Remember that in other parts of the world it is already 2014. See fireworks shows from New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world. (Photo: AP)
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In this Wednesday Nov. 13, 2013 photo, vehicles pass by a tower with a sign that reads, “Keep Calm, No Bubble,” at the Marina district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The logo for Dubai’s bid to host the Expo 2020 reflects a push by the city’s leaders to avert another financial crisis like the one that brought the city to its knees in 2008. Dubai saw property values slashed by more than half and the city’s government needed a $ 10 billion bailout from oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi in 2009. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this Wednesday Nov. 13, 2013 photo, vehicles pass by a tower with a sign that reads, “Keep Calm, No Bubble,” at the Marina district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The logo for Dubai’s bid to host the Expo 2020 reflects a push by the city’s leaders to avert another financial crisis like the one that brought the city to its knees in 2008. Dubai saw property values slashed by more than half and the city’s government needed a $ 10 billion bailout from oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi in 2009. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
FILE – In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006 file photo ice covered trees in the city of Yekaterinburg, 1500 km (900 miles) east of Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006. Russia has been treating its bid to hold the expo as a state priority not unlike its bids to host the Winter Games and the World Cup. Officials expect that hosting the expo in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg would cost Russia $ 4 billion, the local governor said last week, adding that half of it would come from the budget and the remaining half from private investors. The organizers are planning to build 103 pavilions for the expo and accommodation for exhibition participants, which will later be converted into a residential area. Russian officials said the expo will help to attract investors and their money to the Yekaterinburg area. (AP Photo/Alexei Vladykin/UralPress Photo, file)
FILE – 2013 file photo shows the Kordon district in Izmir, Turkey. The Aegean coastal city, formerly known as Smyrna, will compete against Dubai, Yekaterinburg and Sao Paulo to host the 2020 World Fair. Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city, is bidding for the global event around the theme “New Routes for a Better World: Health for All,†highlighting global health and environmental issues.(AP Photo/File)
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PARIS (AP) — Fireworks erupted in Dubai after the tiny Gulf emirate won the right to host the 2020 World Expo, becoming the first Middle Eastern city to organize the event in its more than 150-year history.
Dubai bested competing bids from Izmir, Turkey; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Yekaterinburg, Russia, after three rounds of voting by delegates of the 168-nation Bureau International des Expositions in Paris.
In line with its reputation of over-the-top glitz and glamor, Dubai lit the world’s tallest tower with glimmering lights. The skies around the Burj Khalifa, which towers at 2,717 feet, erupted with fireworks.
The official Twitter account for Dubai’s world expo bid wrote after the announcement that the win “will help unlock the vast potential of this region” and that it is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East.
“The UAE is proud to have been selected to host #Expo2020 in #Dubai under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’,” said Dubai authorities on their official expo bid account.
Dubai authorities expect Expo 2020 will generate $ 23 billion between 2015 and 2021, and estimate it will cost $ 8.4 billion to organize.
The announcement comes just days before the Dec. 2 U.A.E. national day, which celebrates the young nation’s 42 years of unity and independence from the British Protectorate.
While the World’s Fair no longer holds the popularity of other global events like the Olympics or World Cup, it remains a chance for millions from around the world to discuss and see the business of the future.
Delegates voted behind closed doors over three rounds to choose the winner. Sao Paulo and Izmir were eliminated in the first two rounds, leaving Yekaterinburg and Dubai to face off in the decisive third round.
Last year Yeosu, South Korea, hosted the 2012 world expo. The next one is scheduled to take place in Milan in 2015.
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Associated Press reporter Aya Batrawy in Dubai contributed to this report.
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$100 billion Boeing order bonanza to dominate Dubai show
http://currenteconomictrendsandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/a6b58__?m=02&d=20131113&t=2&i=811558945&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE9AC1FAS00.jpg
DUBAI/PARIS
The Boeing logo is seen at their headquarters in Chicago, April 24, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Jim Young
DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) – Boeing (BA.N) looks set to dominate next week’s Dubai Airshow with more than $ 100 billion of deals as it aims to launch its latest long-haul jet with close to 250 potential orders from five airlines, industry sources said.
The U.S. planemaker is pressing ahead with the launch of its 777X mini-jumbo despite uncertainty over where it will be made, with workers at the existing 777 plant outside Seattle holding a ballot over a new employment contract on Wednesday.
Bulging civil and military bank balances in the Gulf remain a magnet for Western aerospace executives as they seek to tap thriving demand for jetliners and combat aircraft that offer some respite from defense cuts at home.
A widely expected potential order for as many as 150 of the new 777X passenger jets from Dubai flag carrier Emirates EMIRA.UL could come close to matching the $ 62 billion of deals amassed at the last Dubai show two years ago.
“Dubai’s success is related to its airlines. It’s a global hub now and Dubai did this by buying planes and constantly renewing its fleet,” said John Sfakianakis, chief investment strategist at Riyadh-based asset management firm Masic.
“Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also investing billions in aviation to be able to connect to the world. These states have to continue to invest if they want to expand.”
