Full coverage: Middle East

27.10.2005 Workers having problems with their employers will soon be able to complain to Dubai Police any time of the day or night by calling the 24-hour hotline number at Dubai Police Operations Room.

24.10.2005 Beginning next year, the Ministry of Interior, UAE will start issuing electronic passports — a move that is the first of its kind in the region.

20.10.2005 After the overwhelming success of the eGate project in Dubai facilitating smooth processing of travel formalities besides ensuring tighter security control, the Minister of Interior, Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan has directed that the project be implemented at all the airports and ports in the country.

18.10.2005 Armed with the new Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) advanced system, Sharjah Municipality inspectors are all set to conduct their examinations of various outlets selling food including supermarkets, restaurants and groceries to safeguard the health of consumers.

17.10.2005 eCompany, Etisalat's one-stop e-powerhouse business unit in the UAE, provides internet services and ICT solutions, has announced the launch of new foreign language courses on its eLearning portal, in partnership with Image Systems, a technology provider in the Gulf.

14.10.2005 The Department of Naturalisation and Residence in Abu Dhabi will soon launch a new service whereby members of the public can apply for visas online.

11.10.2005 The United Arab Emirates's (UAE) high-tech sector got a boost last month with the creation of a multi-million dollar fund for information and communication technology (ICT) development.

10.10.2005 Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Dubai set to go into an electronic mode.Labour cards can be collected from special electronic machines by just giving the relevant numbers. PRO cards will also be issued electronically and digital signatures will replace manual signatures of owners of companies.

06.10.2005 Some of the best practices from libraries worldwide serving as public access points to networked information will be presented at “Libraries – the Information Society in Action”, a conference organised by IFLA with UNESCO’s support in Alexandria, Egypt, from 10 to 11 November 2005.

05.10.2005 The Civil Engineering Department (CED) of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) has launched ePermit, an innovative application that provides online access to Engineering Consultants to the Building Permit process.

03.10.2005 Plans are underway to use eDirhams for all postal transactions at UAE post offices in near future. Khalid Al Jawhary, Director of Revenue Department, Ministry of Finance and Industry in Dubai, Al Shaya announced all main post offices in the UAE will offer the facility of sale and re-charge of eDirham cards, following an agreement between Emirates Post and Ministry of Finance.