Blog archive all
19th October 2011
Two Saudi men have been arrested in connection with a video about poverty in Riyadh (above) which was posted on YouTube. Feras Bughnah and Hosam al-Deraiwish were summoned for questioning on Sunday and were reported to be still in detention on Tuesday.
The Saudi Jeans blog, which has details of… Read more
17th October 2011
The government of Bahrain is desperately seeking international support for its repressive policies – so desperately, in fact, that if the support doesn't exist it's happy to invent it.
In April, it claimed that Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, had expressed support for Bahrain's "security… Read more
16th October 2011
Next Sunday, October 23, will deliver the first tangible fruits of the uprising that toppled President Ben Ali in Tunisia when voters elect a 218-member National Constituent Assembly.
The assembly will not be a parliament as such: its main task is to draft a new constitution and prepare for… Read more
10th October 2011
The violence in Cairo that left 24 people dead and more than 200 injured on Sunday night is the most alarming development so far in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Many are blaming the security forces for the bloody turn of events, arguing that the military council (temporarily) ruling Egypt is using social… Read more
9th October 2011
In an article for Huffington Post on September 21, Tom Squitieri began:
"The rubber stamp storyline out of Bahrain is that it is the latest chapter of the people rising against the evil rulers in the 2011 drama of the Arab Spring. Spend a few days and nights away from the hotels and international… Read more
5th October 2011
A fresh outbreak of trouble is reported in Qatif (eastern Saudi Arabia), which has a large Shia population. The interior ministry says 14 people were injured, 11 of them security personnel, in rioting on Monday and claims the disturbances were instigated by "a foreign power" – an apparent… Read more
2nd October 2011
The Jordanian government appears to have backed down following an outcry over a proposed law that would discourage journalists from exposing corruption.
On Thursday, the lower house of parliament approved the draft law which is meant to combat corruption but also imposes fines of 30,000-60,000… Read more
1st October 2011
The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen raises questions about its likely impact on the country's politics – in particular, whether it will hasten or delay President Saleh's departure.
Internationally, Saleh has tried to present himself as a lone bulwark resisting al-Qaeda and uses it as an… Read more
30th September 2011
Good news from Bahrain where the American PR firm Qorvis was recently hired at $40,000 a month to polish up the kingdom's image.
An announcement via PRNewswire reveals that Bahrain is to fund "a state of the art special hospital in Somalia as well as a nursing school to train medical personnel." It… Read more
27th September 2011
Something is going on at the official government news agency in Bahrain. Normally it churns out dull and unilluminating reports about royal comings and goings, such as this one:
"His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa today received Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who conveyed… 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
