Three court reports on Page 3 of Gulf News today suggest that the laws in the UAE really need an overhaul.
10-year jail term for drug smuggling
Dubai: Three men have been sentenced to ten years behind bars for smuggling, possessing and trafficking about 43 kilograms of hashish.
The Dubai Court of First Instance also fined 29-year-old J.M. and 26-year-old A.A., from Qatar, and their 30-year-old Iranian collaborator, Y.M., Dh50,000 each.
Three-year jail term for policeman who raped maid upheld
Dubai: A court upheld three-year imprisonment for a policeman who sneaked into his housemaid's bedroom and raped her.
The Dubai Court of Appeal found the 40-year-old UAE national, I.R., guilty of raping his Indonesian housemaid, R.N., as charged by the Public Prosecution.
Two jailed for 5 years for kidnapping student, molesting and attempting to rape her
Dubai: Two Pakistani men will each spend five years in jail for kidnapping a university student, molesting and attempting to rape her in their car, ruled a court.
Back in April, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid highlighted the Ministry of Justice as needing an overhaul. I do hope that the overhaul includes looking at the whole area of justice, including the law's views of the comparative seriousness of crimes.
Ten years for dealing in hashish is fair enough.
But against five years for attempted rape it doesn't compute.
Nor do either of those sentences against three years for actual rape.
Gulf news stories are here
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The new Interchange 5
Traffic is getting to be a lot less of a problem around Dubai Marina - or at least at the Dubai end. 
Then it all gets into the mess that will eventually be the new Interchange.
It's still chaos at the Jebel Ali end, with the new Interchange there in the early stages, the original completed roads completely dug up and the small local roads being used for all Dubai-Jebel Ali traffic coming out of the Marina.
There's a temporary mini roundabout between Belvedere & Waterfront buildings that everything including water tankers and labourers' buses have to try to negotiate.
Then it all gets into the mess that will eventually be the new Interchange.
When it's eventually open it will mean that the half of Dubai Marina's residents living at this end won't have to go right through the Marina to get in and out. It was a blindingly obvious fault in the original plan not to have this interchange, and of course it should have been built as part of the original infrastructure.
Instead of that, the roads were completed, including landscaping, only to be completely demolished to make way for the new roads. Tens of millions of dirhams, untold lost productivity with people stuck in jams, unnecessary road chaos, pollution and frustration.
Anyway, back to the good news - here's a great shot by Imre Solt posted on Skyscrapercity giving an overview of the huge new Interchange 5 as it was a couple of days ago.
We have new routes being opened on an almost daily basis. The signage is inevitably incomplete, confusing, downright misleading, but regular users are getting used to it. Visitors are still last-second lane changing or slowing almost to a stop trying to work it out, causing unnecessary danger and hold-ups.
There are now exits to Jebel Ali/Abu Dhabi, Emirates Hills, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Al Suffouh Road, Dubai & Al Quoz, Jumeirah and others to who-knows-where.
There's a loop back in from SZR when you're coming from Jebel Ali, others in from Al Quoz, JLT and Emirates Hills it seems, and in from Al Suffouh Road. I think there will be another link direct into Media City too, from what I can work out.
I drove around on Friday trying the different options and the ones that were open seem to work well. It obviously spreads the traffic load from Al Suffouh Road, that couldn't cope with it all.
A few photos from my Friday drive of what it's like at ground level...
Beach development's developing story
The story about the possible development of Umm Suqeim beach next to Burj Al Arab just seems to go on and on.
The latest is that the dredging work now seems to have stopped. The boats have gone.
First, on March 18, I reported that a construction fence was being erected on the beach.
Then on March 30 I posted that The Big Boss ordered construction stopped and the fence removed.
On to April 10 and I had photos of the fence being removed. Looking good.
But. Isn't there always a but. Workboats were still working around the clock on something or other.
May 7 and we were talking about the construction site office adjacent to Umm Suqeim Fishing Port and the boats working 24/7 just offshore.
Now May 10 and I had photos of the brand new island that had appeared. A Boskalis Westminster flag was flying on it - it's their construction site office and they are a huge international dredging and land reclamation company.
But now, for the last week, the boats have disappeared. No more dredging, no more islands.
The little island is still there, the flag is still flying over the island and the site office, but there's no work going on.
Long may it continue. Fingers crossed.
