Day: August 31, 2022

ISLAMABAD, A 4.7 magnitude “moderate” earthquake jolted the Kalat area of Balochistan on Wednesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

Dawn newspaper quoted the PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre as saying the earthquake struck at 17:37, some 15 kilometers south-east of Kalat at a depth of 34km. It had a longitude of 66.71 East and a latitude of 28.92 North.

Tremors were felt in Kalat and neighbouring areas forcing residents to leave their houses.

So far, no casualties or injuries have been reported.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), in coordination with the competent authorities, announced a Cessna light civil single-engine fixed-wing aircraft crashed in the outdoor parking lots of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque due to a technical malfunction. Competent teams immediately rushed to the crash site.

In a statement, GCAA said that preliminary investigations showed that the accident was caused by a technical malfunction while the amateur-built plane was heading to land at Al Bateen Executive Airport, and crashed in an unpopulated area. As a result of the accident, the pilot was injured and rushed to the hospital for necessary treatment and monitoring.

All concerned teams, including the National Search and Rescue Centre, the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police and the GCAA, coordinated to secure the crash site. The concerned authorities affirmed that the safety of civilians is their top priority.

The GCAA said that it will continue investigating the causes and consequences of the incident.

The authorities urged the public to obtain information from official sources only, and to avoid spreading rumours.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said the NASA’s Webb Telescope made a stunning observations about the ”Southern Ring Nebula”.

The photos feature a Nebula evolving from the remains of a star similar to our Sun (white dwarf).

It is composed of gas and dust. The Nebula, 2,500 light-years from our planet, has a diameter measuring 0.5 light-year.

Source: Emirates News Agency

WASHINGTON, Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorisations (EUAs) of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to authorise bivalent formulations of the vaccines for use as a single booster dose at least two months following primary or booster vaccination.

The bivalent vaccines, which we will also refer to as “updated boosters,” contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of SARS-CoV-2 virus, one of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the other one in common between the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the FDA said in a statement.

The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorised for use as a single booster dose in individuals 18 years of age and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorised for use as a single booster dose in individuals 12 years of age and older.

The monovalent COVID-19 vaccines that are authorised or approved by the FDA and have been administered to millions of people in the United States since December 2020 contain a component from the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Dubai Racing Club (DRC) has been certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’, becoming the first horse racing organisation to receive this accolade.

The achievement – a result of a survey of staff conducted in May of this year – was also clinched by the Dubai Equestrian Club (DEC) and Zabeel Feed, which fall under the same administrative umbrella. The award was presented in an event held recently at The Meydan Hotel, Dubai.

Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Board Member and General Manager of Dubai Racing Club and Dubai Equestrian Club, who received the certificates, said: “We are thrilled that Dubai Racing Club, Dubai Equestrian Club and Zabeel Feed are being certified as ‘Great Places to Work’ and in the process have become the first Horse Racing organisations to receive this recognition.

“The achievement is credited to the directives of DRC and DEC Chairman Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum. Our senior management has always been keen to make our facilities a great workplace, where people of all backgrounds feel welcomed and valued, especially as clubs are characterised by a mixed, yet harmonious work environment involving different nationalities.” he commented.

Addressing, the officials of the Great Place to Work, Al Adhab said, “I take this opportunity to thank you for your feedback which has helped our organisations to be certified by Great Place to Work.

“We value the confidence you have reposed in our organisations and shall work for a better future towards improving the employee experience, which will always remain a priority. We embarked on this journey together and will work towards achieving a greater future.”

“Certified companies put employees first,” said Michael C. Bush, Chief Executive Officer at Great Place to Work.

The Managing Director of ‘Great Place to Work’ Ibrahim Mougharbel congratulated DRC, DEC and Zabeel Feed on the triple achievements, stating: “This isn’t an easy feat to accomplish, as the standards set are international and a minimum score of 64.5% must be attained, however, the employees have spoken and the organisations have proven themselves.”

Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 70 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified.

Source: Emirates News Agency