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The UAE Embassy in New Zealand has affirmed the safety of all Emirati students in New Zealand following the shooting More...

When I lived in the UAE, my family and friends in Europe worried that
a) I wasn't getting enough beer and bacon
and
b) I might be blown up in a terrorist attack.

I repeatedly told them there was no cause for alarm - beer and bacon are readily available to non-Muslims (I think it's about time the UAE tourist authorities came out with a definitive statement, along the lines of 'this is not Saudi Arabia, you can get as much beer and bacon as you want!'), and the UAE has never suffered a succesful terrorist attack (although there have been at least two credible attempts that I know of).

I bring this up today because the British Foreign Office has raised it's terrorist threat level to 'as high as it can go'. Conspiracy theories abound as to why the UAE has been safe up until now; it's generally reckoned that the enemy are paid good hard cash to stay away. So why is it now thought there's a serious threat? Has the money dried up, or what?

US prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into data sharing deals that Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook struck with some of the world’s biggest tech companies. Gulf News explains what the increasing scrutiny means for the social media giant’s...