Furloughed and considering overseas Middle East Employment?

[pilotss]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7673046.stm


A British man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after being found guilty of having sex on a beach.
Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.
They were fined 1,000 dirhams (£160; $350) and will be deported after serving their sentences.
Their lawyer says the pair will appeal against the verdict.
A spokesman for the judge said Acors and Palmer would be jailed and then deported for the offences of unmarried sex and public indecency.
He added that they had been fined for being drunk in a public place.
"The sentence of three months is usual in these cases. We get many cases of this kind," he said.
Acors and Palmer were not at Dubai's Court of First Instance to hear the ruling but had been ordered not to leave the emirate.
'Not happy'
Their defence lawyer Hassan Matter said the pair were upset but not surprised by the verdict.
"They are not guilty but they were prepared for this," he said.


Case is a warning to others

He said he was hopeful the conviction would be overturned.
"I think I have a chance in the appeal court. I have 15 days to appeal. I have to find the reason why the judge gave three months."
Acors and Palmer will remain on bail until their appeal is heard at the court.
Senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length of sentence.
"I'm not happy," he said, speaking outside court. "It's very light. It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."
Mr Ahli said he expected Acors and Palmer to serve their full three-month term in a Dubai prison.
"Sometimes people serve half their sentence, but this is so short I expect they will serve it all," he said.
'Kissing and hugging'
The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch at Dubai's five-star Le Meridien hotel.
A police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun lounger.
Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and hugging".
Mr Matter said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were "wrong" and medical examinations had proved Palmer had not had sex on the beach.
Friends of Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks suffering from anxiety and depression.
The case has turned the spotlight on the lifestyle of the 120,000 British residents of the United Arab Emirates.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Dubai, says there have been concerns lately that tourists are ignoring the emirate's strict Islamic laws and that the outcome of this case will be a warning that such drunken behaviour will not be tolerated in public.
Pauline Crowe, chief executive of UK charity Prisoners Abroad, said the case served as a timely reminder to people to be aware of local customs and laws because ignorance would not be accepted as a defence in court.
She said: "As this case illustrates, what may seem like an innocent act or misdemeanour in the UK can often land people in serious trouble when abroad."

 

[Tweaker]

_____Wots to complain about? I mean it could be worse. UAE isn't caning or stoning them to death. Keep it in perspective.

_____Muslim light seems almost downright reasonable in comparison with the balls out Sharia style Islamic law.

From the linked BBC article
_____She is a silly girl," said Samantha Wright, 26, from Bristol. "Before I came here I read up on the dos and don'ts. I wouldn't dream of kissing my friend out on the street.
_____"This is an Islamic country. We have to respect their traditions. We expect the same in our country. You should dress and behave appropriately when you are somebody's guest."
_____Do the muslims in the UK reciprocate in dress and behavior? No, actually they are militant and staunchly defend their RIGHT to act in their TRADITIONAL ways in your country.
_____Some muslims in France have even demanded the right to self governance in the areas they have flooded and made into a muslim majority. VALID COMPARISON? NOPE!


_____"it's illegal to be gay or to kiss your wife in public"
_____Oy vey, this needs no comment, as it is ludicrous and offensive at face value.


_____"In one sense the Emiratis should be congratulated for their tolerance"
_____"We have always been an open-minded and tolerant nation and obviously different lifestyles are accommodated for, but not at the expense of our culture and the very elements that made us tolerant in the first place."
_____Oy vey, this needs no comment, as it is ludicrous and offensive at face value.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Talk about havin' a "stiff" penalty...

Sheeeeeeeeeeeesh.

 

[PA31Driver]

_____Wots to complain about? I mean it could be worse. UAE isn't caning or stoning them to death. Keep it in perspective.

_____Muslim light seems almost downright reasonable in comparison with the balls out Sharia style Islamic law.

From the linked BBC article
_____She is a silly girl," said Samantha Wright, 26, from Bristol. "Before I came here I read up on the dos and don'ts. I wouldn't dream of kissing my friend out on the street.
_____"This is an Islamic country. We have to respect their traditions. We expect the same in our country. You should dress and behave appropriately when you are somebody's guest."
_____Do the muslims in the UK reciprocate in dress and behavior? No, actually they are militant and staunchly defend their RIGHT to act in their TRADITIONAL ways in your country.
_____Some muslims in France have even demanded the right to self governance in the areas they have flooded and made into a muslim majority. VALID COMPARISON? NOPE!


_____"it's illegal to be gay or to kiss your wife in public"
_____Oy vey, this needs no comment, as it is ludicrous and offensive at face value.


_____"In one sense the Emiratis should be congratulated for their tolerance"
_____"We have always been an open-minded and tolerant nation and obviously different lifestyles are accommodated for, but not at the expense of our culture and the very elements that made us tolerant in the first place."
_____Oy vey, this needs no comment, as it is ludicrous and offensive at face value.

If you don't like it, don't go there. It's as simple as that.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Indian airline dreams hit turbulence


By Neil Heathcote
Editor, India Business Report, BBC World, Mumbai




As India's first civil airshow gets underway at the Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, the government hopes that in time it will join the ranks of the airshows in Paris and Farnborough, UK.
But its debut comes at a bleak time for the industry in India, where few airlines are actually making any money.
Consequently, India's airlines are having to change their strategy, as exemplified by this week's alliance between the country's biggest carriers, Jet and Kingfisher.
"This is a quantum leap forward in the evolution of Indian aviation which will benefit customers through a comprehensive integration," says Vijay Mallya, chairman of Kingfisher Airlines.
Sour dream
The past few years were heady times for India's airlines.

