Kuwait restaurant sues blogger for bad review


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  • Arabic

KUWAIT CITY // A Kuwaiti blogger said yesterday that the owner of a newly opened Benihana restaurant in Kuwait is suing him for posting an unfavourable review of a meal on his blog.
"I thought it was a bluff, but yesterday a court order was served," said Mark Makhoul, a Lebanese living in Kuwait who runs the popular blog www.248am.com. "They're asking for financial compensation, and asking for my blog to be shut down," he said.
The controversy started in December, after Mr Makhoul had visited the Japanese-style restaurant in the Avenues Mall. He said in a post that service "wasn't too bad for a restaurant that's been open for a few days and the staff were really friendly". He then gave an unfavourable assessment of his meal, and summarised: "Would I go back to Benihana? No, I wouldn't.
"There are two other Japanese restaurants at the Avenues: Wasabi and Maki, and I would prefer either one of those to Benihana."
He posted two videos of the chef cooking and juggling with utensils on a hotplate, something for which the restaurant is known.
The company's general manager in Kuwait, Mike Servo, in a comment posted on Mr Makhou's post, claimed that Benihana's name has been "destroyed and abused" by the blog. He said the blog advised customers to go to other restaurants instead of Benihana "and we believe this is against the law of Kuwait".
Mr Servo said Kuwait's criminal investigation department has been informed of the case, adding on the blog: "BTW [by the way], are you Lebanese?"
"Whatever we said on the blog, we don't want to discuss it any further," he said, adding that any decision to stop legal proceedings would be made by the upper management.
A copy of the court order that was downloaded from Mr Makhoul's blog said the article suspected the quality and safety of the servings. It said the blogger, who works for an advertising agency, had "hidden intents".
"They think it's a conspiracy. It's a very far-fetched argument. I don't think they have a case," Mr Makhoul said.
The restaurant's owner, Abdul Rahman al Mutairi, said yesterday that the law in Kuwait required both parties to refrain from speaking about the case until a verdict is reached.
Internet users from across the region have sent hundreds of messages of support to Mr Makhoul on Twitter and scores have vented their disgust with the US-headquartered franchise on its Kuwaiti Facebook page.
"Benihana, I think your management just ruined your reputation by suing the most popular blogger in Kuwait," said Osama Shaheen. "You should employ more professional people that understand constructive criticism. I have not tried your service and will never do so, not in Kuwait, not anywhere else."
"Wow," said another commentator, Salman Ager. "You guys need to hire a good agency. Your Kuwait brand is in crisis. What you have started is going to create a firestorm of negative publicity."
"Haven't you seen what's going on in Tunisia and Egypt?" he asked, "You have basically set up the same scenario online. And the odds are in favour of the public."
Mr Makhoul, who is waiting for the trial to begin on March 8, was feeling resilient yesterday. He said: "If they want to go ahead, I'm not going to chicken out. It doesn't just affect me; that's why I want everyone to get involved. If I lose this case it could affect all the bloggers in Kuwait."
He said he hopes the pressure will force the Benihana corporation to demand the Kuwaiti franchise owners drop the case.
jcalderwood@thenational.ae

RESULT

Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')

 

Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)

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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

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Match info

Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4
(Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand

Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The line up

Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego  

Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh  

Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com

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While you're here
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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
MATCH INFO

Pakistan 106-8 (20 ovs)

Iftikhar 45, Richardson 3-18

Australia 109-0 (11.5 ovs)

Warner 48 no, Finch 52 no

Australia win series 2-0

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos

Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

 


 

ARSENAL IN 1977

Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland

Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal

Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal

Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham

Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal

Mar 05  Arsenal 1-4 ipswich

March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom

Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal

Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal

Apr 02  Arsenal 3-0 Leicester

MATCH INFO

Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)

Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)

 

Racecard

2pm Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m

2.30pm Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m

3pm Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m

3.30pm Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m

4pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m

4.30pm Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m

5pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m

5.30pm Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m

 

The National selections:

2pm Arch Gold

2.30pm Conclusion

3pm Al Battar

3.30pm Golden Jaguar

4pm Al Motayar

4.30pm Tapi Sioux

5pm Leadership

5.30pm Dahawi

NEW ARRIVALS

Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m 

RESULT

Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)

Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)