A Dubai court on Monday upheld four-year jail terms for three Britons, convicted on drugs charges, who were allegedly tortured during their detention, a newspaper based in the emirate reported.

In April, a lower court convicted the trio of possessing for consumption more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of synthetic cannabis known as Spice, jailing each one for four years.

Justin Bieber is used to fans snapping his photo. Dubai police say he also triggered some speed cameras while driving a white Lamborghini during his stop in the Gulf city.

Dubai newspapers on Tuesday quoted a police official saying the megastar racked up a "number" of speeding fines before being pulled over.

Dubai police on Thursday showed off a new Ferrari they will use to patrol the city state, hot on the heels of a Lamborghini which joined the fleet earlier.

The car sporting the green and white of Dubai police was unveiled at the foot of the Burj al-Khalifa, the world's tallest building. It will be used by women police to patrol tourist areas.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways says net profit tripled last year as the fast-growing carrier added routes and code-share arrangements in its expanding rivalries with other premium Gulf airlines.

Government-owned Etihad said on Monday that 2012 net profit jumped to $42 million, compared to $14 million in 2011. Revenue rose 17 percent to $4.8 billion.

Egypt sent a top official to the UAE for talks on Wednesday, a day after reports that 10 members of a group linked to President Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party were arrested there.

Essam el-Haddad, Morsi's adviser for foreign affairs and international cooperation, held talks with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum, WAM state news agency said.

Explosions of color shot out of the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, illuminating the Gulf city state's sky as the huge expatriate and tourist hub celebrated the New Year.

Fireworks engulfed the 828-meter (2,716-foot) tower, synchronized and choreographed to a live performance by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

The head of the U.N.'s telecommunication overseers sought Monday to quell worries about possible moves toward greater Internet controls during global talks in Dubai, but any attempts for increased Web regulations are likely to face stiff opposition from groups led by a major U.S. delegation.

The 11-day conference — seeking to update codes last reviewed when the Web was virtually unknown — highlights the fundamental shift from tightly managed telecommunications networks to the borderless sweep of the Internet.

Dubai, famed for its mega-projects before it was hit by the global financial crisis, on Saturday announced a new development to open the world's biggest mall and a park larger than London's Hyde Park.

The ruler of the Gulf desert city state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced the plan for a "new city within Dubai," according to an official statement, naming it after himself.

Rescue crews in Dubai safely evacuated a 34-story residential tower Sunday after a fire gutted portions of the building, police said.

The blaze charred the outside of the structure and sent gray smoke drifting over a major development known as Jumeirah Lakes Towers, a cluster of high-rise apartment buildings and shops on the southern edge ofDubai.

South African police on Wednesday said they had caught a Lebanese man who swallowed 220 polished diamonds in an audacious bid to smuggle them from Johannesburg to Dubai.

Officers arrested the 25-year-old at Johannesburg's international airport carrying the gems, worth an estimated $2.3 million.