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How is this gambling website legal in the UAE?
https://www.dreamisland.ai They seemingly have an advertisement on Gulf News as well. I thought gambling is illegal here in the UAE? These guys make no mention of their contact number, where are they based, and so on. This entire thing baffles me to the extreme. Surely this is a scam to con desperate people? UPDATE 1 I contacted DED to ask how is this website allowed to operate here in the UAE. They simply replied it's not allowed to register a lottery company in Dubai. However, this company might have registered in another emirate where this activity might be legal. UPDATE 2 I was able to contact a chat agent on the website. Their responses are interesting: https://ibb.co/rxp40Nx https://ibb.co/zZwk11b https://ibb.co/NLhgys5 https://ibb.co/5RFNSZv
Hi everyone I have a question regarding gambling in the UAE. I read that there are certain rules and laws based on the Quran that disapprove of such activities and therefore make gambling illegal in the UAE. Nevertheless, I would like to know if this applies to friendly betting. Let's suppose that there is a sports app that involves no more than friendly football bets. Could this be legally implemented in the UAE? Thanks.
States are not homogenous entities. They are composed of dozens of different interest groups and cliques, each with their own vision for what the state ought to do and what society ought to look like. In functioning states, these groups agree on more things than they disagree on--or at least, the powerful groups are able to monopolize power enough to keep dissident voices drowned out. Carefully crafted power sharing arrangements, usually aided along by some sort of common enemy or common mission, keep states functioning well enough to work as coherent actors in the international arena. But these alliances are not set in stone. Like the sands of the Rub’ al Khali, they shift with the winds. One day, two factions may be the closest of allies. The next, one might overreach. One might think they have become too powerful to need to be held down by the commitments they’ve made to their erstwhile allies. And what happens when they’re wrong? Chaos. Power in Saudi Arabia On paper, the King of Saudi Arabia holds near-absolute power over the country. With no constitutional constraints, it would seem that the King (or more recently, the Crown Prince) enjoys unlimited power in Saudi society. There is no elected--nor even appointed--legislature to serve as a check on the King’s power. If the King wishes to permit women to drive, he need nearly decree it, and so shall it be. Viewing Saudi Arabia through this lens, however, flattens the existing power dynamics in the country. The King’s absolute power is in practice constrained by the varied interest groups that help to lend legitimacy to the institution of the monarchy, such as (to name a few) the military, the House of Saud, and the religious establishment (the ulema). The relationship between the ulema and the monarchy has been critical to the continued existence of the Saudi Arabian state. Starting with the 1744 alliance between Muhammad ibn Saud, the founder of the al-Saud dynasty, and Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, the two groups have formed something of a symbiotic relationship. The House of Saud provides the Wahhabist movement with protection and propagates its beliefs, and in exchange the Wahhabist movement lends legitimacy to the monarchy. The Grand Mosque Seizure; or, Why Saudi Arabia is the Way it Is In November 1979, hundreds of armed religious militants took control of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca--the holiest site in Islam. Their leader, Juhayman al-Otaybi, declared his brother-in-law, Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani, to be the *Mahdi--a redeeming figure in Islami prophesied to arrive on Earth several years before Judgement Day. For a period of two weeks, al-Otaybi and his supporters managed to maintain control of the Mosque. The ensuing assault led to the deaths of hundreds of fighters and pilgrims. The Grand Mosque Seizure was, in part, a response to the growth of “western influence” within Saudi Arabia. Al-Otaybi condemned the West calling for the abolition of television and radio, the expulsion of non-Muslims, and the removal of women from the workplace. For al-Otaybi, the ruling al-Saud family’s refusal to resist this western influence had robbed them of their right to rule. While al-Otaybi was ultimately unsuccessful in overthrowing the House of Saud, his insurrection did led to an important revelation for the Saudi monarchy: religious extremism was perhaps the single greatest threat to their continued hold on power in Saudi Arabia. Rather than restricting the power of the ulema in an attempt to curtail this threat, King Khalid dramatically expanded the role of the ulema and the religious police, surrendering some of the House of Saud’s power in exchange for additional stability and security. This state of affairs, with some tinkering, would remain the status quo for the next three decades. Shifting Sands Since the September 11th, 2001 attacks and the beginning of the Global War on Terror, the monarchy has taken significant steps to attempt to curtail the influence of the ulema. The monarchy has become much less tolerant of clerics that speak out against the monarchy, often arresting them (though these arrests are usually temporary, they are enough to scare the dissident clerics into silence). The rise of Mohammad bin Salman in the mid-2010s accelerated this curtailment of the ulema’s power. Viewed as a youthful reformer, MbS has undone many of the laws that were put in place following the Grand Mosque Seizure: in 2018, he removed the ban on female drivers, while in 2021, he legalized gambling and the consumption of alcohol. While he was within his rights to do so--again, the monarchy has no formal restrictions on its authority--these actions flew in the face of the alliance struck between the House of Saud and the ulema. Had the Crown Prince stopped there, conservative opposition to his rule might have been vocal, but nevertheless manageable. Resistance in this period was largely restricted to existing Saudi exile groups like Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia and Hizb ut-Tahrir. A collection of senior clerics in Saudi Arabia rallied together to compose a new Memorandum of Exhortation--a call-back to the 1992 Memorandum written in the aftermath of Gulf War--condemning the Kingdom’s slide away from righteousness and towards western hedonism. The participating clerics were quickly stripped of their positions, arrested, or forced into exile, but their memorandum nevertheless made the rounds--especially in more rural, more conservative communities, where the monarchy had less power (relatively) than the ulema. Still, it spawned little but discontent whispers and prayers that someone would do something to set the Kingdom back on the righteous path. But he didn’t stop there. No more than four months later, Saudi Arabia invited the Bahraini Shi’a cleric Isa Qassim to Saudi Arabia. By itself, this would have created a diplomatic incident--Qassim was, in essence, the leader of the Shi’a opposition to the Saudi-aligned Sunni ruling dynasty of Bahrain, serving as a persistent thorn in the side of the Bahraini royal family. The fact that the House of Saud was inviting him to Saudi Arabia not just as a guest, but paying for the construction of a Hawza (a Shi’a seminary), was nothing short of sacreligious. The moment this news went public, conservative Saudi society flew into an outrage. How dare the monarchy collaborate with the radifa. Whatever control the monarchy had over the clergy melted away overnight, with most every Sunni cleric in the country denouncing the government’s support of the heretics in some form or another. Eight of the twenty-one members of the Council of Senior Scholars, the highest religious body in the country (and also one of the religious institutions most aligned with the House of Saud) resigned in protest. Among those resigning included several members of the al ash-Sheikh family, the foremost family of religious scholars and the direct descendents of al-Wahhab. Even Abdul-Rahman Al Sudais, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Mecca, issued a public denouncement of the government’s decision to fund the Hawza. Protests broke out throughout the country, especially in Mecca, Medina, and the Nejd, and while Saudi security forces were able to break their resolve after a week or two of protests, their discontent did not dissipate. The Saudi government’s 2022 decision to invite sixteen new American military bases only reignited tensions. Overnight, Saudi Arabia went from having no American bases to being the country with the sixth most American military bases. That anger stayed, bubbling beneath the surface. Waiting for an outlet. It finally found that outlet in 2022. At the opening ceremony of the new Hawza 'Ilmiya Dammam, a car bomb ripped through the crowd, destroying the largest building in the compound. When first responders arrived at the scene to treat the casualties, another suicide bomber--this one disguised as a first responder himself--detonated his vest, killing several dozen paramedics and security personnel. Several hours later, on the other side of the country in Jazan, a car bomber struck an under-construction American base, killing several Saudi construction workers (most of whom were migrant workers from South Asia or the Philippines), two American contractors leading the construction effort, and three American officers. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks the next day. In total, some eighty-four people, including three American servicemen, two American contractors, and forty Saudi nationals, died in the attacks, while another two- to three-hundred were wounded. Among those dead were several of the most important clerics of the new Hawza, including Qassim and the Pakistani marja’ Muhammad Hussain Najafi. The other Pakistani marja’ involved in the Hawza, Bashir al-Najafi, succumbed to his injuries a week later. The response from the predominantly Wahhabi Sunni clergy in the country ranged from silence (for those not willing to risk the ire of the monarchy) to celebratory (for those more dedicated to their faith than self-preservation). For the Saudi government, this was a concerning sign of what was to come. Older members draw comparisons between the current political moment and that of the 1990s, when outrage against the monarchy led to the formation of conversative opposition groups and an increase in terror attacks by groups like al Qaeda. And indeed, their fears may be legitimate. Anti-American protests are becoming increasingly common throughout the country, with the country’s American embassies, consulates, and base construction sites under near constant siege by conservative protesters. The Sahwa movement, a peaceful Islamist group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood opposed to American bases on the Arabian peninsula, has returned in full force after being all but crushed by government repression in the 1990s. Increasing numbers of Saudi clerics are issuing open criticisms and condemnations of the government and its recent activities, posing a serious challenge to the legitimacy of the rule of King Salman and the Crown Prince. In a different world, the monarchy might have been able to find some way to placate these dissidents. The warnings were there. But once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s impossible to put it back in. In April 2022, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman launched an unprecedented purge of the religious establishment and the non-ruling branches of the House of Saud. Over the course of 48 hours, Saudi security forces rounded up and arrested numerous prominent figures on corruption charges. While this was in and of itself insignificant--MbS had already used corruption arrests to establish his power in the House of Saud in the past--the scale of them was substantially larger than any previous arrests. Moreover, those royals detained through this process found themselves stripped of the rights and comforts they had come to expect during detentions like these: rather than the Ritz Carlton, they instead found themselves thrown into dank, musty jail cells, as though they were any other criminal. This was a signal to the rest of the House of Saud: Mohammad bin Salman would no longer tolerate anything even remotely resembling opposition to his agenda. The Prince’s seizure of power did not end there. Later that week, King Salman announced that the Wahhabi religious clerics would no longer have any temporal power outside of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia, according to the King, was going to become a more tolerant, progressive nation. Non-Muslims would have the same rights as Muslims for the first time in the Kingdom’s history. As if this weren’t an insult enough to the religious establishment, the King then declared that the Kingdom would be holding an interfaith celebration in the city of Mecca. This celebration would mark the first time that non-Muslims were (legally) allowed entrance into the Grand Mosque in over a thousand years--flying in the face of a restriction that predated the House of Saud itself. While King Salman’s decree robbed the Wahhabi religious establishment of its temporal power, it could never hope to so suddenly deprive them of their ability to sway the hearts and minds of the masses. Almost every cleric in the country, Salafi or Sufi, Wahhabi or Shafi’i, Sunni or Shi’a, immediately and unequivocally condemned the King’s decision to reverse a thousand years of tradition and allow non-Muslims into the holiest site of Islam. The Imam of the Grand Mosque resigned in disgust, stating that he would rather die than preside over kafirs gaining entrance to Holy City. Most of the Mosque’s clerics resigned with him.
