooni, Chief Executive Officer, EmiratesWifi.

Under DSOA's agreement with EmiratesWifi, the project will be implemented in two phases. Phase one will ensure the deployment in the commercial buildings, facilities and headquarters of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority by January 2014. Following the completion of the second phase in Q2 2014, DSO will become the first free zone in Dubai to deploy 24/7 free wireless internet throughout the 7.2 square kilometers technology park.

The MoU mandates EmiratesWifi to install, commission, and maintain the wireless infrastructure and access points, as well as provide support with software solutions for control over the bandwidth of the service that will cover all public areas in Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Eng. Muammar Al Katheeri, Executive Vice-President of Engineering Management at DSOA, said: 'It is essential that a free zone such as Dubai Silicon Oasis plays a leading role in contributing towards the vision of our leadership. DSO's state-of-the-art infrastructure offers an advantage that facilitates such integration. We are confident that EmiratesWifi will deliver the best technology solutions within the agreed timeline.'

Eng. Maher Al Zarooni said: 'We are happy to have been chosen by Dubai Silicon Oasis for this deployment. We are confident that DSO will benefit from our innovative solutions and the level of our service that will remain scalable to keep up with sophisticated technological advances and network expansion as required.'

A wholly-owned entity of the Dubai government, Dubai Silicon Oasis operates as a free zone technology park for the semiconductor, microelectronic and other high technology-based companies looking to set up their regional headquarters, as well as research and development facilities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

[Wired by: DubaiCityGuide.com - A Cyber Gear Company]

Dubai prosecutions office sealed off after bomb threat

By Samreen Hayat | The 971 Report 

Police have evacuated the Dubai Prosecutions building after an apparent suicide bomb threat, Abu Dhabi newspaper The National reported on Sunday.

A female visitor from Uzbekistan in her 30s entered the building accompanied by a young child and made the threat.

The woman is claiming to have strapped on an explosives-laden belt and is demanding to speak to a high-ranking official, the report said.

"Dubai Police are negotiating with an Uzbek woman threatening to blow herself up at Dubai Public Prosecution," officials said in a statement.

The incident was due to the woman’s personal dispute over her 6-year-old child's parental rights.

The building and the surrounding area in Bur Dubai was immediately evacuated to ensure the safety of all, police said.

Authorities are working closely to end the dispute peacefully.

"The woman had requested the attendance of her lawyer in an indication that the situation will end soon.

A team of negotiators from Dubai Police is currently in communication with the woman to look into her demand and end this incident peacefully," the statement said. 

Gulf News reported that Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Acting Chief of Dubai Police, is leading the team of negotiators, attempting to calm her down.

The woman is reportedly demanding the release of her husband from jail, and also wants to prove the fatherhood of her child, Gulf News said

Prosecution sources told The National the woman was a frequent visitor to the premises, adding that her husband was believed to be in custody.

Dubai takes care of a tortured 3-year-old Pakistani girl

By: Yasmine Hamdy

A 3-year-old Pakistani girl has been sent to hospital in Dubai suffering from swollen lips, burns, head bruises and fractured chest rib.

The police suspected that the girl is tortured by her parents as the sutures on the girl’s lips were found cut although her mother was staying beside her.

The parents claimed that the main cause of their daughter’s injuries was because she fell down several times, yet the 4 four years old sister revealed the truth as she told the police that her parents constantly beat her little sister at home with shoes and belts.

The sister’s notes pushed the police send the little girl to a Woman and Child Care Centre in the emirate to save her life.

FIFA Under-17 World Cup: UAE face Brazil in group stage

By Sports 360

The UAE have been handed a tough task to progress to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup knockout stage after the tournament hosts were drawn alongside three-time champions Brazil, Honduras and Slovakia in Group A. 

The Whites are in good form heading into the World Cup but will need to be at their best in October, with Brazil the predominant force at Under-17 level, while Slovakia are the fourth ranked side in Europe.

Honduras are a side the Whites will look to overcome in the first game of the competition on October 17, with the central Americans losing all six of their games at this level in 2007 and 2009.

The Brazilians are currently the FIFA U17 World Cup record holders in terms of goals (142), games (65) and wins (40). But senior national team coach Mahdi Ali thinks the collision will only help the team, regardless of the score.

"It's not easy to evaluate the team until we see them but this competition is very important," said Ali. "We can see new players, they can gain experience for the future from all the teams, especially Brazil.

