Sharjah authorities are clamping down on massage parlours that use "indecent advertising". Pawan Singh / The National
Sharjah authorities are clamping down on massage parlours that use "indecent advertising". Pawan Singh / The National
Sharjah authorities are clamping down on massage parlours that use "indecent advertising". Pawan Singh / The National
Sharjah authorities are clamping down on massage parlours that use "indecent advertising". Pawan Singh / The National

Sharjah clamps down on massage parlours using 'indecent' advertisements


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Authorities in Sharjah have announced an operation against massage parlours using “indecent advertisements” and will also tackle beggars, fugitive workers and street vendors.

The emirate’s Consultative Council has approved a number of measures proposed by Sharjah Police.

The new policies will see massage parlours being penalised for the use of “indecent advertisements” to “preserve the privacy of society”.

Beggars and illegal street vendors are also being targeted as part of the new campaign in Sharjah.

The measures include the construction of a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts to help to improve treatment and recovery programmes.

Delivery riders will also receive training on the importance of safe driving to reduce the number of accidents on Sharjah's roads.

Police will also liaise with the emirate’s roads authority to introduce smart systems to monitor traffic congestion and identify accident hot spots.

Smart systems will be placed in Sharjah police cars to help to increase efficiency in responding to accidents.

The local ambulance service will also be developed in accordance with best international practices.

Dubai crackdown on massage centres

In February, authorities in Dubai stepped up action against unlicensed massage centres that draw customers through business cards placed on cars.

A Dubai Police campaign led to hundreds of arrests and the disconnection of more than 3,000 phone numbers.

Dubai Police warned the public about the dangers of visiting unlicensed massage centres. Aside from facing legal action, the force said people run the risk of being robbed or blackmailed.

Over the past three years, police in the emirate arrested 2,025 violators, 1,643 of whom were charged with breaching public decency, while 165 were detained for printing and distributing the cards.

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Series result

1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets

2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets

3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets

4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets

5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets

How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Price: From Dh590,000

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

match details

Wales v Hungary

Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm

Updated: August 22, 2022, 9:40 AM