Blog archive all
24th December 2012
Lakhdar Brahimi, the international envoy on Syria, is in Damascus today for what appears to be a hurriedly-arranged meeting with President Assad. Those taken by surprise included the Syrian information minister, Omran al-Zohbi: Brahimi was already on his way as Zohbi told reporters he was unaware… Read more
23rd December 2012
There are growing signs that Russia, the US and a number of other countries are now working behind the scenes to bring the Syrian conflict to a negotiated end.
The latest indication that something is afoot came on Saturday when a source at the Arab League said international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi… Read more
22nd December 2012
Sultan Qaboos, the Anglophile tyrant of Oman, has come to the aid of Britain's struggling arms industry with a $4 billion order for 20 military aircraft. British prime minister David Cameron (seen enthusing about the deal during a visit to Oman in the video above) says it will support thousands of… Read more
21st December 2012
Bahrain has violated the terms of its free trade agreement with the United States by failing to protect workers' rights, according to a US government investigation.
In a report published yesterday, the US Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) found that trade unionists and leaders in Bahrain "… Read more
20th December 2012
Ex-president's son Ahmad Ali Saleh. Will he go quietly?
Some good news from Yemen, for once. Yesterday, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi – Yemen's "interim" president – issued a series of decrees changing the structure and leadership of the military.
The changes, which seem to have been broadly welcomed… Read more
19th December 2012
A Filipino man appeared in court in Abu Dhabi yesterday accused of “imitating a female”. He had been arrested in a shopping mall, allegedly dressed in women’s clothes and holding a handbag. A report in The National says:
“Store workers were making fun of him when one took offence and called the… Read more
18th December 2012
One of the more intriguing and unexpected consequences of the fall of President Saleh in Yemen is that the national pastime of chewing qat has begun to be seriously challenged. An ambitious plan presented to parliament last week seeks to eradicate qat from Yemen by 2033.
Politically, the idea of… Read more
17th December 2012
It was two years ago today that Mohamed Bouazizi, an unemployed street vendor, set himself on fire in Tunisia after police confiscated his fruit-and-vegetables stall.
Expressing regret at this "painful" event, a government official told the Tunisian news agency: "We are outraged by attempts to use… Read more
15th December 2012
Some new additions to al-bab website:
There are now dozens of books about the Arab uprisings that began at the end of 2010. I have compiled a fairly comprehensive list of those that are readily available in English. Readers and publishers are invited to send details of any omissions or new titles… Read more
15th December 2012
The Dubai conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has ended in disarray – much to the relief of those who support internet freedom.
The purpose of the conference was to draft a new international treaty on cross-border communications. As I reported last week, Russia and others… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
