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19th November 2009
Qatar's reputation as the least corrupt of the Arab states is further enhanced in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index issued by Transparency International. It has moved up to 22nd place out among the 180 countries included in the annual survey – which puts it ahead of France and only… Read more
18th November 2009
After respectfully bowing to the emperor of Japan last week, President Obama travelled on to China where both countries agreed that "the fundamental principle of respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity" was at the core of China-US relations.
Obama is big on respect. Speaking… Read more
17th November 2009
It is now two weeks since Saudi forces first clashed with Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Jabal al-Dukhan (the “Mountain of Smoke”) which straddles the border. Since then, what at first looked like a minor skirmish has turned into a large-scale – and possibly long-term – military operation by the Saudis.… Read more
16th November 2009
A young man from Qassim province in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to eight months in jail with 300 lashes for meeting an unrelated woman.
The couple, who have not been named, made contact online then met at a well-known restaurant in Riyadh, according to al-Jazirah newspaper (in Arabic). They… Read more
16th November 2009
When it comes to corruption, the Arab region is second only to Africa. Arab governments like to give the impression they are doing something about it, even though in most cases government corruption is a large part of the problem.
With the exception of Oman and Somalia, all Arab states have signed… Read more
12th November 2009
Suddenly, just about everyone (at least among the Sunni elements in the Middle East) is lining up to support Yemen and Saudi Arabia in their war with the Houthi rebels – even al-Qaeda.
“We have a war of rhetoric and a lot of people with vested interest want to make this into a proxy fight [against… Read more
11th November 2009
Yemen’s Houthi rebels drew up a plan two years ago to establish a Shia state embracing parts of northern Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia, according to one of the movement’s former leaders quoted in the Yemen Post.
The state would include all of Saada province together with large areas of al-Jawf,… Read more
11th November 2009
Uncovering the past is one thing, but turning it into politicised "heritage" is something else. The National reports the arrival of 13 Polish archaeologists in Kuwait for a "rescue mission" before history is buried under a $77billion megaproject known as City of Silk:
Piotr Bielinski, the director… Read more
10th November 2009
Saudi Arabia has now admitted what the Houthi rebels have long claimed and the Yemeni government has long denied: it is engaged in cross-border military action in Yemen.
The admission, which was possibly accidental, came when Prince Khaled bin Sultan, the deputy defence minister, visited troops in… Read more
10th November 2009
Yemen's Houthi rebels have released a video purporting to show a captured Saudi soldier, one of several they claim to be holding after last week's fighting.
"The rebels identified the man, who is seen receiving medical attention in the video, as Ahmed Abdullah Mohammed al-Amri," al-Jazeera reports… 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
