United Arab Emirates

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ACLU: Feds Covered Up Role in Torture of US Citizen

Lawsuit tries to force CIA, FBI to come clean

(Newser) - The ACLU is suing the federal government for ignoring its Freedom of Information Act inquiry into the detention and torture of an American citizen overseas. Naji Hamdan, who spent 20 years in California before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2006, was arrested in August 2008 and, according to...

Blackwater Founder Moves to Abu Dhabi

Erik Prince no doubt hoping to leave bad press behind

(Newser) - The rumors were true: Blackwater founder Erik Prince has up and moved to Abu Dhabi, according to court documents. Sources say the former Navy Seal hopes to provide security services to African and Middle Eastern governments—and escape the bad press and legal scrutiny he's faced here. “He needs...

US Slams Blackberry Ban
 US Slams Blackberry Ban
Aug 3, 2010 4:51 AM CDT

US Slams Blackberry Ban

UAE ban 'sets dangerous precedent'

(Newser) - The United Arab Emirates' plan to ban Blackberry service s is setting a dangerous precedent, warns the US State Department. The ban on Blackberry email, messenger, and browser services, which Saudi Arabia plans to follow, will choke off the free flow of information vital to modern economies, says spokesman PJ...

Saudis, UAE to Block BlackBerry Messages

Security concerns prompt crackdown

(Newser) - A telecommunications official says Saudi Arabia will block BlackBerry email, messaging, and Web access, joining neighboring United Arab Emirates in a move it says is prompted by security concerns because the devices operate beyond the government's ability to monitor their use. The move will take place later this month in...

NYC, Abu Dhabi Not Loving SATC 2
 NYC, Abu Dhabi 
 Not Loving SATC 2 
proposed ban, gets panned
May 17, 2010 8:23 AM CDT

NYC, Abu Dhabi Not Loving SATC 2

May be too racy for officials in Abu Dhabi

(Newser) - Sex and the City 2 isn't getting much love from the city it calls home—or from the one the girls travel to. Though Carrie et al vacation in Abu Dhabi in the film, fans there may have to go elsewhere see it: United Arab Emirates officials may ban its...

7 Ways to Get Jailed (or Killed) While Traveling

Forget your ID in Japan, and end up in the pokey

(Newser) - An African safari is likely to be a bit more exciting than a day at Disney Land, but there comes a point where enough is enough. Turner Wright, writing in Vagabondish , runs down seven travel ideas that'll get you killed—or at least some quality time in the local clink:...

Arabs Buck Ban on Child Camel Jockeys

10-year-old kids still used in dangerous sport

(Newser) - Children as young as 10 are still being used as jockeys in dangerous camel races in the United Arab Emirates, despite a law banning the practice. Observers from the group Anti-Slavery International photographed children racing at a recent event in Abu Dhabi attended by police officers and government officials, the...

Dubai Fetes Tallest Building
 Dubai Fetes Tallest Building 
opening night
Jan 4, 2010 4:07 PM CST

Dubai Fetes Tallest Building

Dubai hopes 2,717-foot wonder can repair reputation

(Newser) - The Burj Khalifa Bin Zayed, the tallest building in the world, opened today with an extravagant ceremony involving 10,000 fireworks. The 2,717-foot, 160-story tower—originally the Burj Dubai, and renamed in honor of the president of the UAE—is expected to boost revenue for developer Emaar Properties by...

Dubai Preps for Opening of World's Tallest Building

160-story Dubai Burj stands 2,683 feet tall

(Newser) - Six years in the making, the Burj Dubai skyscraper opens Monday with the United Arab Emirates' fortunes in flux and the boom times that launched the world's tallest building a distant memory. Designed by American Adrian Smith, the Burj Dubai—the name means simply "Dubai Tower"—is 2,...

Dubai: We Won't Bail Out Dubai World

Says it's not responsible for state-owned company's debt

(Newser) - Dubai’s government threw investors a curve ball today, saying that even though struggling Dubai World is state owned, the government won’t guarantee its debts or bail it out. Lenders “have deemed Dubai World as part of the government, and this is not true,” Dubai’s finance...

