• Londoner jailed over cheques never meant to be cashed• Gulf’s ‘British isle’ resort on hold until Safi Qareshi’s release
A British property tycoon hailed as one of Dubai’s most successful entrepreneurs after buying a £43m island in the shape of Great Britain has been jailed for seven years for bouncing cheques and withholding payments.
Safi Qurashi, [...]

Attitudes in the Emirates towards women may have improved, but the punishment of those who report rape is a scandal
In the United Arab Emirates, a country that prides itself on modernity and its willingness to advance women’s rights, the criminal court in Abu Dhabi has sentenced an 18-year-old Emirati woman to a year in prison [...]

Move follows alleged Irish passport misuse in killing of Hamas official in Dubai
Ireland today ordered the removal of an Israeli diplomat from the country’s embassy in Dublin in protest at the use of forged passports in the killing of a Hamas official in Dubai.
The Irish decision was the latest sign of diplomatic fallout following the [...]

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting the Mossad operation that allegedly killed Hamas agent Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
An alleged Mossad spy from Israel wanted in connection with the slaying of a Hamas agent in Dubai has been arrested in Poland, officials said. The man, using the name Uri Brodsky, is suspected of helping to [...]

Businessman Mark Arnold sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing South African Kerry Winter

A British businessman was today sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Dubai court after he was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend.
Mark Arnold, from Stoke-on-Trent, was charged with the murder of South African Kerry Winter after a neighbour reported seeing [...]

Investigators conclude Israel responsible for forging four Australian passports used in assassination of Hamas operative
Australia today ordered the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat after investigators concluded that Israel was responsible for forging four Australian passports used in the killing of a Hamas operative in Dubai.
The move follows a similar step by Britain, which expelled an [...]

Couples who publicly kiss are jailed, yet the state turns a blind eye to 30,000 imported prostitutes, says William Butler
The bosomy blonde in a tight, low-cut evening dress slid on to a barstool next to me and began the chat: Where are you from? How long are you here? Where are you staying? I asked [...]

German entrepreneur installs ‘gold machine’ in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace hotel in Dubai
The ultimate hole-in-the-wall – a machine that dispenses gold. Installed beneath the gold-coated ceilings of Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace hotel, where royalty and billionaires come for cappuccinos topped with gold flakes, the machine almost seems part of the furniture. “We chose Emirates Palace [...]

Charlotte Adams who was imprisoned for kissing a man in public says laws need to ‘evolve’ to match the culture
A British woman jailed for kissing a man in public in Dubai has spoken of the “hypocrisy” of the Emirate’s strict decency laws.
Charlotte Adams from Essex was arrested with Ayman Najafi last November after a local [...]

Latest suspects bring to 32 the total alleged to have been involved in killing of military commander Mahmoud alMabhouh
Dubai police have identified up to five more suspects in the alleged assassination of a senior Hamas official by Israeli secret agents, it was reported today.
Abu Dhabi’s National newspaper said at least one more false passport had [...]