The Situation on the Ground
The country has exploded into massive protests, attended by millions of people across the country. There are near-constant masses of people in the streets of Saudi Arabia’s major cities, while construction work on the proposed Church in Riyadh has been unable to continue due to the hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters surrounding the site at all times. Every day, their grip on Saudi society seems to slip further. Saudi Arabia has long relied on the cooperation of the religious establishment to quash dissent and break up protests. With that alliance shattered by King Salman’s recent actions, Saudi Arabia has had a harder time containing these protests than ever before. There are frequent reports of Saudi security personnel collaborating with the protesters, often sneaking advance warning of police crackdowns to protesters or allowing protest leaders to slip away from arrest warrants. This environment has allowed numerous critics of the government a new lease on life, as dissent is simply too large and too widespread for the government to crack down on all dissidents at once. One major resurfaced critic of the Saudi government has been the Muslim Brotherhood. Once an ally of the Saudis, the Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organization in 2014, after its Egyptian leadership was deposed in the 2013 coup d’etat. Since then, the group’s Saudi Arabian leaders were forced to flee into hiding in Qatar, Iraq, and, to a lesser extent, Bahrain. While the Muslim Brotherhood itself is not Wahhabist, and has many doctrinal disputes with the leading branch of Islam in Saudi Arabia, it has nevertheless made significant inroads into Saudi society over the past several months. As clerics and Saudi conservatives have become convinced that monarchy is unable to deliver the Sharia-adherent society they so desire (and worse, that they have little ability to coerce the monarchy into doing so), many have turned towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its promises of democracy. If nothing else, at least the system promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood would allow them to vote out incompetent royals like Mohammad bin Salman! While many of these groups are not openly violent and are content to continue peaceful (if still terribly disruptive) means of protest against the government, other groups are not. Saudi intelligence is reporting a large surge in the membership numbers of extremist groups like Al Qaeda, Islamic State, and their affiliates. These groups are able to tap into the discontent that has manifested in Saudi society, using the more peaceful groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Sahwa Movement as a front for radicalizing and recruiting disenfranchised and disgruntled Saudi conservatives. Saudi intelligence suspects that the Kingdom’s sky-high youth unemployment rate--about 25 percent in 2019--has not helped matters, with many of the new recruits coming from the under-30 age group. Saudi intelligence suspects that the growth of these dissident and jihadi groups has also been assisted by covert funding from Qatar and the Qatari nobility (and in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood only, from Turkey as well), though as of yet, they have been unable to find concrete proof. Perhaps the most major opposition to Saudi rule, though, comes from the Wahhabi clerics that once lent so much legitimacy to the Saudi monarchy. Wahhabi clerics that had erstwhile been major supporters of the Saudi government took to every venue available to them--the pulpit, the streets, the internet, the radio--and loudly and repeatedly condemned the actions of the King and the Crown Prince, declaring that they had strayed from the path of the righteous and no longer had the moral authority to lead. Throughout the country, these Saudi intelligence and security forces have been overwhelmed trying to track down and arrest all of the clerics that have broken the law--either by insulting the King, calling for the death of unbelievers, or some other crime. Increasingly, they find that the public is providing a great deal of assistance in avoiding security personnel, providing housing, food, and other essentials that allow the clerics to go to ground and avoid arrest. Worse still, upper levels of the Saudi security apparatus have reported that their subordinates are, in some cases, simply refusing to carry out these arrest orders. Finally, elements of Saudi intelligence loyal to the Crown Prince himself are reporting rumors that should have Mohammad bin Salman very concerned. The recent instability in Saudi Arabia has led several members of the House of Saud to think that they could do a much better job running the country than this upstart reformer. While intelligence is unable to pinpoint exactly who is a threat to Mohammad bin Salman at this time, they have managed to suss out that there are ongoing talks between some members of the House of Saud and some members of the religious establishment that a palace coup might be the best way to ensure that their interests are protected. King Salman and MbS go away, the House of Saud can continue with its graft and corruption, and Sharia law and the power of the Wahhabis comes back. It’s a win for everyone. In short, Mohammad bin Salman faces a great number of issues that must be addressed--quickly--if he is to retain power.
Government Pockets Dry Up
(Written by Erhard) Saudi Arabia has been largely discounting oil export revenues to favor stronger relationships with its allies. This was destined to cause problems when $200 Bn, over 90% of total Saudi exports, come from revenues off of the oil they export. These oil revenues are so critical to the Saudi economy, that cutting off the revenue would send the economy into recession. The targets of these discounts were namely strong Saudi allies like the US, UK, Australia, India, Japan, and many more who are all known to be heavy oil consumers. Saudi Aramco, one of the largest companies on Earth by revenue, had shored up many of its accounts and had begun selling off assets to private investors and other companies just to keep itself afloat. The company, a state-owned enterprise, had to consult the government for this, but had really no other way to save itself. There were rumors in the company of bankruptcy, in one of the most profitable organizations, and layoffs had begun. Of the 76,000 employees, the company quickly shrunk down to 40,000 to recoup the losses. Oil prices across the world had never ever been lower. Fuel across the US was reporting record prices of $1.12 per gallon, which made consumers very happy while the Saudi economy was doing damage control, preparing for an implosion. It would seem the only way the company could recover would be to cut oil operations to slow the quantity to the market, and jack up the price to 20% over market value, effectively eliminating the discount and charging premiums to those who formerly had discounts. If implemented, the US consumer’s dream would be short-lived as they would approach prices of $4.15 per gallon, but would likely save the economy.
