Topic: Dubai

From Iran's hard-liners, tough talk – but pragmatism as well

Positions that suggest little flexibility may simply be a strong opening bid by those who have the ear of Iran's leaders.

Dubai snubs Israeli tennis pro. Volley over sport and politics follows.

Shuttled home: Journalists' hope of US-Iran game dashed by denied visas

USA

On Arab TV, Obama lays out US approach to Mideast

He told Al Arabiya viewers: 'We are ready to initiate a new partnership.'

Obama will meet with CEOs to sell economic recovery plan

Bush pushes Persian Gulf nuclear agreement

But critics say the US should go slowly on a deal that would help a crucial trading partner for Iran.

Insecurity drives farm purchases abroad

Wealthy countries seek land in Cambodia, Madagascar, and Brazil.

For the mega rich: a refrigerated beach

Bid to split Taliban, Al Qaeda

In Afghanistan, US and NATO reassess their strategy amid concerns that their efforts are failing.

Modern mariner phones home to Maine schoolhouse

From an oil rig in the Indian Ocean, a seafaring dad offers practical math and tales of pirates as lessons over a Web connection with his kids’ classroom back home.

'Mercy' ad campaign urges Saudis to treat foreign workforce humanely

TV and newspaper ads created by a Saudi firm depict abuse of Asian maids in an effort to stem the widespread practice.

Dubai's frenzied, trillion-dollar building boom falters

The global credit crunch and falling oil prices are taking a toll on the superrich Gulf emirate as developers mothball high-profile projects and lay off workers.

Iraq bids to stop Christie's sale of ancient earrings

The jewelry could belong to the treasures of Nimrud, officials say.

Rise in crime, kidnapping, top Afghans' worries

Western forces target the Taliban, but for many Afghans the biggest threat comes from criminals and complicitous police.

Reporters on the Job

Arab countries meet to tackle Somali pirate threat

Egypt hosted Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia on Thursday in a bid to protect valuable maritime trade routes from pirates.

Al Qaeda No. 2 insults Obama with racial slur in new video

In what terrorism analysts say is an attempt to show that the president-elect may not meet Muslims' expectations for change in the Middle East, Ayman al-Zawahiri called Obama 'dishonorable.'

Oil capture spotlights Somali pirates' reach

A supertanker hijacking helped boost the price of oil early this week.

Orientalist paintings take a tour of modern Middle East

Exhibition of 19th-century visions of the 'exotic' Orient recalls the heavy history of colonialism.

Reporters on the Job

While Baghdad improves, a family's hopes still arrested by war

The Methboubs, a family the Monitor has followed since 2002, have been devastated by the imprisonment of one son who says he's being held on false charges.

Horizon highlights – Versus edition

A Sunni-Shiite battle of the website hackers

While some Middle East experts say tit-for-tat cyberattacks on Islamic websites amounts to a virtual sectarian battle, others suspect third-party agitators could be the culprits.

Will Asian financial centers overtake Wall Street?

Hong Kong is rising fast thanks to the growth of China. It passed New York as the biggest issuer of initial public offerings in 2006.