A BRITISH expat says his life has been "destroyed" after debt collectors left him homeless in Dubai, without the ability to work or leave. Jonathan Castle moved in 2002 to pursue the 'Dubai lifestyle', but missed payments saw loans that began at £20,240 balloon to £569,000. It didn’t take long for debt collectors to get aggressive. They told Castle he would be raped in jail, and told his wife that if she loved her family, she would be selling herself on the street to raise the cash. Castle said it was a "catch 22" situation, with a police case filed against him by the bank meaning he cannot get another visa. "I am not allowed to work, so I have no hope to earn money to meet the payments. "I am 60-years-old with failing health. They just keep adding it on with fees and charges." Until 2010 Jonathan was a copywriter in an advertising agency. He said it all started to go wrong after he fell behind with payments, and the dark side of the Dubai loan business emerged. He … [Read more...] about Brit expat, 60, hounded and threatened by Dubai debt collectors over £500k bill – but BANNED from working or leaving
Hound online
Man’s brilliant response to cold call scammer hounding him over ‘accident’
COLD calling scam artists waste all of our time - so when one dad got such a call he decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. Tommy Lewis, from Oswestry in Shropshire, recorded his brilliant exchange with one of the crooks when they asked him if he'd recently been in an accident. The dad responded: "Well you've phoned me up to tell me I've had the accident so you tell me." The stuttering scam artist then claims he does not have the details on his system, so Mr Lewis decided to tell him all about the "accident" - making up details as he went along. He says that it happened in February and that seven people were in the car. "I drove off a cliff," he said. "Six died, I survived. "I got brain damage and one leg." The scam artist asks him to confirm: "You just have one leg now?" "Yeah," Mr Lewis responds. The cold caller asks: "What happened to the other leg?" Mr Lewis replies: "It fell off." GOOD CALL How to stop nuisance calls – here’s how to block and report … [Read more...] about Man’s brilliant response to cold call scammer hounding him over ‘accident’
Love Island Sophie Gradon’s tragic boyfriend was hounded by online trolls after her ‘suicide’ – and sickos even blamed HIM for her death
THE tragic boyfriend of Love Island star Sophie Gradon was hounded by vile trolls after her 'suicide', The Sun Online can reveal today. Aaron Armstrong, who was found dead at his home yesterday, was accused of "attention seeking" after posting a string of heartfelt tributes to Sophie following her death on June 22. Some sickos even blamed the grieving 25-year-old for her death, with one writing: "No way she died randomly. I bet the boyfriend did it and made it look like an accident.” Sophie, 32, was found dead at her parents’ home in Northumberland last month by Aaron who spent 15 minutes performing CPR to try and save her. Yesterday - just three weeks later - he was discovered dead at his house in nearby Blyth. The Sun Online can now reveal that Aaron was fighting a barrage of abuse from online trolls in the weeks leading up to his death as he tried to mourn the "love of his life". We have uncovered a stream of vile abuse by sick trolls who targeted the amateur boxer … [Read more...] about Love Island Sophie Gradon’s tragic boyfriend was hounded by online trolls after her ‘suicide’ – and sickos even blamed HIM for her death
Hassled by hound, blasted by leafblower: One man’s sweaty bike share adventure
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page Nestor Ramos Globe Staff June 22, 2018 The two bright yellow OFO bicycles outside the federal building were behind enemy lines in the bikeshare border wars. Propped on their kickstands in full view of City Hall, they were sitting ducks in the Blue Bike territory of Boston. Long popular in China and more recently in other American cities, dockless rental bicycles of varying color and concept are popping up all over greater Boston, rolling in from companies like LimeBike, Spin, VBikes, and OFO. The idea behind all of them is basically the same: Find a bike on a smartphone app, scan a barcode on the bike to unlock it, and leave it wherever you happen to finish your ride. So as of a few weeks ago, when the bright yellow bikes invaded Quincy, I’m an OFO man. Advertisement But Boston, along with Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline, are under agreement with … [Read more...] about Hassled by hound, blasted by leafblower: One man’s sweaty bike share adventure
Dog meat slaughterhouse workers make doomed hounds fight over a live rabbit ‘because adrenaline makes them taste better’
DISTURBING footage from inside a dog meat slaughterhouse in China shows pups cruelly being made to fight over a live rabbit for food. The sickening clip was filmed on May 13 by the owner of the slaughterhouse, Huang’s Kennel in Beijing, China. The horrific footage reveals the horrific practices within China’s dog meat industry where roughly 20 million hounds are killed for human consumption every year. It may very well show the last moments in these dogs’ lives – as slaughterhouse owners often make these animals suffer just before death because they claim their adrenaline makes their meat tastier. The treatment of the animal prior to slaughter is deliberately cruel because of the misguided belief that torturing a dog prior to death results in better-tasting, adrenaline-rich meat. This can involve shocking dogs, starving them, making them fight over live animals or violently force-feeding them through a metal tube. Huang’s Kennel’s video begins by … [Read more...] about Dog meat slaughterhouse workers make doomed hounds fight over a live rabbit ‘because adrenaline makes them taste better’