The Paper Tiger
A recent series of arrests has also brought to light an unanticipated vulnerability in the Saudi security establishment. Early in 2022, the Ministry of Defense announced plans to double the number of active-duty personnel in the Saudi Land Forces in a period of just two years. Assuming no retirements or fatalities (something that is hard to assume, given the ongoing Saudi intervention in Yemen), the Royal Land Forces will have to hire over three hundred people per day. Meeting this requirement in a country without conscription has required a massive increase in recruitment targets, coupled with a corresponding decrease in the standards used in hiring. In essence, anyone with a warm body that can hold a rifle and walk is being allowed into the military. Moreover, the massive increase in junior enlisted personnel has further taxed the brass’s ability to maintain discipline and unit cohesion: the army’s absenteeism rate has sky-rocketed, as there are simply too many recruits and too few skilled officers and NCOs in order to adequately enforce punishments. While the drop in Saudi Arabia’s combat capacity that this has caused is concerning on its own, far more concerning is the fact that not all of the recruits to the Saudi military have the country’s best interests at heart. A recent arrest of an Al Qaeda member in Riyadh revealed that numerous terrorist organizations, as well as other dissident organizations, have infiltrated substantial amounts of their members into the newly-expanded Saudi military. If left unchecked, these cells will pose a significant threat to the security of Saudi Arabia, and will be able to use their military training to greatly improve the efficiency of their parent organizations in the future. Moreover, it will give their parent organizations access to classified intelligence on Saudi (read: American) weapons systems, and likely lead to some of these systems ending up in the hands of militant groups in countries like Yemen. Similarly worrying is the monarchy’s deteriorating control of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Separate from the traditional command structures of the Saudi military, the SANG has long served as the anti-coup, counter-insurgency, and counter-protest wing of the Saudi security establishment. It is comprised of a mixture of (largely conservative) tribal militias and personnel recruited from the Wahhabi religious establishment. Traditionally, these affiliations have helped protect the government from coups by the more liberal-minded military. In this instance, where the threat to the regime’s existence comes from conservative, religious parts of society, the loyalty of the National Guard has been called directly into question. Some worry that the ousted clerics and the more conservative elements of the House of Saud have compromised the integrity of the SANG, and may be able to use it in order to depose the current ruling family. Whatever the case, most agree that something needs to be done--and soon.
Issues Abroad
Naturally, when things go badly in a country as large as Saudi Arabia, they have a tendency to spill over into their neighbors. Below is a brief summary of some of the spillover effects in neighboring countries. The United Arab Emirates While the United Arab Emirates has long been the most “progressive” of the Gulf States, it is not without hardliners and conservatives. The country’s recent decision to decriminalize gay marriage has been met with considerable criticism from the country’s right-wing. Outrage against this decision--coupled with, Emirati intelligence suspects, but cannot prove, some assistance and funding from Qatar--has led to a revival of Al Islah, the UAE-branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The US presence in the UAE at Al Dhafra Air Base has also under scrutiny as the Sahwa Movement has spread across the border into the UAE, but so far, the movements are still content to resort to peaceful protest. Bahrain The death of Isa Qassim has sent shockwaves throughout Bahraini society, worsening already-existing tensions in the Shi’a-majority, Sunni-dominated nation. An important leader of the Shi’a community and political movement on the island, Qassim served as a constant voice for peace, frequently working to curtail the more militant wings of the Shi’a rights movement and channel them into peaceful activities like protest and, before the suspension of the legislature, voting. His martyrdom (and indeed, he is viewed as a martyr now in Bahrain) on Saudi territory has led to a great deal of suspicion in the Shi’a community of Bahrain, with many believing that Saudi security forces let the assassination occur in order to eliminate one of the peninsula’s largest Shi’a opposition leaders. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant: enough people believe it that the new leaders of the opposition who have risen to fill the void have become more convinced that the only way to have their demands met is through violence. In the future, Shi’a opposition groups on the island will be more likely to turn to violence in order to have their demands met. The royal family has become increasingly skeptical of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to their continued existence and independence following its actions in Qatar. While they are not brave enough to stand up to Saudi Arabia (yet) owing to their proximity to the country, the Royal Family is deeply uncomfortable with the Saudi coup in Qatar. In essence, it appears to the Royal Family that Saudi Arabia will abuse the Crown Prince’s marriage ties in order to replace other leaders of the GCC as punishment for working against Saudi interests. Given the marriage ties between the grand daughter of the King of Bahrain and the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Bahrain considers itself to be at heavy risk of one of these new “succession coups.” As such, Bahrain has started to (quietly) search for new allies to help guarantee its security against an aggressive Saudi Arabia. Iraq The death of Grand Ayatollah Basheer al-Najafi on Saudi territory at the hands of Sunni jihadists has led to a dramatic flare-up in sectarian tensions in Iraq. As one of the Big Four clerics in the holy city of Najaf, al-Najafi was one of the preeminent leaders of the Shi’a faith. Candlelight vigils and other mourning ceremonies have been held throughout the country to mark the passing of one of Shi’a Islam’s greatest minds, while anti-Saudi sentiment has been further cemented in the country. tl;dr
Saudi Arabia has dramatically curtailed the powers of the religious establishment, and broken a thousand-year-old prohibition on non-Muslims entering the Holy City of Mecca
There are massive conservative protests in Saudi Arabia. The largely conservative security establishment is sympathetic to these protests, hampering the Saudi response.
The threat of terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia has increased dramatically
So far, two Al Qaeda attacks have led to the destruction of the Hawza in Dammam (and the death of three very important Shi'a marja') the death of 84 people (including forty Saudi nationals, three American servicemen, and two American contractors), and the injury of another two- to three-hundred
Saudi Arabia is facing a massive revenue crisis due to its heavy discounting of oil exports
There is large resistance to the rule of MbS and King Salman within conservative circles, with some suspecting that they will not be in power for much longer.
Smaller conservative protests are occurring in the UAE
[Event] Insight into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - 2022
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Livid nightlife, American Rockstars sold-out converts, Las-Vegas style gambling scene, Women tasting sweet freedom, Twelver Shia Muslims having their own Seminaries, NEOM city building up and Saudi ARAMCO increasing production... Many things are going on in Saudi society, though for some odd reasons they have still been getting bad press. The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs' suggestion to the King for the nation to take on a massive Public Relations campaign could surely bolster the image of the kingdom greatly and save it from isolation. Permission was granted, and so did he receive the budget to perform the necessary. The Eastern Provinces Deserts and Coast With the Twelver Shias having their own Islamic Seminary, the Saudi government not only subdued 15-20% of their population but also proven to the world that in the Kingdom all creeds in Islam are equal and there is no difference between a Sunni and a Shia. In fact, it is widely known that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's mother, is also a Twelver Shia, as she is from the Al-Sultan clan of the Al-Ajmi tribe. King Salman also has issued by Royal Decree that his wife, Queen Fahdah Bint Falah al-Sultan Al-Ajmi be appointed as Minister of Tolerance, and starting up this ministry immediately. She will also be in communication with the UAE's Minister of tolerance so that they can emulate each other. Now Shia Muslims are not the only ones that will benefit here. Saudi Arabia also has plans to build the first Hindu temple in the Kingdom in the city of Al Hofuf. Indian conglomerate Shapoorji has been approached to kick off construction and will be fully funded by the Ministry of Tolerance. Meanwhile, in the oilfields, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia slowly increased production, and start to build more storage tanks. Nearby the Kuwaiti & UAE borders, OXY-Saudi in collaboration with ARAMCO have been conducting some exploration activities, and millions of dollars have been spent on new testing wells to discover new oil and gas fields in the region. The Road between Riyadh (KSA) to Ibri (OMN) has now been completed, and now the Saudi minister of Transport has expressed interest to American/Saudi JVs to start construction of an HSR line linking Riyadh & Dammam to Abu Dhabi & Dubai. The Central Nejd Plateau In Riyadh, the royal house of Saud and the oligarchy became victims of purges, with prominent members arrested on charges of corruption. This time there was no Ritz Carlton hotel. This time was serious. All the accused have been given multiple chances to correct themselves, and so have ultimately dug their own graves here. The police are everywhere and have ultimately been in coordination with the intelligence agencies to crack down on the undesirables. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also has announced that a new law decriminalizing drugs such as Marijuana and Cocaine will take place next month, and there will be no more death penalty for smugglers. All previous cases will be dealt on an ad-hoc basis, and former convicts for the petty crimes will be given a new chance to wipe off their criminal records in order for them to be able to work legally. With high youth unemployment, Saudi Arabia rolls out policies for introducing new jobs, besides the military ones, but also state-sponsored on-the-job training for technical, administrative, and managerial roles. The government will incentivize contractors who hire a minimum number of Saudi Citizens and grant them preference in the tender bidding process. This move was seen as welcome by the general population, as more than 50% of the Saudi citizens are under the age of 25 with a high number of jobseekers. The Wahabi Religious authorities also have had their powers stripped away, with them playing ultimately no role in the entire kingdom expect in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. They will be limited only there and will be monitored heavily by the Ministry of Tolerance so as to abide by the policies of the Queen. Riyadh will also see the construction of Saudi Arabia's first church, with representatives of Catholocism, Protestantism, Mormonism, Orthodoxy, Coptic, Syriac, Nestorianism, and Anglican churches all playing an active role to serve its adherents there. The Western Hijaz-Asir Mountain Range and coast This area is much more populated than the rest of Saudi Arabia. In NEOM city, the bridge connecting Saudi Arabia to Egypt has been completed, and now works are underway to start the expansion for an HSR railway line there. The bridge will not interfere with Jordan/Israeli access into the gulf of Aqaba, nor will it interfere in the Shipping lanes of the Red Sea passing through the Suez Canal. Some damage to Coral reefs have been done, and so the Saudi Ministry of Fisheries has started construction of Artificial reefs in order to preserve the marine life and ecosystem there. Madinah Al Munawwara has been on the news very much, and a police presence was very high to prevent any terrorist attacks in this holy city. During the mid-April celebration of the Jewish holiday Pass-over, a whole week of interfaith events took place in the Prophet's city, where there was a communal Iftar held, Yoga sessions, joint-Prayers, and spiritual dialogues. Some of the topics discussed was: the commonalities between all religions, striving for the common good, encouraging tolerance, the Creation of Man, the secrets of Buddha, the wisdom of Moses, the teachings of Jesus, and the greatness of Mohammed. Members of all faiths and creeds participated. We could see the Jew and the Muslim feasting together, the Hindu and the Christian meditating together, and even Sunni-Shia scholars be civil with each other here. Even the Sufi was seen to be getting along with the Salafi here. Following the way of our Prophet Mohammed, the Christians and Jews were able to perform their own prayers in the Holy Mosque in Medina, which hasn't been done since 1400 years ago. The Saudi King also had met with Islamic religious leaders such as the Aga Khan, Sufi Masters, Sharifs & Sayyids, and Muftis representing their nations such as Zimbabwe's Ismail Menk. He also had the time to meet with other religious leaders such as the Catholic Pope, Dalai Lama, Jewish Rabbis, etc.. In Makkah Al Mukarramah, huge expansion projects to increase the capacity of Hajj & Umrah pilgrims are underway. Very Important delegates such as the Catholic Pope and the Dalai Lama and their entourage also had the opportunity to travel there and visit the Ka'abah, the black cube, to which all Muslims face for direction in their prayers, and drink water from the Zamzam well. This was a highly publicized event and extra security measures were taken to avoid any disasters. Great Photo-op showing Islamic tolerance. Truly magnificent event. Meanwhile, down south by the border of Yemen, the war was ongoing, and so had a lot of movement. Fishermen, Farmers, and Shepherds all made money here since they had contracts with the government to supply food products. War was good for business, as long as you are on the winning side here.
