Blog archive all
19th September 2018
Peter Hitchens, the Mail On Sunday columnist, claims to have detected a "very interesting pattern" in official reports about chemical weapon allegations in Syria. The pattern, he says, is that "if official reports don't justify punitive attacks on Syria, new reports then appear, which do provide… Read more
13th September 2018
A "vast body of evidence" supports claims that a chemical attack took place in Douma earlier this year, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said yesterday.
The reported attack, on April 7, led to airstrikes by American, British and French forces six days later. As on all previous occasions, the… Read more
12th September 2018
Video footage of a faked chemical attack in Syria, which the Russian military claimed would be "handed to global news outlets by the end of Tuesday", has so far failed to materialise.
According to a briefing note issued by the Russian Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria and posted… Read more
10th September 2018
Fighting near the Yemeni city of Hodeidah intensified at the weekend after peace talks in Geneva were abandoned before they had even begun.
The talks foundered over a dispute about travel arrangements which meant that representatives of the Houthi rebels who control much of northern Yemen failed… Read more
8th September 2018
Amid fears of a bloodbath in northern Syria where regime forces and their Russian allies are poised for an assault on the last rebel-held area, victory festivities are already under way in the capital.
This year's Damascus International Fair, a 10-day exhibition of consumer goods, opened on… Read more
29th August 2018
Since 2012 there have been scores of suspected chemical attacks in Syria – possibly more than 200. Of those, only a few have been investigated by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and only three have resulted in significant consequences for the alleged perpetrator.… Read more
24th August 2018
George Papadopoulos, the first person to plead guilty in the Trump-Russia affair, is due to be sentenced soon for giving false information to the FBI but, since he later agreed to cooperate with the investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended a light or non-existent jail term… Read more
17th August 2018
Fifteen years after US-led invasion, Iraq continues to face a multitude of problems. Iraqi citizens are tired of it and, increasingly, they are blaming the country's politicians. Demands are growing for political reform and a serious effort to tackle corruption.
In an… Read more
16th August 2018
A former British ambassador has called on western governments to "shorten the agony of Syria" by re-engaging with the Assad regime – in effect, turning a blind eye to the regime's atrocities during the seven-year conflict.
In an article circulated (here, here and here) by the regime's defenders,… Read more
13th August 2018
Boris Johnson, Britain's recently-resigned foreign secretary, built his political career by courting controversy. He has gained notoriety over the years by referring to young women as "hot totty", gay men as "tank-topped bumboys" and black Africans as "piccaninnies".
His latest foray into populist… 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
