Dubai: Soon, apply for visas from your phone using facial recognition   The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai, will provide all of its services through facial biometric recognition, a senior official said on Tuesday. Once this project is fully implemented, Dubai residents will be able to apply for visas, and entry permits, even from home, using smartphones to verify themselves to obtain DGRFA service. While speaking on the sidelines of Gitex Global 2022, Fatima Salem Al Mazroui, director of the project management office at GDRFA, told Khaleej Times that the authority is working on the project at a fast pace to launch as soon as possible. “We aim to have all of GDRFA services and transactions processed through facial biometrics. All GDRFA services such as applying for...

Self-driving trips will be affordable, top RTA official says at Gitex 2022 You can soon hail driverless taxis on Dubai streets. A testing model of the all-electric self-driving vehicle built on the Chevrolet Bolt platform is on display at Gitex Global 2022, which began on Monday. Atop the red and white hatchback car is an array of cameras. Here is a close-up video of the self-driving car on display at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) stand at Gitex Global. What’s more, the fare will be ‘affordable’, according to a senior official of the RTA. “The fare will be similar to that of a limousine service in Dubai,” said Khali Al Awadhi, director of transportation systems, Public Transport Authority, RTA. The authority is on track to meet its targeted deadline for the taxi’s rollout. “Around five of these vehicles will be on the roads starting from December this year doing the final testing and completing the mapping services.” As per the RTA, the model on display at Gitex is a testing ...

  The UAE Government promotes collaboration with global companies to drive digital transformation and development NEWS 5 October 2022 Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office signed along with Cisco, a global networking, collaboration and cybersecurity leader, a collaboration framework expanding  Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA)  program in the UAE. The MoU aims to enhance work models between government entities and private companies (PPT) through designing and launching several key initiatives boosting the UAE’s digital transformation vision and accelerate the development of the nation’s digital economy. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was attended by H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications; as well as Reem Asaad, Vice President, Middle East and Africa at Cisco. The MoU was signed by Saqr bin Ghalib, Exec...

  Within the activities of the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) held a session for the innovators’ society to discuss the future of metaverse in governments and technology, and the potential of employing it in government services, education, tourism and real estate to promote its use in various vital sectors. The session focused on the future prospects of development in the metaverse sector in the UAE. A host of technology experts attended the session including Guy Parsonage, Metaverse Lead - PwC Middle East, Khaled Al Shabrawi, Government and Small Cities Lead - Microsoft UAE, and Khalifa AlJaziri, Metaverse Lead - Ministry of Economy, Ali AlNuaimi and Huda Al Shaikh, members of the Government Innovation Youth Council and session moderators. Her Excellency Huda AlHashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, stated that the UAE government is developing the next generation of government work, in line wi...

  Designed to interact with visitors and answer their questions, it is capable of making facial expressions and 'even has a sense of humour' Visitors to Museum of the Future’s ‘Tomorrow Today’ exhibition will now be greeted by a humanoid robot. The Dubai-based museum welcomed the advanced, artificial intelligence-powered humanoid as the “first robotic member of the staff.” Named Ameca, the humanoid is described by its manufacturer Engineered Arts as the “world’s most advanced human-shaped robot representing the forefront of human-robotics technology.” “Smooth, lifelike motion and advanced facial expression capabilities mean Ameca can strike an instant rapport with anybody,” the manufacturer says on its website. Ameca features a human-like face and a robotic body shaped like a human. It will interact with visitors, directing them and answering their questions. “Neutral coloured silicone face and hands convey unparalleled expression,” according to Engineered Arts. It is capable o...

  The raffle has created 29 multi-millionaires and over 200,000 winners in a span of two years More fortunes changed at the 97th Mahzooz weekly draw, which took place on Saturday 8 October, and witnessed 3,039 participants take home Dh2,339,150 in prize money. Operated by EWings, Mahzooz, the leading weekly draw in the UAE, has created 29 multi-millionaires and over 200,000 winners in a span of two years. As many as 67 participants matched four out of five numbers and shared the second prize of Dh1,000,000 – securing Dh14,925 each. 2,969 other winners matched three out of five numbers and received the third prize of Dh350 each. As always, the weekly raffle draw saw three participants share Dh300,000 among them. The lucky winners who received Dh100,000 each were Lourans from Syria, Sehrish from Pakistan, and Carrol from the Philippines. The top prize of Dh10,000,000 is still waiting to be won, and will once again be up for grabs in the grand draw this coming Saturday October 15 at 9...

  10-year Golden Visa among top draws for Indians, says property developer Dubai remains highly attractive for foreign real estate investors – including Bollywood stars, as some of them have made the emirate their first home. The emirate’s attraction to Indian investors has grown even more, of late, following the introduction of the 10-year Golden Visa on the investment of Dh2 million. “Around 60 per cent of investors are foreigners in our latest Opalz project, which was sold out on the first day, because of the trust and confidence that people have in Dubai and our project. Whenever there is an economic or political crisis, people want to come to Dubai, because it is a safe haven,” says Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of Danube Group. “A lot of Bollywood people want to invest in Dubai because [with] the way Dubai is growing, the prices are not going to remain the same in the future. They will definitely go up,” said Sajan. Famous Indian comedian Kiku Sharda was the latest celeb...