Blog archive all
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… Read more
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
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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.… Read more
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… Read more
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
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
Yesterday I wrote about moves to fend off complaints about human rights abuses in the UAE with "rapid rebuttal" of critics. I suggested it's only a matter of time before the Emirates go down Bahrain's route, hiring a plethora of western PR firms and "reputation management" consultants.… 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
