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Just two days after a car bomb killed 17 or more Houthi supporters during a Shia religious festival in Yemen, a second car bomb attacked mourners attending a Houthi funeral yesterday. Reports of casualties vary wildly, from two including the suicide bomber (AFP) to 40 or more (… Read more
A 30-year-old Egyptian is due to appear before a military court on Monday, accused of "disclosing information about the Egyptian armed forces" on Facebook. He could face five years in jail if convicted.
Ahmed Hassan Bassyouni set up a Facebook group called "Conscription and Mobilisation Department… Read more
There's a very strange story going around that Kuwait has banned the use of digital SLR cameras (the sort with interchangeable lenses) in public places, except when used by accredited journalists.
Now, I know that Arab governments have a propensity for banning the most unlikely things for… Read more
Syria and the International Atomic Energy Authority seem to have reached an impasse over nuclear inspections. According to a report this week, Syria is refusing access "to numerous suspect sites and has provided scant or inconsistent information about its atomic activities".
The problems… Read more
An explosion said to be from a car bomb killed at least 17 people in the far north of Yemen on Wednesday, according to numerousreports.
The bomb targeted a procession of Houthi supporters celebrating the Eid al-Ghadir holiday (a Shia festival) in the Zaher district of al-Jawf province. A… Read more
I received an email the other day from MEMRI, the translation and "media research" outfit founded by former Israeli intelligence officer Yigal Carmon. It was appealing for money.
Considering all the critical things I have said about MEMRI over the years (here, here, here, here,… Read more
The popular Egyptian preacher and televangelist, Amr Khaled, has arrived in Yemen for a government-sponsored "hearts and minds" campaign against al-Qaeda.
This could be an important development if, as the Yemen Observer
suggests, it marks the start of a concerted effort to… Read more
The Wall Street Journal reported the other day that US special operations teams in Yemen are training counter-terrorism units created by President Salih and "commanded by his sons and nephews".
I do hope the Obama administration understands what it's getting into here, because… Read more
Just five days to go before Egypt's parliamentary election, but I can't work up much enthusiasm to write about it. The whole thing is a bad joke.
For a general overview, I'd recommend this assessment by Jack Shenker on his blog. "Welcome to the bizarre world of Egypt’s parliamentary… Read more
As I mentioned last Sunday, there's a debate going on in the Obama administration about the use of drones in Yemen for strikes against suspected militants (as opposed to just using them for surveillance). It's a hugely important debate, with implications for other parts of the world too.… 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
