As Yemeni authorities have arrested an engineering student in connection with the plot to mail bombs to the U.S., Qater Airways say that the explosives in a package intercepted in Dubai flew on two passenger airplanes. And British Home Secretary Theresa May said the mail bomb found in the U.K. was "viable" and meant to take down the plane, though it's unclear whether the explosion was to take place over the U.K. or U.S. more ›

After a top Hamas leader was killed his Dubai hotel room in January, there's been suspicion that agents from Israel's secret service, Mossad, were behind the hit. Surveillance images of agents wearing obvious, ridiculous wigs and costumes and details about fake European passports and U.S.-based credits were released. Now, an alleged Mossad agent has been arrested. The AP reports, "The man, using the name Uri Brodsky, is suspected of working for Mossad in Germany and helping to issue a fake German passport to a member of the Mossad operation that allegedly killed Hamas agent Mahmoud al-Mabhouh." The Israeli Foreign Ministry said, "At the moment, we're looking into that like any other Israeli who has been arrested, and he's getting consular treatment." more ›

As the authorities continue to understand the plans behind the attempted car bombing in Times Square, there's relief that suspect Faisal Shahzad was arrested just before his flight to Dubai took off but there's concern about how he nearly got away. Not only did Emirates Airline ignore an update that Shahzad, a Pakistani national who became a U.S. citizen last year, was added to the no-fly list, the feds lost track of him for a number of hours on Monday during their surveillance. more ›

At 11:45 p.m. last night, law enforcement officials arrested a 30-year-old Connecticut resident for allegedly driving a Nissan Pathfinder filled with gasoline, propane, M88 firecrackers, and non-explosive fertilizer to Times Square on Saturday night. The U.S. Attorney's office said that Faisal Shahzad, "a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection while attempting to take a flight to Dubai." more ›

Wonder what the New Yorker who hates PDAs would think of this: A British couple was sentenced by a Dubai court to one month in jail, followed by deportation, for allegedly kissing in public. According to the AP, "The pair landed in court after an Emirati woman complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November and convicted of inappropriate behavior and illegal drinking." The AP adds, "Last month an Indian couple was sentenced to three months in jail for exchanging steamy text messages." Keep that in mind, NYU Abu Dhabi students. more ›

This makes sense: Payoneer CEO Yuval Tal is worried about his well-being after it was publicized that his company's prepaid credit cards were used by the costume-happy hit squad that killed a Hamas leader in Dubai. A Payoneer spokeswoman told the Post, "He has legitimate personal safety concerns for himself and his family." more ›

As expected, the investigation into a Hamas leader's assassination in Dubai now involves U.S.-based credit card companies. One of those companies is Payoneer, a firm on Park Avenue which has a research and development center in Tel Aviv. The AP reports that it called Payoneer's Tel Aviv office and "got a recording listing extensions, but when these were pressed, there was only dead air." more ›

With its troubling debt problems, an arm of Dubai World lost control of the W Union Square Hotel in a foreclosure auction this morning. The Real Deal reports, "LEM Mezzanine, a Philadelphia-based private equity fund, acquired Istithmar's former W New York - Union Square hotel for $2 million, plus the assumption of $212 million in debt." more ›

For some reason, spending billions on skyscrapers and man-made palm-shaped island leads to...debt! So far, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq have fallen at least 1% (even up to 2% as soon as the markets opened today), due to, as the Wall Street Journal puts it, "fears...about the potential fallout of debt prolems at Dubai World, the city-state's largest corporate entity, which asked creditors for a six-month stay on repayment of its $60 billion in debts." UBS actually estimates that Dubai's overall debt may be over $80 billion. more ›

A businesswoman from Dubai was found yesterday inside a condo at the Essex House, disrobed, with her throat slashed and a jumprope around her neck. 44-year-old Andree (Sara) Bejjani, president of Royal Investments, LLC, a real estate investment firm based in Dubai, had been staying at the luxury hotel on Central Park South since August. This morning cops arrested an Essex House employee, Derrick Praileau, but have not yet charged him. more ›

Even Dubai is having money issues! Bloomberg News reports that the Dubai-based Istithmar World PSJC "may sell the luxury retailer for less than half what it paid two years ago as the state-owned fund seeks to raise cash to meet debt payments." Istithmar paid $942.3 million for the retail store in 2007, but sources say bids seem to be in the $350 million to $600 million range. An analyst points out, "It’s a buyers’ market. The fact that luxury-goods stocks have fallen more than 30 percent in the past year is also going to weigh on expectations.” Right—especially since some customers can't get credit! Related: The Barneys Warehouse Sale starts tomorrow. more ›