Dubai

By now, everybody knows what to expect from your standard-issue ho-hum water park: body and tube slide complexes with funnels and bowls, deluge-inducing water play towers for the little ones, undulating wave pools and relaxing lazy rivers. Photos: 20 best water parks in the world Pretty much everything you typically find at a Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a Great Wolf Lodge resort or any Wet 'n Wild. The best water parks in the world, however, have been busy adding the latest cutting-edge attractions, such as magnetically propelled water coasters, inverted looping slides, stationary wave machines and interactive water games.

Justin Bieber has a serious monkey on his back -- or rather, a serious bill for the care of one. The ongoing saga of the singer's pet capuchin monkey Mally took another turn as German customs officials announced that the bill for housing, feeding and caring for Bieber's pet could run into the thousands of dollars . Bieber had to leave the animal -- a gift from producer Jamal "Mally Mall" Rashid -- in quarantine in Germany during a recent...

This fall, getting halfway around the world will be a lot easier, if you think 16 hours on a plane is easy. Emirates Airlines will start nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 1, the carrier said Thursday. Emirates will use Boeing Co.'s new 777-200LR, which has the longest range of any jetliner. "L.A. represents Emirates' commitment to the American market," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the airline's chief executive and the uncle of the ruler of Dubai.

Justin Bieber was attacked on stage Sunday in Dubai, but the only casualty of the event was a black piano that toppled over when security jumped the young fan who'd rushed the artist. While Bieber was singing "Believe," seated at the piano, the young man rushed up behind the 19-year-old pop star as if to hug or tackle him. He wound up being the one tackled, as security quickly responded, knocking over the piano in the process. The Biebs scooted over to the side of the stage and kept performing.

The British luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2 arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where it will become a floating hotel moored off an artificial palm-shaped island. More than 60 naval vessels and private boats met the 70,000-ton ship. Officials said the ship's transformation would take two to three years. The Queen's Room, the captain's quarters and the bridge are to be preserved in their original form.

The brief announcement that Disney plans to add a Marvel-themed land to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2017 raises a host of questions: Will Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men be getting their own rides? When will the Marvel characters be coming to Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo or Shanghai? And why, of all places, Hong Kong? Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, in part because the announcement was made by a Hong Kong government official rather than Disney.

In the scorching deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, water is always precious, carefully rationed, never wasted. Possessing it separates life from death. What a difference a few miles -- and bucket loads of money -- can make. At Atlantis, the Palm, Dubai's latest and possibly greatest luxury hotel to date, water is an ornament and a plaything. It flows in ridiculous, seemingly endless quantities, simply for the pleasure of it.

Facebook Inc. is set to open an office in Dubai next week, its first location in the Middle East. The company announced the news Wednesday by inviting journalists to an event scheduled for May 30. While the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company said details of the new office would not be released until the event, the office would add to its collection of about 30 outposts scattered across the globe, according to the Associated Press. Facebook was vital to 2011's so-called Arab Spring, which brought about democratic change for several nations in the region, so it's an interesting move by the social network giant.

The world's largest collection of shoes for sale opened Friday in Dubai, a city dotted with luxury malls and high-end boutiques. Called the Level Shoe District, the store takes up 96,000 square feet of real estate. It's stocked with 15,000 different styles from 250 brands. That's enough footwear for even Carrie Bradshaw-level shopaholics to swoon. "The whole idea is to create a place for men and women who love shoes, who are passionate about shoes, who are addicted to shoes, who are obsessed about shoes," Patrick Chalhoub, chief executive of Chalhoub Group, the force behind the megastore, told Bloomberg.

I was excited to see "Is Dubai for Real?" [Jan. 27] because I just traveled there earlier this month. Dubai is one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. I felt safer there than I do at a mall here in the U.S. Doug Archer Playa Vista

By now, everybody knows what to expect from your standard-issue ho-hum water park: body and tube slide complexes with funnels and bowls, deluge-inducing water play towers for the little ones, undulating wave pools and relaxing lazy rivers. Photos: 20 best water parks in the world Pretty much everything you typically find at a Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a Great Wolf Lodge resort or any Wet 'n Wild. The best water parks in the world, however, have been busy adding the latest cutting-edge attractions, such as magnetically propelled water coasters, inverted looping slides, stationary wave machines and interactive water games.

