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Day to day goings on in the small, safe and sleepy Indian Ocean country called the Sultanate of Oman, written by a rather cynical, and often crotchety, well-connected expat living in Muscat.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'UAE'
Blue City snapped up by Abu Dhabi ... and crazy UAE Drivers
In a post by new Muscat based blogger Sythe in his blog Muscat Mutterings, he highlighted the recent move to get the Blue City bonds at a discount by the well connected UAE company Essar Capital.Further details in the story (see below) by The Nation...
T shirt gets man 1 month and deportation in Dubai
You've got to be increasingly careful what you do and wear in the UAE, as some poor guy found out after getting a month in prison and deportation for... wearing a T shirt.Photo: The offending garment: Not for use in the UAEOK, so its a pretty eye ca...
Oman given a boost in 2009 US State Dept. Report on Human Trafficking
In a piece of good news for Oman and the Foreign Minister, the US State Dept.'s latest 2009 report on Human Trafficking has increased Oman from Tier 3 (bad) straight up to Tier 2 (not bad). Result!The report summarises: ...The Government of Oman does...
UAE pulls plug on common currency, Yemeni has Omani passport revolked.
In a dramatic move in response to the GCC monetary council deciding to base the planned Central Bank in Saudi, the UAE announced its withdrawal from the single currency scheme. Oman had pulled out a couple of years ago.The UAE have said they will re...
Oman turns down the Iranian gas deal, starts negotiations with Qatar
It might seem that the cold winds of global ression are starting to bite in Muscat. Reuters story released today by oil and gas magazine Upstream that - surprise surprise - Oman will NOT be paying $12 bln to develop the Iranian Kish gas field right...
Sadistic Torture tape by Abu Dhabi Sheikh Issa gets UAE in trouble
This is starting to become a UAE blog… ah well. Here's another reason why it's better to live in Oman...This is a story you are not likely to see reported in the UAE papers. The mighty Abu Dhabi is in a bit of trouble over the actions of one Sheikh...
One law for all in UAE? Not.
As is often the case, little of note to report in Oman, except the apparent total abscence of any Omani media follow-up to local blogger Ali's conviction last week (see previous post. Has anyone seen anything in the official media here?)But I notice...
BBC expose on Dubai's treatment of expat labour
More today in the international media on the human rights/slavery issue wrt expat labourers in the Middle East. [Thanks for the tip, Devil's Advocate].The BBC's "Panorama", an inhouse investigative journalism programme, are broadcasting an expose ton...
The real Visa run! UAE to Yemen by land to avoid biometrics
Great story today in the Gulf News about how Oman is being used as a transit country for illegal workers, and those on the run for other reasons, to get from UAE to Yemen.They are driven across the desert at night, crossing over the border, and then ...
UAE experiments with unintended consequences: illegal to fire Emiratis
Yes, those wacky Emiratis! Two interesting news articles in today's Gulf News.First, UAE Labour LawThe Emirates seem determined to make locals as unattractive to have as employees as possible. A proposal to ban companies in the private sector from sa...
No Pantomimes for Dubai I guess… Cross Dresser given 6 months
The UAE is so full of hypocracy its hard to fathom sometimes. A man was fined 1000 rial (US$2600) and sentenced to 6 months in prison (suspended) for cross-dressing in a Dubai mall. Man convicted of cross-dressing By Bassam Za'za', Senior ReporterPu...
A typical case of human trafficking in UAE
For those who thing this whole human trafficking thing is a figment of some do-gooder's imagination, here's a nice tale of modern slavery in the UAE that was reported yesterday.Gulf NewsCould this happen in Oman?Italian visitor denies charges of rape...
Oman Imports Gas for the first time ever, 30yrs after first gas from Yibal.
Oh, in my darkened state, performing death defying feats worthy of Cirque du Soleil to change light bulbs (here's a photo), I almost forgot there was actually some real news today!Almost in time for the 30th anniversary of Oman's domestic gas product...