I feel like i am abused by my boss and i dont know if i can afford to quit this job
Evening reddit, i come in the time of need. So i have been working for this consultancy firm in Dubai starting February 2020. I was originally taken in as a junior assistant with a promise of proper on the job training and a salary of 1400$. Since i am a student i was given just a job invitation letter that me and the CEO of the company have signed, no other contracts was signed. So when i have started i did not receive any training instead i was a bit pressured by the office admin and the company lawyer as i graduated from the British University which made them assume that they had the same program as a Russian one so i was yelled at for not being able to draft a contract from scratch or fill one up correctly. Then i was again told off due to my inability to work with the local Dubai laws as majority of them is in Arabic and I dont know any Arabic. So for the first 2 months it was going good, then the pandemic hit. We moved to work from home and the ceo called me in saying that during the times of pandemic he is going to reduce my salary to 400$ to cut costs. I was given an option to either quit or stay, my family pressured me to stay. So i did, so for the next 3 months i worked from home and received my 400$. At first i believed i was making progress so i thought i could ask for the raise, suddenly in July company has hired 3 new people who are now working from the office with the admin. When i asked what about me, i was told that i could keep working from home but now i was an intern not a junior assistant as they were not satisfied with my performance. Again i had admitted to my own wrong and kept working, now the scope of my work at the start was working with the documents and clients. Sure i made few mistakes with documents and clients, who wouldnt in their first year of proper work? Admin took a note of that and begun taking away document works from me, since the start of September i was mainly doing courier like tasks delivering documents and driving admins new assistant around and after my car broke down cause i had burned through the battery from driving over 1500 kilometers in a month. Me and ceo decided to have a talk. So Today we had the talk, apparently everyone is unsatisfied with my work; my document work is lackluster and doesnt match their standard of a lawyer which was again odd as they hired me with promise of training that i never got. Secondly i was told that i was too informal and unprofessional with clients as i offered them personal aid and my personal phone number (i dont have a company one and doubt ever getting one). And thirdly i was pinned down with an ultimatum; either i stay in the company as a driver, or i do a course that would train me to be a personal assistant to the ceo. On one hand it sounded like a healthier option and i was promised an immediate post course raise to 544$ but then i had a talk with my mother and the company lawyer. And oh boy it was not pretty, my mom released the most toxic blast on me essentially yelling that i now must go back to work from office to get back on the ceo's good side. The company lawyer called me a fool and that i will be effectively ending my legal carrier by doing those courses, but when i asked him for alternative he told me to find an internship in another law firm. Which again i swear to you was promised to me in here, i was told that their company lawyer would teach to which he responded that "he has no need for me as my degree is from UK and he mainly works in the Russian legal system." And apparently today our company was visited by the tv station and no one told me so i missed that out after i was talked down. So reddit please advise me, i dont know what to do and my mind is clouded with only thoughts of quitting this company immediately and looking for another job. But problem is the UAE job market aint that good at the moment so i could be stuck looking for a new job for a while, at the same time my mother is pressuring me to go back to the office which i really dont want to do as now i despise the men and his team for not appreciating or even remembering any good things that i did. So what do i do? Do i quit and gamble on lookin for another job? Or do i try and make the best of what i got? Please someone help me ;-;
Dune (2020) - Everything We Know So Far [Regularly Updated]
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING MOVIE RELATED CONTENT OR QUESTIONS
Hey folks, seeing as how there are so many posts regarding the movie regularly hitting the front page of this subreddit - often with the same questions and answers being repeated in the comments - I decided to put together something a little more comprehensive. For those you of who have yet to read/finish the book, I've kept this post spoiler free but I can't promise the same for the comments below.
What's the timeline?
What we know so far about some key milestones:
Release Date: 12/18/2020*
Filming Wrapped for Budapest, Hungary (and presumably the entire film): July 20th 2019
Filming Wrapped for Jordan Desert Location: April 26th 2019
Principal Photography Started: March 18th 2019
Script Finalized: August/September 2018
Pre-Production Began: July 2018
*As far as we know this release date has not been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
1 Charlotte was once quoted as saying the one book she'd bring to a desert island was Dune, but turned down an earlier opportunity to star in an adaptation when Jodorowsky asked her to be Lady Jessica. 2 Bardem is a fan:
I read the first three books, and, of course, I saw David Lynch's film. I'm going to be turning 50 on March 1st, so I saw David Lynch's film, which I loved. I remember the day I saw it in 1984, I think, and it was weird! And I loved it! It was big and weird, and those sandworms!
3 Several roles in this list might have very brief screentimes or be omitted entirely from the first film due to the characters not being significant to the plot until much later in the book. For this reason, I chose not to include Alia. That, and the fact that there aren't many actors worth noting <5 years old. 4 Jon Spaihts is likely who was brought in when Eric Roth realized he couldn't shorten his 200-page script. 5 Hans Zimmer is also a huge Dune fan and was an obvious choice because of his prior working relationship with Denis from Blade Runner 2049 and the fact that he's worked on Legendary Pictures before with Christopher Nolan. He's definitely got a 'big-budget' sound that makes sense here. 6 Unfortunately Roger Deakins is not partnering up with Denis again for this one. Considering that the two of them are 3 for 3 with getting Oscar nominations every time they work together, this makes me sad. Greig has big shoes to fill, but I'm optimistic. 7 Seasoned Conlanger who created the Valyrian and Dothraki languages for Game of Thrones. He's confirmed that he's working on "more than one thing" so we're presumably talking about Chakobsa (the Fremen language) and something else. 8 Concept artist specializing in creature designs. Known for creating the design for the aliens in Denis' prior work, Arrival. He's explained that his work for Dune has been pretty minimal. I'm thinking Guild Navigators. 9 Concept artist specializing in vehicle designs. Ornithopters and spice harvesters, anyone? He's also a fan.
Where is it being shot?
Confirmed filming locations:
1. Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is considered the primary shooting location for the film. Denis will once again be working with Origo Film Studios who provided many of the stages and facilities used in the shooting of Blade Runner 2049. Budapest will likely be the shooting location for the majority of indoor scenes ranging from the Atreides stronghold on Caladan to Fremen sietches and Harkonnen interiors.