"We are planning for this team to one day go to the first team because we planning for generation after generation. It is good to play against Brazil and to play the best 24 teams, this will only help them.

"I think it is a good chance for the UAE to play Brazil and gain this experience," added Ali. "I think sometimes when you have a strong team in your group that means it's good for you and the group.

"It's a great opportunity."

Mahdi compared the Under-17's draw to that of his Olympic squad, and the UAE senior coach believes the youngsters can take inspiration from his team's showing in London last year. 

"When we got the draw for London 2012 against Uruguay, Team GB, and Senegal, everyone was afraid," he explained. "But I was very happy to play the big teams to gain experience and to show the whole world that the UAE have a good team and good players and that they love playing football."

The Samba Boys won the competition three times in four years between 1997 and 2003 with stars such as Ronaldinho making their names.

Gustavo Pires, Brazilian team administrator, admitted his boys know very little about the challenge that the UAE pose but insists that they will be a threat.

"It's always hard to play against the home team," said Pires. "We are sure they will have a big crowd getting behind the team. We are expecting a hard game against the Emirates in the group stage.

"We don't know very much about the UAE at the moment but we are going start looking for information to get to watch some of their games an get prepared to play against them." 

The UAE have previous against other Group A rivals Slovakia after beating the Europeans 3-1 in a friendly game in Istanbul on August 5 with Khaled Khalfan and Zayed Al Amri doing the damage for the Whites.

While the UAE will take heart from the result going into the game on October 23, Slovakia team manager Vailing David insists the game will have no bearing come World Cup time, claiming they know the UAE well enough to beat them.

"Our knowledge is just from this month because of our international friendly match in Istanbul between these teams," David told Sport360.

"We lost the game but we led in the first half and we think this is a good opponent for us, we know how they play and their players. We will be really well prepared for this match."

The tournament will begin on October 17 with the UAE taking on Honduras in Abu Dhabi.

FULL DRAW FOR FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE

Group A 

17 October UAE v Honduras - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

20 October UAE v Brazil - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

23 October UAE v Slovakia - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

17 October Brazil v Slovakia - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

20 October Slovakia v Honduras - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

23 October Honduras v Brazil - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

Group B 

17 October Uruguay v New Zealand - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

17 October Ivory Coast v Italy - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

20 October Uruguay v Ivory Coast - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

20 October Italy v New Zealand - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

23 October New Zealand v Ivory Coast - Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

23 October Italy v Uruguay - Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah

Group C 

17 October Croatia v Morocco - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

17 October Panama v Uzbekistan - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

20 October Croatia v Panama - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

20 October Uzbekistan v Morocco - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

23 October Uzbekistan v Croatia - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

23 October Morocco v Panama-  Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Group D 

17 October Tunisia v Venezuala - Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

17 October Russia v Japan - Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

20 October Tunisia v Russia - Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

20 October Japan v Venezuala - Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

23 October Venezuala v Russia - Fujairah Club Stadium, Fujairah

23 October Japan v Tunisia - Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah

Group E

19 October Canada v Austria - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

19 October Iran v Argentina - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

22 October Canada v Iran - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

22 October Argentina v Austria - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

25 October Argentina v Canada - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

25 October Austria v Iran - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

Group F 

19 October Mexico v Nigeria - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

19 October Iraq v Sweden - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

22 October Sweden v Iraq - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

22 October Sweden v Nigeria - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

25 October Nigeria v Iraq - Al Rashid Stadium, Dubai

25 October Sweden v Mexico - Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain

How often do single men wash bed sheets?

By Yahoo News

Single men only wash their bed sheets four times a year, study says

If you’re a single man, you may go to bed with a clear conscience but you rarely sleep on clean sheets. At least, that’s according to a new study, which found that single men on average only clean their bed sheets four times a year.

In comparison, single women change their bed sheets every two weeks.

And while cleanliness numbers surge for married couples, it appears the credit for the median boost for guys primarily belongs to women. In fact, it may be the men who are dragging the women down, as the average washing frequency amongst couples is once every 2.3 weeks, with women doing 81 percent of the washing.

And as “How Stuff Works” points out, the average person spends about a third of their entire life in bed. In other words, the old saying, “ As you make your bed, so you must lie on it,” may have more meaning than originally intended.

But are these single men literally sleeping in beds of filth? Or, are the women perhaps overdoing it a bit? Turns out, it mostly depends on your own standards of cleanliness.

For example, Martha Stewart recommends washing the sheets weekly, but notes that itultimately is an issue of personal preference. The Wall Street Journal also says that weekly washes are the norm but that many other go several weeks between cleanings.

