Filipino clerk pleads guilty of filming roommates in shower

An unnamed 41-year-old Filipino clerk admitted he installed a GoPro camera to film his Filipino flatmates in the shower, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The clerk pleaded guilty to the charge of molesting and breaching the modesty of his female roommates at the Dubai Court of First Instance last Thursday, Sept. 20, as reported by Gulf News yesterday, Sept. 22. A ruling on the charges will be heard on Oct. 8.


“During questioning, the suspect admitted that he had filmed his flatmates naked in the shower,” an unnamed police corporal told the prosecutors, the report stated. “When asked why he did so, he alleged that he used to film them nude and watch the content to please his sexual desires.”

Apparently, the camera was discovered in the ceiling of their washroom by one of the clerk’s roommates in August. She, unnamed also in the report along with her fellow female roommates, immediately made her discovery known to them. They then decided to take the camera down on their own.

When they removed the camera’s memory card to inspect its content, they stumbled upon videos of themselves naked in the shower, the report said. They confronted the clerk who admitted to installing the said camera.

The clerk assured them that there were no more images and so his roommates decided to forgive him instead of reporting him to the authorities. However, one of his roommates browsed the content of the memory card the day after they spotted the camera and learned that he had been filming them longer than they had initially thought.

It turns out that the clerk started filming them from December 2017, amassing more than 100 videos and images of them naked, the report stated. Because of their findings, they decided to forego their initial resolution to forgive their flatmate, proceeding to file their complaint against him. Kate Matriano/JB

source: globalnation.inquirer.net

Solar plane takes off Monday for flight around the world

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirate – A Swiss solar-powered plane has taken off from Abu Dhabi, marking the start of the first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fuel.

Solar Impulse founder André Borschberg was at the controls Monday morning.

Borschberg will trade off piloting with Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard during stop-overs. Some legs of the trip, such as over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, could mean five or six straight days of flying solo.

They say their aim is to create awareness about replacing “old polluting technologies with clean and efficient technologies.”

The flight will begin and end in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

Solar Impulse was behind the first aircraft able to fly day and night without fuel, propelled solely by the sun’s energy.

The Si2 aircraft is a single-seater made of carbon fiber. It has 17,248 solar cells that supply the plane with renewable energy. The solar cells recharge four lithium polymer batteries totaling 633 kilograms (1395 pounds) each.

The plane has a 72-meter (236-foot) wingspan, larger than that of the Boeing 747, but weighs just 2,300 kilograms (5,070 pounds), about as much as a car.

The duo plan stops in Oman, India, Myanmar and China, before heading across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.

After Hawaii, they head to Phoenix, AZ, and New York’s biggest airport, John F. Kennedy International. The path across the Atlantic will depend on the weather, and could include a stop in Southern Europe or Morocco before ending in Abu Dhabi in late July.

source: technology.inquirer.net

UAE unveils $38-M amphitheater

MANILA, Philippines—An “unprecedented” and brand new amphitheatre worth more than $38 million is nearing completion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of the 2014 inauguration of Sharjah emirate as Capital of Islamic Culture.

“The construction work at Al Majaz Amphitheatre – which will stage the epic oratorio ‘Clusters of Light’ on 26 March – has exceeded 90 percent completion,” the Sharjah government said in a statement Wednesday.

“The cost of the theater and the bridge leading to it exceeded AED140 million. Its use of state of the art technology is unprecedented in the Middle East, blending sound, lighting, and music in a spectacular fashion, with more than 400 animated lights, 120 sound speakers, and 21 projectors creating a unique effect,” it said.

Sharjah will celebrate its new title as “The Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014” to honor the emirate’s contributions in preserving, promoting, and spreading the culture of Islam.

Al Majaz Amphitheatre, built on a 7,238 square meter island, will be the centerpiece of the celebration and resembles an ancient Roman theater that can accommodate up to 4,500 people.



“It features a vast viewing platform through which artists can ascend, and is equipped with a high-quality and accuracy-advanced audio system that has never before been used in the region,” the statement said.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, chairman of Sharjah Media Centre and chairman of the Executive Committee for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations, said that the project on the island will also include conference rooms, shops, restaurants, etc. improving its appeal as a tourist spot.

“The Al Majaz Island Project’s many luxurious facilities, which include VIP Conference Rooms, galleries, and a number of shops, restaurants and green spaces, combine to make a truly spectacular destination,” Qassimi said.

“The project aims to ensure Al Majaz Island remains a prominent tourism site, as well as providing an ideal venue for future artistic, cultural and tourism movements in the UAE in general and Sharjah in particular,” he said.

True picture of Islam

The amphitheatre will feature the “Clusters of Light” performance from more than 300 actors that come from several countries including UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, etc.



“‘Clusters of Light’ has been inspired by the desire for a high-ranking artistic work providing a true picture about Islam – the human values and message that promote peace, justice, tolerance, and love – to be recorded by history and engraved in the memory of future generations,” the statement said.