2. Wadi Rum, Jordan
Jordan is a very popular filming location for movies set in the desert. Hurt Locker, The Martian, Zero Dark Thirty, Aladdin, and Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade were all shot in Jordan. As is the upcoming Star Wars movie. Odds are good that the majority of external scenes set in the Arrakeen desert will be shot in the numerous deserts of Jordan. Update: Numerous social media posts have indicated that many scenes are being shot at Wadi Rum desert.
3. Arabian Desert, United Arab Emirates
It's been confirmed that some of the shooting was done in the remote desert regions outside of Abu Dhabi. Due to the distinct natural conditions of Jordan and the UAE, it's likely two different desert filming locations were needed to cover a wider range of geographical formations for shooting.
4. Stadlandet, Norway
Thanks to some detective work, we've been able to determine that at least some of the exterior shots of Caladan were shot in Norway, specifically along the Stad peninsula.
Things Worth Noting
Some information to keep in mind over the next 600+ days:
1. Denis loves Dune.
I'll let this quote from an interview back in early 2017 speak for itself:
Since I was 12 years old there was a book I read, which is ‘Dune,’ which is my favorite book, with ‘1984.’ After ‘Prisoners,’ the producer of Alcon asked me what I would like to do next. I said, ‘Dune,’ spontaneously, that if anyone could get me the rights for ‘Dune’ — and I knew it was very difficult to get those rights. For me it was just a dream, and I guess I’m lucky that Mary Parent from Legendary got the rights and offered it to me. I can’t say no to that. I have images that I am haunted by for 35 years. I will not say no to that. That’s going to be the project of my life.
When asked about the idea of creating an alien-planet space adventure in a world where Star Wars already exists:
Most of the main ideas of Star Wars are coming from Dune so it’s going to be a challenge to [tackle] this. The ambition is to do the Star Wars movie I never saw. In a way, it’s Star Wars for adults. We’ll see.
When asked about his adaptation's relationship with the 1984 David Lynch adaptation:
David Lynch did an adaptation in the '80s that has some very strong qualities. I mean, David Lynch is one of the best filmmakers alive, I have massive respect for him. But when I saw his adaptation, I was impressed, but it was not what I had dreamed of, so I'm trying to make the adaptation of my dreams...It will not have any link with the David Lynch movie. I'm going back to the book, and going to the images that came out when I read it.
2. It's a two-parter.
The first movie is only going to cover part of the first novel. There's been no specific information released as to where the cut-off point is going to be, but many fans have speculated that the 2-year time skip that occurs between the 2nd and 3rd 'books' in the novel would work well as a natural stopping point. Others point to Paul and Jessica's first introduction to the fremen tribe as a likely stopping point. Given that Chani, Jamis and Harah have all been cast, all evidence now points towards the two-year time skip being the endpoint for the first movie. This is further reinforced by this quote from Legendary CEO Joshua Grode:
Also, when you read the book there's a logical place to stop the movie before the book is over.
Unfortunately, the two movies are not being filmed together. Likely as a result of witnessing Bladerunner 2049's lackluster box office performance, the studio has decided that it'd be too risky and expensive to go in on two movies at once. Therefore, a second movie is not guaranteed. Although, with the cast list so full of A-list actors in high demand, I'm sure it's already occurred to someone at Legendary how much of a headache it'd be to get everyone together again for a sequel without having at least a year to sidestep any potential scheduling conflicts. UPDATE: In this interview, the head of Gale Force Nine (the group re-releasing the 1979 Dune board game in the near future) talks about the second part coming out a year after the first in November 2021. If you're feeling optimistic, you can interpret this as an accidental leak of an internal decision at Legendary to actually commit to the 2nd movie. Otherwise this is in all likelihood just baseless speculation unfortunately stated as fact.
3. First book only...for now.
Even if we set aside whether the sequels are suitable for the big screen, I think it's conspicuous that I can't find a single instance of Denis mentioning any of the books beyond the first one. Sure, an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but until we can at least rule out the possibility that he hasn't even read any of the sequels, I'm willing to wager there are only plans to adapt the first book in this film series. Since this whole thing is largely powered by Denis' vision and reputation, it's hard to see it going anywhere else if he's not on board.
4. Brian Herbert is involved...somewhat.
The late author's son is listed as an executive producer on the Dune (2020) IMDb page. If you look through his Facebook page and tweets you'll see that he talks a great deal about his involvement in the "five major areas of products and productions under development in the Dune franchise", ironing out legal contracts, and commenting on drafts of the screenplay. Odds are good that his creative input is only being taken out of courtesy as he is the inheritor of his father's estate. However there is no real way to determine the extent of his influence and involvement on the film.
5. MPAA rating is TBD.
It might seem like an insignificant detail, but I see it as an early indicator...of sorts. Dune is a big gamble, and in the film industry that means the siren song of compromise is bound to be playing in the office of a studio executive somewhere. In a perfect world, Legendary would let Denis do whatever he wants with zero creative interference, but he’s not exactly known for his track record of four-quadrant films so alas, there are a number of factors likely to interfere with that outcome. The poor box office performance of Dune (1984). Hard sci-fi’s inherent reputation as a ‘niche’ genre. Denis' previous film (and first big-budget feature) Bladerunner 2049 costing Alcon Entertainment $80 million dollars in losses. Bringing on Jon Spaihts to slim down the screenplay. cough Zendaya. cough I could go on. It’s entirely possible we might end up with a watered down version of Dune meant to appeal to the more ‘water-fat’ movie-goers among us. Now, a PG-13 rating wouldn’t be a conclusive indicator of studio interference, after all aside from a few scenes with the Baron there’s not much explicit content in the book itself. Not to mention Denis’ vision for Dune is at least partially rooted in his memories of reading it in his youth. But an R-rating (which I personally find unlikely) would be a clear vote of confidence from the studio and a sign that they are letting him do his thing.
A note from me to you: Congrats! You made it to the end and now you know all there is to know. I'll be keeping this post updated as new information comes to light. Please shoot me a private message if you think there's anything currently missing from here or if you spot any inaccuracies. If something crops up in the future and it's not reflected here in a reasonable time (I'll let you be the judge of that), please also feel free to let me know.