If someone [says he] isn't worried about the current downturn, he's either a liar or not aware what the situation is
GoAir's chief executive, Edgardo Badiali

Thousands of passengers started flying for the first time, drawn by new airlines offering bargain flights around the country.
Thousands of young men and women also flocked to find work in the industry, attracted by the prospect of money, travel and glamour.
Now the dream is beginning to sour.
"India has witnessed tremendous growth in the past which has slowed down considerably," says Jet chairman Naresh Goyal.
And so the airlines have flown into heavy weather.
Soaring fuel prices - which remain high even though oil has come back from this summer's record levels - have pushed up ticket prices.
For the airlines, much of the damage has been done already. Many passengers have turned their back on the airlines and returned to the railways.
At the start of 2007, passenger numbers were rising by 40% a year. That surge in growth has now gone into reverse.
"The airlines grossly miscalculated the size of the domestic Indian market," says aviation writer Hormuz Mama.
"There were very high increases initially, but that was because the fares charged were unremuneratively low."
Costly operations
For the airlines, there is simply too much competition. Too many planes are offering too many seats.

These airlines should be allowed to sink
Airlines analyst Hormuz Mama

Many of the carriers are now cutting back on unprofitable routes, or scaling back their workforce.
In their home market, none of the major airlines are making money.
So what went wrong with India's budget airline dream?
Many of the cheap flights were never actually profitable. The airlines simply cut prices to grab market share, in a bid to stay ahead of the pack.
In Europe, entrepreneurs cut costs by flying to cheap regional airports outside of the big cities. Indian airlines, by contrast, have to jockey for space in the country's few established airports.
With airport fees and fuel costs so high, its been hard for the budget airlines to beat more traditional carriers. Cutting out in-flight meals is simply not enough to do the trick.
International routes
As a result, the airlines are having to rethink their strategy.


"If someone [says he] isn't worried about the current downturn, he's either a liar or not aware what the situation is," says GoAir's chief executive, Edgardo Badiali.
"This is no time to sit back and wait for things to get better."
GoAir plans to offer its customers more choice. In addition to itsbudget offering, it will also offer premium seating with more legroom, at a slightly higher price.
"We'll still make sure we have the most competitive fares," insists Mr Badiali.
"But we'll add additional services which the customer can decide upon, and buy or not buy. Each one will be priced according to what kind of service or product it is."
Other airlines, like Jet and Kingfisher, are hoping to make money opening up international routes.
"In this environment the alliance is a new industrial model for aviation in India," says Mr Goyal.
Liquidity crunch
But the main problem is that there are simply too many planes for the number of people who can afford to fly, and there are many more on order.


No one has actually cancelled those orders, simply because the penalty fees would be so high.
With losses of $2bn forecast for this year, the industry is running short of cash.
The Federation of Indian Airlines is reported to be seeking a $1bn loan from the government to tide carriers over the current credit squeeze.
One way or the other, the industry will have to lose capacity - even though its prospects in the long-term look strong.
Otherwise, more airlines will merge - or go down.
"The liquidity crunch is so severe for some airlines, there's no way they can survive for very long," says airlines analyst Hormuz Mama. "The best thing that could happen is that these airlines should be allowed to sink. I know it sounds harsh, but there seems to be no other way out."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/7669301.stm

Published: 2008/10/14 23:34:39 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

 

[Mike man]

I'd bet you could go to jail in the US for having sex on a beach.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I'd bet you could go to jail in the US for having sex on a beach.

Exactly.

In our Country, we can be incarcerated for many trival things as per the penal system.

Fortunately, our prison system is so overflowing at all levels (city/state/federal) that most things aren't enforced. If one does get arrested for a jailable offense, many never do any time. Just some probation and a little community service.

 

[Max Powers]

Exactly.

In our Country, we can be incarcerated for many trival things as per the penal system.

Fortunately, our prison system is so overflowing at all levels (city/state/federal) that most things aren't enforced. If one does get arrested for a jailable offense, many never do any time. Just some probation and a little community service.

Yes and don't forget if you have a gram of crack you get a decade in jail if you have a gram of cocaine (which is more potent) you serve a month. Why? Crack is done by inner city poor people(in other words most aren't white), cocaine by rich suburbanites(in other words most are white). Is this fair???????

 

[TWA Dude]

Yes and don't forget if you have a gram of crack you get a decade in jail if you have a gram of cocaine (which is more potent) you serve a month. Why?

Your statement prompted me to do some googling and I found considerable disagreement as whether crack is more potent than coke -- yet nowhere did I see anybody say coke is more potent than crack. One source:
http://www.ussc.gov/crack/appndx.htm

Crack is done by inner city poor people(in other words most aren't white), cocaine by rich suburbanites(in other words most are white). Is this fair???????

Whites who smoke crack are subject to the same law so I see no issue of discrimination. A more relevent question to ask is whether incarcerating drug users is the best way for society to deal with the problem.

 

[bpapaDC8]

Another dream shot to he!!

Furlough, loss of pension, and now my dreams of anonymous sex on the beach in Dubai.