Tag Archives: Dubai

This afternoon.

Tallaght District Court, Dublin.

The two women who refused to go into the mandatory hotel quarantine system when met by the Army at the airport appeared in court today. The women, both aged in their 30s, returned to Ireland yesterday after travelling to the United Arab Emirates for cosmetic surgery. They have have been remanded in custody with consent to bail.

Via RTE news:

Michael French, solicitor who represented both women, said his clients will be challenging the constitutionality of the legislation and remand in custody would be disproportionate given the offence they are charged with carries a maximum prison sentence of one month.

He also said his clients, who had travelled to Dubai for breast enhancements, were not aware of the regulations before they travelled.

He said Kirstie McGrath is mother to two young children aged six and 10 and there is no one else to take care of them.

He said Niamh Mulready is mother to a seven-year-old child and had refused to go into quarantine as she needed to get home to look after her child.

He said both women would agree to bail conditions which required them to quarantine at home for two weeks, to check in with gardaí and he could not see why the State would not agree to this. He said both women had provided three negative Covid-19 tests in the last week.

Women remanded in custody after refusing to go to hotel quarantine (RTE)

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

On Christmas Eve, the family of an Emirati princess released pictures to rebut ‘false’ abduction allegations.

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, 33, daughter of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was seized from a yacht off the coast of India in March and had not been seen from since.

In the pictures, Latifa appears alongside former Irish President Mary Robinsonn, who the UAE foreign ministry said was invited by her family to meet Latifa.

In a video  made before her escape (above), Princess Latifa said she spent seven years trying to flee a gilded prison and feared torture if captured.

Via The Guardian:

“The dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she’s troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape, or was part of a plan of escape,” said Robinson, who told how she had lunch with Latifa, Hayat and others and was able to “assess the situation”.

Robinson said the princess was receiving psychiatric care, adding: “She’s a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care that she’s receiving.” She said the family “did not want her to endure any more publicity”

Robinson faced intensive criticism on Thursday from rights campaigners, with one alleging she had been “used as a willing pawn in the PR battle between the UAE ruling family and the rest of the world”.

There was also a sceptical reaction from Human Rights Watch (HRW), which was name-checked during a BBC interview on Thursday with Robinson, who said she had been asked by Princess Hayat, one of the Sheikh’s wives and someone she had known for a long time, to come to Dubai to help with a “family dilemma”.

“Mary Robinson said in the BBC interview that Princess Latifa is ‘a troubled young woman’, though I would be troubled too if I had tried to escape a gilded prison and was kidnapped back into it,” said Roth.

Radha Stirling, the chief executive of the Detained in Dubai group, said listeners to the interview with Robinson would have been “astonished at the extent to which Ms Robinson appeared to be reciting almost verbatim from Dubai’s script”.

Meanwhile, via the BBC:

Another rights group, Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, also said it was concerned by Mrs Robinson’s comments.

“Mrs Robinson appears to have spent a couple of hours with Sheikha Latifa, and despite having no formal medical or psychiatric training, has somehow diagnosed her condition and concluded that she is receiving appropriate treatment. It is unclear on what basis Mrs Robinson considers herself qualified to do so,” it said in a statement.

Mary Robinson labelled a ‘willing pawn’ over visit with UAE princess (The Guardian)

Sheikha Latifa: Mary Robinson ‘backed Dubai version of events’ (BBC)

Pics: UAE

UPDATE:

Oh.

1 2

From top: Dubai and Dublin

Anon writes:

August 2007: Started as engineer with current employer (various role changes and small promotions followed over the years).

April 2016: Decided I would leave to pursue a different (dream) career by doing a two-year full-time course that begins in Dublin in September. Would remain in job until then.

May 2016: Applied, interviewed, and got accepted for above course.

9am, end June 2016: At work, was asked to apply for a lucrative role, large promotion in Middle East as I had the most suitable knowledge base in the company.

9:02am, end June 2016: Head in spin.

Mid-July 2016: Decided to go for promotion and put off the dream job prospect.

Every day since: Changed mind.

Mid-July 2016: Interviewed for promotion

Last 24 hours: Decided finally on the course in Dublin.

9am, this morning: Informed boss.

9:30am: Received meeting invite from HR in Middle East to congratulate me on being the successful candidate and would like to discuss packages, etc.

9:33am to present: Head in spin again.

I’ve stuck with my decision and have since informed the hiring manager in the Middle East and HR manager here. I’m 32 next month, no kids and no mortgage. I’m leaving a well-paid role in an industry I really don’t care about to probably make a net personal loss over the next five years, in pursuit of my dream career – moving from engineering to creative – moving to Dublin, rather than Dubai, from somewhere else in Ireland.

Am I crazy?

Can your balanced and considered readers please inform me if I am crazy? Any advice or experiences to share now that I’ve made the decision?

Anyone?

 
IMG_8234.JPG

Tribe 7s?

FIGHT!

UPDATE:

Boola bus!

Dubai Rugby 7s

paddyman

Nothing says Dubai more than a re-worked Eagles cover performed by an oversized Leprechaun.

On a Sheikh Zayed Highway, Warm wind in my hair.
Warm smell of Sheesha, rising up through the air.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light.
I said, “that’s either a stalagmite, or it’s the Burj Khalifa alright!”

A model met me at the doorway, and a big big bouncer as well.
I was thinking to myself, “This could be heaven or this could be hell!”
I asked if they took cobone discounts, she said “No Sir, NO WAY!”
There was a Paddyman singing in the corner, I thought I heard him say:

Welcome to the Hotel Burj Khalifa, such a lovely place, such a lovely place.
They’re living it up at the Hotel Burj Khalifa, any time of year, you can find it here.

So I called up room service, please bring me your best wine
He said, “That’ll be a million dirhams” and I said. ‘That’ll do just fine!”
So I drank it with chicken wings and hamburgers for fun.
And to wash down the chocolate cake, I ordered another one.

Last thing I remember I was running for the door.
They finally checked my credit card and their jaws dropped to the floor.
“Relax” said the night man. ‘I’m from country Kerry. I’ve been working here to pay my bill since 1963!”

Welcome to the Hotel Burj Khalifa, such a lovely place, such a lovely place.
They’re living it up at the Hotel Burj Khalifa, any time of year, you can find it here.

 

By The Paddyman