Blog archive all
17th February 2024
Publishing an independent newspaper is a hazardous business in countries where there is no tradition of a free press and where the authorities are not accustomed to having their actions questioned in print. Founded in 1991, the Yemen Times broke new ground in Yemeni journalism and won… Read more
1st December 2023
At the height of the AIDS epidemic millions of people, especially in the world’s poorest countries, faced illness and death without access to proper treatment — and desperation opened the door for charlatans raising false hopes with quack cures.
Among them was Abd al-Majeed al-Zindani, one of… Read more
24th October 2023
When an explosion caused mass casualties at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza last week it was scarcely surprising that Palestinians — along with many others — assumed Israel was responsible.
Israel had already phoned the hospital more than once to demand its evacuation, and a strike the previous… Read more
26th September 2023
One of the most horrific moments of the Syrian conflict came in August 2013 when rockets laden with the nerve agent sarin hit Ghouta, a rebel-held area on the outskirts of Damascus. Hundreds of people died and thousands more were injured. It was the deadliest chemical attack anywhere in the world… Read more
23rd August 2023
More information is gradually emerging about the mysterious private jet impounded at Lusaka airport in Zambia after a flight from Cairo, and enough is now known to suggest a possible explanation of what was going on.
It appears that the Egyptians on board the jet had flown to Lusaka to buy gold… Read more
21st August 2023
Centre of suspicion: the impounded Bombardier business jet, registration T7-WSS, on the tarmac at Lusaka airportLast week Zambian drug enforcement officers searched and impounded a private jet after it landed at Lusaka airport on a flight from Cairo. It turned out there were no drugs on board but… Read more
1st October 2022
"International observer" Beeley (right) at the news conferenceA British woman who became a prominent defender of Syria’s Assad regime resurfaced this week as an “international observer” for Russia’s sham referendums in Ukraine.
Vanessa Beeley – described by Russian broacaster RT as “an independent… Read more
24th September 2022
A British academic whose Twitter account is tagged as "Iran state-affiliated media" was the main author of a report on Islamophobia published this week with funding from the EU's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme.
The academic in question – former professor David Miller – is a director… Read more
17th September 2022
A man has been sentenced to death in Libya after converting from Islam to Christianity, according to local news reports.
Details are scarce, but Dhiaa al-Din Ahmed Miftah Balao – described as an information technology graduate – appears to have previously been a devoted Muslim and is said to… Read more
25th August 2022
The Egyptian authorities have got themselves in a tangle over photography. They want the country to be seen as an attractive tourist destination and if photographers would just focus on nice things, like feluccas sailing on the Nile and sunsets over the pyramids, all would be well. The problem,… 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
