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Published January 30th, 2012 – 10:37 GMTPress Release

Dubai eGovernment has recently signed an MoU with the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) to support government integration and digital transformation through electronic linkages in pursuit of its digital transformation towards an integrated knowledge-based society. 

The agreement was signed by H.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, and H.E. Dr. Eng. Ali Mohamed Al Khouri, Emirates ID Director General, at the Dubai eGovernment headquarters at HH Dubai Ruler’s Court. Under the terms of the agreement, Dubai eGovernment commits itself to introducing the required central applications for integrating with the infrastructure of the digital identity applications so as to optimize usage of the Population Register and complete the electronic linkage between EIDA and all Dubai government entities.

For its part, EIDA will provide the necessary technological applications to read the data stored in the ID card together with the infrastructure for the digital identity applications and unified identity management in order to verify the identity of clients. EIDA also plans to partner with Dubai eGovernment in developing the concept and general framework for the digital ID project at the Dubai Government level.

The two parties have agreed to employ all available resources to achieve the common strategic goals, particularly the improvement of operational performance, simplification of government procedures, development of services provided to customers, and the creation of effective communication channels to support government integration.

Ahmed Bin Humaidan was positive about the agreement signed with EIDA, and said: “The signing of this agreement is in line with our commitment to actively contribute to the objectives of government integration and the electronic transformation of government systems across Dubai. These aim to realize the vision and directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. We support the digital identity project in view of its positive impact on Dubai’s electronic transformation. We are committed, in the framework of our partnership with EIDA, to implement a series of relevant initiatives and joint ventures, including integrating infrastructure for the verification of the identity card and handling this system.” 

Meanwhile, Al Khouri affirmed that signing this agreement coincides with the gradual conversion towards making the ID card a key identification instrument for transactions and services provided by the government and private sector organizations. “This strategic partnership reflects our belief in the use of advanced technologies in improving government performance, considering that the population register and ID card project is part of the UAE’s strategy to become one of the five best governments in the world.”  Commending Dubai eGovernment’s role in easing government transactions and leading the eGovernance process in Dubai, Al Khouri said that the agreement would be beneficial in implementing the strategic objectives of government entities and unifying their efforts at upgrading customer service.

The two parties affirmed their full commitment to pursuing joint ventures and research, including an assessment of the optimum use of the identity system, its data potential for use by Dubai government services and its application for integration with government eServices in Dubai. 

A very small proportion of the land can sustain cash crops, including coffee and cocoa. Abundant rainforests provide the raw material for a logging industry, which is dominated by Malaysian-owned companies. Conservation groups have criticised the social and environmental impact of the activity.

Mineral deposits – including gold, copper and nickel – are extensive, but the difficult terrain and poor infrastructure make exploitation slow. There are significant reserves of oil and natural gas and the country has pinned its hopes on becoming a significant energy exporter.

The separatist struggle in the neighbouring Indonesian province of Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, prompted the flight of thousands of Papuans into Papua New Guinea from the mid-1980s onwards. Many of them remain in border-area jungle camps.

The Papua New Guinean government has said it will not tolerate the use of its territory for separatist attacks on the Indonesian army.

Papua New Guinea had to deal with separatist forces of its own on the island of Bougainville in the 1990s. Up to 20,000 people were killed in the nine-year conflict which ended in 1997.

A peace deal signed in 2001 provided the framework for the election in 2005 of an autonomous government for Bougainville.

Papua New Guinea has strong ties with its southern neighbour, Australia, which administered the territory until independence in 1975. Canberra's substantial aid programme aims to relieve poverty and to boost development. Australia has also despatched police officers and civil servants to support their local equivalents.

The prevalence of HIV/Aids is on the rise. Some experts fear that Papua New Guinea is heading for a crisis similar to that in sub-Saharan Africa.

A breakaway, semi-desert territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland declared independence after the overthrow of Somali military dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

The move followed a secessionist struggle during which Siad Barre's forces pursued rebel guerrillas in the territory. Tens of thousands of people were killed and towns were flattened.

Though not internationally recognised, Somaliland has a working political system, government institutions, a police force and its own currency. The territory has lobbied hard to win support for its claim to be a sovereign state.

The former British protectorate has also escaped much of the chaos and violence that plague Somalia, although attacks on Western aid workers in 2003 raised fears that Islamic militants in the territory were targeting foreigners.

Although there is a thriving private business sector, poverty and unemployment are widespread. The economy is highly dependent on money sent home by members of the diaspora. Duties from Berbera, a port used by landlocked Ethiopia, and livestock exports are important sources of revenue.

The latter have been hit by embargoes on exports, imposed by some Gulf countries to inhibit the spread of Rift Valley Fever.

Somaliland is in dispute with the neighbouring autonomous Somali region of Puntland over the Sanaag and Sool areas, some of whose inhabitants owe their allegiance to Puntland.

Somaliland's leaders have distanced themselves from Somalia's central transitional government, set up in 2004 following long-running talks in Kenya, which they see as a threat to Somaliland's autonomy.

