WORLD : Sheik Succeeds Father in Dubai
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Sheik Maktum ibn Rashid al Maktum became ruler of the strategic Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai today after he and his brothers buried their father, the man who turned the desert backwater into a thriving business center.
Sheik Maktum, in his mid-50s, inherits the title during one of the region’s worst political crises, and United Arab Emirate officials said they expect him to underline continued stability and unity within the federation in the face of the threat from Iraqi-occupied Kuwait.
Dubai radio said the crown prince had succeeded Sheik Rashid ibn Said al Maktum, who died Sunday at the age of 76 after a long illness, marking the end of an era during which he turned Dubai into one of the Middle East’s major centers of commerce.
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