While Shezad Saleem won a studio apartment and Sunil Kumar T Vayaleri won a Bentley GT V8 coupé luxury sports car.

In total, 54 lucky customers won prizes worth a total of Dh3.1 million, during the special introductory offer period that covered the first quarter of this year, including three weekly cash prizes of Dh 25,000 each and 12 gold coins.

“Emirates Islamic Bank’s Kunooz Value Plus Account provides customers with an exceptional way to plan for the future, while at the same time giving them various opportunities to win exciting prizes in a truly Sharia- compliant manner,” said Faisal Aqil, Deputy CEO-Consumer Wealth Management, Emirates Islamic Bank. “We have carefully put together a suite of exciting offers that cover most of the material comforts to which an individual aspires.”

The bank has decided to extend the programme for another quarter, with the next grand raffle draw to be held on 7th July 2013. It will also offer a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG luxury sports car and other exciting prizes.

According to the latest iteration of the Monster Employment Index, this double-digit drop for the month of April 2013, compared with the same month last year, comes on the back of a weak global economic situation.

“The double-digit drop in the Monster Employment index is reflective of the cautious approach adopted by Middle East employers owing to the business scenario globally. All major industry sectors across Middle East have shown a decline in hiring activity,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India/ Middle- East/ South East Asia).

Online opportunities in the region exceeded April 2012 levels in two of the 12 industry sectors monitored by the index. Education (up 12 per cent) led all sectors followed by Hospitality (up 4 per cent). Chemicals/ Plastic/ Rubber, Paints, Fertilizer/ Pesticides (down 32 per cent) registered the steepest annual decline.

As far as occupation year-over-year trends are concerned, the Monster Index highlights that one of 11 occupation groups registered improved online demand over the year. Hospitality and Travel (up 10 per cent) led all occupational groups in year-over-year growth whereas customer service (down 38 per cent) professionals registered the weakest long-term trend.

In the UAE, the Index recorded an annual 23 per cent annual decline. Engineering, Construction and Real Estate (up 0 per cent) is the only sector to have recorded non negative growth. Hospitality and Travel and Health Care (up 1 percent each) lead in annual growth amongst the occupation groups.  

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in Middle-East based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career websites and online job listings.

The Index shows that, even as the region suffered from a 26 per cent decline in online job opportunties on an annual basis (largely due to a 23 per cent decline in online job opportunities in the UAE and Kuwait),  Egypt (6 per cent), Bahrain (5 per cent), and Qatar and Oman at 4 per cent growth fared better. 
 

Thursday June 6 will be a paid official holiday for all workers of  private sector companies and enterprises nationwide to observe the anniversary of Isra Wal Miraj, according to a circular issued by Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour.

The resolution comes in pursuanceto the provisions of Article 74 of the Federal Law No.8 of 1980 concerning the regulation of labour relations and its amendments.

The Minister of Labour congratulated the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Members of Supreme Council, Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates on this occasion.

Ghobash also greeted the government and people of the UAE and residents on the occasion, wishing more progress and prosperity to Arab and Muslim nations.

A holiday has also been declared for public sectors employees. Ministries and other federal offices will be closed on June 6 and will reopen on June 9.

According to Hijri (Islamic) calendar, Israa wal Mairaj holiday is expected to fall on Thursday, June 6, 2013, just before the start of the weekend – Friday and Saturday. It means the weekend will extend to three days on June 6 (Thursday), June 7 (Friday) and June 8 (Saturday).

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SECOND ROUND WINNERS

The lucky winners of our second-round iPad Mini draw today are Nitish Reddy C and Gavin Walker.

Reddy is a 21-year-old Indian student from Sharjah. He was overjoyed and said: "I am so happy to get an iPad Mini. I have an iPhone 4S, but I always wanted an iPad."