Livid nightlife, American Rockstars sold-out converts, Las-Vegas style gambling scene, Women tasting sweet freedom, Twelver Shia Muslims having their own Seminaries, NEOM city building up and Saudi ARAMCO increasing production... Many things are going on in Saudi society, though for some odd reasons they have still been getting bad press. The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs' suggestion to the King for the nation to take on a massive Public Relations campaign could surely bolster the image of the kingdom greatly and save it from isolation. Permission was granted, and so did he receive the budget to perform the necessary. The Eastern Provinces Deserts and Coast With the Twelver Shias having their own Islamic Seminary, the Saudi government not only subdued 15-20% of their population but also proven to the world that in the Kingdom all creeds in Islam are equal and there is no difference between a Sunni and a Shia. In fact, it is widely known that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's mother, is also a Twelver Shia, as she is from the Al-Sultan clan of the Al-Ajmi tribe. King Salman also has issued by Royal Decree that his wife, Queen Fahdah Bint Falah al-Sultan Al-Ajmi be appointed as Minister of Tolerance, and starting up this ministry immediately. She will also be in communication with the UAE's Minister of tolerance so that they can emulate each other. Now Shia Muslims are not the only ones that will benefit here. Saudi Arabia also has plans to build the first Hindu temple in the Kingdom in the city of Al Hofuf. Indian conglomerate Shapoorji has been approached to kick off construction and will be fully funded by the Ministry of Tolerance. Meanwhile, in the oilfields, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia slowly increased production, and start to build more storage tanks. Nearby the Kuwaiti & UAE borders, OXY-Saudi in collaboration with ARAMCO have been conducting some exploration activities, and millions of dollars have been spent on new testing wells to discover new oil and gas fields in the region. The Road between Riyadh (KSA) to Ibri (OMN) has now been completed, and now the Saudi minister of Transport has expressed interest to American/Saudi JVs to start construction of an HSR line linking Riyadh & Dammam to Abu Dhabi & Dubai. The Central Nejd Plateau In Riyadh, the royal house of Saud and the oligarchy became victims of purges, with prominent members arrested on charges of corruption. This time there was no Ritz Carlton hotel. This time was serious. All the accused have been given multiple chances to correct themselves, and so have ultimately dug their own graves here. The police are everywhere and have ultimately been in coordination with the intelligence agencies to crack down on the undesirables. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also has announced that a new law decriminalizing drugs such as Marijuana and Cocaine will take place next month, and there will be no more death penalty for smugglers. All previous cases will be dealt on an ad-hoc basis, and former convicts for the petty crimes will be given a new chance to wipe off their criminal records in order for them to be able to work legally. With high youth unemployment, Saudi Arabia rolls out policies for introducing new jobs, besides the military ones, but also state-sponsored on-the-job training for technical, administrative, and managerial roles. The government will incentivize contractors who hire a minimum number of Saudi Citizens and grant them preference in the tender bidding process. This move was seen as welcome by the general population, as more than 50% of the Saudi citizens are under the age of 25 with a high number of jobseekers. The Wahabi Religious authorities also have had their powers stripped away, with them playing ultimately no role in the entire kingdom expect in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. They will be limited only there and will be monitored heavily by the Ministry of Tolerance so as to abide by the policies of the Queen. Riyadh will also see the construction of Saudi Arabia's first church, with representatives of Catholocism, Protestantism, Mormonism, Orthodoxy, Coptic, Syriac, Nestorianism, and Anglican churches all playing an active role to serve its adherents there. The Western Hijaz-Asir Mountain Range and coast This area is much more populated than the rest of Saudi Arabia. In NEOM city, the bridge connecting Saudi Arabia to Egypt has been completed, and now works are underway to start the expansion for an HSR railway line there. The bridge will not interfere with Jordan/Israeli access into the gulf of Aqaba, nor will it interfere in the Shipping lanes of the Red Sea passing through the Suez Canal. Some damage to Coral reefs have been done, and so the Saudi Ministry of Fisheries has started construction of Artificial reefs in order to preserve the marine life and ecosystem there. Madinah Al Munawwara has been on the news very much, and a police presence was very high to prevent any terrorist attacks in this holy city. During the mid-April celebration of the Jewish holiday Pass-over, a whole week of interfaith events took place in the Prophet's city, where there was a communal Iftar held, Yoga sessions, joint-Prayers, and spiritual dialogues. Some of the topics discussed was: the commonalities between all religions, striving for the common good, encouraging tolerance, the Creation of Man, the secrets of Buddha, the wisdom of Moses, the teachings of Jesus, and the greatness of Mohammed. Members of all faiths and creeds participated. We could see the Jew and the Muslim feasting together, the Hindu and the Christian meditating together, and even Sunni-Shia scholars be civil with each other here. Even the Sufi was seen to be getting along with the Salafi here. Following the way of our Prophet Mohammed, the Christians and Jews were able to perform their own prayers in the Holy Mosque in Medina, which hasn't been done since 1400 years ago. The Saudi King also had met with Islamic religious leaders such as the Aga Khan, Sufi Masters, Sharifs & Sayyids, and Muftis representing their nations such as Zimbabwe's Ismail Menk. He also had the time to meet with other religious leaders such as the Catholic Pope, Dalai Lama, Jewish Rabbis, etc.. In Makkah Al Mukarramah, huge expansion projects to increase the capacity of Hajj & Umrah pilgrims are underway. Very Important delegates such as the Catholic Pope and the Dalai Lama and their entourage also had the opportunity to travel there and visit the Ka'abah, the black cube, to which all Muslims face for direction in their prayers, kiss the Black Stone, and drink water from the Zamzam well. This was a highly publicized event and extra security measures were taken to avoid any disasters. Great Photo-op showing Islamic tolerance. Truly magnificent event. Meanwhile, down south by the border of Yemen, the war was ongoing, and so had a lot of movement. Fishermen, Farmers, and Shepherds all made money here since they had contracts with the government to supply food products. War was good for business, as long as you are on the winning side here.
Anti-Corruption & News TLDRs - Dec/4/2019 :: Several high ranking officials charged _ President Serj _ Deputy minister _ Cadastre _ Colonel :: All-Armenia Fund stats :: BHK vs Mayor _ Gago's hotel :: Pashinyan & Parliament bills :: Foreign Affairs :: more inside
👁NSS👁 has busted the Deputy Minister of Education/Sports/Culture Ministry, his driver, a the president of Lokomotiv soccer club who also serves as a chief of a firm that delivers products to govt, with bribery. Report says: Deputy Minister Gevorg Loretsyan (current administration) used his driver as a middle man to make a corrupt deal with the soccer official to prioritize the latter's business for item purchases. The ring was busted while making the bribe transaction. The felony investigation continues. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175412 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175438 3rd president Serj Sargsyan has been charged with aiding and embezzling 0.5bln. He is told not to leave the country. Several other officials are implicated. HHK called it a "political persecution". SIS report says: In Jan-2013 the govt approved the agricultural aid program to subsidize fuel prices for farmers for the Spring harvest season. Fuel firms Flash (owner is reportedly friends with Serj) and Maxhur participated in a govt auction. Maxhur offered to sell the fuel to govt for the cheaper price. Serj knew that Flash was offering it for higher prices, but instructed his subordinates to make sure Flash wins the auction, for personal benefit. A month later the govt gave Flash 1.8bln to distribute fuel to farmers. Some of the purchased fuel was not used. Govt decided to keep it under Flash's possession so it can give it to farmers during the Autumn harvest. During the Autumn harvest, govt paid Flash again to purchase fuel. Felony case is launched. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175408 https://youtu.be/_g-K-VWGbaY?t=33 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175439 Vernatun statement coming in 3, 2, 1... HHK MP Vahram Baghdasaryan's factory's property price was purposely reduced to avoid taxes, says the police. Report says: In 2005 an independent firm valued VABA firm's property as being worth 130mln. In 2009 the Cadastre committee officials falsified its value by claiming it's worth less than 40mln. This way the firm paid 4.5x less in taxes, which converted into 1bln in unpaid taxes. Felony case is launched against Cadastre officials. https://factor.am/204746.html Update: The court issued a 2-month arrest verdict for the former HHK MP prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan. He is charged as part of the March 1st investigation. Investigators earlier released a lengthy report of how the former regime deployed the army then took steps to cover-up. Kostanyan was mentioned as being one of the key players, the handler, who allegedly coordinated various law enforcement agencies to cover up crimes and purge evidence. Kostanyan is currently in Russia. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175398 Pashinyan: Some officials who are currently wanted by the police were allowed to freely exit Armenia, even though they - and everyone else - knew at that time that they were going to be arrested. Nonetheless, they weren't stopped at the border because at the time the law enforcement didn't have a permission. The criticism of allowing people to get away in this manner is of a political nature. The law enforcement has to act legally. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175434 The former military police chief of Gyumri has been charged with bribery. Investigators say in 2014 Colonel Muradyan helped his friend's son, who was wanted by the Russian police, to freely enter Armenia by closing the eye on it, in exchange for a 22.1mln bribe. He then helped the fugitive, a Russian citizen, to obtain an Armenian passport and faked his travel stamps. For the next 2 years the official allowed the fugitive to use his house as a hiding place. Felony case is launched. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175348 Pashinyan about ARF protests: "Չուք չաք, չարաք, չաք, գնացքի մասին մի այսպիսի երգ կար, հեռացող գնացքի անիվների տրոփյունն ենք ընդամենը լսում." The education reform protests aren't by "students", they are by ARF. ARF was one of the pillars of the former corrupt regime. If the party members don't recognize what the party leadership was doing under the former regime, this party won't have a future. Education reforms are government's agenda, not just Education Ministry's. If there are suggestions, they needs to be heard, and if there are mistakes they need to be admitted. