You pass flaming oil wells, through the emirates of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, before the endless development withers and the straight road begins to buckle towards the Musandam border, where a cliffside track winds around the fractured coast.

BBC: Oman��s sleepy Musandam Peninsula

To carry out the theft, the cybercrime group allegedly hacked into computer networks for processors of prepaid debit cards provided by the National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah PSC in the United Arab Emirates and the Bank of Muscat in Oman, prosecutors said.

WSJ: Group Arrested in Alleged Global ATM Cybercrime

After the guilty verdict, and a sentence of four months in prison, the sharia court in Ras al-Khaimah (one of the emirates) ruled that anyone found guilty of employing a magician to cast a spell on someone else would be sentenced to death.

ECONOMIST: A djinn in an oil barrel

Although cleared by one court - held under sharia or Islamic law - in the nearby emirate of Ras-al-Khaimah, she has been tried for a second time, under civil law, on charges of possessing 50g cocaine found hidden in the roof space of her flat.

BBC: Stewardess's drugs trial ends