Over the past 40 years, photographer Connie Samaras has journeyed to some of the most extreme architectural sites in the world: a scientific outpost in Antarctica, the first private spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the artificial ski slopes and oases of Dubai, and ground zero in the first few days after 9/11.  Always clear-eyed and rigorously composed, her images document spaces where collective imaginings become reality. As such, they attest to the human will (or hubris) to remake the world in the image of our fantasies, whether they are daydreams or nightmares.

Representatives from 11 specialty auto car equipment companies based in California are traveling to Dubai this weekend, hoping to export some of the state's signature car culture products to new markets in the Middle East. Most of the companies are manufacturers of specialty equipment designed to boost the performance of stock cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of the products enhance the experience of owning a car. Others help protect them. The companies are Coverking, located in Anaheim, EBay Motors of San Jose, Gibson Performance Exhaust of Corona, Injen Technology of Pomona K&N Engineering Inc. of Riverside, and McLeod Racing of Placentia.

The brief announcement that Disney plans to add a Marvel-themed land to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2017 raises a host of questions: Will Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men be getting their own rides? When will the Marvel characters be coming to Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo or Shanghai? And why, of all places, Hong Kong? Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, in part because the announcement was made by a Hong Kong government official rather than Disney.

Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova overpowered defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2, 6-4, Thursday to set up a semifinal against Caroline Wozniacki in the Dubai Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Wozniacki, once ranked No. 1, defeated Marion Bartoli, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, capitalizing on 14 double faults and 46 unforced errors by her opponent. Two double faults cost Bartoli games in the second set. Doubles specialist Roberta Vinci of Italy surprised former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, 6-2, 6-4, in their quarterfinal.

Two days after becoming the oldest top-ranked women's tennis player, 31-year-old Serena Williams became the latest entrant to drop out of the Dubai Championships. Williams withdrew Wednesday 45 minutes before her scheduled match with 11th-ranked Marion Bartoli, citing a sore back and ankle she says she's had since the Australian Open. “I've just had some back problems the past couple weeks. It didn't get better,” Williams said. “I thought it would get better as the week went on, but it didn't.

Those who said that Jews would not be welcome in Dubai ["Is Dubai for Real?" Jan. 27] have clearly never visited this amazing place. On my November 2006 visit, my mother and I, Jewish, were treated well and felt comfortable enough in this evolved and highly modern city to rent a car and drive on our own. Dubai is filled with visitors of every race, color and religion, and Jews are welcome, as are all others. Deborah S. Kravitz Sherman Oaks

Regarding "Destination: Dubai" by Catharine Hamm [On the Spot, Aug. 14]: It is less than safe for gay travelers in much of the Middle East (lesbians "don't exist" in Muslim cultures). Dubai is quite homophobic. Let readers be aware of the pitfalls for gay male tourists traveling to much of the Muslim world, where leaders and the media are routinely anti-gay. I know, having visited such countries, from Syria to Malaysia. Henry Nicklin Pacific Palisades :: Another thing travelers to Dubai can do in a single day is take a tour of Oman's Musandam Peninsula.

Rory McIlroy sank a short birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to remain tied with Luke Donald as the world's two top-ranked golfers pulled three shots clear of a star-studded field after the third round of the Dubai World Championship in the United Arab Emirates. The top-ranked McIlroy, who has already wrapped up the European and PGA Tour money titles, struggled early when he bogeyed the first hole and missed several makable birdie putts. But he improved on the back nine, sinking a 30-foot eagle putt on 14 to go with three birdies for a six-under 66. Donald also had a 66 and is tied with McIlory with a 17-under total of 199. If Donald wins Sunday without carding a bogey, he will match the feat of Sweden's Jesper Parnevik, who won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters without dropping a shot.

Rory McIlroy moved to the top of the leaderboard with a five-under 67 Friday in the second round of the Dubai World Championship in the United Arab Emirates. The top-ranked golfer, who missed several makable putts on the front nine and then had an eagle putt roll past the hole on No. 14, tied Luke Donald (68) and Marc Warren (67) at 11-under 133. Sergio Garcia , playing for the first time since having laser eye surgery, matched the course record with an eight-under 64. Garcia started with four birdies on his first five holes and then had a string of birdies at the turn before holing a long putt for eagle on No. 14. But he shot into the water on No. 16 for a triple-bogey before recovering to finish with a birdie and eagle.