Somali pirates release oil tanker and crew, officials say

Somali pirates who seized a Comoros-flagged oil tanker earlier this week after five years without a major hijacking in the region have released the ship and its crew without conditions, officials said late Thursday.

Security official Ahmed Mohamed told The Associated Press the pirates disembarked the ship, which was heading to Bossaso port, the region's commercial hub, with its eight Sri Lankan crew members aboard.

Somali pirates demand ransom for oil tanker, EU force says

Armed men are demanding a ransom for the release of an oil tanker they have seized off the coast of Somalia and the crew is being held captive, the European Union anti-piracy operation in the region announced late Tuesday.

An EU Naval Force statement said the operation had finally made contact with the ship's master, who confirmed that armed men were aboard the Comoros-flagged tanker Aris 13.

New Year's Eve skyscraper fire in Dubai burns on into 2016

A massive skyscraper fire in Dubai that began on New Year's Eve has burned on into the first morning of 2016.

The blaze at the Address Downtown, one of the most upscale hotels and residences in Dubai, started around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. More than 12 hours later on Friday morning, Dubai firefighters largely watched the fire from the ground, unable at one point to use a water hose on a ladder truck.

Dubai New Year fireworks kick off while nearby tower blazes

A 63-story luxury hotel was engulfed in flames even as a massive New Year's fireworks display kicked off at the world's tallest skyscraper nearby, while tens of thousands of people whistled and cheered at early Friday's pyrotechnics.

Just minutes before the fireworks began in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, large explosions could be heard from inside the burning building, which was cloaked in thick black smoke. Other blasts followed later during the night. It was not clear what caused them.

Indian PM kicks off UAE visit with mosque tour

India's prime minister began a two-day tour of the United Arab Emirates with a visit to its largest mosque on Sunday in a gesture of outreach to Muslims ahead of a planned speech to tens of thousands of Indian expatriates and bilateral meetings aimed at improving already strong trade links.

Dubai Creek, heart of a changed city

Beneath a glitzy skyline, wooden boats ply Dubai Creek, the historic heart of a city that was transformed in little more than a generation from a tiny pearling and fishing port to a global trading hub.

From early morning to late evening the creek is abuzz with daily commuters and tourists riding in abras, the wooden boats that have been used for more than a century and are still built by hand nearby. The 25-cent passage from one bank to the other is one of the only bargains left in a city where much of the population is expatriates lured to the Gulf emirate by job opportunities.

Unlike the rest of the city, the Dubai Creek area has until now been left relatively untouched by developers, offering a glimpse into the modest beginnings of a city that is now a byword for wealth, excess and overnight development.

"The creek is very much the heart of the city, physically and metaphorically," says Yasser Elsheshtawy, associate professor of architecture at the United Arab Emirates University. "You know, that's really where everything started."

The city is awaiting the results of a bid for Dubai Creek to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a $544 million creek-side project has been approved by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, that aims to transform the area into a cultural and artistic hub for the city. 

Here are images from Associated Press photographer Kamran Jebreili of Dubai Creek. 
(AP)