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A total of seven Yemeni soldiers, including an army major, weretaken hostage by southern separatists in two incidents on Saturday and Sunday.
The kidnappers are apparently seeking to pressurise the authorities after a 25-year-old man, Fares Adbullah Saleh, was sentenced to death for… Read more
The Saudi Gazette reports on a bizarre legal battle that ensued after a 37-year-old woman from Madina asked permission to marry and her father refused – apparently on the grounds that her proposed husband was a foreigner from a neighbouring Arab country (even though he belonged to… Read more
What on earth has got into the head of Marc Franco, the EU's ambassador to Egypt? Writing for al-Ahram Weekly, in an article to mark Human Rights Day (December 10), he says:
Looking back over the last few years, it is only fair to say that Egypt has made courageous… Read more
There is still no sign of the 250 African migrants who are reportedlyheld hostage by human traffickers in the Sinai desert of Egypt. The Egyptian authorities have expressed scepticism about the reports, though on Wednesday they did find 83 migrants who were trying to cross into… Read more
The website of al-Akhbar, the Lebanese leftist daily, was hacked yesterday. Readers who tried to access its site were treated instead to a glimpse of various web pages that implied a Saudi connection to the hacking.
The website in now shut down while technicians work to restore it – probably by… Read more
Readers of this blog may recall an incident last June when Sudan's Public Order Police, whose role includes enforcing "morality", arrested a couple of dozen people at a fashion show in Khartoum.
Yesterday, seven of the male models were convicted of "indecency" – for wearing make… Read more
"By many measures, Tunisia should be a close US ally. But it is not." That was the blunt message from the American ambassador in Tunis, in a document released by Wikileaks.
It was written by the departing ambassador, Robert Godec, in July last year, apparently as a briefing for his… Read more
A brief update on the shocking case of the African migrants held hostage in Egypt by traffickers who are demanding more money from them. Several reports now put the number at "up to 250", and it's good to see the UNHCR making representations on their behalf.
UNHCR officials say (here… Read more
Saudis certainly know how to party. Well, some of them at least. The scene above (via the American Bedu blog) shows youthful revelry in the streets of Jeddah during last year's National Day celebrations.
But Halloween? Isn't that the kind of festival that's condemned… Read more
While we're on the subject of Wikileaks, I've been waiting eagerly for some interesting cables to emerge from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. After all, I seem to remember Hillary Clinton apologising to the Israelis in advance for any embarrassment that might ensue.
But it seems that all we're getting… 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
