Arab Royal Filmed Torturing Man

(NEWSER) - An Abu Dhabi prince captured on videotape torturing a grain merchant has been detained by authorities, CNN reports. Sheik Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan is under house arrest pending an investigation, officials of the United Arab Emirates have told the US State Department. The videotape shows the prince beating, burning and then using his car to run over his victim. The tape has held up negotiations between the US and UAE on a nuclear pact. More»

(NEWSER) - Video of a member of the UAE’s royal family brutally torturing an Afghan salesman threatens to sink a nuclear trade deal between the UAE and the US, the Times of London reports. Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a brother of the UAE president, is shown beating the trader and running him over with a truck. Those close to the Obama administration say the video is directly responsible for stalling the deal. More»

Lawsuit tries to force CIA, FBI to come clean

(NEWSER) - The ACLU is suing the federal government for ignoring its Freedom of Information Act inquiry into the detention and torture of an American citizen overseas. Naji Hamdan, who spent 20 years in California before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2006, was arrested in August 2008 and, according to the ACLU, subjected to brutal interrogation methods. Hamdan says he was blindfolded, beaten, strapped into an electric chair, and locked nearly naked in a refrigerated room. He also says some of his interrogators were American. More»

Security concerns prompt crackdown

(AP) - A telecommunications official says Saudi Arabia will block BlackBerry email, messaging, and Web access, joining neighboring United Arab Emirates in a move it says is prompted by security concerns because the devices operate beyond the government's ability to monitor their use. The move will take place later this month in Saudi Arabia, and in October in the UAE. More»

10-year-old kids still used in dangerous sport

(NEWSER) - Children as young as 10 are still being used as jockeys in dangerous camel races in the United Arab Emirates, despite a law banning the practice. Observers from the group Anti-Slavery International photographed children racing at a recent event in Abu Dhabi attended by police officers and government officials, the Independent reports. More»