Beware, Apple warns against scams in UAE

Web Report

Filed on November 6, 2017

The tech company issued a notification on their website

The buzz around iPhone X refuses to stop.

Apple launched its much-anticipated iPhone X models in the UAE on November 3 with superfans lining up since the earlier night to get their handsets.

The company has issued a notification on their UAE website warning its customers to be careful of a scam asking users to make payments of taxes, hospital bills, bail money, debt collection, and utility bills over the phone. These scams are committed by multiple methods, including gift cards.

Here’s how the scam works –  The scamster calls the customer to urgently make a payment by purchasing iTunes gift cards from the nearest retailer. Once purchased, they are asked to pay by sharing the 16-digit code on the back of the card with the scamster still on the call.

The apple website has warned users to avoid providing any numbers on the back of the gift care to an unknown person. Once shared, the funds will be gone to the scammer before you can complain to the Apple authorities.

Tips to avoid becoming the victim of a scam

1. If you are NOT purchasing an item from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or an Apple Music membership, do NOT make a payment with iTunes Gift Cards. There’s no other instance in which you’ll be asked to make a payment with an iTunes Gift Card.

2. Do not provide the numbers on the back of the card to someone you do not know.

3. Immediately report potential scams to your local authorities (police department, trade commission, etc.)

(Source: Apple website)

Alert – There’s also an email scam doing the rounds

Another scam doing the rounds is a phishing scam, aimed at innocent targets over the email. In this scam, the victim received an email from Apple claiming to complete a transaction along with a receipt of an earlier purchased product/service. The contention is the purchase was you never made by you.

When you try to cancel the transaction, the webpage will take you on an apple-lookalike website asking you to share your banking details. Once shared, your bank account can be compromised.

 

Source  :  The Khaleej Times

Abu Dhabi road blocked after accident, expect delays

Web Report/Abu Dhbai/Dubai

Filed on November 6, 2017

Motorists are advised to drive safely and take alternate routes wherever possible.

Heavy traffic has been reported on the UAE’s roads on Monday morning, with several accidents causing congestion in Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi police department reported about an accident on Al Khaleej Al Arabi street. Left lane has been blocked so look for alternative routes.

A car broke down at 8.36am after Sheikh Khalifa Highway before Mina Link , which led to inbound traffic delays. The department asked motorists to exercise caution.

https://twitter.com/ad_traffic/status/927394589937455104

A truck broken down on E12 before Mina Link Signal inbound, Abu Dhabi traffic police tweeted. It was cleared later.

https://twitter.com/ad_traffic/status/927385199331115009

According to Google Maps data, tailbacks were observed on Sheikh Zayed Road towards Dubai from Sharjah.
Meanwhile, morning rush slowed down traffic on Dubai roads, with heavy congestion on Mohammed Bin Zayed Road towards Dubai from Sharjah.

Tailbacks were reported with heavy congestion on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road from the National Paints roundabout in Sharjah to Dubai. Delays were also expected on Al Wahda Street.

Motorists are advised to drive safely and take alternate routes wherever possible.

 

Source  :  The Khaleej Times

The Sydney suburb where 93% of kids go to private schools

EXCLUSIVE

NOVEMBER 6 2017 – 9:34AM

Craig Butt

Alexandra Smith

The great Sydney divide – public versus private schooling – is more stark than ever, new figures reveal.

The figures show, for example, that more than nine out of 10 high school students (93 per cent) in Dover Heights go to an independent school.

In contrast, virtually all secondary students in the south-western suburb of Airds attend a government school.

Hunters Hill has the highest Catholic high school attendance in Sydney, with 66 per cent of students at a Catholic school, followed closely by Riverview (63 per cent) and Botany (53 per cent).

Dover Heights and its neighbour Bellevue Hill also have a high proportion of primary students at private schools. In both areas, 59 per cent of primary school-aged residents attend independent schools.

 The data is based on a Fairfax Media analysis of the 2016 census and does not show enrolments at schools within suburbs and also does not assume that children attend schools near their home.

In North Sydney, 77 per cent of students go to public primary schools. But when it comes to secondary education, just 22 per cent are at state schools.

Other suburbs with a similar drift from the public system to the private sector for high school include Greenwich, Paddington, Summer Hill, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Manly.

