Blog archive all
6th May 2012
The Assad regime issued an emphatic denial this morning that it is planning to invite the Dalai Lama for an official visit to Syria.
On the face of it, the idea of Assad hobnobbing with the Tibetan Buddhist leader is preposterous – not least because it would infuriate the Chinese government which… Read more
5th May 2012
The offending article (larger version here)
Student Mohamad Sibai was in Hamra Street, Beirut, when he witnessed a "disturbing" sight. So disturbing, in fact, that he could scarcely believe what he had seen: "I couldn’t get that image out of my head for the whole day."
The sight that disturbed… Read more
30th April 2012
Shokri Ghanem, the man in charge of Libya's highly corrupt oil industry during the last five years of Gaddafi's rule, was found dead yesterday – floating in the river Danube near his home in Vienna. His family have suggested that he fell in the river after suffering a heart attack, though foul… Read more
29th April 2012
There's great excitement in Saudi Arabia. The whole kingdom is rejoicing. Everyone is thrilled, delighted, jubilant, esctatic and absolutely over the moon – at least, if you believe the Saudi Gazette:
There was universal acclaim for King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, after Unesco… Read more
28th April 2012
Libya's largest oil refinery, in Ras Lanuf, has been closed since the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi and will remain closed for at least another month while the company that operates it is restructured, the Tripoli Post reports.
Behind this rather bland announcement is a controversy that has been… Read more
9th April 2012
Events in Yemen over the last few days provide a sharp reminder that despite the resignation of President Saleh and the installation of President Hadi in a one-candidate "election", the Saleh regime remains largely in place. It won't go without a struggle and is still capable of obstructing the… Read more
5th April 2012
The unrest in Mauritania continues to get scant attention from the English-language media, so here are some more details, pieced together from other sources.
The video above is a report from al-Jazeera about the mass protest on Tuesday when opposition groups organised nine separate but coordinated… Read more
4th April 2012
Following the shooting of citizen journalist Ahmed Ismael Hassan in Bahrain, which I reported here at the weekend, the EAWorldView blog describes how the victim's family have been harassed by the authorities (scroll down to 1812 GMT).
An EA correspondent recently visited Ahmed's family and was told… Read more
4th April 2012
Photo posted by Ahmed Ennahoui
Has the Arab Spring reached Mauritania? Popular unrest is clearly growing and yesterday tens of thousands took to the streets of the capital, Nouakchott, calling on the president to step down.
Up to now, this has largely gone unnoticed by the rest of the world,… Read more
1st April 2012
The death of a 22-year-old Bahraini man early on Saturday raises new questions about the regime's declared commitment to avoiding brutality when dealing with demonstrators.
Ahmed Ismael Hassan (above) – described as a citizen journalist who regularly filmed protests in the kingdom – was shot in… 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
