ABU DHABI // A fitness instructor jailed for forging documents that allegedly let her stay in a hotel for months without paying, told a court this week that her Arabic skills were not good enough for her to have committed the crime.
JB, from Spain, built up a bill of Dh300,000 at the hotel after presenting bogus documents from the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare to back up her claim that the Hamdan Street gym she was working for would be paying for her.
She told the Appeals Court that her Omani sponsor, AA, must have forged the documents and that the hotel should have spotted that they were bogus.
She said that AA had made inappropriate advances towards her before the complaint was filed against her
"He would tell me: 'I want to visit you', but I refused. Then the complaint was filed."
When the judge asked what her link was to the youth and sports authority, she said she had not heard of it before she was arrested.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced her to three months in prison and fined her Dh1,000. The Appeal Court adjourned the case to April 12 so that her sponsor could testify.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
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Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Explained
The Perfect Couple
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Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Jawbone Press
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
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COMPANY PROFILE
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
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Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
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South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
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Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
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CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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4/5 stars
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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