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At least four people – and possibly as many as seven – died yesterday in clashes between southern separatists and security forces in southern Yemen. Two of the dead were said to be soldiers.
Shooting broke out at a rally in Ataq (Shabwa province) which was reportedly attended by about 1,000 people… Read more
The Center for a New American Security – a thinktank with links to the Obama administration – has published a paper on US policy towards Yemen. It is concerned, of course, with American interests rather than the interests of Yemenis and it says: “The consequences of instability in Yemen… Read more
Human Rights Watch has written to King Abdullah complainingabout the growing number of “sorcery” cases in Saudi Arabia.
"Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police," the organisation says. "The crime of ‘witchcraft' is being used against all sorts of behaviour,… Read more
There are signs that Kuwaiti MPs may finally get an opportunity to question their prime minister. If it happens, this would be a milestone for parliamentary government and it could bring an end to a long succession of political crises.
The questioning of ministers, which can lead to a vote of no… Read more
The National newspaper reports from Oman on a rarely-discussed phenomenon: prejudice against widows.
"Many Omani widows struggle to lead happy lives after losing their husbands in a society that treats them as a burden and bad luck," the paper says. "According to a local superstition,… Read more
Police in the Emirates have now joined the campaign pioneered by the Saudi mutawa to rein-in fashion-conscious youngsters.
Gulf News reports that scores of young people have been arrested in Ras al-Khaimah shopping malls "for violating decency laws" with "unusual hair… Read more
Al-Jazeera is reporting that Saudi ground forces have entered Yemen in what seems to be a large-scale offensive.
A statement from the Houthi rebels said: "The Saudis began an attack along many fronts on the Yemeni border ... The Saudi army has been using all kind of weapons; land, air,… Read more
Just days after King Abdullah "confirmed" that "all armed infiltrators" had been driven out of the kingdom, Saudi forces have suffered their heaviest casualties since entering the war against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Three soldiers were killed and an unspecified number wounded in an attack… Read more
Two weeks after Prince Khaled bin Sultan announced that Saudi forces had “purged the mountains inside the kingdom” of Yemeni guerrillas, military operations in the border area arecontinuing with aerial bombardment by warplanes while troops on the ground search for “infiltrators” and… Read more
Computer ownership in most Arab countries is well below the world average. In Algeria, Egypt, Djibouti, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen it is less than half the world average. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the only Arab countries where computer ownership exceeds the world… 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
