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Plainclothes thugs attacked Ayman Nour, Egypt’s much-harassed opposition politician, and his contingent at a fish restaurant in Hurghada last night, Bikya Masr reports.
Ahmed Abdul Gawad, Nour’s media assistant, was severely beaten and wounded, Nour told Bikya Masr on Saturday evening in… Read more
The Tunisian authorities are taking their usual efficient measures to ensure that uppity journalists do nothing to cast a shadow over President Ben Ali's re-election tomorrow.
On Tuesday, Le Monde correspondent Florence Beaugé was refused entry and, after a night at Tunis airport, bundled back on a… Read more
The Tunisian election campaign (parliamentary and presidential) has got under way in customary fashion. Magharebia has the details:
President Ben Ali delivered a speech to thousands of supporters. He outlined his platform and promised fairness in this year's elections.
Parties… Read more
A senior Yemeni army commander died in an ambush yesterday (presumably at the hands of Houthi rebels), according to an Associated Press report which cites unnamed official sources:
"The officials say Brig Gen Omar Ali al-Issa, who headed an infantry division engaged in the fighting in the… Read more
Yemen's Houthi rebels have reportedly clashed with Saudi forces involved in the construction of a border fence. Reutersand the BBC have the story.
Reuters quotes a statement on a rebel website which says: "Residents of the area reject any fence which would have a negative economic… Read more
The UN conference on climate change is only a few weeks away, and what are the Arab countries doing about it? Next to nothing, or even worse.
“Most Arab countries do not even have a position on climate change, and many of the delegates [who have attended international talks] do not have… Read more
"If asked where change is likely to come from in the Arab countries, I would not put much faith in 'reformist' politicians and opposition parties – they're mostly no-hopers – but I would definitely put feminists, gay men, lesbians and bloggers very high on my list."
Read my full article … Read more
Arab countries are all in the bottom two-thirds of this year's Press Freedom Index issued by the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF). Kuwait has the highest ranking, in 60th place out of 175, closely followed by Lebanon.
This year, for the first time, Israel – in 93rd place, down… Read more
The field commander of the Houthi rebels, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, has died in hospital after being captured, according to medical sources cited by the Yemen Post.
On Sunday, several local websites reported that Houthi – regarded by the authorities as the most dangerous man in… Read more
In the continuing trials of suspected Houthi rebels, 10 more men were sentenced to death in Yemen yesterday, bringing the total of death sentences so far to 22. Six others were jailed yesterday for 15 years each.
They are among 190 defendants in a series of trials connected with… 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