The latest is that the dredging work now seems to have stopped. The boats have gone.
First, on March 18, I reported that a construction fence was being erected on the beach.
Then on March 30 I posted that The Big Boss ordered construction stopped and the fence removed.
On to April 10 and I had photos of the fence being removed. Looking good.
But. Isn't there always a but. Workboats were still working around the clock on something or other.
May 7 and we were talking about the construction site office adjacent to Umm Suqeim Fishing Port and the boats working 24/7 just offshore.
Now May 10 and I had photos of the brand new island that had appeared. A Boskalis Westminster flag was flying on it - it's their construction site office and they are a huge international dredging and land reclamation company.
But now, for the last week, the boats have disappeared. No more dredging, no more islands.
The little island is still there, the flag is still flying over the island and the site office, but there's no work going on.
Long may it continue. Fingers crossed.
Perfect shoal circle
Umm Suqeim beach this morning...
Strolling along, I noticed the 'shadow' in the water, went closer, and realised it was a circling shoal of fish. I'm so glad I had the camera with me.
Strolling along, I noticed the 'shadow' in the water, went closer, and realised it was a circling shoal of fish. I'm so glad I had the camera with me.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Dubai in context...
Just to continue a little on the last subject - putting some perspective to our complaints about Dubai - because the comments raise a couple of points.
Secret Dubai made some very valid points, including "I've never thought most problems were unique to Dubai, but people blog and complain about them because we live here. Were I living in the UK I would doubtless complain about the situation there".
Very true - I also write in the Australian blogosphere and most of my postings are complaints.
But "I've never thought most problems were unique to Dubai" explains the thought that prompted me to write the post because many expats living in the artificial cocoon of their lives here, actually do convince themselves that the things they complain about are problems unique to Dubai. These things don't happen 'back home' - I very often debate the point with people.
As SD pointed out, and I'm in full agreement, there are indeed many things which need improving in Dubai, and many areas where the situation is worse than in other countries. But too many expats fall into the trap of believing that these things don't happen 'back home' , and the longer they're here the rosier the memory of 'back home' becomes. The reality is that while we do have problems here that need fixing, so does 'back home'.
The other point, which again I debate with people often, is the claim that 'Dubai compares itself with...' other cities/countries.
That came up in the comments too:
Secret Dubai said: Dubai is generally much worse than the average western country it regularly seeks to compare itself with.
dxbhack said: Dubai says "We are cheaper than Hong Kong, New York and London...it seriously compares itself in the bigger picture with these cities?
Being pedantic, Dubai is an inanimate object, so can't compare itself with anything. So the expression actually means 'people in Dubai compare the city with'.
But I've never heard or read anyone doing this comparison and claiming that Dubai is as good as, or better than, any other city. Maybe others have, but I certainly haven't. When people have said to me that 'Dubai compares itself with' I've asked them who actually said it, and they can't tell me.
Dubai wants, has or is getting, the tallest, the biggest, the fastest, the only...but that's very different from claiming 'we're better than'.
My experience is that no-one does actually claim that Dubai is as good as or better than any other city - it's another expat myth.
Secret Dubai made some very valid points, including "I've never thought most problems were unique to Dubai, but people blog and complain about them because we live here. Were I living in the UK I would doubtless complain about the situation there".
Very true - I also write in the Australian blogosphere and most of my postings are complaints.
But "I've never thought most problems were unique to Dubai" explains the thought that prompted me to write the post because many expats living in the artificial cocoon of their lives here, actually do convince themselves that the things they complain about are problems unique to Dubai. These things don't happen 'back home' - I very often debate the point with people.
As SD pointed out, and I'm in full agreement, there are indeed many things which need improving in Dubai, and many areas where the situation is worse than in other countries. But too many expats fall into the trap of believing that these things don't happen 'back home' , and the longer they're here the rosier the memory of 'back home' becomes. The reality is that while we do have problems here that need fixing, so does 'back home'.
The other point, which again I debate with people often, is the claim that 'Dubai compares itself with...' other cities/countries.
That came up in the comments too:
Secret Dubai said: Dubai is generally much worse than the average western country it regularly seeks to compare itself with.
dxbhack said: Dubai says "We are cheaper than Hong Kong, New York and London...it seriously compares itself in the bigger picture with these cities?
