The British couple nabbed on a Dubai beach this summer and convicted of public indecency, drunkenness and having sex outside of marriage won't face prison after winning their case in the emirate's Court of Appeals. The pair, Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors, are still convicts, but instead of spending three months in the clink, they'll simply be deported after paying a 1,000 dirham ($272) fine each.

The duo still insists they didn't actually have sex on the beach, though they do cop to being drunk and making out. (These are admittedly common side effects of an all-you-can-drink champagne brunch.)

While the Britons are thrilled with the decision, it's hardly a green light to disrespect the strict laws of the Muslim emirate, where almost any form of PDA can get you arrested. Besides, risking jail time isn't the only reason we're avoiding Dubai's beaches.

Related Stories:
· Dubai Beach Sex Woman Says Release "Proves Innocence" [Telegraph]
· In Dubai, Sex on the Beach Could Lead to Prison [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-25T11:09:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/11/65856/612

In probably the lamest career move since starring in "P.S. I Love You," Hilary Swank is offering up her toothy grin as spokeswoman for the new Aquitania, an island chain in the The World, Dubai’s man-made archipelago.

Swank is one of several celebrities to get in on the Dubai action. It seems developers are hoping to spark our interest by aligning their huge projects with big names. Brad Pitt is designing an 800-room hotel there, and Ernie Els and Tiger Woods both lent their course-designing skills to ritzy residential communities.]]> ced138 2008-11-12T11:15:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/11/04331/870

Scary and stinky news out of Dubai: The beaches are full of sewage. Not something we like at the best of times but especially not if we’re indulging in a bit of risky sex on the beach.

And here’s the sad truth behind build-it-and-they’ll-come Dubai--it might have the world’s tallest buildings and biggest shopping malls, but it has no main drainage system. Waste is transported by drivers to an overcrowded site where they might have a ten-hour wait to dump their load, so some are just dumping it earlier in random ditches.

Apparently brave tourists who go driving off-road are starting to come across "lakes of excrement," so perhaps Dubai’s next world’s biggest record will be the biggest lake of, well, really unpleasant stuff.

Related Stories:
· Smelly Effluent Mars Dubai’s Affluent Beaches [news.com.au]
· In Dubai, Sex on the Beach Could Lead to Prison [Jaunted]
· Dubai Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: elvis_payne] ]]> amandak 2008-11-11T09:05:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/7/55736/6464

With the Aussie version of the A380 now flying Australia to US routes, the big guns in A380s, Emirates, are throwing their jumbo-sized hat into the same ring.

Yep, more flights heading Down Under are likely to be flown in the A380, if the Emirates plan pans out. The first route would be a Dubai-Sydney-Auckland flight, with Dubai to Melbourne routes planned for later on in 2009.

We’re not complaining about (hopefully) a bit more comfort on these long-haul routes. But since we found out that one A380 is just like another the excitement’s definitely died down a bit. In fact we’re probably ready for a new generation plane right about now.

Related Stories:
· Emirates Push for Aussie A380 Routes [The Australian]
· Qantas A380 Takes Off, Flies Just Like the Other Ones [Jaunted]
· A380 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ammar Abd Rabbo] ]]> amandak 2008-11-07T09:30:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/21/213210/51

"New" tourist destinations are popping up all the time--new to us, that is. Recently we've seen the Omani town of Khasab being promoted as a relaxing break away from the ultra-urban Dubai, less than three hours' drive away. According to the tourist brochures it's a relaxing spot with towering mountains and easy access to the Fjords of Arabia.

Cue Wikipedia for another view. Khasab, according to the internet bible:

Is known for fishing and smuggling in small, fast boats, to and from Iran.

To be fair, even Wikipedia admits that Khasab is "evolving" into a tourist destination and mention that diving is another popular activity there. We're just wondering if the smugglers will wise up and start offering speed boat smuggling tours.

Related Stories:
· A Perfect Arabian Getaway [eTravel]
· Khasab [Wikipedia]
· Oman Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]]]> amandak 2008-10-22T09:00:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/14/171043/36

Is an authoritarian government the secret to a successful new airport terminal launch? After the debacle at T5 at London Heathrow, China opened its T3 in Beijing without a hiccup. And Dubai managed to effortlessly welcome passengers to its new T3 today.

It probably helps that only a single airline, Emirates, is occupying the new terminal. That should reassure JetBlue, which already had to postpone its move to JFK's T5 once. The first flights there are now slated for October 22.

Related Stories:
· Liveblogging the New Terminal [Gulf News]
· Dubai Airport Terminal 3 Keeps Its Date [Khaleej Times]
· Smooth Start for Emirates Terminal [Xpress]
· Terminal 3 to Welcome Passengers [Emirates Business]

[Photo: Wikimedia]]]> pbb 2008-10-14T17:15:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/13/1532/4938

Finally, some news from Dubai that isn't bragging about being a world first. Dubai Airport's new Terminal 3 is due to open tomorrow after some thorough testing. Emirates flights to the Americas and neighbor Gulf countries will be the first to move to Terminal 3.

We're intrigued by one aspect of the new terminal:

Features of the new facility include check-in counters within the terminal car park, allowing passengers to check in well in advance of their flight, return home, and then arrive back at the terminal for their departure.

So instead of waiting around in a check-in line for an hour or two, they want us to rock up half a day earlier, check in then disappear for a few hours? Sure, the airport is just a couple of miles out of town but we're seeing our entire day turn into an airport experience. And that is not what we want, so we'll be avoiding the super-advance-check-in counters, thanks.

Related Stories:
· Dubai's Terminal 3 to Open [Business Traveller]
· Dubai Terminal Test Gets Big Turnout [Jaunted]
· Yawn. Another World's First For Dubai [Jaunted]

[Still shot from Emirates Terminal 3 Video]
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