Word: sheik
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...Along with those of other Arab emirates, its fortunes changed abruptly in 1966 with the discovery of oil. But compared with its neighbors, Dubai had limited reserves, prompting its rulers to turn to other industries to fuel their bold economic aspirations. Starting in the 1980s, at the prompting of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, then the crown prince, Dubai fashioned itself into a free-trade oasis. It opened a tax-free infotech hub, Dubai Internet City, in 2000, to attract technology companies; media, finance and maritime projects soon followed...
...Dubai's heavily leveraged business ventures couldn't withstand the ever souring economy. In 2008, real estate prices dropped 50%; new construction all but stopped. Sheik Mohammed has downplayed the rising debt, which some estimate to be more than 100% of GDP. Despite a $15 billion bailout from Abu Dhabi, the bills are still mounting. Unless they're paid off, it looks as if Dubai's vision of becoming a desert Singapore may be just a mirage...
...against the government as well as against aid groups and African Union peacekeepers operating in the country. Its members are mainly Somalis, though it has also attracted fighters from the U.S., Yemen and Pakistan as well as recruits from other African nations. The official head of al-Shabab is Sheik Mohamed Mukhtar Abdirahman, known as Abu Zubeyr, though several senior officials are believed to guide the group, which is divided into three regional units. Al-Shabab has claimed an affiliation with al-Qaeda since 2007, and its leaders are believed to have received training at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan...
...alleged al-Shabab connections were arrested and charged with plotting a gun attack on a military barracks near Sydney. The group has made clear that it views the United States as a potential adversary. After al-Shabab was added to America's list of terrorist nations, a senior operative, Sheik Muktar Robow, told the BBC he was pleased. "Al-Shabab feels honored to be included on the list. We are good Muslims and the Americans are infidels," he said. "We are on the right path...
...stood up, walked toward the podium and detonated the explosives strapped to his body. They described a scene of horror, with body parts strewn across the hall. "We denounce in the strongest terms the blast which was carried out by the armed rebels fighting the government," Somali President Sharif Sheik Ahmed Sharif said at a news conference. "We cannot tackle those violent elements alone and we call on the international community to rush to help us fight them." (See pictures: "Somalia's Face of Modern Piracy...