ABU DHABI // A court translator today denied telling a defendant that prosecutors would pull out his fingernails if he did not confess.
AK, from Pakistan, had previously confessed to stealing a car he rented in Abu Dhabi on October 9 and taking it to Sharjah to sell.
However, in the appeals court yesterday he said he confessed only because the translator told him he would be tortured and have his fingernails removed if he did not do so. AK pointed to his nails during the hearing to emphasis his point.
However, the translator denied telling him this. He said that he does not add anything to the text he is asked to translate and does not mistranslate either.
He added that he did not recognise AK, but accepted that he had translated for him as his signature was on the translation papers.
"These torture acts ended long ago," the judge jokingly told AK.
But AK insisted that he was telling the truth.
The judge then reminded him that he had previously testified that he had rented a car in Abu Dhabi and taken it to Sharjah without returning it to the rental store. But AK swore that he "did not go to rent the car and did not give them anything".
The judge said the only solution would be for the car rental store owner to testify. AK agreed and the case was adjourned until July 16. AK's original sentence was not clear.
osalem@thenational.ae
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.