Abu Dhabi and Dubai Blog

Celebrating the Dubai Atlantis hotel, and the launch of the Palm Jumeirah island, Hollywood stars gathered to rub shoulders with musicians, and business tycoons. Present at the occasion were actors Robert De Niro, and Charlize Theron, and corporate magnates Richard Branson, and Sol Kerzner among many others. Entertainment was provided by pop icon Kylie Minogue.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63d923be-b759-11dd-8e01-0000779fd18c.html

A young motorist who reversed his Hummer over a 52 year old Scottish woman meant only to scare her, not kill her, his lawyer said yesterday at his trial for premeditated murder.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081113/NATIONAL/169302042/1010

“We want to create a brand which has international importance. I believe this product has the power to become the sweet ambassador of Arabia born in Dubai,” Johann George Hochleitner, the man behind the idea, was quoted as saying by Abu Dhabi’s The National.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080069839&ch=10/23/2008%205:30:00%20PM

In a case that generated tabloid headlines and became the focus of a clash between Western permissiveness and Islamic values, a Dubai court Thursday found a British couple guilty of unmarried sex and sentenced them to three months in prison.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-sexonbeach17-2008oct17,0,1904186.story

The 13-foot long female whale shark wandered into the shallow waters off Dubai’s Gulf coast in August. A week later, representatives of the recently opened $1.5 billion Atlantis hotel announced that the resort’s marine biologists and veterinarians had rescued the whale shark and transported it to an open-air aquarium with 65,000 fish, stingrays and other sea creatures.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/09/news/ML-Dubai-Whale-Shark.php

Hollywood actress Hillary Swank will appear in Dubai next month to launch a $1.49 billion project on The World islands mega development.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/531378-hillary-swank-to-launch-149bn-dubai-project

For a 60-minute set Kylie is being paid $4.4 million to keep 2000 guests spinning around at the opening of the Atlantis Hotel on the man-made island of Palm Jumeirah, The Daily Mail newspaper in the UK reported.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24331037-5015795,00.html