Somaliland was independent for a few days in 1960, between the end of British colonial rule and its union with the former Italian colony of Somalia. More than 40 years later voters in the territory overwhelmingly backed its self-declared independence in a 2001 referendum.

A question has to be asked about Maria Sharapova. She is such a great champion but just hasn’t been able to do it in the finals in recent years and seems to freeze on the big stage. Victoria Azarenka started out nervously in the final yesterday and Maria just wasn’t able to take advantage, so one has to question the frame of mind she was in for something like this to happen. I suspect she succumbed to the pressure of having to perform to the level expected of her. She is the darling of women’s tennis, respected and promoted as a number one player, but came up short yesterday, and now Azarenka is number one.

It was a top performance by Azarenka. She started the year with a win in Sydney and is in form. She did what she had to do in a Grand Slam final and is a true No 1. There has been a lot of talk about Caroline Wozniacki being No 1 without winning a Grand Slam title. She is a charming and talented lady but you can’t call yourself number one without a Grand Slam title under your belt. Period.

True test

I am hoping Azarenka can sustain this level, not just in the near future but over the next few years. Like the men, women’s tennis needs consistency to be strong. I hope she has the right attitude towards her profession and won’t buy into the popularity and recognition that comes with a Grand Slam title and becomes a great leader of the game, like Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

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Story By: by NPR Staff

by Bill Cosby

Hardcover, 195 pages | purchase

More on this book:

Ah, the joys of a houseful of family on Christmas — the tensions, the simmering resentments, the screaming children.

Bill Cosby’s three grandchildren visit him every year for the holiday. But the comedian tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz that he’s not a traditional sort of grandfather, who “believes they came from heaven above.”

“They’re annoying,” Cosby says of his grandkids. “These people make a lot of noise, they blame each other for things.”

So last year Cosby came up with a plan to calm the squabbling children and restore Christmas cheer to his household. He lays it all out in his new book, I Didn’t Ask to Be Born (But I’m Glad I Was).

The plan involved a phone call from Santa’s assistant, who was confused because the children were not at home in New York, but in Massachusetts visiting their grandparents.

“I walked into the den of inequity and yelling and said, ‘There’s an assistant of Santa Claus’ on the phone who wants to talk to you guys,’” he says. Automatically, the children were silent.

Miss Jones, Santa’s assistant, and Skyler the navigator enlisted the children’s help to pinpoint their location.

“[Skyler] told them he could see them if they went outside and pointed to a certain star,” Cosby says.

Once Skyler located the children, they came back inside. But Cosby’s plan didn’t end there; there was another phone call, this one from Santa’s dietitian.

“He, in fact, said to them, please do not leave any cookies, milk for Santa because his cholesterol and triglycerides are way up there,” Cosby says. Soy milk is OK, though, as long as it’s not too fancy. “Not 2 percent … no Silk, no chocolate flavor, you know, none of that stuff.”

The grandkids came to visit again this year, but Cosby says he’s not going to arrange for any more calls from Santa’s staff.

“I don’t think they’re gonna go for it this time,” he says.

<span class="articleLocation”>Oct 6 (Reuters) – DryShips Inc (DRYS.O) could look at
selling its majority-owned Ocean Rig (ORIG.O) oil drilling
unit, and will delay an initial public offering of its tanker
business, Chief Operating Officer Pankaj Khanna told Reuters on
Thursday.

Khanna also said DryShips had settled all lease payment
issues with dry bulk vessel charterer China COSCO Holdings
(1919.HK) (601919.SS) and does not mind doing business with
them in the future.
(Reporting by Krishna N Das in New York)

Story By: by The Associated Press

Google Inc. is overhauling the way it treats user data, linking information across its array of email, video and social-networking services so that information gathered in one place can be used in another.

For example, if you spent the last hour logged into Google to search the Web for skateboards, the next time you log into YouTube, there’s a good chance you’ll get recommendations for videos featuring Tony Hawk.

The changes take effect March 1 and remove some of the legal hurdles that Google faced by having more than 70 different privacy policies across various services. Now, there will be one main policy covering services such as Google Plus, Gmail, search, YouTube and Maps, with separate ones covering sensitive services such as Google Wallet.

Still, the changes could irk privacy critics because of the sheer volume of information collected — including your location, list of contacts and the contents of your email.

Google hopes to improve the user experience across its different services and give advertisers a better way to find customers.

“If you’re signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries or tailor your search results based on the interests you’ve expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube,” the company says on a new overview page for its privacy policy. “We’ll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you’re searching for and get you those results faster.”

Ryan Calo, director for privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, said Google is trying to do the best it can to simplify its privacy policy and make it transparent without bogging down people with pages of legalese. The privacy documents now run about 10,000 words, down from 68,000.

But he said the company still needs to be careful how it uses the data so that it helps users, without revealing sensitive information.

“If it creeps people out, then they need to be aware of that,” he said.