While Airds has the highest public school attendance (97 per cent), other western Sydney suburbs are not far behind, including Homebush West (90 per cent), Canley Vale (88 per cent), Macquarie Fields (87 per cent) and Cabramatta (86 per cent).

Emma Rowe, a lecturer in education at Deakin University, said the background of parents influenced their choice of school for their children.

“The resources you have will play a big role in what school you go to,” Dr Rowe said. “Low socio-economic status [SES] parents who earn a below-average wage are simply locked out of elite schools, but there are always exceptions.

“You will have parents who may not have high levels of education themselves sending their children to private schools or parents in high SES neighbourhoods who choose public education because they believe in it.”

When it comes to school choice, there’s a “big income divide”, according to the director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Anne Hollonds. “The higher your income level the more likely you are to see you have options and shop around,” she said.

Research conducted by the institute last year found that students whose parents’ income was in the top quarter were more than twice as likely to attend an independent school, compared to those whose parents’ income was in the middle to upper-middle range.

It also found that school choice was influenced by convenience, the attendance of relatives at the school, religious or philosophical values and academic results.

“Parents are a lot more knowledgeable about the academic side since NAPLAN,” Ms Hollonds said.

“We are more savvy … than when we didn’t have that data and all you could do was ask your neighbours.”

with Henrietta Cook

 

Source  :  The Sydney Morning Herald

Kevin Andrews warns PM Malcolm Turnbull about ‘inadequate leadership’

NOVEMBER 5 2017

Judith Ireland

Adam Gartrell

Government backbencher Kevin Andrews has made a thinly veiled swipe at Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership, saying he thinks voters are unhappy about “inadequate leadership” in Canberra.

Mr Andrews, an outspoken ally of former prime minister Tony Abbott, said while he was not advocating for a change of leader, Australians wanted “clear, decisive, stable leadership”.

When asked if he had confidence in Mr Turnbull, Mr Andrews told Sky News: “There is a deep frustration in the community about what people see as inadequate leadership at the present time”.

The Victorian MP directly linked this frustration to the uncertainty about MPs’ citizenship that has engulfed Parliament in recent months.

Mr Andrews, a former Howard and Abbott minister, pointedly said that former prime ministers such as Bob Hawke and John Howard had even temperaments, listened to voters and colleagues and were able to argue a case.

This follows comments from Mr Andrews earlier in the week, in which he described Mr Turnbull as leader “at the moment”.

Also on Sunday, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann dismissed suggestions Mr Turnbull could be replaced by deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop.

“Yes, of course I’m confident that Malcolm Turnbull will lead us to the next election, he’s providing very strong, effective leadership to our team,” he told Sky News.

Kevin Andrews has made a thinly veiled swipe at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Photo: AP

“Beyond that, I’m not going to get myself involved in gossip.”

The Coalition has long been suffering in opinion polls under Mr Turnbull. According to the most recent Newspoll, released last Monday, the Coalition trails Labor, 46 to 54 per cent. This was 22nd Newspoll in a row that had the government in an election-losing position.

Former Howard and Abbott minister Kevin Andrews in Parliament. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Citizenship questions: ‘Unsustainable to do nothing’

Since he was demoted from cabinet by Mr Turnbull in 2015, Mr Andrews has been an outspoken member of the backbench. Recently this has included breaking ranks on a proposed audit of MPs’ citizenship, which the Coalition has been resisting.

On Sunday, Mr Andrews renewed his calls for action, saying the government was not able to get any clear air because of continued questions about MPs’ citizenship status.

“It’s unsustainable to do nothing,” Mr Andrews said. “The issue is out there and running and it’s not going to go away until its resolved.”

Mr Andrews’ comments came as another Turnbull government MP – junior minister Alex Hawke – faced questions about his citizenship status after it was noted his mother was born in Greece.

The assistant immigration minister has rejected claims he could be a dual citizen by descent, saying he was born in Wollongong and has never “held or acquired or sought Greek or any other citizenship”.

“I am an Australian citizen only,” he told News Corp.

A person acquires Greek citizenship at birth “if said person is born to a parent of Greek nationality” – and it is not required to be activated. But Greek citizens do need to be officially registered.

Cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer said Mr Hawke had made his status clear and people needed to take a “deep breath”.

“We have rule of law in this country. We don’t have a reverse onus of proof here where you’re guilty until proven innocent,” she told the ABC.

“If someone believes that there is a member of parliament or a Senator who is not in compliance with their obligations under the constitution, they can move a motion in the House of Representatives or in the Senate to refer them to the High Court.

“So no witch-hunt, no Salem witch trial, will actually take away from the fact that the High Court is the only arbiter on this question.”

Greens leader Richard Di Natale reiterated his party’s call for a “full, frank and transparent audit”.

“We don’t know if the government has the numbers in the Parliament to govern,” he told the ABC. “We don’t know if decisions being made by ministers are valid decisions.”

 

Source  :  The Canberra Times

 

Tony Abbott predicts more casualties in Parliament’s citizenship crisis

NOVEMBER 6 2017 – 10:53AM

Fergus Hunter

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has predicted more MPs will be implicated in Parliament’s ongoing citizenship fiasco, which has already eliminated six federal politicians and seen the major parties launch internal audits to weed out any others.

In the past week, Turnbull government frontbenchers Josh Frydenberg and Alex Hawke have been forced to deny they could have inadvertently acquired dual citizenship through their mothers. But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has strongly resisted a Parliament-wide probe despite growing calls for a full-scale audit, including from Coalition MPs.

Mr Abbott said it was up to the Prime Minister to decide how to resolve the situation, but warned the government and country could not afford an “ongoing circus”.

“Every day it’s someone else. It was Josh last week, now it’s Alex Hawke. It will probably be someone else tomorrow. That’s why this matter does need to be resolved,” he told radio station 2GB.

Mr Abbott’s staunch ally Kevin Andrews, who was defence minister under the former leader, has called in recent days for an audit and questioned whether the Prime Minister was providing strong and decisive leadership.

After resisting a parliamentary audit, Labor has come around to a “universal disclosure” of citizenship documents and the Greens will move next week to establish a committee that could compel all senators to prove they have complied with section 44 of the constitution.

Days after the High Court ruled five MPs – including former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce – were invalidly elected, Senate president Stephen Parry also revealed his own British citizenship.

Last week, the government angrily rejected questions over the eligibility of Mr Frydenberg, the Energy and Environment Minister, whose mother arrived “stateless” as a Jewish refugee from Hungary. The central European country, which has since changed its laws to open citizenship to Jewish refugees, grants citizenship by descent.

Tony Abbott has predicted more chaos in Parliament over the citizenship fiasco. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Hawke, the Assistant Minister for Immigration,  has insisted he is in the clear despite his mother’s Greek background. He said he was “an Australian citizen only and [has] never held or acquired or sought Greek or any other citizenship”.

Over the last few months, the Liberal and Labor parties have been conducting internal audits that have required legal checks and MPs to hand over necessary documents.

 

Source  :  The Canberra Times

‘No one is above law,’ Crown Prince proves by action

Layan Damanhouri – Fatima Muhammad – Hanan Alnufaie

Saudi Gazette

Jeddah — The crackdown on corruption soon after the formation of an anti-graft supreme committee headed by the Crown Prince has been widely welcomed by citizens and residents.

Many of those interviewed by Saudi Gazette recalled the words of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, that “no body is above the law.”

Salman Al-Dawsari, a writer and former editor-in-chief of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, described the move as “a war” against corruption that the Crown Prince promised six months ago in his popular interview explaining the plan for a future Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah Al-Sadoun, a Shoura Council member, said that corruption is not only related to money, but also to delay in serving the public.

“Administrative corruption is much dangerous as it hinders public interest,” he said, adding that one of the effective ways to combat corruption is to choose honest officials, ministers and heads of companies.

Halima Mudafar, a Saudi writer, called on Shoura members to do their jobs seriously and serve locals.

“Today will be a different morning for all officials. You will see them in their offices dot on time,” Mudafar said.

Malik Najar, a Saudi artist and director, said that working in a public post and in the trade sector is a huge responsibility. So before accepting a post one needs to be careful.

With anti-corruption measures not only public money will be protected but national security will also be safeguarded, said Mohammad Ilwan, a Saudi novelist.