Being pedantic, Dubai is an inanimate object, so can't compare itself with anything. So the expression actually means 'people in Dubai compare the city with'.
But I've never heard or read anyone doing this comparison and claiming that Dubai is as good as, or better than, any other city. Maybe others have, but I certainly haven't. When people have said to me that 'Dubai compares itself with' I've asked them who actually said it, and they can't tell me.
Dubai wants, has or is getting, the tallest, the biggest, the fastest, the only...but that's very different from claiming 'we're better than'.
My experience is that no-one does actually claim that Dubai is as good as or better than any other city - it's another expat myth.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Putting Dubai in perspective.
I might be rambling here and I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with it, but I'm sort-of thinking out loud.
Reading a few newspapers today several stories semed to come together in a picture of many of the things that we talk and complain about in Dubai, and they put it all into some perspective.
I've long argued, for example, that Dubai is not the overly expensive place that many expats complain it is. We have bad inflation that's pushed prices way above what they were not so long ago, but compare like-with-like and Dubai stands up pretty well.
Anyway, to the stories I read.
Rent is the number one topic of complaint, and they have rocketed up by huge percentages in Dubai, unfairly so. But...AFP in Gulf News (but not on their website) says a new study on rental apartments for expats puts Dubai down at 14 on the list. Taking unfurnished three bedroom apartments as a base because they're the most commonly rented by expats, Hong Kong is top at about AED375,000 a year. Tokyo at AED325,000, New York at AED320,000 follow, then Moscow, Seoul, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Caracas & Paris.
Then there's the price of buying property, another hot topic here. According to a Reuters story in Gulf News (not on their website) prices of prime property in central London have risen by more than 33% in the last 12 months. A property worth £100,000 (AED730,000) in 1976 would now be worth more than £4.1 million (AED29.93 million).
In Sydney, we're told:
THERE are now 42 Sydney suburbs with a median house price over $1 million (AED2.7 million), more than when the city-wide property boom peaked 3 years ago...Palm Beach has emerged as Sydney's most expensive suburb. Its median price has more than doubled in the past three years to $3.1 million (AED8.56 million). Four suburbs - Bellevue Hill, Vaucluse, Dover Heights and Clontarf - all have median prices over $2 million (AED5.52 million)...The boom at the top end of the market means about 11 per cent of suburbs now have a $1 million-plus median house price.
On to exploitation of labour and in the UK the Guardian tells us:
British law allows escape clauses from paying the minimum wage. Last week, another restaurant chain was denounced for paying its waiting staff only £3.75 (AED27.38) an hour, which is £1.60 (AED11.68) below the minimum wage. (Which is AED39)...Enforcement of the minimum wage is minimal, with only 100 compliance officers to cover the country. HM Revenue & Customs have only prosecuted one cheating employer... With £5,000 (AED36,500) as the maximum penalty, rogue employers are not deterred...Agency employees can be fired on the spot at any time within one year of employment. Frequently, they are fired just before the year's end - only to be hired again the next day. That way they can work for years for one employer with no holidays, sick pay or pensions...Their YouGov survey of agency workers finds over half have had no holiday break in the past six months. They talk of terrible conditions - 12-hour shifts at sub-zero, freezing vegetables.
None of that excuses Dubai employers exploiting workers, of insufficient inspection, of too-lenient fines - but it does show that so-called advanced societies are also guilty.
Then something I posted about on Wednesday, domestic violence. Of course, sadly, we have it here. In Australia a report says:
DOMESTIC violence against women causes about 15 per cent of the depression and anxiety affecting females, and nearly a third of female suicides, while child sexual abuse causes 10 per cent of the anxiety and depression in the entire population.
On to driving around schools, in the news here because children have been killed by vehicles over the last few weeks. From my local newspaper in Australia comes this:
TOUGH new penalties have slowed motorists driving through school zones. But it's still Rafferty's rules when it comes to double parking, dropping children off in no stopping zones and obeying pedestrian crossing regulations...Three days after the Roads and Traffic Authority introduced new penalties for breaking the road rules in school zones motorists continued to ignore laws which now attract more demerit points and heftier fines....parking in no stopping zones and across driveways, and double parking, were the most common offences...there was still the odd car ``drifting through'' when the crossing was being used.
