Event licencing changes have been approved following an agreement between Abu Dhabi’s Tourism and Culture Authority and the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces. The agreement will establish an e-service for event licences to be obtained. It was signed for the Authority by its Director-General, Saif Saeed Ghobash and by the Head of Administration and Human Resources at the UAE’s Defence Ministry, Major General Salem Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri.

The Abu Dhabi Police have confirmed the amended Federal Traffic Law (Federal Law No 21/1995) has started to be implemented. It started to be implemented on 1 July in line with UAE Federal Ministerial Decision No. 177/2017 and UAE Federal Ministerial Decision No. 178/2017 on traffic control rules and procedures. Amongst the amendments, all drivers and passengers must wear seatbelts. If they don’t they will be fined 400 AED and incur four traffic points.

Abu Dhabi’s Economic Development Department has issued a Decision to form a committee to review patent registration requests. The Committee will be chaired by Khaled Mohamed Alkaabi. It will review and examine requests in line with directives and charters of the laws effective in the country and the Takamul Programme. The Programme is a Government programme to support inventors. The Committee will have to hold monthly meetings to examine requests and specify the financial rewards for approved requests.

The UAE’s Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology has approved new regulations on the commercial and recreational use of drones in the country, including the free zones. The new rules include a surveillance system for detecting unmanned aerial vehicles in the country. The regulations are aimed at establishing a central system to monitor any drone activity in the UAE. Manufacturers will have to use a mandatory serial number. The regulations have been developed with the General Civil Aviation Administration, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Federal Customs Authority, Interior Ministry and Dubai Police General Command.

Following a Decision changing the rules governing wills in Abu Dhabi, non-Muslim expatriates will be able to dictate where they want their assets to go when they die. Under the changes, there will be no dispute over a deceased’s possessions and the custody of children. Expatriates will be able to register a will for approximately 500 AED and wills be registered in English rather than Arabic.

The UAE’s Health Minister has issued a Ministerial Decision on declaring death. Ministerial Decision No. 550/2017 covers death resulting from cardiac-respiratory arrest, death from complete loss of brain functions and pediatric brain death guidelines. It was introduced after a national committee made up of all local health authorities prepared the latest Decision together with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. There was considered to be an urgent need to enact legislation on the declaration of death to protect hospitals and enable doctors to stop the suffering of brain-dead patients. The Decision aims to reinforce Federal Decree-Law No. 5/2016 and Federal Decree-Law No. 4/2016. It differentiates between declarations of death resulting from cardio-respiratory arrest and death resulting from complete loss of brain functions. This is intended to be a guide for hospitals, especially for those with intensive care units. Brain death is defined as an irreversible cessation of all functions of all parts of the brain. The conditions and exceptions for the declaration of brain death, including proper diagnosis through clinical preliminary examination are laid out.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan has announced a new Ministerial Decision amending the Executive Regulations to the Federal Traffic Law has been published in the Official Gazette. Under the new rules, driving licences issued for the first time will be valid for two years, while renewed licences will be valid for 10 years for citizens and five years for expatriates. Expatriates will also need to have a valid residence permit to renew licences. The new rules also cover registration and licensing rules, stopping distance rules, driving in residential areas, who can sit in the front of a car and traffic routes for buses.

The UAE’s Cabinet is considering a new Public Health Law, which if approved will upgrade occupational safety management systems, especially for workplace injuries. It will also ensure good health and safety standards are laid out for all employees. Article 22 of the Law focuses on health and safety, including preventive treatments to improve employees’ health.