NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE: THE NATIONAL
Police investigate Atlantis fire
The large arched entrance to the Atlantis hotel is seen after a fire broke out on Sept 2. The fire at the hotel, which is expected to open in mid September, broke out on Tuesday morning.
Dubai - Sep. 03: Dubai Police are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out in the Atlantis Hotel in Palm Jumeirah earlier this morning.
Investigators believe the fire initially began after workers were carrying out work in the lobby while welding.
"We are investigating the matter and will know more later but it was only a small fire," said Brig Abdul Jalil Mahdi, deputy director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for Preventative Security.
Firemen rushed to the scene this morning and struggled for at least an hour before the blaze was controlled. The hotel was immediately evacuated and no casualties have been reported in the incident.
Meanwhile, motorists heading to work described seeing thick clouds of smoke billowing from the hotel. The road heading to the hotel was also blocked out by the police, a witness said.
A statement issued by The Atlantis, The Palm, said it was unsure of the extent of the damage. It also said: “The site of the fire appears to be localized in the lobby area of the resort.”
Beach couple appeal for early ruling
Dubai - Sep. 03: A judge in Dubai has adjourned for a week the trial of a British couple accused of having sex on a beach who asked for the case to be speeded up, a court official said.
“The trial has been adjourned to Sept 9 so as to hear the testimony of the policeman who witnessed the incident," Mohsen Hassan said, after Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, appeared briefly before judge Hamad Abdullatif Abdulgawad.
The couple admit drinking but deny the other charges. If found guilty at next week's trial, the punishment is between three months and six years in jail.
The pair are both currently free on bail. Any prison sentence would be followed by deportation.
Ms Palmer, a publishing executive who has been sacked from her job, and Mr Acors, a visitor to Dubai, were accused of having sex in a public place after drinking heavily.
Both defendants asked for a ruling when they appeared before the judge, speaking through an interpreter, according to the court official.
Mr Acors said he had asked for “the earliest possible hearing” on the incident, which took place while he was on a three-day visit to Dubai.
Ms Palmer, dressed in a black trouser suit, avoided reporters, hiding her face with a newspaper after talking to the judge following the hearing.
At a first hearing on Aug 12, Ms Palmer denied having sexual intercourse with Mr Acors, saying they were simply “kissing and hugging”, according to press reports. But a prosecution official was quoted as saying that Mr Acors admitted to having sex before changing his story.
Egyptian property mogul charged in Tamim murder
Dubai - Sep. 03:A prominent Egyptian businessman has been arrested and charged with ordering the murder of the singer, Suzanne Tamim, Egypt’s state media reported.
Hisham Talaat Mustafa, who runs the Talaat Mustafa Group real estate company worth several billion dollars, is in custody pending trial.
He is charged with ordering and paying for the murder of Ms Tamim, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, the Egyptian prosecutor told the official MENA news agency.
Mr Mustafa, who was born in 1959, is also a stalwart of the National Democratic Party and a member of the Shoura Council, Egypt’s upper house.
Ms Tamim, who was originally from Lebanon, was found murdered in her upmarket flat in the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex on July 28.
In August, copies of the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Dustur were seized after it alleged that “an important Egyptian figure” was involved in Ms Tamim’s murder.
While not naming the figure, the newspaper said it was someone “highly influential” and “close to power” in Egyptian business circles.