UAE Stocks Plunge on Dubai Fears; Asia Rebounds

Abu Dhabi exchange drops more than 8%

(Newser) - Stock markets plummeted in the United Arab Emirates today, in response to Dubai’s credit woes. The Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange lost more than 8% in heavy trading, while the Dubai Financial Market, a currency exchange, lost 7%. Stocks heavily linked to Dubai did especially poorly; ports operator DP World...

Abu Dhabi Won't Bail Out Dubai With Blank Check

UAE capital will 'pick and choose' its aid

(Newser) - Investors who hoped that oil-rich Abu Dhabi would write a blank check to cover the massive debts of Dubai—its flashier UAE sister city—got some bad news today. The capital city will instead "pick and choose" where to help. "We will look at Dubai's commitments and approach...

'Debt Bomb' Nations Could Follow Dubai Into Crisis

Investors fear emirate is canary in coal mine

(Newser) - Dubai's financial implosion could be the beginning of a fresh financial crisis as investors lose faith in the ability of heavily indebted countries to pay their bills. Analysts warn that in the worst-case scenario, the Dubai crisis could lead to mass defaults in emerging markets and even in heavily leveraged...

Crisis at Dubai Flagship Roils World Markets

In surprise, government takes over Dubai World; bank stocks pounded

(Newser) - A move today by the government of Dubai to take over its flagship company, Dubai World, caused ripples of panic throughout the region, and translated into a selloff in bank stocks in Europe and Asia. The government also aims to delay payments on $60 billion in debt, a request that...

Dubai's New Metro a Surprise Social Leveler

Rigid stratification breaks down underground, to delight of some

(Newser) - It may or may not alleviate massive traffic jams of Mercedes and Hummers, but Dubai's new metro system is definitely loosening up the Emirate's rigidly stratified society. “No velvet rope or electrified security gate to keep out the masses,” Tom Hundley writes. “Privileged Emiratis suddenly find themselves...

Dubai Unveils Gulf's First Metro

Sheikhdom aims to get drivers onto public transport despite rock-bottom fuel prices

(Newser) - Dubai yesterday opened its gleaming new $7.6 billion metro rail system, the first on the Arabian peninsula, AP reports. The sheikhdom's leaders hope the system will help clear Dubai's chronically traffic-clogged streets and provide some good press for the downturn-battered emirate.  Each 5-car train on the driverless system...

UAE Seizes Ship Bringing N. Korean Arms to Iran

Shipment violates UN ban on weapons exports from Pyongyang

(Newser) - Authorities in the United Arab Emirates today seized a ship carrying weapons from North Korea to Iran, the Financial Times reports—a violation of United Nations resolutions barring Pyongyang from exporting arms. The shipment was headed for a company linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has previously been banned...

America's Cup Sails to Persian Gulf

Defending champions choose UAE site for 'perfect weather'

(Newser) - February’s America’s Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, the defending champs, who get to choose, announced yesterday. The decision marks the Middle East’s continued growth as an international sports mecca, the Wall Street Journal notes. Ras al-Khaimah in the southern...

Young Brit Jailed in UAE for Alleged Fling With Boss

Dive instructor sentenced to 3 months for 'sex crime' in Sharjah

(Newser) - A young British dive instructor accused of having sex with her boss has been jailed for three months in the United Arab Emirates, the Telegraph reports. Authorities in Sharjah, the conservative emirate north of Dubai, arrested the 22-year-old woman after a raid on the dive shop where she worked. She...

Dubai Woman Rattles Arab World With Sex Advice Book

Book of frank erotic advice rooted in religion shocks Arab world

(Newser) - A Dubai marriage counselor is making waves in the Arab world with a frank book on sexuality, the New York Times reports. Wedad Lootah, a former Islamic scholar, grounds her book of erotic advice in the teachings of the Koran. She discusses taboo subjects such as homosexuality and urges readers...

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