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From Smoggie's original post!

Sorry in advance if this has been covered elsewhere...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1259497 ... outset-box

U.A.E. Removes Sunday London Times From Newsstands

By ANDREW CRITCHLOW

DUBAI -- The Sunday London Times newspaper was removed by authorities from shelves in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday amid intensive reporting of Dubai's debt problems, an executive at the paper said.

The National Media Council ordered the paper blocked by distributors without providing a reason, an executive at the paper in Dubai told Zawya Dow Jones.
More on Dubai

The Sunday Times edition available in the U.A.E. on Nov. 29 featured a double-page spread graphic illustrating Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum sinking in a sea of debt. The Times wasn't given a reason for the block, or a timeframe when it will be lifted, the executive said.

A government official in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the U.A.E., said that the picture of Sheik Mohammed, which accompanied a story entitled: The sinking of Dubai's dream, was "offensive."

Under the U.A.E.'s media code, publications are prohibited from criticizing the sheikdom's rulers. Local media and government officials have criticized international press coverage of Dubai's debt crisis. Markets around the world fell last week after the government requested a debt standstill for one of its biggest conglomerates.

Earlier this month Dubai's Sheik Mohammed told reporters gathered at an investment conference in the city to "shut up" and stop criticizing the emirate and its crucial relationship with Abu Dhabi.

Dubai is struggling to deal with it debts estimated to exceed $80 billion.

The Sunday Times is part of News International, a unit of News Corp., owner of Dow Jones & Co. The Times and The Sunday Times are published in the U.A.E. through a local partner SAB Media.

What's news to be is that they sold The Times in the UAE

Chocoholic wrote:From Smoggie's original post!


A government official in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the U.A.E., said that the picture of Sheik Mohammed, which accompanied a story entitled: The sinking of Dubai's dream, was "offensive."

Good thing it wasn't a post in this forum or the Motherator-Sag would have sent it to Fight Club

LOOOL look at you guys, you were bitc..ing about this thread for a week and now when it's posted again it's empty just like your heads. point proven again. even choc who is childishly trying to get at sage couldn't add a thing to it. too sad.

uaekid, I'm going to choose my words very carefully here so that I don't fall foul of the mods and give them a reason to send this thread to where no-one can read it.

The fact that you think media censorship is an empty subject says a lot about this unique brand of wilfully ignorant intellect we see all to often in this region. Dubai sells itself as a progressive muslim state in a region where on the one extreme, you can still get your hands chopped off for stealing an apple, or be stoned to death for adultery. That Sheikh Mo is trying to move Dubai into the 21st Century is indeed a positive and beneficial thing (especially for its residents) and he deserves a lot of credit for what has been achieved to this point.

However, a free press is the cornerstone of any modern society. If you think any other way, you are wrong. It's black and white. Modern societies do not (and will never) require their governments to be the arbiters of what they can and cannot read. It goes beyond any traditional notions of 'patriachal guidance' and can only be seen as what it is, an attempt to control the minds (or more specifically, the opinions) of its citizens.

Withdrawing The Times (which arguably has one of the finest journalistic reputations in the world) comes off as petulent and whilst it might serve a short-term purpose, the longer term repercussions are likely to be more damaging.

You think Sheihk Mo had it bad in the UK press? Try being an England football manager for a week!

uaekid wrote:LOOOL look at you guys, you were bitc..ing about this thread for a week and now when it's posted again it's empty just like your heads. point proven again. even choc who is childishly trying to get at sage couldn't add a thing to it. too sad.

I was merely restoring the original thread so people who don't have access to FC can comment -YOU could have done the same. Sadly I do not have the time to cut and paste every single reply back into this. I said all I wanted to say in the oroginal thread, nothin more to add.

Chocoholic wrote:

uaekid wrote:LOOOL look at you guys, you were bitc..ing about this thread for a week and now when it's posted again it's empty just like your heads. point proven again. even choc who is childishly trying to get at sage couldn't add a thing to it. too sad.

I was merely restoring the original thread so people who don't have access to FC can comment -YOU could have done the same. Sadly I do not have the time to cut and paste every single reply back into this. I said all I wanted to say in the oroginal thread, nothin more to add.

even thought the hall thing was caused by me un intentionally but as a moderator you should've kept it there to engorge ppl to participate and post more honey, don't you think ?

Dr Strangeglove wrote:uaekid, I'm going to choose my words very carefully here so that I don't fall foul of the mods and give them a reason to send this thread to where no-one can read it.

The fact that you think media censorship is an empty subject says a lot about this unique brand of wilfully ignorant intellect we see all to often in this region. Dubai sells itself as a progressive muslim state in a region where on the one extreme, you can still get your hands chopped off for stealing an apple, or be stoned to death for adultery. That Sheikh Mo is trying to move Dubai into the 21st Century is indeed a positive and beneficial thing (especially for its residents) and he deserves a lot of credit for what has been achieved to this point.

However, a free press is the cornerstone of any modern society. If you think any other way, you are wrong. It's black and white. Modern societies do not (and will never) require their governments to be the arbiters of what they can and cannot read. It goes beyond any traditional notions of 'patriachal guidance' and can only be seen as what it is, an attempt to control the minds (or more specifically, the opinions) of its citizens.

Withdrawing The Times (which arguably has one of the finest journalistic reputations in the world) comes off as petulent and whilst it might serve a short-term purpose, the longer term repercussions are likely to be more damaging.

You think Sheihk Mo had it bad in the UK press? Try being an England football manager for a week!

LOOOOOL .....I understand and agree to a point but when you are talking free press well no one is shutting them up. taking the paper down from stores " if true " would be like a kind of protesting against it in some way and if they want to block information they could've easily blocked the news paper site, right ? yet it is not .

free press !! well not that I care but this press became more of au unreasonable campaign to me at least when" a foreign" press do more negative publicity of foreign country more than it's shown it's own even though it is more effected by the same issue. comaan lets be realistic. but at the end it is news and they need to sell..but if you wana give the paper the right of free press then give Dubai it's right to protest against its material.

But then that's being totally hypocritical is it not? To allow a 'free' press, but then to edit/remove material that you do not agree with.

Come on! Wake up! The press in the UAE is beyond a joke, they view the world through rose tinted glasses and get away and report what they can, but we all know as has happened in the past, you cross the line and you're fired/shut down etc etc.

As I always say you can't have your cake and eat it, you have to roll with the punches.

Chocoholic wrote:But then that's being totally hypocritical is it not? To allow a 'free' press, but then to edit/remove material that you do not agree with.

Come on! Wake up! The press in the UAE is beyond a joke, they view the world through rose tinted glasses and get away and report what they can, but we all know as has happened in the past, you cross the line and you're fired/shut down etc etc.

As I always say you can't have your cake and eat it, you have to roll with the punches.

honey what are you rumbling LOL ? focus choc..what's this issue has to do with UAE press ?