Indonesian officers stand behind three drug smuggling suspects from Iran, France and Indonesia during a press conference in Jakarta this week.
Indonesian officers stand behind three drug smuggling suspects from Iran, France and Indonesia during a press conference in Jakarta this week.

French man arrested for Emirates drug smuggling attempt



ABU DHABI // Indonesian officials reinforced the country's strict drug trafficking laws this week by announcing the arrest of a French man who they say attempted to smuggle more than 5kg of crystal methamphetamine on an Emirates Airline flight into Jakarta.

Anyone caught attempting to smuggle more than five grams of narcotics into the country could face the death penalty or a life sentence, said Hannan Hadi, the head of the consular section at the Indonesian embassy in Abu Dhabi.

"Smuggling narcotics is considered a very serious crime in Indonesia," he said. "Drug smuggling and trafficking carries stiff penalties under Law number 35 of 2009 on narcotics."

Police held their press conference on Monday to announce the arrest of the 53-year-old French national. They say he attempted to smuggle 5.1kg of the drug, worth an estimated US$843,600 (Dh3 million), into the country on January 11.

The man was arrested after his Emirates Airline flight, reportedly from Istanbul via Dubai, landed in Jakarta.

The official said the man hid the drug inside the lining of his suitcase. Police have also arrested an Iranian man, Abbas Bidmal Gharibali, 41; and an Indonesian woman, Decywarti Wirahardja, 42; who police say were expected to receive the package.

In 2010, Indonesia registered 61 cases involving drug syndicates. Fifty-eight were sentenced to death: 17 were Indonesians and the rest were foreign nationals, he said.

An Emirates spokeswoman yesterday said the airline does not give out passenger details, and so will not comment on the incident.

* With additional reporting from Agence-France Presse

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21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
 

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Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

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● Industry: M&A

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● No of employees: Nine

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Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford


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