The Middle East @ Work

Thursday night is the start of the weekend in Dubai, so Kai Ryssdal and the Marketplace crew checked out the scene at Jumeirah Beach Park.

Dubai's Healthcare City is shelling out half a billion dollars to build Harvard Medical School Dubai. Sean Cole grew up hanging around Harvard Square, so we figured he was the guy for this one.

Abu Dhabi is about to launch an English-language newspaper that it plans to make into the Gulf's paper of record. Kai Ryssdal talked with its Deputy Editor Hassan Fattah, formerly of The New York Times.

On his trip to Dubai, Kai Ryssdal flew on Emirates Airlines, one of the top 10 airlines in the world measured by passengers carried and miles flown. But it's not operated like other airlines. Here's his report.

Can economic cooperation with olive growers aid efforts at peaceful co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis? Sam Eaton reports.

Falcons hold a special place in the United Arab Emirates, so it's probably no surprise that they have a hospital especially for their care. Kai Ryssdal has more.

The United Arab Emirates is an Islamic country, but sometimes it's hard to tell -- especially in Dubai. Which is a surprise for some Muslims who move there. Amy Scott reports.

The Middle East Broadcasting Company runs the Al Arabiya news channel, a competitor to Al Jazeera. It's run by a member of the Saudi royal family, Sheikh Waleed bin Ibrahim. Kai Ryssdal spoke with him at his office in Dubai's Media City.

Islam frowns on wasting natural resources. It's a nod to tribal days when survival depended on it. Today some Middle Eastern businesses are reaching back to those green Islamic roots to get an edge on the global competition. Sam Eaton reports.

Under Islamic law in Saudi Arabia, unrelated men and women can't mix in public. Courtship and marriages are traditionally arranged. But young Saudis are starting to resist -- and technology's helping them bend the rules. Kelly McEvers reports from Riyadh.