-
-
Jail for two women in Emirates’ first lesbian indecency case
A Bulgarian woman and her Lebanese partner have been sentenced to one month in jail after being found guilty by a Dubai court of indecent acts.
It is thought to be the first case of its kind in the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai's Court of Appeal upheld the convictions.
The 36-year-old Bulgarian and 30-year-old Lebanese woman will both be deported after they have served their sentences.
7Days newspaper reported that they were spotted kissing and petting on a public beach in April. They both pleaded not guilty to charges they had behaved indecently.
Dubai, one of the seven oil-rich United Arab Emirates, is a popular destination for UK tourists.
While the majority of its 5.6 million residents are foreigners, homosexual relations are still a crime and punishments range from jail to deportation and death penalty.
In July 40 men were arrested in a crackdown on transvestites.
"Any man or woman who dresses up and behaves like the opposite gender in public will be questioned and legal action will be taken against him or her," Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief, said in a statement on the Dubai Police website.
"The 40 transvestites were referred to the Public Prosecution, which issued an administrative deportation order against them. All of those arrested were visitors and tourists and not residents.
"This is against the UAE's traditions and social values," he said.
In May Dahi announced that transvestites caught in public would be arrested as part of a new campaign.
He said "transvestites have been seen of late in public places, including shopping malls."
He said the campaign under the slogan "Our social values are precious.. let's protect them", targets those who "do not respect social values and behave like the opposite sex." A Bulgarian woman and her Lebanese partner have been sentenced to one month in jail after being found guilty by a Dubai court of indec... more -
Leading hospital makes £4m selling 'inferior' livers from UK donors to f...
One of Britain's leading hospitals has made more than £4million by giving livers from UK donors to private foreign patients.
Over the past five years, surgeons from King's College Hospital in South London have performed 50 liver transplants, with each patient paying around £80,000.
Of these, 22 came from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
However, it has emerged that at least one foreign government is now monitoring the progress of its patients amid fears they are being given inferior organs.
Under UK law, British-donated livers can only be given to non-EU private patients if the organs have already been turned down for those on UK and EU waiting lists because of problems with their age or size.
This has forced many transplant centres - including St James's University Hospital in Leeds - to stop treating non-EU patients because of quality concerns.
The Royal Free Hospital in North London, which has treated only one non-EU private patient in the past five years, has now written to Dr Yaqoub Altammar, of the Kuwait Embassy in London, saying the chance of a UK liver being transplanted into a Kuwaiti patient was 'almost nil' because UK and EU patients have priority.
Dr Altammar said: 'We know and agree with the transplant system here and we need that system.
'But that doesn't mean we agree with the fact a liver deemed unsuitable for a UK or EU patient is then given to a Kuwaiti. If that's the case, we have real concerns.' One of Britain's leading hospitals has made more than £4million by giving livers from UK donors to private foreign patients. ... more -
Arrest over Lebanese singer death
A man has been arrested in connection with the death of Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim, police in the Gulf emirate of Dubai have said.
The 30-year-old singer was found dead in her flat last month. Media reports suggested she had been stabbed repeatedly and decapitated. The suspect, a 39-year-old man, was arrested a few days ago in another Arab country, with help from Interpol. Dubai's acting chief of police, Mattar al-Mazeina, would not identify him.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Mazeina said the man had posed as an estate agent to gain access to the singer's flat. He added that the suspect had left the United Arab Emirates 90 minutes after the murder, and said police had tracked him down with the help of evidence collected at the scene. Tamim rose to fame after appearing on a TV talent show in Lebanon in 1996, but her career was marred by stories about a troubled private life.
She was reported to have fled Lebanon to Egypt some years ago after a number of bitter legal battles with her estranged second husband, music producer Adel Maatouk. She gave up her career and disappeared from public view in Cairo in 2007 and was thought to be living in Dubai's exclusive Jumeira district. A man has been arrested in connection with the death of Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim, police in the Gulf emirate of Dubai have said... more -
Airbus A380 - World's Biggest Aircraft Model at Heathrow
Weighing in at 45 tonnes, the plane is taking the place of the British Airways model Concorde, which greeted passengers as they arrived at the airport for 16 years, and has been moved to the Brooklands Museum at Weybridge, Surrey.
Its replacement, the Airbus, will remain on the site until 2013 under a deal signed by the airline and BAA, Heathrow's owners.
The model, in the Emirates livery, is as big as a smaller member of the Airbus family, the short-haul A320, and twice the size of the Concorde replica.
for full story & Video
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com Weighing in at 45 tonnes, the plane is taking the place of the British Airways model Concorde, which greeted passengers as they arrive... more -
Surreal Islands of Dubai
Ever thought about buying your own country? Well it just got a whole lot easier. The World islands are currently being built four miles off the cost of Dubai. They will be finished this year and include wacky themes like a pirate island, a medieval castle island, and even a safari island shaped like an African country complete with its own wild animals. Watching their promo video makes you feel like you have just fast-forwarded into the future, kinda creepy... Really interesting! This pod will take the viewers into this totally surreal set of islands, talk to its developers and residents and see what "The World" is really like, Dubai style. Ever thought about buying your own country? Well it just got a whole lot easier. The World islands are currently being built four mi... more
-
17 'cross-dressing tourists' held in Dubai
Police in the Gulf tourist hub of Dubai say they've detained 17 foreigners for allegedly displaying homosexual behavior in the city's shopping malls and other public places.
