News in brief

Khalifa receives telephone call from Abbas
Abu Dhabi President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday received a telephone call from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Shaikh Khalifa and Abbas discussed the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian territories. Shaikh Khalifa and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have sent congratulatory cables to King Albert II of Belgium on the occasion of the King's Day.

Abdullah receives invitation
Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, yesterday received an invitation to the Nato and Gulf countries conference - hosted by Kuwait on December 12 - from Dr Shaikh Mohammad Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. The invitation was delivered to Shaikh Abdullah by Faisal Abdullah Ebrahim Al Masha'an, Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UAE, during a meeting. Shaikh Abdullah also received Iranian Ambassador to the UAE, Hadi Najaf Abadi, who called on Shaikh Abdullah to bid him farewell at the end of his tenure in the UAE.

Traffic offences
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Department in the first 11 days of this month issued 5,131 tickets for traffic violations in the city and its suburbs.