Then bad planning, delays and waste came to mind when I read another story in my local newspaper in Australia:
The controversial new trains planned for the Central Coast were under fire on several fronts this week...criticised the State Government over year-long delays in introducing the new carriages...they would be more crowded and uncomfortable than the trains they were replacing.
...suspension problems needed to be fixed before the trains could begin running in mid-2008....by then many commuters would be committed to using their cars.
The State Government is spending $439 million (AED1.2 billion) on 122 of the new outer suburban carriages. They were to begin operating to the coast this year. But even when they did arrive overcrowding and lack of toilets would be problems. The V Set trains now used had the equivalent of a toilet for every carriage, the new ones would have one toilet for every four carriages and ``that's just not enough.''
Seating would also be less comfortable.
The coast's exploding commuter population needed an attractive rail service.
The introduction of the trains had been delayed because ``minor vibrations'' had been discovered in some carriages...some fine tuning of suspension systems was being undertaken to correct the problem.
I'm not for one moment suggesting that because something happens elsewhere that it's acceptable in Dubai. Nor am I suggesting that if we see something that should be exposed and improved that we should turn a blind eye. Of course these things should be pointed out, otherwise they'll never be improved.
I am, I suppose, saying that we shouldn't fall into the trap of believing these things happen only in Dubai, that Dubai is uniquely guilty. What are considered more socially and legalistically advanced countries, the countries we come from, have many of the same problems. Indeed, they have more in some instances, such as crime. Dubai is part of the global community, it's becoming a big international city, it has a lot of catching up to do...but maybe our expectations are too high? Are we expecting Dubai to have none of the problems that other countries have?
On the cost of living thing, I'm also suggesting that prices here need to thought of in perspective against other cities, not against 'what they used to be'. That comparing the rent of a luxury apartment in Dubai Marina with a small flat in an English provincial town is not a fair comparison, it's not like with like.
If you want to read the original stories, here they are:
March of the million dollar suburbs.
McJobs are giving Britain a reputation...
The preventable things making us sick.
New rules ignored.
Controversial new trains.
Reading a few newspapers today several stories semed to come together in a picture of many of the things that we talk and complain about in Dubai, and they put it all into some perspective.
I've long argued, for example, that Dubai is not the overly expensive place that many expats complain it is. We have bad inflation that's pushed prices way above what they were not so long ago, but compare like-with-like and Dubai stands up pretty well.
Anyway, to the stories I read.
Rent is the number one topic of complaint, and they have rocketed up by huge percentages in Dubai, unfairly so. But...AFP in Gulf News (but not on their website) says a new study on rental apartments for expats puts Dubai down at 14 on the list. Taking unfurnished three bedroom apartments as a base because they're the most commonly rented by expats, Hong Kong is top at about AED375,000 a year. Tokyo at AED325,000, New York at AED320,000 follow, then Moscow, Seoul, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Caracas & Paris.
Then there's the price of buying property, another hot topic here. According to a Reuters story in Gulf News (not on their website) prices of prime property in central London have risen by more than 33% in the last 12 months. A property worth £100,000 (AED730,000) in 1976 would now be worth more than £4.1 million (AED29.93 million).
In Sydney, we're told:
THERE are now 42 Sydney suburbs with a median house price over $1 million (AED2.7 million), more than when the city-wide property boom peaked 3 years ago...Palm Beach has emerged as Sydney's most expensive suburb. Its median price has more than doubled in the past three years to $3.1 million (AED8.56 million). Four suburbs - Bellevue Hill, Vaucluse, Dover Heights and Clontarf - all have median prices over $2 million (AED5.52 million)...The boom at the top end of the market means about 11 per cent of suburbs now have a $1 million-plus median house price.
On to exploitation of labour and in the UK the Guardian tells us:
British law allows escape clauses from paying the minimum wage. Last week, another restaurant chain was denounced for paying its waiting staff only £3.75 (AED27.38) an hour, which is £1.60 (AED11.68) below the minimum wage. (Which is AED39)...Enforcement of the minimum wage is minimal, with only 100 compliance officers to cover the country. HM Revenue & Customs have only prosecuted one cheating employer... With £5,000 (AED36,500) as the maximum penalty, rogue employers are not deterred...Agency employees can be fired on the spot at any time within one year of employment. Frequently, they are fired just before the year's end - only to be hired again the next day. That way they can work for years for one employer with no holidays, sick pay or pensions...Their YouGov survey of agency workers finds over half have had no holiday break in the past six months. They talk of terrible conditions - 12-hour shifts at sub-zero, freezing vegetables.