“The display will last one hour and 42 minutes, with the entire team – including actors, musicians, composers, directors, producers, designers and innovators – comprising some 750 people,” it said.

The esteemed Bahraini artist Khalid Al Sheikh composed the global epic while more than 70 musicians from the renowned German Film Orchestra have recorded the sound track.

“Among the participants in this landmark work are creative minds from all across the Middle East, including the Emirati artist Hussein Al Jasmi, the Tunisian singer Lutfi Bushnaq, the young Palestinian artist Mohammed Assaf, and Egyptian artist Ali Hajjar,” the statement said.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Federer, Djokovic to meet in Dubai semifinals

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—While top-seeded Novak Djokovic had a rest day when opponent Mikhail Youzhny became ill and withdrew from their quarterfinal on Thursday, Roger Federer had to play his way into their semifinal date at the Dubai Championships.

The fourth-seeded Federer, who has won this title five times, won his 40th match at the Dubai Championships with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic.

Federer made a slow start, falling behind 2-0 but quickly rebounded by winning the next six games. In the second set, Federer broke serve in the third and fifth games.

“When you play someone for the first time, you never quite know what his best level is or his normal level is,” Federer said. “That’s why you kind of keep pushing on, and that’s also why I guess the score came out the way it did, because I never let go.”

Federer holds a slim 16-15 winning record over Djokovic. The Serbian, however, has beaten Federer in their last three matches, and nine of their last 12 meetings.

“He is in the semis, he’s already played two matches, he’s been here long enough for preparing, and he’s fit enough for anything anyway,” Federer said of Djokovic having a quarterfinal walkover. “Every match you can get away from is a good one.

“For me, it was important also probably not to be out there for three hours. Then it would have been a disadvantage. But I think we’re back on even terms for tomorrow.”

The other semifinal will feature third-seeded Tomas Berdych against seventh-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

Playing in his fourth quarterfinal of the season, Kohlschreiber’s 6-2, 6-3 win over Tunisian wild card Malik Jazirivictory was his 300th match-win on the ATP Tour.

Berdych holds a 7-1 winning record over Kohlschreiber.

“The record is one thing, but then always the match is going to start from zero,” Berdych said. “I have seen Philipp play here and he’s playing really well.

“He’s playing very aggressive, very confident, too.”

Berdych, who was a finalist last year, fought past fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-3.

Berdych was on a 10-match winning streak, which includes his win at the Rotterdam tournament two weeks ago.

The first set stayed on serve until Tsonga dropped his at love in the 10th game.

The second set was even more tightly contested. In the fifth game, Berdych faced four break points but held on. Tsonga surrendered his serve in the eighth game when he double-faulted on break point.

“It was very close,” Berdych said. “I faced many break points which was very tough, but that was really the key of today’s game, that I managed to save them.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

UAE says online photos require subject’s consent

ABU DHABI — Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are warning social media users that photos of individuals posted online without their consent could lead to jail.

The comments carried Monday in Al Ittihad newspaper say posting photos or video without permission can bring up to six months in prison and fines as high as 500,000 dirhams, nearly $140,000.

The UAE has some of the region’s toughest enforcement on Internet restrictions, but other Gulf countries could follow suit as they harmonize security and telecommunications policies.

The newspaper quotes Interior Ministry official Lt. Col. Salah al-Ghoul as saying the rules apply to social media sites or any “information network.”

In July, Dubai police arrested a man who posted an Internet video of an Emirati beating a South Asian motorist after an apparent traffic altercation.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Radio station for Pinoys launched in Dubai

Some 650,000 Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates can now get a little taste of home after a radio station for Filipinos started to hit the airwaves on March 25.

With the tagline “Mahal Ko, Music Ko (I love my music),” Arabian Radio Network's "Tag 91.1" plays original Filipino music and Filipino news.

The station is also accessible via smartphones and tablets, marketing head Matthew Johnson said in an interview posted on the Khaleej Times news site.

 

 

“We found out in our research that Filipinos are a distinct audience so adept with technology so we came up with a digital platform that brings the broadcast to them with dedicated iPhone, Android, Nokia and Blackberry apps, and a built-in player on all Samsung Smart TVs,” Johnson said.

He said they spent two years of research into meeting the needs of Filipinos in the UAE.

The result is "the first radio station to target Filipinos ever launched in the Arab world,” he said.

Initially, Tag 91.1 will start airing at 5:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 a.m., with three shows. A fourth show may start next week.

Johnson said the new station is targeting Filipinos between 25 and 34 years old. In the last five years, ARN had been airing Filipino programming from midnight until 6:00 a.m. on Dubai Eye 103.8.

"With over 25,000 Facebook friends, ARN is responding to the huge demand from the Filipino community. This time by setting up a Filipino radio channel,” he said.

Recruitment

Johnson also said program director Roy Lampera went to Manila to "recruit the best presenters in the top two radio stations" there.

