Eideard

 
Several sailors have been rescued from a fire on board a ship in the Persian gulf by a TV crew who happened to be filming in the area.

Iranian state television reported the ship was carrying fuel to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port when a large blaze broke out on board.

All nine crew members were able to escape onto the TV documentary makers’ small boat.

Great timing – and an exclusive.

A British businessman is facing jail for insulting the Prophet Mohammed after getting into an argument in a shop in Dubai.

The man, named in court papers as Andrew Graham, 40, is said to have told Hassan Habib, a Pakistani computer salesman, that the Prophet was a “terrorist”. Insulting Islam is a serious offence in the United Arab Emirates, as in other Gulf countries, and can attract a fine and a sentence of up to a year in prison.

Mr Graham pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Dubai Courts on Tuesday, admitting he had an argument with Mr Habib but denying he had attacked the Prophet or muslims…

“It was not the first time – he has had arguments in other outlet stores, according to my friends. But they are Indians and with me he increased the argument.”

The court was told Mr Graham had got into an argument with Mr Habib about the Taliban. When Mr Habib insisted that muslims were peace-loving, Mr Graham allegedly said: “All Muslims are mad and your Prophet Mohammad was a bad man. Your Prophet Mohammad was a terrorist.” Mr Graham…had to be told to change after arriving at court wearing shorts…

When you are a stranger in a strange land, discretion can be the better part of valor. Instead of trying to win every argument – especially with invective barely acceptable in your homeland – consider shutting up. And wearing long pants.

A 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check-in for his flight at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on his way to Dubai when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the FREELAND Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.

When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, who was present during the sting. There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys – all about the size of puppies.

“It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn’t move around much,” Mr Galster said. Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes…

“It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We’ve never seen one like this before,” Mr Galster said. “The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases.”

Lock him away in a cage comparable to those he used for these animals.

A man has committed suicide by jumping from the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, according to its owner.

The man, in his 20s, fell from the 147th floor of the 2,717ft Burj Khalifa, landing on a deck on the 108th floor, local media reported…

It would be the first known suicide from the 160-storey landmark, which opened in January 2010…

Reports on the websites of the Gulf News and 7 Days newspapers said the man had jumped after a dispute with his employer. Police statements showed that a holiday he had requested was turned down…

The Burj Khalifa was designed by Chicago-based architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

It is the tallest freestanding structure in the world.

I wonder if the record holds – since he didn’t make it all the way to ground level?

 
The Superbus concept, which could give business commuters and tourists a new luxury high-speed link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, moves a step closer to fruition in the UAE next week when it will be showcased outside Europe for the first time.

The first prototype version of the Superbus makes its Middle East debut when it goes on show at the five-day UITP Mobility and City Transport Expo getting under way on Sunday at Dubai National Exhibition and Convention Centre…

Carrying 23 passengers at 250 kmh on a dedicated “speed track”, the Superbus will cut the commute time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to 30 minutes, and is seen by its European designers as the shape of things to come in sustainable transport.

The Superbus is the brainchild of a design team at TU Delft University of Technology in Holland who have brought the prototype to the UAE after an exploratory initial visit coinciding with last month’s Commercial Vehicles Middle East exhibition and conference in Dubai…It has been dubbed the “Dutch solution” to the three ills of public transportation: congestion, pollution, and safety…

“Superbus will have an intelligent routing system rather than a fixed schedule. Commuters will book online or with their mobile phone, and the bus picks them up and drops them at their desired location.”

Offering the convenience of a car, the Superbus is 15 meters long and has eight doors on each side. It would run on a dedicated two-lane highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and leave the “speed track” in urban areas to drop off passengers at agreed locations…

Produced as a result of feasibility studies by the Dutch government for a route in northern Holland, the UAE is confident it makes sense for interconnections both for business and tourism.

And it rocks!

Indonesian customs officials have arrested two men suspected of trying to take 40 snakes on to a flight to Dubai.

The two were about to enter the departure area at Jakarta airport when X-rays showed their bags were filled with sedated pythons…

The two suspects told investigators they planned to sell the animals to collectors in the United Arab Emirates, the AP news agency reports…

“People often use the flights to Dubai to smuggle illegal animals,” an official at Jakarta airport told AFP news agency.

“For the sake of flight safety and security, no animals are allowed to be brought on to aircraft without permission and special handling,” the official, Salahudin Rafi, added.

