Dubai - A Dubai hotel is trying to ease the pain of the global financial crisis by offering free dinners for laid-off workers, media in the United Arab Emirates reported.

The three-star Arabian Park hotel is offering its free dinners from December 15 until January 15 to locals and foreigners who can prove they were fired.

"(The scheme is) to remind people of our value for money," the hotel general manager Mark Lee told the Gulf News.

The city, best known for its gleaming skyscrapers and man-made islands, is often compared to Las Vegas.

Perth/Dubai, Dec.

Dubai/ Cape Town, Dec. 10 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sent out a clear signal to sledgers by indicating that it is seriously considering the imposition of harsher penalties for verbal abuse.

"There was also a feeling among CEC members that a stronger stance needed to be taken against players guilty of verbal abuse," The Age quoted an ICC statement, as saying.

Harsher interpretations and penalties for players would be a bitter pill for the Australian players to swallow, given their tradition of "mental disintegration" to unsettle opponents.

Geneva, Dec. 9th, 2008-The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) adopted the report prepared by the troika of rapporteurs on UAE's human rights issues in Geneva on Tuesday.

The troika -- Argentina, Cameroon and Indonesia, who were elected by the Human Rights Council - praised the "exemplary" manner in which the report was prepared and presented, as well as the "seriousness" with which human rights issues are dealt with by the UAE.

Umm Al Qaiwain, Dec 09th, 2008 ): The Diwan of HH Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Mualla, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Umm al-Qaiwain announced that the Ruler's uncle Sheikh Ali Bin Rashid Bin Ahmed Al Mualla passed away this morning.

A statement issued by the Diwan, mourning the death of late Sheikh Ali Bin Rashid Al Mualla, and praying to Almighty God to bestow His mercy on the deceased, said that the funeral prayers will be offered at 10 am Tuesday morning at the Grand Mosque in Al-Ras area in Umm Al Qaiwain.