Police spokesman Zuhair Horoun says all the suspects are men who were either visiting or working in Dubai. He says they were detained Wednesday but did not elaborate or give details about their behavior.
But the Dubai-based Gulf News reported Thursday that police detained "40 cross-dressing tourists."
The paper quotes Dubai's police chief as saying the arrests are part of a campaign against "transvestites."
Outward homosexual behavior is banned in the United Arab Emirates. Despite its Western outlook, Dubai is a conservative Muslim city-state and, like much of the Arab world, remains largely hostile to homosexuality.
(Up: I guess He is not one of them! ;) Police in the Gulf tourist hub of Dubai say they've detained 17 foreigners for allegedly displaying homosexual behavior in the ci... more -
UAE owns a piece of the NYC skyline
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council bought the Chrysler building for $800 million. I find it a bit strange that the United Arab Emirates own a piece of the big apple.
Apparently foreign acquisition of New York landmarks isn't a new phenomenon.
In May, a consortium of Middle Eastern countries purchased the General Motors building and three other midtown towers for $3.95bn. The Abu Dhabi Investment Council bought the Chrysler building for $800 million. I find it a bit strange that the United Arab Emirates ... more -
UAE may be first Arab nation to restore full ties with Iraq
The United Arab Emirates is expected to soon name an ambassador to Iraq and could open an embassy in the war-ravaged nation, Iraqi officials said Thursday.
The move would make UAE the first Arab nation to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Iraq since an Egyptian ambassador was killed there in 2005. Shiite-dominated Iraq has been working to strengthen ties with the Sunni-led Arab world.
The visit by United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place as the U.S. and other nations urge Arab countries to deploy ambassadors to Iraq, reopen embassies and forge closer relationships with the post-Saddam Hussein government.
Though the UAE will name an ambassador in coming days, according to Iraqi officials, it may take several months to send the envoy to Baghdad because of security and logistical concerns. The United Arab Emirates is expected to soon name an ambassador to Iraq and could open an embassy in the war-ravaged nation, Iraqi off... more -
Plight of migrant workers blemishes Dubai's image
The unfair treatment towards south Asian immigrant workers is coming to light, albeit late in the day. Dubai showcases itself as a global economic forerunner, when in reality it still has a long way to go before any substantial social or economic reforms are established. The unfair treatment towards south Asian immigrant workers is coming to light, albeit late in the day. Dubai showcases itself as a gl... more
-
Abu Dhabi Masdar, zero carbon city.
"In April, 2006, the government of Abu Dhabi launched the Masdar Initiative, a landmark program to establish an entirely new economic sector dedicated to alternative and sustainable energy.
The Masdar Initiative offers a proactive response to today's energy and environmental challenges and is being driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a company wholly-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi through Mubadala Development Company. "
The planned Masdar City, which means "the source" in Arabic, will be the home to some 47,500 residents.
Masdar City is to be multi-level, with a light rail on one level moving people in and out of the city with pedestrians at ground level. In addition to solar power, wind turbines and waste-to-energy plants will be employed to generate power. "In April, 2006, the government of Abu Dhabi launched the Masdar Initiative, a landmark program to establish an entirely new econ... more -
36 Hours in Dubai
You name it, Dubai has it. Or if it doesn’t have it, it’s building it. Or if it’s not building it, it’s dredging up an island to put it on. You name it, Dubai has it. Or if it doesn’t have it, it’s building it. Or if it’s not building it, it’s dredging up an island to put i... more
-
Now we know where our $3.00 or more per gallon of gas is going, hmmm.....
Check out the photographic history of Dubai. Some of the images are done in CGI but they are taken from the images created by the Architects and Designers of this new mecca of Capitalism.
Dubai is the new Mecca.... Check out the photographic history of Dubai. Some of the images are done in CGI but they are taken from the images created by the Arch... more -
Ahmed Ahmed
Take a tour through Dubai with Ahmed Ahmed, a hilarious stand up comic travelling through the Middle East.
-
The Dubizzle in Dubai
Dubai rocks -- you just don't know it yet. Check out the richest city in the world and the surging hip, progressive youth faction that inhabits it. Dubai rocks -- you just don't know it yet. Check out the richest city in the world and the surging hip, progressive youth faction... more
-
'Hope' For Dubai's Abused Women
Personally I'll have to add this remarkable woman to my list of heroines.
-
Dubai Prostitution
Beneath the shimmery, prosperous surface of the city of Dubai lies one booming business that most people won't talk about. Conor Knighton checks out the bustling prostitution scene at a popular local club. Beneath the shimmery, prosperous surface of the city of Dubai lies one booming business that most people won't talk about. Conor ... more
-
No Iraqis Allowed
The repercussions of the Iraq war have gone farther than what you see in the news. With bloodshed and fear reigning supreme, the educated youth of Iraq see no future. As they try to find work in neighboring countries, more and more doors are closing. Iraqis are banned from entering Saudi Arabia and Qatar and now the United Arab Emirates -- a country that is developing thanks to its overwhelming expatriate community -- is following suit. Many educated Iraqis are being denied residency status/visas without explanation. This is the story of my cousin Ahmed and other youth who are stuck between Iraq and a hard place in Oman, where Iraqis who were working in Dubai are stranded.
Video by: Hala Alsalman
Music by: Omar Offendum (www.thenomads.biz) The repercussions of the Iraq war have gone farther than what you see in the news. With bloodshed and fear reigning supreme, the educa... more
-
related topics
United Arab Emirates
Contributors (98)
United Arab Emirates
