A towering structure rising 20 kilometers into the air with its top in the sky may sound like something out of an Old Testament passage or science fiction novel, but a Canadian space company has proposed just that to cut the costs of space exploration. Last month Thoth Technology was granted a United States patent for a “space elevator,” which would be more than 20 times taller than the 829-metre-high... 

A breathtaking video has been shot over Dubai, as ‘Jetman’ Yves Rossy and his partner soared into the skies using jet-powered wings that can accelerate up to 200kph (124mph). On Monday, the legendary aviation enthusiast Rossy introduced his protégé, 31-year-old skydiver and base jumper Vince Reffet. Award-winning Reffet became the second person in the world to be granted the honor of... 

Police in the wealthy United Arab Emirates plan to introduce interactive patrolling bots by 2017, and says “fully intelligent robots” could be on the force by the end of the decade. “We are aiming to provide these kinds of services as the population is expanding. This way we can provide better services without hiring more people,” Colonel Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, who heads the city’s ‘smart’... 

Egypt has published official plans for a brand new capital city, located next to Cairo, which it says will be constructed with investment from Gulf states. The new city, which will house five million people, is expected to be built in under seven years. “We are talking about a world capital,” housing minister Mustafa Kamel Madbouli said during a press event at Sharm-el-Sheikh, where the country... 

Arab countries in the Persian Gulf have urged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to dismiss Australia whose presence in the body since 2006 has not gone in their favor. AFC chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said Thursday that not only Arabs, but other football confederations in West Asia are no longer happy with Australia’s presence in the AFC because they can’t defeat it. Salman... 

The US extends its embassy closures through August 10, State Department has announced. The Al-Qaeda threat that forced US and European embassies in the Middle East and North Africa to shut down is the most serious in years according to a US lawmaker. Although some of the US diplomatic posts are scheduled to reopen on Monday, including those in Kabul, Baghdad and Algiers, most of 22 US embassies that... 

Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, jailed in Dubai for adultery after reporting to the police that she had been raped A Norwegian woman has been sentenced to 16 months in jail in Dubai for adultery after reporting her sexual assault to the police. Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, who was convicted on Wednesday, was on a business trip to Dubai when she says the attack happened after a night out with colleagues. “I... 

Traveling abroad with your family can seem scary. After all, you’ll be away from home and all sorts of things can go wrong. However, if you pick you are careful about choosing your destination, you’ll be guaranteed an amazing vacation and a safe trip. Any of these 10 destinations can offer you both: 1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai might not be the cheapest place to vacation with your... 

Add another name to the list of critics concerned with attempts to rewrite the International Telecommunication Union to give governments control of the Internet: Silicon Valley’s Mozilla now officially opposes the ITU. Mozilla, the makers of the highly successful Firefox Web browser for Macs, PCs and smart phones, have come out to condemn a top-secret meeting in Dubai this week that could lead to... 

A United Nation conference in Dubai has been disrupted by a suspected hacking group after the UN agreed to adopt a new Internet standard that allows governments and corporations to spy on people. The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) has convened in Dubai to debate changes to a wide-ranging communications treaty, and in particular, plans for deep-packet inspections which... 

USNS Rappahannock. Fleet tankers or replenishment oilers are naval auxiliary ships with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can replenish other ships while underway on the high seas. Rising tension in the Gulf has claimed a victim as a civilian boat came under fire from a US Navy ship after getting too close to an American tanker. One person was killed and three others wounded in the incident, say... 

A man walks past a Malaysian Islamic bank The government of the Australian state of New South Wales, home to the country’s financial capital Sydney, has put the introduction of the Islamic financial system on its agenda. A delegation, led by New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell and including financial services professionals will travel to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to discuss regulatory... 

'Tortured': Adam Foster, 30, claims he was forced to confess in Dubai. An American who claims he was tortured by police in Dubai after they found police handcuffs in his suitcase could be jailed for seven years, it emerged today. Adam Foster, 30, was returning home from the United Arab Emirates in February when officers pulled him up at an airport. They found police handcuffs in his luggage... 

Nightmare ordeal: Alicia Gali is warning other women to be cautious overseas. A Queensland woman spent eight months in a United Arab Emirates jail for adultery after complaining to police about being drugged and raped by co-workers. Alicia Gali, 29, yesterday detailed her harrowing ordeal after filing a Queensland lawsuit against the five-star international resort where the attack allegedly took place... 

The United States-dominated defense sales in the Persian Gulf in 2005-09 and delivered 54 percent of the Middle East’s military hardware, including advanced systems that had been denied Arab states because of Israeli objections, analysts say. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which monitors global arms sales, said in a recent study that the United Arab Emirates was the largest...