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175442 Update: The former chief of All-Armenia charity fund was arrested last year after authorities discovered he was stealing donation money. He admitted to wasting it on gambling. He was released, then arrested again after more charges were pressed due to new evidence. He allegedly stole 150mln from a project meant to be done in Artsakh. Today he posted a 10mln bail and was released. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175385 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175391 (All-Armenia Fund has a new management.) Pashinyan: You shouldn't compare donation levels to All-Armenia Fund with the past years. In 2008, $35mln donation pledges were made publicly but only $9mln was received. (also $12mln promised last year but received ~$9mln) In past, the emphasis was on using the fund's resources to go after some oligarchs and beg them for money. In some cases they even threatened people to donate. In other cases they told these few rich people to at least publicly make pledges with no intention to pay (to inflate numbers). Now we want the All-Armenia Fund to truly become all-Armenia. In its entire existence, it only collected $350mln. This is ridiculously little. Some of the repeated donors are honest and have no connection with the aforementioned pressures, but you can't forever expect them to donate. Now the emphasis is on reaching a higher number of smaller donors. End of Pashinyan speech. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175437 Artsakh's largest Hayrenik Party MPs joined Pashinyan's pyramid scheme and will each donate $20/mo to the All-Armemeia fund. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997646.html Where did the All-Armenia donations come from? France: $2.9mln USA: $2.7mln Armenia: $1.8mln Tashir Group firm: $1.5mln UK $220k Argentina $94k Germany $72k. Brazil $42k Greece $26k Australia $25k Swiss $20k Egypt $10k etc. 2017: 3240 telethon donations 2019: 9644 telethon donations https://factor.am/204856.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997702.html Police says they busted several police officials with causing 1.3mln damage to budget by not letting anyone know that their colleague was serving a jail time in Russia for 10 months. A police official traveled to Russia in May-2018, did some bribery, got arrested and served 10 months in Russia, came back to Armenia and cashed-in his checks. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175401 An Azeri woman Aysel Mustafayeva made a video addressed to president Aliyev in which she informed about buying a ticket to move to Armenia soon, due to "unbearable conditions and injustice" in Azerbaijan. She complained about no response by the authorities around some issue for several years. She was arrested by security services earlier for trying to get close to Aliyev to ask him for help. This isn't the first time she said she would move to Armenia, but it appears this time she has purchased a ticket dated for December 5th. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175347 https://youtu.be/Abdr_vypSk0 mugham intensifies Ilham Aliyev's wife VP Mehriban Pashayeva earlier said her dream is to listen to mugham in Artsakh. 1st lady Anna Hakobyan (later joined by Artsakh president's spokesman) today invited Mehriban to visit Artsakh as a guest. "Artsakh knows hospitality. One of the rules is to play the music that a guest wants to hear. We can play mugham. If Mehriban accepts this invitation, I'd be willing to visit Baku. But if Mehriban meant to listen to mugham after invading Artsakh, then her wish won't happen", said Hakobyan. Full story inside https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175366 https://news.am/arm/news/548142.html կռիվ, կռիվ BHK chief Dodi Gago earlier accused Yerevan mayor Hayko Marutyan of not allowing a hotel and a hospital to be built in Yerevan center by an Arab sheikh. Marutyan addressed the reasons why the foreign investor's plan didn't go through. He also revealed that the hotel Gago was trying to build was being built illegally and was permitted by the previous administration, and that it was suspended by the court. Dodi Gago fired back showing a document which showed Marutyan's signature under a document. He claiming Marutyan gave him the construction permission, not the previous mayor. The municipality responded by mocking Dodi Gago for "not knowing the difference between a construction permit and a design permit". (Gago's document showed the latter) https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175356 Yerevan municipality released more details about Gago's unfinished hotel: In Feb-16-2017, the former mayor Taron Margaryan gave a permit to Gago (aka his Multi Group firm) to build the hotel. Few days later his neighbor sued Gago and had the construction halted. A year later, during the June-July 2018 political turmoil, Gago took advantage of the situation and decided to illegally build the structure, thinking no one would notice. At one point, before Hayk Marutyan became the mayor, Gago was fined 200k for the violation. He was then fined 2mln. After the second violation the case was sent to the law enforcement. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175397 Parliament MPs also discussed Gago's recent statements about the hotel and hospital. He took some heat. BHK fired back. BHK decided to organize a "political boycott" by leaving the Parliament building. Gago criticized the բոլոլա around his name, telling the critics to "knock it off". A confrontation happened between him and journalists. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175387 https://youtu.be/aITJsqYxJCE?t=20 Boycott https://youtu.be/T4J4Eh91QHo https://fip.am/9606 During a Q&A in Parliament, Pashinyan was asked to comment BHK Dodi Gago's claims about Yerevan municipality not allowing royal sheikhs to invest to open a hospital. Pashinyan said: I'm not entirely sure they were royal sheikhs or their representatives, tbh. If they were UAE sheikh's official delegates, they wouldn't need to call Gago first to ask him to schedule meetings with the mayor. Delegates can easily use official channels to organize meetings. It was strange that sheikh's delegates would appear to a business meeting with sneakers, jeans and t-shirts. They asked for land in the Center of Yerevan. Mayor responded telling that the city doesn't own such large lands suited for a hospital in the center. Mayor offered to help if they purchased a land from a private land owner elsewhere. The discussions were interrupted repeatedly when the guests begun taking calls one after another. Mayor realized there isn't much else to discuss. I think he handled it right. I also find it suspicious that Gago begun throwing these accusations about ruined investments soon after Gago's Multi Group's director was charged with felony embezzlement during the North-South highway project. North-South project was a good investment project, too, but they "milked" it. Now we're cutting their (corruptionaires) paws one-by-one. End of Pashinyan speech. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175407 UAE embassy released a statement clarifying that the aforementioned investor was not a sheikh's royal heir. It's a complicated story... https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997716.html https://hetq.am/hy/article/110604 Update: 2 days ago a soldier was killed and another one wounded in Artsakh's north-eastern border. Today the parents gathered outside of Parliament to demand answers. Security committee chief said the investigation isn't over yet but he has info that the incident is being treated as a murder and not a combat death. The parents ended the protest. The investigative committee released an official statement saying they are treating it as a murder and attempted murder. Several soldiers were questioned. Cell phone and CCTV records are being examined. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175368 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175383 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175386 Figure skater Anastasia Galustyan won the international "Santa Claus Cup" competition held in Budapest. 🥇 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997601.html Parliament rejected the LHK bill that would allow the heads of NSS and Police to be appointed from "outside". The idea was that these agencies have deep problems, and the current law, which requires the chiefs to be from the agency's high ranking board, won't allow big reforms. The bill would effectively declare the chiefs of these agencies as being "political figures". Although the bill was passed during the first vote, it was then sent to the Legal committee which found problems with the bill. Pashinyan said the problem with the bill is that the chiefs in these institutes have "military ranks". If the bill is passed, they would either need to be stripped of their ranks to become "political" chiefs, or the outsider non-ranked candidates would need to be given military ranks out of the blue to become chiefs of these institutes. QP's official stance is that the bill would violate the Constitution due to some terminology. Voted 19-89 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175357 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175416 Parliament passed a govt bill to hand over the control of country's medical system and facilities, including private, under Healthcare Ministry control in the event of war. Voted 112-1 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175359 Parliament passed a govt bill to pay the utility bills for (not a large number of) lonely pensionaires living in special apartments. Their income isn't enough to pay for electricity, gas etc. so they were accumulating debt. http://arka.am/en/news/society/armenian_government_to_pay_utility_bills_of_lonely_pensioners/ Parliament passed a govt bill to give a 3-5 year air tax waiver to airline companies that launch flights to new destinations. Voted 108-1 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997580.html President Sarkissian accepted guests from Microsoft and Synopsis who visited for a Silicone Mountain tech conference in Armenia. They discussed cooperation and next year's ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) tech conference that will be held in Armenia. 300 Chinese businessmen are expected to arrive. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175425 http://arka.am/en/news/technology/around_300_chinese_businessmen_expected_in_armenia_for_2020_october_it_conference/ Ireland has ratified the EU-AM comprehensive cooperation agreement https://armenpress.am/arm/news/997707.html Armenia had its first ever participation in London-based Foreign Direct Investments expo. They presented an electronic platform, created by UN and Economy Ministry, which allows foreign investors to easily learn about 18 types of rules and regulations in Armenia. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175441 Armenia sent 80 tons of aid to Armenian diaspora in Syria. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/175427 Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams unless specified otherwise. Older posts can be found at: PART 1 ; PARTa 2 ; PART 3 ; PART 4 , credits to Idontknowmuch.
A list of ideas I made for the upcoming “family” update...
