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Shortly before dawn on Friday, Saudi security forces raided a “satanist ceremony” (i.e. a rock concert) at a private residential compound in Riyadh.
A number of Saudis, Syrians and others were arrested (it is not known how many) and all the equipment was seized, including cameras and computer… Read more
Not to be sidelined amid Yemen’s growing mayhem (the Houthi rebellion alone has cost 338 civilian lives during the last 12 months according to government figures), al-Qaeda elements attacked a military vehicle in the eastern province of Marib on Thursday.
AFP says three soldiers died… Read more
Violence seems to be on the increase in Algeria again. Reuters reports that at least 14 soldiers were killed in an ambush on Wednesday. (Other reports give a death toll ranging from 11 to 20).
"The past two months have seen an upsurge in the violence," Reuters says. "Insurgents killed 18… Read more
Following the death threat to the head of al-Jazeera's bureau in Yemen, sahwa.net (the Islah party's website) reports that Naif al-Qanis, the spokesman of the Joint Meeting Parties (the opposition alliance) "was threatened on Thursday with killing by a caller who claimed that he… Read more
It’s almost two weeks since the latest Arab Human Development Report was published and, after the initial burst of news items which basically summarised its content, considered views are beginning to emerge.
The theme of the 2009 report, as I noted last week, is “human security” – a… Read more
I always thought there was something wrong with Fox News’s Middle East coverage. Now I know why.
Posted by Brian Whitaker, 30 July 2009
“Marhaban bikum,” says the elegantly dressed newsreader. She’s not wearing a headscarf and she sounds like a highly educated Arab. Her name, if I’ve deciphered it correctly, is Chiang Lu, and she’s presenting the TV news in Arabic – from Beijing.
The main news of the day is President Hu Jintao… Read more
It’s a sobering thought that despite all the turmoil in Yemen there are people who look to it as a haven of safety.
Almost a quarter of a million Somalis have fled their homes since May 7 to escape fighting in Mogadishu and up to 12,000 of them have gathered in the northern town of Bossasso, hoping… Read more
It’s Wednesday and I’m still flabbergasted by the review of Bruce Bawer’s latest book that appeared in the New York Times at the weekend.
The book is called Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom – so you needn’t read further to get the general drift. It’s part of… Read more
This video contains images, as they say on TV, “that some viewers may find disturbing”. Or amusing. Either way, the YouTube clip is causing a stir in Saudi Arabia because it’s said to show male employees of SABB (part of the giant HSBC banking corporation) having a knees-up in Riyadh.
For Saudis… 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