None of that excuses Dubai employers exploiting workers, of insufficient inspection, of too-lenient fines - but it does show that so-called advanced societies are also guilty.
Then something I posted about on Wednesday, domestic violence. Of course, sadly, we have it here. In Australia a report says:
DOMESTIC violence against women causes about 15 per cent of the depression and anxiety affecting females, and nearly a third of female suicides, while child sexual abuse causes 10 per cent of the anxiety and depression in the entire population.
On to driving around schools, in the news here because children have been killed by vehicles over the last few weeks. From my local newspaper in Australia comes this:
TOUGH new penalties have slowed motorists driving through school zones. But it's still Rafferty's rules when it comes to double parking, dropping children off in no stopping zones and obeying pedestrian crossing regulations...Three days after the Roads and Traffic Authority introduced new penalties for breaking the road rules in school zones motorists continued to ignore laws which now attract more demerit points and heftier fines....parking in no stopping zones and across driveways, and double parking, were the most common offences...there was still the odd car ``drifting through'' when the crossing was being used.
Then bad planning, delays and waste came to mind when I read another story in my local newspaper in Australia:
The controversial new trains planned for the Central Coast were under fire on several fronts this week...criticised the State Government over year-long delays in introducing the new carriages...they would be more crowded and uncomfortable than the trains they were replacing.
...suspension problems needed to be fixed before the trains could begin running in mid-2008....by then many commuters would be committed to using their cars.
The State Government is spending $439 million (AED1.2 billion) on 122 of the new outer suburban carriages. They were to begin operating to the coast this year. But even when they did arrive overcrowding and lack of toilets would be problems. The V Set trains now used had the equivalent of a toilet for every carriage, the new ones would have one toilet for every four carriages and ``that's just not enough.''
Seating would also be less comfortable.
The coast's exploding commuter population needed an attractive rail service.
The introduction of the trains had been delayed because ``minor vibrations'' had been discovered in some carriages...some fine tuning of suspension systems was being undertaken to correct the problem.
I'm not for one moment suggesting that because something happens elsewhere that it's acceptable in Dubai. Nor am I suggesting that if we see something that should be exposed and improved that we should turn a blind eye. Of course these things should be pointed out, otherwise they'll never be improved.
I am, I suppose, saying that we shouldn't fall into the trap of believing these things happen only in Dubai, that Dubai is uniquely guilty. What are considered more socially and legalistically advanced countries, the countries we come from, have many of the same problems. Indeed, they have more in some instances, such as crime. Dubai is part of the global community, it's becoming a big international city, it has a lot of catching up to do...but maybe our expectations are too high? Are we expecting Dubai to have none of the problems that other countries have?
On the cost of living thing, I'm also suggesting that prices here need to thought of in perspective against other cities, not against 'what they used to be'. That comparing the rent of a luxury apartment in Dubai Marina with a small flat in an English provincial town is not a fair comparison, it's not like with like.
If you want to read the original stories, here they are:
March of the million dollar suburbs.
McJobs are giving Britain a reputation...
The preventable things making us sick.
New rules ignored.
Controversial new trains.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
New zoo - or is it another false dawn?
According to a report in Gulf News, we'll soon will be rid of Dubai's disgrace of a zoo.
Dubai Municipality says work on the new one at Dubailand will start in as little as two months and it should be ready by September next year.
Talk about a new zoo has been going on for at least twenty years, so I'm not holding my breath.
Still, none other than the Director of General Projects Department, Rashad Bukhash, is quoted as saying that a consultant has been selected, a contract will be signed in about two weeks and that building will commence in July or August.
The animals and anyone concerned about their welfare will be very happy if, finally, it does happen.
Gulf News story here.
Dubai Municipality says work on the new one at Dubailand will start in as little as two months and it should be ready by September next year.
Talk about a new zoo has been going on for at least twenty years, so I'm not holding my breath.
Still, none other than the Director of General Projects Department, Rashad Bukhash, is quoted as saying that a consultant has been selected, a contract will be signed in about two weeks and that building will commence in July or August.
The animals and anyone concerned about their welfare will be very happy if, finally, it does happen.
Gulf News story here.
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