Clearly not what this Lebanese expat was expecting:

An Arab man is in police custody and could face deportation after being accused of kissing his girlfriend while they were both in a taxi in Dubai, Police told Gulf News.

A police source from Al Rifaa police station said that the Lebanese businessman working in Dubai, was arrested by Criminal and Investigation police officials recently while he was accompanying his Ukrainian girlfriend in a taxi.

In his defense, the 30-something man said that he was actually leaning over to show his girlfriend a photo on his mobile and did not kiss her. Sounds like a spur-of-the-moment lie to me; he could have come up with something better. Both will be charged with indecent public gestures resulting in jailtime and deportation.

Interestingly you are charged with the same crime in the UAE if you flick your middle finger at someone. I guess the phrase “make love, not war” should include a footnote for the UAE: “but not too much love”.