He said Tag 91.1 will thus have "the world’s best Filipino presenters, best marketing and best program director to ensure its commercial success."

Tag 91.1 was launched with an "all-Filipino" lineup of broadcasters, and has signed 11 long-term ads with sponsors.

Its website www.tag91.1.ae was also launched on Sunday. - VVP, GMANews

 

source: gmanetwork.com

A Medical Beacon for Pinoys in UAE

FOR the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working and living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dr. Rosario B. Tigno is widely known as a generous hero.

The first Filipino doctor from the Philippines to practice in UAE, Dr. Tigno was issued a medical license by the Department of Health and Medical Services of Dubai in 1992.

Instead of taking advantage of the fact that she could enrich herself by being the first (and for a time, the only) Filipino doctor to cater to the then more than 240,000 Pinoys in the region, Dr. Tigno committed herself to helping her kababayans,  by providing free services to the needy and hard-up.

For more than twenty years now, Dr. Tigno has devoted her outstanding medical skills and philanthropic spirit to care for the health of the Filipino community in UAE.

It isn’t easy to live in the UAE, away from everything familiar and in a culture that is vastly different from that of the Philippines.

Stress, extreme loneliness, and constant pressure to perform take their toll on the health of the Pinoy community there. High blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease have become prevalent.

Unfortunately, the high cost of medical screenings, treatment and medicines plus the language barrier have prevented our kababayans in UAE from getting help for their health concerns.

Kapwa-Pinoy

Dr. Tigno saw the problem and decided to provide a solution for her countrymen.

In 1999, she founded the Filipino Health Care Provider that provides medical missions offering free medicines, hypertension and diabetes screening, and dental and eye check-up in the different emirates in UAE.

Noting that Filipinos prefer discussing their medical problems with “kapwa-Pinoys,” Dr. Tigno persuaded other Filipino medical practitioners to help her treat the huge number of Pinoys wanting to avail of their services.

“The group was formed to help our fellow Filipinos, especially domestic workers who cannot get medical service because they do not have money or time,” Dr. Tigno said.

Another project she initiated is Share Blood, Spare A Life -- a blood donation drive and information campaign for the Filipino community in UAE.

First Filipino-owned clinic in Dubai

Moved by the ever-increasing needs of her kababayans in the region, Dr. Tigno established the Philippine Medical Center in 2003. The first Filipino-owned clinic in Dubai, the Philippine Medical Center caters principally to Filipino patients. Those who are underprivileged are provided with either free services or huge discounts in professional fees.

Education, career and achievements

Born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Dr. Tigno obtained her pre-medical studies at the University of Santo Tomas, and her medical degree from the Manila Central University in 1972.  She had her residency training at the Bulacan Provincial Hospital.

Two years after graduation, she joined the AFP Medical Corps in 1974. Dr. Tigno was commissioned as a Reserve Officer and served with the Mindanao command.

For her meritorious service and outstanding performance of duties as a member of the V. Luna Medical Center Surgical Augmentation Team, she was awarded the Military Merit Medal.

In 1975, Dr. Tigno became an OFW, working as a doctor for four years in several hospitals in Iran.

When the Islamic revolution took place in 1979, Dr. Tigno went back to the Philippines and established her medical career in her homeland for more than 13 years. She immigrated to Dubai in 1992.

In recognition of Dr. Tigno’s notable achievement in the field of medicine and her service to the Filipino community in Dubai, she was chosen as one of the Ten Filipino Achievers in 2001 by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

In 2006, Dr. Tigno received the Presidential Banaag Award from no less than President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, who recognized her “tireless efforts in effectively inspiring medical practitioners to provide medical assistance to Filipinos.”

Like the other awardees, Dr. Tigno was selected for her “excellence in work, untiring service to the Filipino people, dedicated leadership in community initiatives that promote the common good.”

Other philanthropic efforts

Aside from her work in the Filipino Health Care Provider (FHP), Dr. Tigno has also served the UAE Filipino community through other various means: she established fund-raising projects for the Adopt-a-School Hometown Project of ABS-CBN Foundation; she has volunteered medical service during the sports activities of Filipinos in Dubai; she has donated for the victims of the Quezon and Leyte landslides; and  she has visited Filipinos who were confined in government hospitals in Dubai and helped their families in coordinating with the Philippine Consulate General for financial assistance.

Through FHP, Dr. Tigno and other medical practitioners have promoted medical support in most community and church events.

They also served as the liaison between the Philippine Consulate General and distressed Filipinos in Dubai, including runaway maids seeking shelter at the Philippine Labor Office and Filipino evacuees from Lebanon.

In the souvenir program during the 2006 Presidential Awards, the article said of Dr. Tigno: “Filipinos in Dubai refer to her as a medical beacon within the Filipino community and a doctor-at-large who is always on call whenever needed, exemplifying the bravery, industry and zeal of the Filipino migrant.”

Truly, the Filipinos in the UAE have been blessed, having Dr. Tigno in their midst.

source: asianjournal.com