Kenya
Norwegian woman, jailed for illicit sex, granted pardon
Norwegian woman, jailed for illicit sex, granted pardon Marie Nammour / 22 July 2013 A prosecution source has confirmed that the Norwegian woman, who was jailed for having illicit sex and giving false report to the authorities about being raped, has been granted pardon. “Her case has reached authorities beyond the Public Prosecution including the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the source told Khaleej Times. Marte Deborah Dalelv, in a statement to a Press agency said that she was given back her passport by the Attorney-General’s office and the case was dropped against her which made her free to leave the UAE. The 42-year-old woman, who works as an interior design executive, has been sentenced by the Court of Misdemeanours to 16 months in jail, followed by deportation, for falsely reporting a rape, having sex-out-of the wedlock and consuming alcohol. Her lawyer has already appealed the sentencing and a hearing was scheduled for September 5. She alleged to the police and prosecutors that her Sudanese boss raped her in his hotel room in the Safa area in Bur Dubai in March, taking advantage that she was under the influence of alcohol. The man was sentenced to 13 months in jail and deportation. She had been on a business trip with him when the incident happened. Marte’s case has created media frenzy in the west after she told her story to the Press recounting her ordeal and shock over being held in custody for reporting a rape. She claimed that during the interrogation, she changed her testimony claiming to the investigators that she had consensual sex in a desperate bid to get a reduced sentence. mary@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Fire destroys factory in Sharjah
Fire destroys factory in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 22 July 2013 A massive fire destroyed a clothes and shoes factory located in Al Hamriya Free Zone in Sharjah on Sunday. The fire started at 6.30pm and continued till 10.45pm. No Casulaties have been reported. Firefighters from civil defence units of Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and all Sharjah stations participated in controlling the fire. Brig. Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence said that firefighters worked hard to control the fire from spreading to neighbouring warehouses and premises. He said cooling operation will continue till morning. Cause of the fire is not yet known, and the site will be handed over to forensic experts on Monday to investigate the incident. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
65 rule violations found in markets
65 rule violations found in markets Olivia Olarte-Ulherr / 22 July 2013 The customer protection department at the Ministry of Economy brought to light over 60 violations during its Ramadan inspection. “I found at least 65 fines in all these (inspections) in the market,” Dr Hashem Al Nuaimi, director of Customer Protection at the ministry, told Khaleej Times. These include 16 violations from the Abu Dhabi Fruits and Vegetable Market, 20 in Dubai, five in Sharjah and 25 in Fujairah for “no labelling of the items and some for increasing prices without any reason.” The offenders were given a warning letter and so far no one has been penalised, Dr Al Nuaimi said. However, a repeat of the offence could carry a fine between Dh5,000 and Dh100,000. According to Dr Al Nuaimi, non-conformances this year went down compared to last year. The Ramadan initiative sees the customer protection department visiting supermarkets and fruits and vegetable markets across the emirate to ensure availability of Ramadan items and the prices are in-keeping with the ministry regulation. During his visit to the Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society in Abu Dhabi Mall on Sunday, the director was pleased to find that “everything is fine … no shortage of items” and that there were more than 250 Ramadan items available at the supermarket, including the 100 items with fixed prices. “They also have two Ramadan baskets, one is priced at Dh99 and the other Dh170,” he said. Both the regular and premium baskets have 16 items inside but differ in brands. They include a tin of pineapple slices, oil, rose water, tea bags, basmati rice, almond and raisins. Other special offers at the Co-op include 5kg Masafi basmati rice, with casserole at Dh55.50; 2,475g Nido at Dh51.75; 1.8ltr x 2 Abeer cooking oil at Dh22.90; and Australian lamb shoulder at Dh22.85 per kg. Dr Al Nuaimi’s next visit will be the markets in Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman. olivia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