After playing cat and mouse with rival Airbus (EAD.PA) in the market for big twin-engined jets, industry sources say that Boeing is expected to launch the 777X on Sunday with the record Emirates deal and 25 jets for Abu Dhabi’s Etihad.
Depending on final negotiations, which historically provide some last-minute drama at such shows, Boeing could also announce orders for dozens of 777X jets from Qatar Airways and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific (0293.HK) during the Middle East’s largest business event, which runs from November 17 to 21.
The 777X launch will also include confirmation of a tentative 34-plane order from Germany’ Lufthansa (LHAG.DE).
SPUR FOR GROWTH
Leading Gulf airlines have made Boeing’s long-distance 777 warhorse and other big jets a spur for growth as they redraw the world’s aviation and logistics map around the Gulf.
The revamped 777X is the largest twinjet yet designed and will come in two versions, seating 350 to 406 people. It is Boeing’s response to the Airbus A350-1000, which will seat 350 in three classes or about 380 people in two classes.
Boeing has had to overcome disagreement among potential buyers over the design of the 777X, with Gulf airlines pushing for high capacity with the stamina of four-engined jets. But a person familiar with the design said it may suffer restrictions on payload for the longest trips from the Gulf.
The U.S. company hopes the airshow will also mark a turning point for the 787 Dreamliner after its temporary grounding this year because of melting batteries. Industry sources expect orders to top 1,000 in Dubai as Etihad buys a further 30, while Airbus is in negotiations to sell competing models of its A350.
The latest medium-haul aircraft will also be in focus as flydubai places a $ 7.8 billion order for 75 of the revamped Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus negotiates to sell A320neos to airlines that may include Etihad, industry sources said.
A380 SEEKS LIFT
Qatar Airways, which has complained about the reliability of its 787s, has said it may buy more Airbus A330s.
But Airbus, which outsold Boeing in the first nine months of the year, will be looking to end a dearth of orders this year for its A380, the world’s largest airliner.
Doric Lease Corp aims to firm up an order for 20 of the superjumbos “soon”, its top executive told Reuters last month.
The European company co-operates closely with the largest A380 customer Emirates, which has consistently said it could buy up to 30 more of the aircraft once it unlocks extra capacity in its network to handle the double-decker jets.
Next week’s show will fill an area the size of the U.S. Pentagon at the new Dubai World Central airport, where airline bosses will rub shoulders with arms merchants and royalty.
Western defense companies have long viewed the Middle East as among the world’s most lucrative markets but are facing unfamiliar challenges as divisions grow between Washington and Gulf allies over Iran nuclear talks set to resume on Nov 20.
“The political situation with Iran is so fluid that today’s friends and allies may be tomorrow’s distant partners,” said Theodore Karasik, research director at Dubai think-tank INEGMA.
The United Arab Emirates is moving closer to a long-awaited decision on whether to buy up to 60 UK-backed Eurofighter Typhoons or French Rafale fighters. It is also expected to buy 25 Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) F-16 fighters, sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.
“These countries may be in disagreement with the U.S. over Iran, Syria and other issues, but their military relationship remains strong,” Karasik said.
(Additional reporting by Peter Apps, Andrea Shalal-Esa and Alwyn Scott; Editing by David Goodman)
Cage and Kidman honored; Prince Harry in Dubai; Prince William attends a soccer match at the Palace (Oct. 8)
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Cage and Kidman honored; Prince Harry in Dubai; Prince William attends a soccer match at the Palace (Oct. 8)
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Dubai (CNN) — Norwegian interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv has spoken out after being handed a 16-month prison sentence in Dubai — after she went to police to report she had been raped by a colleague.
The 24-year-old was convicted and sentenced on charges of having unlawful sex, making a false statement and illegal consumption of alcohol.
Her story is dominating the headlines in Norway, and has raised serious questions over the way women who allege sexual assault are treated in the United Arab Emirates.
Dalelv, who had been working at an interior design firm in Qatar since September 2011, told CNN on Saturday how a work trip to Dubai in March with three colleagues turned into a nightmare.
She said she had been out at a bar with her colleagues and friends, and asked a male colleague to walk her to her room when they returned at 3 a.m. to the hotel. She’d asked him to escort her because the hotel was large and confusing, and she didn’t want to be wandering on her own, knowing she’d been drinking, she said.
When they reached a room, she realized it wasn’t hers — but the man then pulled her inside despite her vocal objections, according to Dalelv.
“He dragged me by my purse in, so I thought, ‘OK, I just need to calm the situation down. I will finish my bottle of water, I will sit here and then I will excuse myself and say I feel fine,’” she said.
That was pretty much the last thing she said she remembers before the alleged sexual assault. “I woke up with my clothes off, sleeping on my belly, and he was raping me. I tried to get off, I tried to get him off, but he pushed me back down.”
After someone knocked — the hotel wake-up call — she managed to get dressed and make it downstairs to the hotel reception, Dalelv said. “I called the police. That is what you do. We are trained on that from when we are very young,” she said.