Gavin Walker receives his Mini iPad from Emirates 24|7 Editor-in-Chief Riyad Mickdady

Walker is from South Africa and is a Managing Director for a Dubai-based consulting firm. He was ecstatic and said: "I am over the moon and I am happy that I am the chosen one. Emirates 24|7 is a great website."

Emirates 24|7 reader Nitish Reddy C recieves his iPad Mini

Reddy and Walker are the third and fourth winners of the Emirates 24|7 iPad Mini draw.

The first two winners were Vibha Bhatt and Abraham Cruz.

Congratulations to our winners so far, all of whom were picked at random by computer.

Those who have not won yet, don't lose heart. We still have one more iPad Mini to give away.
 

To recognize and reward its loyal community of readers, Emirates 24|7 is bringing yet another opportunity for its readers to win free iPad Minis from Apple Inc.

It’s SIMPLE. All you have to do is to:

a. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Twitter [http://twitter.com/Emirates247], and
b. Visit our Facebook Page [http://www.facebook.com/Emirates247] and click the ‘like’ us
button.
c. Fill in your contact details, and

Automatically you would have been entered into a draw for FREE for the brand new iPad Mini from Apple.

Facebook Entry Page

Twitter Entry Page

The winners are picked at random by a computer and will be notified by email or phone. Best of luck to all participants.

FIRST ROUND WINNERS

A Philippines and an Indian national have won the first of the several scheduled draws for Apple iPad Minis, offered for free by Emirates 24|7.

Emirates 24|7 reader Vibha Bhatt recieves her iPad mini from Managing Editor Eudore Chand

Twitter winner, Vibha Bhatt, an Indian working as a part-time accountant said, "Are you joking, when did this happen? I follow Emirates 24|7 first thing every day... You made my day. Thank you so much".

Emirates 24|7 reader Abraham Cruz recieves his iPad mini from Managing Editor Eudore Chand

Facebook winner, Abraham Cruz, a Pinoy working in Abu Dhabi as a senior design engineer, was more simple, but equally happy. "Is this real. I am very thankful."

The Authority informed government departments in the Emirate to collect old insurance cards from employees and their dependents to be replaced by the new insurance cards as of the beginning of next week. The new system will be effective from 1st of June and old insurance cards will be invalid after 31st of May 2013.

The announcement was made in a large-scale meeting held by the authority at the conference hall in the Cultural Palace on Sunday and attended by representatives of the Government of Sharjah’s Department of Human Resources and Department of Finance as well as representatives of various government authorities and departments.

Sharjah Health Authority delivered a detailed presentation on the new insurance system, its goals, benefits, implementation mechanism, as well as the date of expiry of old health cards, the effectiveness of the new cards, and how to deliver the new cards to beneficiaries.

The presentation was delivered by Dr Abdelaziz Almeheiri, Director of the Health Regulatory Department at Sharjah Health Authority, and Amal Al Qatari, Director of the Health Insurance Department at Sharjah Health Authority and Mr Nabil Shanawani from Al Buhairah National Insurance Company.

SHA stressed that old insurance cards must not be used after their expiry on 31st of May 2013, as the cost of treatment would be charged to user. The authority clarified that the new insurance scheme provides the same treatment benefits to all Sharjah Government’s employees, both national and residents, but is different in treatment network as per grades. Inquiries from attendees regarding the new health insurance scheme were answered during the briefing.

Speaking on the occasion, Sharjah Health Authority Chairman, Abdulla Ali Al Mahyan, said: “The directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, are straightforward and clear, mandating the provision of a healthy environment to all the Emirate’s employees and their families as soon as possible. The aim of this is to boost employees’ sense of belonging within the workplace, stimulate them to exert greater efforts, and ensure that employees and their families have peace of mind. The new scheme, also, helps increase investment opportunities in the healthcare sector in the emirate of Sharjah.”

