Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

Hard to believe I actually live here sometimes...

Ongoing revolution in Libya? Nope
Continued struggle for democracy in Egypt? Nope
Palestinians fighting Israeli colonialism in the UN? Nope
Random 16-year-old singing about the malls of Dubai? Oh yeah. This is what qualifies for news on Arabian Business.

A beautiful Dubai afternoon, alas I can't enjoy it. I'm off to Saudi Arabia for the first time this evening. Should be a trip.

They put on a pretty good show, although I must say their lyrics are pretty ridiculous at times.

• US 'fails to account' for Iraq reconstruction billions - BBC

  "A US federal watchdog has criticised the US military for failing to account properly for billions of dollars it received to help rebuild Iraq. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the US Department of Defence is unable to account properly for 96% of the money. Out of just over $9bn (£5.8bn), $8.7bn is unaccounted for, the inspector says."

• A Quarter Century after Chernobyl: Radioactive Boar on the Rise in Germany - Spiegel

  "As Germany's wild boar population has skyrocketed in recent years, so too has the number of animals contaminated by radioactivity left over from the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. Government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive boar have quadrupled since 2007."

• Report: Israel aiding plot for bloodless coup in Gulf emirate - Haaretz

  "Israel is helping an exiled Arab sheikh to plot a bloodless coup in the Gulf emirate of Ras al-Khaimeh, the Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the Guardian report, Sheikh Khalid bin-Saqr al-Qasimi - the exiled crown prince of Ras al-Khaimeh - met with Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ron Prosor in March. The Sheikh reportedly asked then for Israeli support in his attempt to seize control of the emirate from his dying father, Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi, and the current crown prince Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al-Qasimi. "

• Kitesurfing in the Sahara - FT

  "Dakhla is an elemental place. Stand at the edge of town with your back to the rolling Atlantic and there is nothing but 3m square miles of sand and rock stretching before you – this is the Western Sahara after all. But I’m not here for the sand. I’ve come to this disputed region that Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns has “a high risk of unexploded mines” and “a high threat from terrorism” for one thing only: wind."

• UAE to suspend BlackBerry services - FT

  **I'm glad I didn't buy my blackberry yet...*** "The United Arab Emirates on Sunday said it would suspend BlackBerry mobile communication services from October 11 because they operate outside of its laws, after India also raised similar concerns about Research in Motion’s network in recent weeks. The Gulf state’s regulator said in a statement that the decision was based on the fact that “certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.”"

According to the Israeli paper Haaretz, US Special Envoy George Mitchell tried to resign from his position, citing his lack of progress and the favored bias toward Israel in some parts of the State Department.

In another clear move that Israel is very happy with the current situation, and has very little desire to seriously pursue peace talks with the Palestinians, Israel is planning to build 600 more homes in occupied East Jerusalem. All settlements within East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law.

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on the future of political assassinations and Israel's recent hit on a Palestinian in Dubai.