For people with asthma or other allergies, clean bed sheets are more of a priority. That’s because sheets, and mattresses and pillowcases in particular, are excellent at accumulating dust and microorganisms that can disrupt otherwise healthy breathing patterns.

In that case, many experts recommend laying plastic covers on top of mattresses and even pillows in order to keep those microorganisms from making a home inside the mattress or pillow padding.

"The conventional idea is that you might exacerbate eczema, hayfever or asthma at night, but all of these ideas are more based on conventional wisdom, not necessarily founded in experience," Euan Tovey, head of the Allergen Research Group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research told MSN.

"We've done research that showed that you don't get as much exposure to dust mites in bed as we once thought. Anywhere where there is dust and movement you are going to get exposure –– it's not confined to bed," he added.

According to the survey, people between the ages of 35 and 50 are the most likely to wash their bed sheets each week.

So, as Tovey said, health concerns might not be a major issues for younger sleepers. But it certainly could be an aesthetic one for younger men hoping to forge meaningful romantic relationships.

"Would you want to be invited into a bed of somebody who hadn't washed it for months?" Tovey said.

UAE gets tough on smoking in cars

By Samreen Hayat | The 971 Report

The UAE is cracking down on smoking motorists, with increased fines for throwing cigarette butts out of cars and a ban on smoking when children are present in vehicles.

Under a new anti-smoking federal law in the UAE, drivers will be fined AED 500 and will be given four black points if they throw lit cigarettes out of the car, Emirates 24/7 reported citing Dubai Traffic Police's Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen.

According to the report, some motorists have already been fined for the offences.

Additionally, smoking in cars when children under the age of 12 are present has been banned.

“Parents and relatives who smoke inside cars are perpetrating a crime against their children and this has prompted us to issue tough laws in this respect," Zafeen said.

The move is part of the tough anti-smoking federal law which aims to reduce smoking among youth.

The law also bans any tobacco product advertising and imports of tobacco products that do not mean the UAE's technical standards. 

According to an Abu Dhabi study, 28% of children 15 and younger smoke.

Islamic smartphone ready for launch

By RIYADH: SHAHZEEN ERAM | Arab News 

The soon-to-be-launched “Peace Mobile,” an Islamic smartphone, is a useful media gadget that reconciles Qur’an with modern science.

The smartphone was invented by Dr. Zakir Naik, an internationally renowned public speaker on Islam and comparative religion, and is ready to be launched internationally in the last week of Ramadan.

Demand for the Islamic handset is scaling among Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of people have already ordered the gadget online, while hundreds are talking about it on various media platforms.

A breakthrough technological initiative by Naik, founder and president of the IRF (Islamic Research Foundation), the phone will facilitate the implementation of Islamic ethos in daily life. Peace Mobile is completely customized with authentic Islamic apps and software and helps practicing Muslims stay connected with the Islamic world.

Naik was in Riyadh recently speaking at a Ramadan forum organized by the IICC (India Islamic Cultural Center), where he urged knowledge and unity.

The Islamic scholar has always stressed the need for both religious education and modern education, considering both as essential.

The Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) is a nonprofit organization that owns the Peace TV channel, a major Islamic satellite television network that recently exceeded a record global viewership of 200 million.

Featuring over 80 hours of Naik’s videos, 50 Islamic applications, hundreds of Islamic wallpaper and 200 Islamic ringtones, the phone contains numerous books on Islam and comparative religion written by Naik, apart from other Islamic programs. Okasha Mujahid, international business manager at Darussalam, a Riyadh-based Islamic publishing house, welcomed the smartphone and said, “Darussalam has earnestly worked to spread the word of Islam through its publications. Peace Mobile can help become an extension for this.”

“People will be able to experience the difference, as communicating through technology will make life easy and convenient par excellence while fostering an intimate relationship with the Creator,” read an official statement by the IRF.

Competing with the most prominent of smartphones, Peace Mobile is equipped with advanced specifications in a stylish design, including a 4.6-inch screen, capacitive multi-touchscreen tablet, a dual 32-GB SD SIM card and 4-GB internal memory dual core processor, 5-megapixel auto-focus camera, in addition to Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 OS, upgradeable to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.

The IRF has officially announced that the dispatch of the mobile phones will start by the last week of Ramadan. The handsets will be available worldwide from UAE through online purchase and delivery will be completed via DHL or FedEx. The handset is priced at $240, equivalent to SR901 and AED882.