Dr Abdelaziz Almeheiri, Director of the Health Regulatory Department at Sharjah Health Authority, said: “We have discussed various aspects of the new health insurance scheme, which will be effective for employees of Sharjah Government’s departments and authorities as of June this year, with directors and employees of Sharjah Government. We briefed them on the benefits of the new service and noticed their eagerness to implement the new scheme which we expect to be hugely successful. We are ready to respond to any inquiries and positive suggestions”

Amal Al Qatari, Director of the Health Insurance Department at Sharjah Health Authority, said, “SHA is working determinedly to accelerate the implementation of the new insurance system to cover all beneficiaries in the emirate of Sharjah, after having completed implemented the unified scheme for Emirati employees and their families in a record time. We expect good response to this service which is in line with the high standards of Sharjah.”

Al Qatari clarified that the new health insurance system aims to provide equal benefits to all Government of Sharjah’s employees and their dependents, support the public and private health sector in the Emirate, and stimulate this sector to develop by listing most healthcare providers in the health insurance network.

The new scheme also encourages investment in healthcare sector in the Emirate by giving priority to Sharjah based healthcare providers when it comes to being listed in the healthcare network. The system aims also to develop a flexible and adaptable healthcare scheme that is in line with the Emirate’s future plans and to implement this scheme through a private health insurance to ensure consistency.”

The health insurance is valid for all beneficiaries of Sharjah Government employees, both nationals and residents. The insurance covers the Emirati employee, spouse and all children as per the family records (with the exception of married or employed adults). The health insurance also covers the retired employee and spouse, widow of a retired employee and all children as per the family record (with the exception of married or employed adults). For residents, the health insurance covers the male employee, wife and three children below 18 years, or the female employee only.

The unified scheme includes all the organisational grades of local employees as per the civil service law, with the same benefits and medical networks, regardless of their grades. The unified health insurance scheme for government national employees covers treatment of emergency cases all over the world. The number of beneficiaries is 25514 employees divided into four categories.

Designed exclusively for Burj Al Arab and engraved with the hotel's logo, the virtual concierge will be given to every guest when checking in.

The iPad's can be used to get information about the hotel's services, descriptions of restaurant and spa options and menus.

In a statement, Heinrich Morio, general manager, Burj Al Arab, said: "Our exclusive Burj Al Arab 24-carat gold iPads epitomise Jumeirah’s philosophy of 'stay different' and further enhance our guests' experience during their stay.

"We have also recently introduced iMacs inside all our suites to ensure that we offer thoroughly modern guest experiences and keep up with hospitality industry trends."

Amjad Ali, chief executive of Gold & Co London, added: "The Gold & Co. London 24-carat gold iPad is the ultimate in luxury accessories, hence we wanted it to be paired with Burj Al Arab, the world's most luxurious hotel. The symmetry is obvious, as both the gold iPad and the hotel are unique in terms of extraordinary quality and design."

The products will soon be available to buy at the hotel. Though 'Emirates 24|7' has no confirmation, but online reports suggest the iPads are 64GB models with 4G connectivity and will sold for Dh37,490.

Meanwhile, in October, under the Pinking Burj Al Arab campaign in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the hotel said it will launch and sell 24-K rose gold iPad created especially for the cause, which will be engraved pink ribbon and the hotel's logo.

The man said he had paid Dh2.5 to buy that sandwich but noticed that the amount of meat stuffed in it was too small.

“He said he had drawn the attention of the restaurant workers but that they did not listen to him,” the Arabic language daily Emarat Alyoum said.

“He then headed for the consumer protection division at the Ministry of Economy and filed a complaint. The division contacted the restaurant and warned it to make sure enough amount of meat is stuffed in sandwiches.”

(Home page image courtesy Shutterstock)

Amal Al Muaili, a school teacher, wrote: “The farewell moment which will likely happen to me within few weeks will be very much painful. We are nothing but passers-by in this life and would soon go, leaving behind our dreams and pains as memories. Oh my Lord, give us a good end.”

Amal was with four female colleagues in a school bus when it was involved in an accident in the central town of Shaqraa.

