Blog archive all
12th March 2010
The Yemeni authorities have confiscated two "unauthorised" transmitters belonging to local offices of al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya TV channels.
This seems to be part of a wider pattern of harassment, particularly of al-Jazeera, over its coverage of separatist protests in the south. In recent days… Read more
12th March 2010
Use of the death penalty tends to be taken for granted in Arab countries. Saudi Arabia, of course, is one of the world's leading executioners, chopping off heads for all sorts of reasons other than murder. Just this week, a court in Madina upheld the death sentence against Ali Hussein Sibat, a… Read more
11th March 2010
An Egyptian physiotherapist, Taha Mohamed Abdel el-Tawwab, is in hospital after being summoned for questioning at the State Security headquarters in Fayoum on Monday. He had come under suspicion after voicing support for Mohamed ElBaradei in next year's presidential election.
According to al-Masri… Read more
11th March 2010
A 27-year-old Saudi man from Jeddah has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a year in jail and a fine of 5,000 riyals ($1,330) after appearing in an amateur gay video (above).
The film, which lasts 2 minutes and 46 seconds, shows him dressed in a police uniform asking to inspect someone's driving… Read more
10th March 2010
President Salih of Yemen held out an olive branch to the southern separatists yesterday, offering to discuss their grievances.
"Come talk with your brothers in the authority, and we will talk with you," he said. "We extend the hand of dialogue without (you) having to resort to violence or blocking… Read more
10th March 2010
Like him or loathe him, when Rupert Murdoch has something to say it's always worth listening. Giving the opening speech (full text here) to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit yesterday, he made an economic case for freedom of expression in the Middle East. And it was presented in a way that many in the… Read more
8th March 2010
A military court in Cairo yesterday dropped charges against Ahmed Mostafa, the young blogger who was arrested a fortnight ago and accused of "tarnishing the image" of the armed forces.
He had written in his Arabic-language blog about someone being removed from a military college so that a rich kid… Read more
7th March 2010
An al-Qaeda suspect who was taken to hospital in Yemen after claiming to be ill seized a gun from one of his guards and shot him dead, then held two other guards hostage yesterday.
The suspect, named Sharif Mobily – a German national of Somali origin – was eventually overpowered and taken to… Read more
7th March 2010
An article for the Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor takes a brief but interesting look at the social roots of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
The author, Murad Batal al-shishani, says al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (as the Yemen-based network is known) is dominated by Yemenis (56%) with Saudis… Read more
7th March 2010
A rumour has been going round that the Saudi authorities are about the cut off the BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) – much to the annoyance of its customers. According to versions the cut-off was due to happen last Saturday, though it hasn't materialised yet.
The story began when al-Watan… 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
