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UAE cabinet reshuffle: 3 women among 6 new ministers

News Network
October 20, 2017

Dubai, Oct 20: Six new ministers, including three women, have been named as members of the UAE cabinet by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

During a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, some of the major appointments announced in addition to the six new members was the creation of three new posts.

27-year-old Omar bin Sultan Al Olama was named the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, 30-year-old Sara Al Amiri was named Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, while Mariam Al Muhairi was named Minister of State for Food Security.

One of the youngest members to be introduced to the cabinet, Al Olama previously held the role of Director of the World Government Summit Organisation.

As two of the three new women introduced to the cabinet, Al Amiri has served as Chairperson for the UAE Council of Scientists and is associated with the Mohammad bin Rashid Space Centre. And throughout her career, Al Muhairi - who began her professional journey with the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water - has helped lead some major projects in the field of sustainability in the UAE.

The three additional new members taking on previously instated roles includes Nasser bin Thani Al Hameli, who was appointed as Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Zaki Nussaibah as Minister of State and Hessa bint Bu Humaid who will now take on the role of Minister of State for Community Development.

With the new additions, the 13th UAE Cabinet now has 31 members, an increase of two members from the 12th UAE Cabinet.

And with five of the six new members only in their twenties and thirties, it is yet another nod towards the UAE's shift in empowering the country's youth.

Following the Government's recent annual meetings and the launch of the UAE Centenial plan 2071, Sheikh Mohammed took to Twitter to announce details of the new structural shake-up on Thursday afternoon. With a change in portfolio for two existing ministers, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan has now been appointed as the Minister of State for Tolerance (he was previously the Minister of State for Culture and Knowledge Development). He will be taking the reigns from Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, who was the previous Minister of State for Tolerance in the UAE 12th Cabinet.

Noora Al Kaabi will take up the position of Minister of State for Culture and Knowledge Development. She previously held the position of Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs.

Two current ministers have also had additional portfolios added to their current post. Ahmad Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education will now be Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, while Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of State for Health and Prevention will now hold the title: Minister of State for Health and Prevention, Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs.

New cabinet announced on October 19, 2017

1. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Defence

2. Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior

3. Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs

4. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum 
Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance 

5. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

6. Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan
Minister of Tolerance  

7. Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi 
Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future

8. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri 
Minister of Economy

9. Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais 
Minister of Health and Prevention
Minister of Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs 

10. Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash 
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

11. Obaid Humaid Al Tayer 
Minister of State for Financial Affairs

12. Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi 
Minister of State for International Cooperation

13. Suhail Mohammad Faraj Al Mazroui
Minister of Energy and Industry 

14. Hussain Ebrahim Al Hammadi 
Minister of Education

15. Dr Abdullah Mohammad Bel Haif Al Nuaimi
Minister of Infrastructure Development

16. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Badi 
Minister of Justice

17. Mohammad Ahmad Al Bawardi
Minister of State for Defence Affairs

18. Noora Mohammad Al Kaabi 
Cultural and Knowledge Development

19. Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi
Minister of Climate Change and Environment

20. Nasser Bin Thani Al Hameli
Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation

21. Hessa Bint Eisa Bu Humaid 
Minister of Community Development

22. Jameela Salem Al Muhairi
Minister of State for Public Education

23. Ahmad Abdullah Humaid Bel Houl Al Falasi
Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills

24. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber
Minister of State

25. Maitha Salem Al Shamsi 
Minister of State

26. Ohoud Khalfan Al Roumi
Minister of State for Happiness

27. Shamma Suhail Faris Al Mazroui
Minister of State for Youth

28. Zaki Nussaibah
Minister of State

29. Mariam Al Muhairi
Minister of State for Food Security

30. Sara Al Amiri
Minister of State for Advanced Sciences

31. Omar Sultan Al Olama
Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
December 16,2025

bengal.jpg

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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