“The Royal Decree guarantees citizens’ rights and protects public finance,” said Hattan Saaty, managing partner at Strategic Gears, a local consultancy firm. “This further promotes Vision 2030 goals.”

Khaled Al-Dossari, an HR professional, said: “We look forward to seeing more transparency in all sectors. It’s a very good step.”

Dr. Hashim Alzain, an engineering director, said, “It’s a clear message from leadership that nobody is above the law. It will make a positive impact on the economy.”

Salma, a university lecturer, said: “This clearly shows how the King along with the Crown Prince care that every Saudi Riyal should be use in the interest of the country and its people.”

“We are now in an era where no corrupt person will go unpunished,” Hassan, a doctor by profession, said.

Ahmed, a fresh graduate from the College of Media and Communication, said, “We are so proud of being Saudis because we saw justice and equality.”

“I remembered the words of the Crown Prince that no corrupt person will get away without receiving strict punishment despite his name or position.”

“Now we are sure that no one will be able to steal public fund,” Nasser, a 30-year-old accountant, stressed.

Source  :  Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia freezes accounts of detained corruption suspects

Saudi authorities have announced that they will be freezing the bank accounts of suspects detained in the kingdom on corruption charges.

Officials said that there is “no preferential treatment” in the handling of their cases.

The Saudi Center for International Communication, an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that sums of money that appear to be linked to corruption cases will be reimbursed to the Saudi state’s General Treasury.

The Saudi anti-corruption committee, which was set up on Saturday by King Salman’s royal decree and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had arrested a number of princes and ministers. — Al Arabiya English

 

Source  :  Saudi Gazette

Prince Mansour Bin Muqrin, many officials die in Asir helicopter crash

Saudi Gazette report

Riyadh — Prince Mansour Bin Muqrin, deputy emir of Asir region, died on Sunday in a helicopter crash in Asir, southwest Saudi Arabia.

He was aboard the helicopter carrying the mayor and senior government officials.

The incident happened late on Sunday afternoon local time when the aircraft disappeared from radar over Asir region.

They were on a tour of a coastal governorate about 60 km from Abha.

All aboard the helicopter are feared dead.

(Developing story)

 

Source  :  Saudi Gazette

Autumn in Aizuwakamatsu

Beautiful autumn foliage is seen in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.

© Japan Today

 

Source  :  Japan Today

3 high school girls among serial killer’s victims

TOKYO

Three high school girls, including a 15-year-old, were among the nine people mutilated by a suspected serial killer in Japan, reports said Monday, as one woman described how she had a lucky escape.

At least three of the victims were high school pupils from different regions and one of them was a 15-year-old girl who went missing in late August, several media quoted police sources as saying.

Not all of the victims have been identified but some were tracked down via bank cards and other items left in the apartment room of Takahiro Shiraishi, where the Japanese man allegedly murdered and hacked up nine young people.

Some cell phones also lost contact near the apartment, reports said.

On the morning of Halloween, police uncovered a grisly house of horrors behind Shiraishi’s front door: nine dismembered bodies with as many as 240 bone parts stashed in coolers and tool boxes, sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence.

He moved into the one-room apartment in Zama, a southwestern suburb of Tokyo, on August 22.

He is suspected of having lured people with suicidal tendencies via Twitter by telling them he could help them in their plans or even die alongside them.

He reportedly went ahead with killing people even after realising what they had wanted was just to talk rather than to die.

“I had no intention of killing myself at all. None (of the victims) wanted to die actually,” the private Fuji television network quoted Shiraishi as telling investigators.

He allegedly hanged victims after giving them alcohol or sleeping pills or strangling them until they fainted.

He may have continued to kill if not arrested.

A woman in her 20s claims to have arranged a meeting with Shiraishi for the day after he was eventually arrested after discussing suicide via email and phone for two months.

He refused to talk when she said she could hear a woman groaning in the background during a telephone conversation on one October night.

“He had given me two options. One was that he makes me unconscious by putting sleep drug in my drink and then strangles me with a rope. The other was that he strangles me with a rope from behind while I’m watching TV or something,” she told the Fuji network.

“If I had met with him, I may have been dismembered like other victims. I may be lucky but I’m rather scared now.”

© 2017 AFP

Source  :  Japan Today