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12th August 2009
“Broad offensive”, “iron fist”, “all-out onslaught” … the news agencies are reporting a large-scale government attack on the Houthi rebels (Reuters and dpa) in northern Yemen.
The army launched “aerial, artillery and missile strikes on the strategic heights of Matra and Dhahian, the two main… Read more
12th August 2009
A few weeks ago I was chatting with my friend Nesrine Malik about the dearth of science fiction in Arabic literature. There are certainly elements of fantasy in Arabic literature, going right back to the Thousand and One Nights, but that is not quite the same as the futuristic stuff you find in… Read more
11th August 2009
Despite mediation efforts, the Houthi rebellion in northern Yemen shows no sign of abating. President Salih, speaking at a meeting of Yemen’s Supreme Security Committee, warned the rebels “that the continuation of their assaults and attempts to disturb public security and tranquillity would only… Read more
11th August 2009
Egypt’s real estate tax collectors are due to start an open-ended national strike today. Strikes are commonplace in Egypt but this one is especially significant.
The tax collectors won a major victory in 2007 after a series of protests that
… culminated with a 12-day sit-in in front of the… Read more
10th August 2009
A young man blew himself up in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, on Saturday evening. Nobody else was killed.
It was the country’s first suicide bombing. Some reports suggest the intended target may have been the French embassy and point a finger at Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Though… Read more
10th August 2009
Mohammad Abdul Fatah, a 73-year-old Egyptian Muslim, has been awarded custody of his seven-year-old grandson because the boy’s parents changed their religion.
Following the parents’ conversion to the Baha’i faith, the grandfather sought advice from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Gulf News says.
"He advised… Read more
10th August 2009
No two ways about it: learning Arabic is hard work, but the Arabic Media Shack has some useful tips.
9th August 2009
The United Arab Emirates is seeking to have falconry recognised by Unesco as part of the world’s “intangible heritage”. The application will be submitted to Unesco this month for consideration under the auspices of the international Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural… Read more
8th August 2009
At long last, the system of employers’ sponsorship for foreign workers – a major cause of exploitation in the Arab Gulf states – seems to be coming to an end.
Sponsorship, in effect, ties foreign workers (and their continued residence in the country) to a single employer, often with dire… Read more
7th August 2009
“Imagine a place where you can shoot a film from start to finish in one location. From scripting to casting to pre-production to filming in exotic locations to editing to sound recording to visual animation to processing to distribution and finally to the premiere night. Imagine a place like Dubai… 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
