Dubai residents have backed a plan to heavily fine and deport people that leave so-called massage cards on the doors of residential homes, exposing children to lurid images of undressed women working in the sex trade.
Dubai Municipality officials are holding talks with other authorities about a move to impose fines of up to Dh10,000 and immediate deportation orders for those caught putting the illegal ads on doors of apartments and villas. The move would also include flyers for other businesses such as cleaning services. The current penalty is just Dh500.
Distributors have long been a common sight, particularly Barsha Heights, Barsha 1 and Discovery Gardens, littering car windscreens with the cards, though police and immigration officials have for years sought to tackle the menace.
But residents have reported finding the adverts tucked into front door frames as they return home.
Baljeet Kumar, an Indian who lives in Discovery Gardens, said he does not want want his children to see such adverts.
“I’ve got kids and I do not like them to see such stuff,” he said. “There are security guards in our building but still distributors find ways to place these adverts in front of my home.
“Sometimes my six-year-old child picks these cards up and gives them to my wife, saying that someone has dropped a card in front of our home. He doesn’t focus on what’s being advertised on these cards but it’s unacceptable.”
Mr Kumar, a sales manager, said the cards have been a problem for the six years he has lived in Dubai.
Massage cards have long been associated with the sex trade and there have been numerous cases in the courts, some involving violence.
One case earlier this month was that of a 25-year-old Nigerian who hit a police officer with a rock as he resisted arrest for placing massage cards on car windows. He was jailed for six months and will be deported after serving his sentence.
In another case in April, an illegal immigrant who was plastering car windshields with massage cards slashed a law enforcement officer with a knife when he was challenged in the street.
The Bangladeshi man, 27, attacked the immigration official with a penknife as he distributed the cards in Al Nahda and was later jailed for three months.
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Bassam Abduallah, 28, a Lebanese expatriate living in Jumeirah, agreed with a clampdown.
“I complained to the municipality about these leaflets,” he said. “I really do not know how the distributors manage to fill my front door and car with adverts.
“Sometimes I call the company and yell at them for using such marketing and advertising techniques. It hasn’t made any difference, though, and the next day I find the same adverts on my door.”
The hike from Dh500 to Dh10,000 would be a deterrent, officials said.
“It has been noticed that many illegal adverts and posters have spread in all parts of the city, including in front of private homes, said Abdul Saifaie, director of the waste management department at Dubai Municipality.
"Such practices negatively affect and distort the appearance of the city.
“First, it is a security issue as these workers are unlicensed and you can never know where they come from and residents hiring them as maids or using their services are giving them access to their lives, homes and even families,” he said.
“Second, it’s a health issue as these workers are unqualified and may not have taken proper measures to carry on with their tasks. Also, it’s an environmental issue due to the waste. When drivers find their cars filled with these adverts, they will throw it on the streets.”
Mr Saifaie said his department was in talks with police, the Department of Economic Development and immigration to implement tougher penalties to curb the problem. “The penalties will include immediate deportation and a fine of Dh10,000 to distributors of such adverts,” he said.
Mr Saifaie said he agreed with residents’ concerns regarding the content of such cards, and this was partly why he was pushing for more stringent punishment.
“It’s extremely inappropriate for teenagers to see some of these ads,” he said. “Some of these posters carry unsuitable pictures for our culture or children to see.”
A recent one-week campaign across Dubai conducted by the waste management department and Dubai Police has resulted in the collection of more than one million adverts and posters.
Inspectors scoured the streets of Al Qusais, Al Hamriya and Abu Hail taking down ads and handing out fines to those responsible for placing them.
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association