DUBAI // A journalist accused of molesting a woman as she loaded her trolley at a supermarket was sentenced to three months in jail by Dubai Criminal Court on Monday morning.
Egyptian A A, 31, denied a charge of molestation at a hearing last month. Prosecutors said that during Ramadan this year, on July 12, N A, 31, from Malaysia, was shopping at a Choithrams supermarket at 10.30pm when the defendant molested her.
“I was with my children and reached for some eggs. Then, as I was bending to place them in my trolley, a man squeezed on my behind and when I turned around calling at him, he just did not care and continued walking away from me,” she said.
N A said she chased and stopped him. “I asked him why would he do that in the Holy Month. He said he was sorry and that it happened by mistake. I told him I will call police so he left the place but as I was leaving the shop I saw him apprehended outside.”
The journalist told the court he had no reason to molest her.
“I did not do that, why would I? I work in a good position and in a good place and I am happily married. Why would I do such thing and jeopardize losing my future?”
He will be deported after completion of his jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
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Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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