All her colleagues escaped with medium injuries, according to the Saudi Arabic language daily Alhayat.

Car stolen, but where is the baby….

A car thief in Saudi Arabia stalking a fresh victim waited for the man to go into a shop, jumped into his vehicle and drove away. The panicking owner phoned the police and told them his car is stolen with his 2-year old son in it.

The thief, who was arrested later, denied there was any baby in the car when he stole it near a shop in the central town of Kharj.

“Police noticed that the thief was not normal when he spoke to them as he could have been drunk, but he insisted there was no baby in the car when he stole it,” Sabq newspaper said, adding that police have mounted an extensive search for the baby.

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A 10-car pile up was reported heading towards the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Dubai Police also reported on a multiple-car pile-up heading into Abu Dhabi, tweeting: “An accident has been reported between several cars on Shiekh Zayed Road towards Abu Dhabi, near Jafza buildings.”

One motorist Nagham reported: “There are four accidents metres apart, Abu Dhabi bound. About a dozen cars involved, three cop cars and two ambulances on the scene. Drive safe people. Speeding is not worth it.”

DC added: “Accident on Sheikh Zayed Road heading towards Abu Dhabi at the Emarat gas station, Jebel Ali, 10 cars badly damaged.”

Another minor accident was also reported a little earlier on the highway stretch, with Anna Louise Roberts tweeting: “Heading to Abu Dhabi this morning? Grab a coffee for 20 minutes or another route. Sheikh Zayed Road from Jafza is pretty hectic with multiple accidents.”

Meanwhile, earlier this morning, a bus also reportedly broke down close to the Green Community roundabout, resulting in tailbacks as people attempted to exit the neighbourhood.

Praful Anchaliya added: “Experiencing the morning peak traffic for the first time in Dubai. Kudos to daily commuters.”

T G called for people to be more alert on the roads, syaing: “Drive safe people. Remember, speeding only looks good in the ‘Fast and Furious’ movies.”

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Check into Dubai's Burj Al Arab and get 24K gold iPad

The unnamed man, who was deceived six times in less than five months, had not known that the man who had contacted him many times was a Nigerian impostor before the thief and his accomplices were arrested by Dubai police and made to pay back all the funds they had extorted from him.

“He was deceived six times in less than five months by a Nigerian man and his female partner,” said Lt Colonel Salah bu Osaibi, head of the Economic Crimes Department.

“They made him pay a total Dh850,000 after telling him that he had won $1 million from a well-known soft drinks company in Dubai. Greediness sometimes blinds people.”

He said the man was in his home country last September when he was phoned by a man calling himself Frank saying that he had won the company’s annual prize.

He told him that he has to pay Dh50,000 for a clearance certificate and asked him to remit the sum to a bank account in some names, which he did.

In November, he was called again by another person and asked to pay Dh117,000 for the issuance of a certificate clearing him from money laundering charges, which he did.

In December, the man was phoned by another person and told that his prize was deposited in a Dutch bank but that he needs to pay Dh166,000 in tax, which he did.

In January, he was again told to pay the same sum as a fee for the beverage company’s lawyer, which he again did.

“The gang found this man an easy victim so they continued to deceive him and again called him and asked him to pay Dh117,000 as a remittance and tax fee, which he surprisingly did,” Osaibi said.

“But they did not stop at that. They again asked him to pay Dh244,000 and to head for the UAE to meet the company agent and the woman in charge of the prize. When he arrived here, a woman called him and asked him to pay Dh166,000 before he is awarded the prize. Only then, he realised he was a victim of a deception and embezzlement operation and decided to come to the police.”

Osaibi said police asked the man to go ahead with the plan and meet the couple in Dubai to pay them the last sum. “They agreed to meet at a hotel in Abu Hail area. When they arrived, police were waiting for them. They were made to write a letter pledging to return all the funds they had extorted from him.”