Abu Dhabi and Dubai Blog

This is a question more people are asking, given the turbulence in world financial markets this past week. The BBC provided this interesting analysis:

Although frequently described as a city state or even as a country in its own right, Dubai is a constituent member of the federation of United Arab Emirates along with six other emirates.

Only one of these, Abu Dhabi, possesses substantial oil reserves, and as such it has dominated most areas of federal politics – including foreign affairs and defence – since the UAE was formed following Britain’s withdrawal from the Persian Gulf in 1971.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8382275.stm

Adil Khalid, the UAE’s lone Olympian in sailing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, rues the fact that he doesn’t have a structured training programme to date – but he can’t hide the enthusiasm as he speaks of Dubai’s bid for the Olympics.

http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Olympic/10327577.html

As former Chechen-Russian military commander is gunned down in Dubai, there is speculation on the possible role of the current Chechen president, implicated in a series of targeted killings of political enemies.

Sulim Yamadayev, 35, an ethnic Chechen who was a holder of the Hero of Russia medal, was shot three times in an underground garage in Dubai on Saturday, police said. It is thought he died from his wounds after falling into a coma. Yamadayev is the latest in a series of foes of Ramzan Kadyrov, the 32-year-old rebel-turned-president of Chechnya, to be murdered in recent years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/30/former-russian-commander-assassinated

“The snowfall started at 3pm Friday, and heavy snowing began at 8pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow. Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again tonight.”
Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. “Twenty years ago we had lots of hail,” said Ms al Hebsy. “Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white.”

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090125/NATIONAL/688880349/1010/enewsletter

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

Let the good times begin!