DUBAI // Two British expatriates are accused of importing hallucinogenic drugs and marijuana into the UAE for personal use.
Both defendants denied the charges when they appeared at Dubai Criminal Court on Sunday.
“It’s not true,” said M R, 24, when confronted with a charge of importing 7.43 grams of the hallucinogen.
The second defendant, A S, 33, denied a charge of importing 4.94g of marijuana.
Prosecutors told the court the men arranged for the banned substances to be delivered to the address of the company where they worked. “We received a tip about them after which we visited their workplace, but they were not present,” said Emirati policeman K A, 24.
He said that on May 25 this year, police checked mail delivered in the men’s names before contacting them to collect the packages. “They did not come but instead sent a man on their behalf. We questioned him and he did not know anything about the contents of the packages. Then, with his help, we arrested the defendants,” K A said.
He said that M R and A S denied knowing the packages contained banned substances and also denied sending someone to pick them up.
The court denied a bail request submitted by the men’s lawyers. The next hearing is October 4.
salamir@thenational.ae
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Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
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The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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