And if they get loose on the plane, it’s a remake of a not-very-good movie.

Hi there. My name is Faisal. I’m a nutball!

Authorities hunting for the suspect in the botched Times Square bombing dramatically beat the clock overnight, seizing a Pakistani-American citizen moments before he was set to begin a long trip to his strife-torn homeland.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested around 11:45 p.m. ET Monday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, said Attorney General Eric Holder…

Shahzad was on board Emirates Airlines Flight 202 to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the jetway had been pulled back when the plane was called to return to the gate, a law enforcement source said. Shahzad was booked through to Islamabad, Pakistan, via Dubai, a senior airline official confirmed.

Americans are made to feel better by the quantity and variety of “safety checks” introduced by our politicians. Achieving pretty much nothing more than interfering with the 99.99% of our lives unconcerned with terrorism.

“They just caught him at the last second,” a law enforcement source said…

Read the rest of this entry »

Two Emirates airlines cabin crew have been ordered jailed for three months in Dubai over sexually explicit text messages, the latest in a string of indecency cases against foreigners.

The pair, an Indian flight attendant and her cabin services supervisor, were convicted of “coercion to commit sin” over the messages and initially sentenced to six months in jail, The National newspaper said on its website, citing court documents.

The sentence was reduced on appeal last week to three months and deportation orders against the pair were lifted, it added. It did not reveal the content of the messages.

Dubai’s foreign population has expanded rapidly in recent years as expatriates flocked to the Gulf Arab trade and tourism hub for its tax-free earnings and year-round sunshine.

The changes have challenged the Emirati population, which is now vastly outnumbered by foreigners, raising concern that their emirate’s rapid pace of growth is a threat to their social and religious identity in what remains a deeply conservative region…

Hey, folks. You want tourists, want folks to move to Dubai and base their businesses in all that sunshine?

Move your minds from the shadows of fundamentalist crypts into the light of day. Take a look around at the 21st Century.

Ayman Najafi, 24, a marketing consultant who lives in Dubai, and Charlotte Adams, 25, an estate agent from North London, were said to have been touching each other and kissing passionately as they dined with friends in a beachfront restaurant.

They were arrested and sentenced to a month in prison after which they were told they would be deported.

But the pair told a hearing at the Dubai Appeal Court on Sunday that they were the victims of a “huge misunderstanding” and had simply exchanged a friendly greeting.

“We kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting, nothing more,” Mr Najafi told Judge Aysar Fouad. Miss Adams pointed at her cheek to show where contact had taken place.

The latest incident took place when Miss Adams and Mr Najafi met along with four other friends for dinner at Bob’s Easy Diner on the beachfront at the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex on November 27.

The police were called at around 2am by an Emirati woman sitting at a nearby table with her children and claimed her daughter had been upset by the display of affection…

“My daughter told me that the accused were kissing on the mouth,” she said…

At the appeal hearing on Sunday, their defence lawyer Khalaf al Hosany said the couple admitted kissing each other on the cheek but denied any intention to break the law…

But their pleas of not guilty to indecency were rejected and they were sentenced to a month in prison followed by deportation.

Apparently there’s another round of sentencing in a couple of weeks and they have expressed hopes for more understanding at that hearing. Frankly, if Dubai wishes to continue to be a tourist destination for travelers from around the world they had better get their morality coppers into the 21st Century – or give up on the idea.

You’re eating who?

A new fast food sensation has hit the Emirates’ culinary scene. Right now, Dubai diners can’t seem to get enough of the “camel burger.”

“It’s a sensation,” Ramesh, restaurant manager at “Local House” the restaurant chain behind the burgers told CNN. “Everyone’s bored of beef and chicken. So, as soon as the word got out, we had queues of customers eager to give it a try.”

Not only are the exotic burgers a novelty, they are also a healthier alternative to their beefy American cousins, the restaurant claims. The $6 “camel quarter-pounder” is virtually fat and cholesterol-free, according to Ramesh.

“Not only are they super healthy, but the flavor is amazing,” he told CNN of the centuries-old Bedouin delicacy they have given a 21st century twist.

Instead of the familiar sesame bun, they serve the burgers with freshly-baked “khameer” — a popular and yeasty regional bread. “It also comes with melted cheddar cheese, our very own burger sauce and a portion of fries,” Ramesh said.

The restaurant’s novel burgers have so far been a runaway success with inquisitive tourists and local Emirates alike.

Rock on – Dubai!