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Sports as Diplomacy: How Small Gulf Countries Use Big Sports to Gain Global Influence
Tag Archives: emirates
The New Tehran-Riyadh Rivalry
Afghanistan has been something of a forgotten war in recent months because of the world’s preoccupation with Libya and Egypt and the wave of antigovernment protests spreading throughout the Middle East. That will soon change, now that the Obama Administration is stepping up talks with the Taliban in an effort to come up with some peaceable endgame to the half-trillion-dollar war
Can the Banks Force Dubai into Foreclosure?
Dubai’s financial crisis may have calmed a bit now that the central bank of the United Arab Emirates has promised to stand behind the city state’s banks with fresh liquidity.
Egyptian woman protest ban on austere veil
There’s more to wearing the “niqab” — the austere, all-covering veil favored by ultra-religious Muslim women — than meets the eye. A recent declaration by a leading Egyptian cleric that women will not be allowed to wear the niqab in university areas frequented only by women has sparked demonstrations by female students in Cairo determined to wear the all-encompassing veil wherever they go
Sexy architecture alive and well in Middle East
With all the pomp and money befitting its status as the world’s richest city, Abu Dhabi will soon unveil its new Formula One track on Yas Island, a spectacular entertainment destination emerging from the turquoise waters off the coast of the Emirati capital. In true Gulf style, the new Yas Marina Circuit is iconic — its roof is huge, ringed with thousands of lights, and modeled on the classic double curve of a Ferrari racing chassis.
UAE seizes N. Korean arms bound for Iran, diplomats say
The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship believed to be carrying North Korean weapons to Iran in what is believed to be first case of disguised cargo confiscated under tightened U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, diplomats said Friday.
Wenger slams UEFA’s Eduardo ‘witch-hunt’
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called the decision by European football’s governing body UEFA to charge striker Eduardo with diving against Celtic a "complete disgrace" and accused them of staging a "witch-hunt" against the player. Wenger, speaking in his press conference on the eve of his side’s English Premier League clash with Manchester United, also warned that UEFA have “opened a very dangerous door” after they began disciplinary proceedings against the 26-year-old Croatia international. “I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable.
Dubai charges Australian businessmen with fraud
Almost half a year after they were arrested, two Australian businessmen have been formally charged with fraud by authorities in the United Arab Emirates.
Ferguson sympathy for old rival Wenger
A triumphant Alex Ferguson had words of consolation for his old rival Arsene Wenger after his all-conquering Manchester United side left the Frenchman to reflect on another trophy-less season for Arsenal. “It is the most disappointing of nights,” Wenger told Press Association as his side slipped to a 3-1 second leg defeat at the Emirates, losing the Champions League semifinal 4-1 on aggregate
Man United crush Arsenal to reach final
Holders Manchester United remain on course to become the first side to retain the Champions League, as two goals in the first 11 minutes saw them defeat Arsenal 3-1 for a 4-1 aggregate victory and a place in the final against either Chelsea or Barcelona in Rome. A carnival atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium saw the home fans optimistic that last week’s 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford could be overturned, but those hopes were cruelly dashed as two individual mistakes allowed United to take a foothold in the game — a position they never looked likely to relinquish. Arsenal went into the match unbeaten in their last 27 home matches in Europe, since Chelsea defeated them 2-1 at Highbury in 2004, and had yet to taste European defeat at the Emirates, but that proud record always looked in doubt from the moment United took an eighth-minute lead.