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2nd November 2016
This is not a trick question: Why does the governing body for gymnastics in Britain resemble the regime of Saudi Arabia? Answer: Because they both think they are entitled to punish people for blasphemy.
In Britain, unlike Saudi Arabia, there is no law against blasphemy – except, apparently, for… Read more
30th October 2016
Multiple airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen hit two prisons in a Houthi-run security complex yesterday, reportedly killing dozens of people, including prisoners. Other strikes which hit houses in Taiz province are reported to have wiped out two families, including women and children.… Read more
27th October 2016
Britain's parliament yesterday rejected calls for "a full independent UN-led investigation" into alleged war crimes in Yemen and for suspension of British support to the Saudi-led coalition "until it has been determined whether they have been responsible for any such violations".
A motion put… Read more
26th October 2016
Having declared that 2016 is the "Year of Egyptian Youth", President Sisi yesterday inaugurated a conference intended – in Sisi's words – to "have a dialogue and raise hope" among the young. But hope, along with sugar in Egypt, is currently in short supply.
At the opening session of the conference… Read more
20th October 2016
In a story labelled "exclusive", Reuters reports that Iran has stepped up transfers of weapons to Yemen's Houthis:
"The increased pace of transfers in recent months, which officials said include missiles and small arms, could exacerbate a security headache for the United States ...
"Much of the… Read more
18th October 2016
Within hours of airstrikes that killed at least 140 Yemenis attending a funeral on October 8, the Saudi-led coalition flatly denied any involvement. A week later, the Saudis threw up their hands and admitted responsibility. So how did this sudden U-turn come about?
The Saudis might be still… Read more
17th October 2016
Yesterday the United States, Britain and the UN's special envoy issued a joint call for a rapid and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen.
"We are not calling for this in a vacuum," US secretary of state John Kerry said; there have been "communications" with representatives of the Houthis who control… Read more
15th October 2016
Saudi Arabia now accepts that it should not have bombed the funeral in Yemen last Saturday, killing at least 140 people and injuring more than 500.
A statement issued today through the Saudi government news agency blamed the kingdom's Yemeni allies for instigating the attack based on false… Read more
14th October 2016
Saudi Arabia is surely relieved. Less than a week after its coalition warplanes committed the worst atrocity of the Yemen war so far, killing at least 140 people at a funeral and injuring more than 500, the heat is off and the media focus has shifted to Iran.
The bombing in the Yemeni capital last… Read more
14th October 2016
The United States, which has been anxious not to acquire the legal status of "co-belligerent" in the Yemen war, yesterday fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at three radar stations on Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory. The strikes signal a further escalation of tensions in the Red Sea which have been… 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
