DUBAI // A clothes salesman who groped a woman who had been turned away from Global Village for not covering her body up enough was jailed for three months on Tuesday.
Pakistani salesman ZH, 33, touched Filipina JA, 31, on her breasts and private parts as he put an item of clothing on her. She had been turned away from Global Village on November 30 last year by a security guard, who showed her where the clothes shop was.
“When I was entering Dubai Global Village with my friend at around 5.30pm, security personnel at the gate requested that I cover up, because I was wearing shorts,” the receptionist told Dubai Criminal Court.
“He told me to visit a shop nearby and guided me there. When I reached the shop, the defendant invited me and my friend inside his shop then he showed me a piece of clothing that I could use to cover my body with.
“He told me that he will teach me how to tie it to my body, and proceeded to wrap it around my waist. Instinctively, I raised my arms a little bit, then he started to tie the upper part and I felt his hands touch my breast.”
The Filipina later told police that, initially, she thought he had touched her by accident but when he stretched the piece of clothing downwards to cover her legs, he touched her private parts, so she hit him on his shoulder.
The salesman backed off and she returned to the security guard, who called police when informed about the incident.
In her statement, the Filipina friend, MA, 38, said: “I saw my friend hitting him on the shoulder and screaming angrily and asking him in English why he touched her.”
ZH raised his hands and smiled in a sleazy way, telling JA that he did not do anything wrong, the friend testified.
The salesman denied a molestation charge in court last month but he was found guilty and handed a three-month sentence, followed by deportation.
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
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Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
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Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
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Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
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