Some 10 or 12 male police officers arrived, but no female police officers were present, she said. Statements were taken from both Dalelv and the alleged rapist.
She was then taken to Bur Dubai police station, she said.
After again giving her version of events to officers, Dalelv said, “They asked me, ‘Are you sure you called the police because you just didn’t like it?’ I said, ‘Well of course I didn’t like it.’ That is when I knew, I don’t think they are going to believe me at all.”
Dalelv says she was taken for an intimate medical exam and tested for alcohol consumption. Her belongings were taken and she was kept in jail for four days, she said, with no explanation as to why.
Dubai police and UAE government officials have not responded to repeated CNN requests for comment.
Dalelv said she managed to call her parents on the third day to tell them she had been raped and ask them to contact the Norwegian Embassy. A day later, a representative from the Norwegian consulate came to the police station and she was released — but her passport was not returned.
A piece of paper with Arabic text was handed to her, she said. An Arabic speaker told her it listed two charges against her: one for sex outside of marriage and the other for public consumption of alcohol. Both are violations of the law in the United Arab Emirates.
It was the first time she was made aware that she faced charges, Dalelv said.
She was allowed out on bail and has been staying since at the Norwegian Seaman’s Center in Dubai.
Subsequently, she said her manager advised her to tell the police it was voluntary sexual intercourse and likely the whole issue would just go away. She followed the advice and in one of the many hearings at the public prosecutor’s office, she made a statement saying it was voluntary.
Dalelv was then charged with making a false statement.
“That was my biggest regret because it wasn’t voluntary. I just thought it would all go away,” she told CNN.
But a representative of Al Mana Interiors, who Dalelv worked for, told CNN that she was not advised by her manager to say the sex was consensual but rather by a police officer, who told her that in Arabic and it was translated into English by her manager.
Dalelv said a month after the rape, while forced to stay in Dubai as the case wound through the legal system, she was fired.
The representative, who declined to be publicly identified,said Dalelv and the Sudanese man she accused — who is married with three children — have both been terminated by Al Mana Interiors for “drinking alcohol at a staff conference that resulted in trouble with the police.”
A statement released late Saturday by Al Mana Interiors spokesman Hani El Korek said the company was sympathetic to Dalelv “during this very difficult situation.” It also said that company representatives were by her side through the initial investigation, spending “days at both the police station and the prosecutor’s office to help win her release.”
“Only when Ms. Dalelv declined to have positive and constructive discussions about her employment status, and ceased communication with her employer, was the company forced to end our relationship with her,” the statement said.
“The decision had nothing to do with the rape allegation, and unfortunately neither Ms. Dalelv nor her attorneys have chosen to contact the company to discuss her employment status.”
The company is owned by Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana, who made headlines earlier this year after it was revealed that he has secretly married singer Janet Jackson in 2012.
Dalelv was convicted Tuesday on all three charges and was sentenced to one year in jail for having unlawful sex, three months in jail for making a false statement and one month for illegal consumption of alcohol.
CNN could not immediately confirm what happened to the alleged perpetrator, who was charged with public intoxication and having sex outside of marriage.
Dalelv is scheduled to appear at the court on September 5 to begin the appeal proceedings. Dalelv, who is not allowed to leave the UAE pending the appeal, said her lawyers have instructed her to be prepared to go back into jail while they submit a request for bail while the appeal is ongoing.
As a rule, CNN does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Dalelv went public with her story.
A Facebook page has been set up calling for Dalelv’s release, as well as a petition urging the Norwegian government to take action on her behalf.
Her conviction may risk wider diplomatic repercussions.
Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide called his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, on Friday night to protest Dalelv’s sentencing, a statement from the Norwegian ministry said.
“I emphasized that we believe that the conviction is contrary to fundamental human rights, including conventions that the UAE have officially ratified,” Eide is quoted as saying.
“Norway will continue to do what we can to support her in what is a very difficult situation. Our cooperation with the UAE is strong and good, but I conveyed to my colleague that we are worried that this difficult case may disturb our good relations if we do not reach a good solution in the near future.”
Dalelv told CNN she received a call from Eide on Friday reiterating Norway’s support.
While Dubai has a reputation as cosmopolitan city that boasts Western influences, where visitors can drink at bars and restaurants and unmarried couples can share hotel rooms, the country adheres to Islamic laws and traditions.
The United Arab Emirates has been heavily criticized by rights groups, which say it condones sexual violence against women. Human Rights Watch has called its record “shameful,” saying it must change the way it handles such cases.
In December 2012, a British woman reported being raped by three men in Dubai. She was found guilty of drinking alcohol without a license and fined.
In January 2010, a British woman told authorities she was raped by an employee at a Dubai hotel. She was charged with public intoxication and having sex outside of marriage.
An Australian woman reported in 2008 that she was drugged and gang-raped. She was convicted of having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, and she was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
CNN’s Chelsea J. Carter, Laura Smith-Spark, Bharati Naik, Phil O’Sullivan and Caroline Faraj contributed to this report.
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