Category: Middle East
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Burj Dubai
The BBC have a progress report on the Burj Dubai, to become the tallest building in the world on completion. 50 metres of the foundations have been completed, it is certainly an impressive looking building. I will try and get a closer look next time I am in Dubai. The Burj Dubai is a supertall…
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More crazy islands in Dubai
Not happy with just the Palm Island, Palm Island Jebel Ali, and the World – Dubai are going to build two more, the half-moon shaped one to the left, and the Palm Island Deira to the far right. The first Palm has 100% of the groundwork done while The World is at 50%. Certainly makes…
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Wait goes on for Dubai drug woman
Many people might not realise it, but when visiting Dubai, never bring any painkillers that contain codeine. The mother-of-two, a sports osteopath, was found with traces of the sedative temazepam in her system as well as codeine when she was arrested at Dubai Airport two months ago. She had faced a four-year jail sentence if…
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Embargoed book claims Saudi oil infrastructure rigged for catastrophic self-destruction
As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, Arianna Huffington planned to start a new website and blog, that was launched earlier today. Their first big scoop is a leak from Ger Posner’s new book: According to a new book exclusively obtained by the Huffington Post, Saudi Arabia has crafted a plan to protect itself…
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Qatar blast kills Briton
Worrying news indeed from Qatar. This would appear to be work of al-Qaeda, and if it is, is the first attack (outside of Iraq) for quite a while. As the Observer piece notes: Al-Qaeda militants have staged attacks in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but Qatar, a key US ally, has seen no Islamist violence…
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Italy disputes US hostage account
The Italians are now contradicting the US version of events in relation to the killing of Nicola Calipari. The other agent in the car has said that the car did come to a halt, but the car was fired on anyway. The investigation into the incident could take up to 4 weeks.
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Over the top in Dubai
Steve Clemons, Senior Fellow at the New American Foundation has responded to my blogging about his post on tennis on top of the Burj Al Arab. He rightly accuses me of over-reacting to a tennis match and over-reaching by using this as a metaphor of some of the problems in the Middle East. Blogging never…
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Tennis in Dubai, theater of the absurd?
Steve Clemons got a bit peeved at seeing tennis being played on top of the Burj Al Arab, the hotel I blogged about after visiting back in October. He notes: But this match in Dubai makes my head spin. It’s certainly dramatic to play a game of tennis on a building’s top floor heliport in…
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U.S. presses Europe to shun Hezbollah
Europeans did do as requested in relation to Hamas, but now the US is demanding the same treatment for Hezbollah. The European argument for not listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation: …some European countries are questioning whether Hamas should remain listed now that some of its members have won elections in Gaza. This argument, pressed…
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Veteran Gulf ruler Zayed dies
What an interesting story. Rumours were circulating in Dubai when I was leaving there earlier this month that the Ruler of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, had died. The news of his death was apparently being kept secret for some reason. Today his death was officially announced, but the authorities are saying he,…