Blog archive all
I happened to be watching Moroccan television in July 1999 when the programme was interrupted. A newsreader appeared, announced the death of King Hassan and burst into a flood of tears. My Moroccan companion looked startled ( since the death was unexpected) but remained totally dry-eyed – which I… Read more
Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia has sent a cable of congratulation to Sultan Qaboos of Oman on the anniversary of his country's Renaissance Day. The Crown Prince wished the Sultan permanent good health and happiness, and his people steady progress and prosperity.
Sultan Qaboos has… Read more
It’s beginning to look as if the Red-Dead Project – an imaginative (some would say fanciful) scheme to channel water from the Red Sea into the Dead Sea – may one day come to fruition.
The Jordan Times reports that Egypt has dropped its reservations to the project, which was jointly agreed… Read more
Last week I mentioned a fascinating article on The Long Slumber blog called The crisis of Arab masculinities. Well, the same blog has now come up with another one: Hymen: the Arabs’ finest fetish. It begins ...
Contrary to common belief, fetishes do not just exist in the tents of West… Read more
Numerous violent incidents reported from southern Yemen on Saturday suggest the situation is deteriorating rapidly:
The house of Abyan governor Ahmed Al-Miysari was attacked with light and medium-sized weapons; no casualties.
The home of the director of political security in Abyan was also… Read more
There are conflicting reports of the latest attacks by Houthi rebels in northern Yemen.
The Yemen Post says seven soldiers were killed on Thursday and Friday in al-Khamees district of Saada province. AFPquotes a military source as saying: "Clashes broke out after Houthi rebels… Read more
It’s worth noting the arrests this week of three bloggers in Egypt – one of the 10 worst countries to be a blogger, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Those arrested are: Abdel Rahman Ayyash, Al-Ghareeb (The Stranger); Magdi Saad, formerly of Yalla… Read more
I’m in two minds about Mazen Abdul Jawad, the 32-year-old Saudi who has been arrested after bragging on TV about his sexual conquests. He does come across as appallingly sexist. On the other hand, that’s no reason for the religious police to swing into action and have him flogged.
Abdul Jawad, a… Read more
Moqtada al-Sadr, the rabble-rousing Iraqi cleric, visited President Assad in Damascus earlier this week to discuss “brotherly and friendly relations and mutual interests”.
The Syrian president underlined “the importance of strengthening national unity among the Iraqi people, and Syria's care for… Read more
Agence France Presse is reporting that at least 16 people were killed today and 30 injured by shelling and gunfire in Zinjibar on the southern coast of Yemen. Earlier reports (including theofficial news agency and the BBC put the death toll at eight). AFP says the… 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
