DUBAI // A Frenchman who taped a small camera to the bottom of a paper bag then used it to film up women’s skirts at a mall was sentenced to six months in jail.
H R, a 39-year-old operations manager, was convicted by Dubai Criminal Court of sexual assault against several unidentified women. He denied all charges in court last September, telling judges: “I have never done this and I did not see any of these pictures in my camera – I have never taken such pictures.”
But on May 8 last year the Frenchman was seen by a shop’s supervisor at Mall of the Emirates standing very close to women wearing short skirts.
“I spotted him standing so close to a woman wearing a short skirt then saw him placing a paper bag carefully between the woman’s legs from behind,” said Pakistani supervisor K S, 26.
“I felt it was strange and kept looking. I saw him do the same to another woman standing near the first one and also wearing a skirt.”
The supervisor thought his actions were suspicious so informed a security guard. “The guard then headed to the man and asked him what he was doing,” said K S.
“I saw him as the guard was walking towards him, picking up the bag and taking a small object from its bottom then hiding it in his pocket.
“The guard saw him, too. I heard the guard asking him about the object he hid in his pocket, then saw the man handing the guard a small camera.”
A Dubai Police forensics report said that the camera was found to have recordings of women’s private parts, as well as 23 deleted files of similar recordings and 22 others of an obscene nature, which the defendant allegedly confessed to having recorded.
The report also found 293 deleted recordings of women in public places, some of which were of women’s intimate parts while others were of women walking around.
Prosecutors said the Frenchman confessed during investigations to filming women without their knowledge but he denied the charges in court.
He will be deported after completing the jail sentence.
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Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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