This is a list of ideas I compiled for a “family” update which I heard was apparently in the works. Bear with me, this is a somewhat long list... — Things to do with lovers and marriage: 1. ♥️ — A “make love” scenario where your lover is coming on to you first, rather than you always being the one to hit the “make love” button, and you have the options of “give it to them” or “can I take a rain check?” 2. 🤝 — Combined assets and incomes between married lovers (unless you have a prenup). Any houses, cars, or cash you have is shared with your spouse, and vise versa. This could also open the door to scenarios like “your spouse spent a bunch of money on X, what will you do?” 3. 🏡 — Alongside combined incomes, a “house spouse” occupation should be added where you can simply live off of your spouse’s income. Your spouse could also take up that occupation with you working. Also, have an interaction where you can ask your spouse to get a job if they take up being simply a house spouse. 4. 💕 — The ability to have more than one lover at once, with the possibility that they could find each other out and both break things off, or to just have mistresses. Also, in countries where it’s legal (Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE) polygamy should be possible. 5. 🌎 — Foreign lovers should be available at as young as 14 when the lover tab in general becomes available. People immigrating to a new country as children is a thing ;) Perhaps they came with their parents like our own characters can. They should also be available when famous. 6. 🖊 — When naming a child, if you had the child with someone who is from a different country than you, then the random name roster should contain names from both your home country and the other parent’s home country. 7. 🤪 — Crazy lovers need some more scenarios involving craziness. If they’re crazy enough, they should be able to offer you drugs from time to time, or may ask you to commit a crime. Also, going back to combined assets, crazy spouses could throw parties of their own in your house, or gamble your money. 8. 👭 — For lesbian couples, there should be an option to ask your lover to get the sperm donor, as opposed to you always having to be the one to get it when wanting a biological child. 9. 👬 — I’m sure this has been stated often enough that it’s probably high on the Devs notes, but a surrogate option for male same sex couples wanting a biological child. 10. 🖤 — If you divorce, there should be custody settlements dealing with any children who came out of the marriage, where you may get full, partial, or no custody depending on circumstances of divorce, your karma, your lover’s craziness, etc. — Things to do with parents and siblings: 11. 😭 — Between ages 0 and 2, we should have a new interaction added for our parents, the option to “make a sound” to them, with various options: cry, giggle, etc. As well as some scenarios added for how they can respond that could be based on the parents’ ages, generosity, etc. 12. 🤱 — There should be an interaction where you can ask your parents for a younger sibling. 13. 🔴 — For female characters, there should be an option to “tell your older sister” (if you have one) when getting your first period alongside the other options (maybe you’re closest with them). 14. 🤬 — If I bicker with my sibling, can I also have an option to “complain to father”? I don’t always want to “complain to mother.” 15. ✝️ — Highly religious parents should be able to disapprove of lovers you have based on things like age gap, craziness, lack of smarts, or that you’re simply “too young.” They should also be able to argue with you if you get pregnant or get someone else pregnant as a teen. 16. 👩👧👦 — On the flip side of disapproving, religious parents should also have a chance of “recommending” certain lovers to you as sort of an arranged situation, especially if they’re wealthy parents. 17. 👼 — You should be able to be born with more than one older sibling, or be born (in very rare scenarios) as part of a set of triplets. Also, if you are part of a set of triplets, it should say “triplet X,” not both simply saying “twin brothesister.” 18. 💔 — Your parents should have a chance of divorcing if they are married, with the chance to be taken under the custody of one or both thereafter. — Things to do with your children and their children: 19. 🧸 — I’d love for the option to adopt children from foreign countries, and to also be able to adopt children who are older than 7 or 8 (children do get adopted in their teens). 20. ✋ — You should also be able to push your own children to find love, either by pushing them to choose someone or setting them up with your own choice, then push to get married or have kids, with the chance that they’ll react negatively or positively. It should also show (for any family member) if they’re in a relationship at all as opposed to only showing it when they get married. 21. 🤒 — Your children should have a chance of periodically getting sick, with you having to take them to the doctor. 22. 🚘 — You should have an option to buy your child a car when they pass their drivers’ test, like how your parents can buy you a car. 23. 👨👧👦 — It should be possible to have twins (or triplets) who are not all of the same gender, or not the same skin tone depending on the gene pool. Also, speaking of having children, I’d love if one of those “think twice” buttons could pop up if I’m about to accidentally name my child a name I already used before. 24. 👵 — As of now there’s currently no scenarios involving being a grandparent with your grandkids. I think an interesting one should involve “your child is dumping their kids at your place for a weekend, what will you do?” And you have options like “tell them stories about the ‘good ol days’” and such. 25. 🏝 — We should be able to take more than just five of our children on vacation again at a time. — Things to do with expanding the family: 26. 👨🦱 — Going back to your parents getting divorced, they should also be able to get remarried, at which point their new spouse becomes your step-parent. They might also have a chance of bringing step-siblings into the family. They could also adopt you as their child if the parent who married them has total custody of you. 27. 👱♀️ — Of course, if you get married to an older person, there should be a chance they’ll already have kids from a previous marriage who’d become your step-kids. You may have the option of adopting them as your own too if you keep a good relationship with them. 28. ❓ — Saw this question thrown out by the Devs themselves a while ago: what should happen with step family if say your parent divorces again and the step parent no longer family, or you divorce and the step kids are no longer family? My answer: unless you’re adopted into their family, to keep things simple, they should just leave the family tab. 29. 👧 — We should have great grandchildren added to the game, as well as great nieces/nephews. 30. 👩👩👧 — Uncles and aunts, siblings of your parents, should be added to the game, as well as their children, who would be your cousins. 31. 👴 — Lastly, we need grandparents! They might still be alive when you’re born or possibly might have already passed away. — Other things to do with family: 32. 📜 — I still would love to see the will remade into a checklist, so that way we can specifically pick and choose who we want to pass our assets on to, rather than an all, one or none option. 33. ✈️ — This I’m sure is also high on the Devs notes, but we need an option to fly back for funerals of family members if we emigrate to a different country. Or, as I saw in a scenario that someone else posted, phone in via video chat. 34. 👶 — Since there’s no interactions with infant members of the family (besides giving gifts), here’s an idea for one: “make a face at them,” with various ways the baby could react, like laugh or cry. 35. 💥 — If your family member serves in the military, there should be a chance they will get deployed as well, with a chance they might die in combat, come back injured, or come back a hero. 36. 🇯🇵 — Little last name tidbit about Japan. The law in Japan requires that both partners of married couples use the same last name. As of now there is no option to change last name in Japan in the game. 37. 💊 — Several things on birth control: • It should be less likely in low income countries (like Nigeria or Afghanistan) that female characters will always go on birth control, as birth control availability tends to be limited in said countries. • It should also be less likely if the character has low smarts or low wealth. • Male characters should have the option of using a condom when making love, instead of always having to rely on their female lover’s birth control. • Birth control should have a small chance of failing, it never works 100% of the time. — Also, several things that don’t have to do with family, but would love to see in a near future update... 38. 🔧 — The option to refurbish houses and cars, as opposed to only having their condition decline with no option to ever fix it. 39. 🌪 — Natural disaster scenarios, involving things like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, blizzards, etc. where you have to choose how to prepare, and where it could potentially damage your house. 40. 🏠 — We need some options to buy for housing that aren’t solely American housing types, like: • Traditional Japanese “Edo” home • Modern Japanese home • Korean Hanok home • Chinese Siheyuan home • Traditional Thai “stilt” home • Other non-American building styles: Arabian home, Persian home, Greek home, Scandinavian home 41. 💎 — Also, this might be a bit out there, but for the “luxury” update in the works, maybe an option to add things onto your house? Like pools, libraries, extra bedrooms/bath, theaters, etc. 42. 🇺🇳 — Some new countries! I’d especially love to see these 10 added: Austria, Bangladesh, Iceland, Laos, Mali, Mongolia, North Korea, Syria, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. 43. 👥 — Lastly, game slots! The ability to save a life we’re playing and start a new one without having to quit the other one. This would super helpful for those of us with long legacies, but want to play a quick single generation life and then return to the other one later. — That is everything. If you have any ideas yourselves, comment below! 👇
According to law No 414 of the UAE Penal Code - "Each person who gambles is punished by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding Dh20,000. It is important to understand that Islam is the official religion of the country, pursuant to the Constitution of the UAE. Gambling is prohibited in Islam, and this forms the basis for the federal and local emirate laws that prohibit all forms of gambling, as well as the advertising of any form of gaming. In many jurisdictions, the legality of ... Most of the United Arab Emirates’ laws are based on passages from the Quran, which explicitly prohibits gambling. As a result, casinos are illegal in the country and all websites facilitating gambling are blocked. It can be quite a surprise for tourists who visit the country to suddenly find that they can’t access online casinos anymore. Religious opposition to gambling. As mentioned earlier, gambling is not legally permitted in Dubai, as is the case with anywhere in UAE. The government and culture of the UAE strictly goes by the Islamic law, considering indulging in games of chance a huge sin. However, that doesn’t mean that Muslims don’t gamble ever. As explained here, gambling is illegal across the UAE per Article 414 of the UAE Penal Code. The law stipulates that those found gambling can be punished with up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to Dhs20,000 (£4300), with a certainty of detention if the gambling takes place in a venue prepared for gambling, in a public place, or open to the public. So it may come as something of a surprise to find out that gambling is illegal in the Arab country, but in during our research of Asia we again find that some legitimate sites will accept the UAE. Currently, the most active gambling site in the UAE is Betway ; an Asian specific brand that works with UAE countries. 🎁 Is online gambling legal in the UAE? No, online gambling is strictly prohibited in the UAE. All gambling sites are blocked in the country, and a person who will try to reach such sites will be fined up to 20,000 Dirham. Not only the online gambling, but the land-based casinos are also illegal in the UAE.
Inside the brain of a gambling addict - BBC News - YouTube
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