E-gate service launched at Dubai airport
2002 - UAE and GCC nationals and residents and the citizens of the 33 countries allowed entry without visas to the UAE can clear their passenger data at Dubai International Airport’s departure and arrival terminals by swiping smart cards through special electronic gates and without their passports. Developed by Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) in association with the Department of Civil Aviation, the four e-gates, two each at the arrival and departure terminals, enable passengers to quickly process their data without wasting time at counters. The e-gates will be available alongside conventional gates. The launch was attended by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline.
August 11
1711 - The first Royal Ascot race meeting is held in England.
1772 - The Papandayan volcano erupts in Java, Indonesia, killing 3,000 people.
1860 - The United States’ first silver mill begins operations near Virginia City, Nevada.
1863 - French establish protectorate over Cambodia.
1948 - Summer Olympics opens in London.
1952 - Prince Hussain is proclaimed King Hussain of Jordan on termination of King Talal’s reign.
1955 - Burhanuddin Harahap becomes Prime Minister of Indonesia.
1965 - Deadly rioting and looting break out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.
1966 - A treaty is signed in Jakarta ending three years of hostilities between Malaysia and Indonesia.
1973 - United States officially ends combat involvement in Indochina.
1985 - Rudolf Povarnitsin of the Soviet Union sets a new world high-jump record of 7 feet 10 inches.
1987 - Alan Greenspan becomes Chairman of the US Federal Reserve.
1988 - Anti-government violence spreads to working-class suburbs in Yangon, Myanmar.
1991 - American hostage Edward Tracy and French hostage Jerome Leyraud are freed by kidnappers in Lebanon.
1998 - American adventurer Steve Fossett becomes the first person to cross the South Atlantic in a balloon.
2007 - Sierra Leone holds its first presidential elections since UN peacekeepers withdrew two years ago.
2008 - Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra wins first individual gold medal for India at Beijing Olympics.
2010 - The world’s largest clock becomes operational at Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
2012 - A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in northern Iran kills more than 300 people.
2013 - Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg reveals that he has gone undercover as a taxi driver for an afternoon, in a bid to find out voters’ real concerns.
2015 - Renowned Egyptian actor Nour Al Sharif dies at the age of 69 after fighting a long-term illness.
