United Arab Emirates

Dubai: Kissing Couple’s Sentence Upheld, World’s Tallest Building Reopens

Date: April 7th, 2010 |

A British couple convicted of kissing in public and sentenced to one month in jail saw their sentence upheld by a Dubai court April 4. They have the option to appeal to a higher court within 30 days, but if their appeal is rejected they will be fined about $270 for illegal consumption of alcohol [read more]

Dubai: World’s Tallest Tourist Attraction Closed as Elevator Falters

Date: February 10th, 2010 |

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A month after it opened amid fireworks and fanfare, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, closed when sightseers going to the 124th floor observation deck got trapped for 45 minutes in a malfunctioning elevator. They and others already on the observation platform were evacuated in a freight elevator. The building, a metaphor for Dubai’s [read more]

Dubai: Englishman Sentenced to Four Years in Jail for Speck of Cannabis

Date: February 14th, 2008 |

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The United Arab Emirates’ zero tolerance on drugs is a serious matter not to be trifled with if the case of an imprisoned Englishman is any indication. Press reports say that he was arrested in September and sentenced recently to four years in prison for possession of a tiny speck of cannabis found on the [read more]

Dubai: Zero Tolerance on Drug Possession

Date: August 2nd, 2007 |

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Possession of tiny amounts of illegal drugs means a jail sentence in the zero-tolerance United Arab Emirates, as evidenced by two Britons sentenced to four-year jail terms in Dubai in June. One was carrying 0.11 grams (0.004 ounces) of hashish, while the other, arrested two weeks later, had 1.18 grams (0.04 ounces). The law here [read more]

Dubai: Immigrant Laborers Will Protest at Tourist Sites

Date: April 11th, 2006 |

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Angry immigrant laborers who have no right to speak out about what they consider to be exploitation are plotting to take their protests to the beaches and shopping malls in this Persian Gulf state. They hope to shame tourists into concern about their plight and foster international press coverage of a system that a director [read more]

Dubai: Where a Kiss Isn’t Just a Kiss

Date: March 17th, 2010 |

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The laws against showing physical affection in public here are so strict that even simple kissing can be cause for arrest, or so learned a British tourist and her boyfriend. They testified in court that they greeted each other with kisses on the cheek and nothing more, but a family at a nearby table saw [read more]

Dubai: Two Britons Sentenced to Jail for Sex on the Beach

Date: October 22nd, 2008 |

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It may appear that anything goes in the high-flying state of Dubai, but that is not so, as two Britons discovered recently when a Dubai court sentenced them to three months in prison followed by deportation for engaging in sex on a public beach. The law in the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is [read more]

Dubai: Labor Strike and Dubai Air Show

Date: November 9th, 2007 |

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Some 40,000 Asian construction workers striking over low pay, high living costs and poor working conditions have created a labor crisis in this construction-mad city-state that has fueled its boom as a business and luxury tourism center through low-paid imported workers. The strikers have refused to work at a hotel site that is part of [read more]

Dubai: Police to Chase Reckless Drivers

Date: December 26th, 2006 |

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Police have been trained in high-speed driving skills and are now authorized to execute hot pursuits of reckless drivers. Until the plan went into effect Dec. 22, police avoided chasing motorists because of the likelihood of causing accidents. A crackdown on dangerous drivers in November reduced by 42 percent the road fatalities in this city [read more]

United Arab Emirates: Dangerous Drivers

Date: December 20th, 2005 |

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The Persian Gulf countries have some of the world�s highest auto accident rates, with traffic deaths now the second-leading cause of death, after heart disease. According to the World Health Organization, countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region, including most Arab countries, has a traffic accident death rate of 26.3 per 100,000 population. Only Africa is [read more]

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