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I haven't seen this reported anywhere in English, but an Arabic website says a prominent journalist in al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to two months in jail, plus 50 lashes, for "inciting" people to protest about power cuts outside an electricity company. The… Read more
The Moroccan authorities yesterday suspended al-Jazeera's operations in the country by withdrawing press accreditation its staff who are based there.
A statement from the communications ministry said the Qatar-based TV station had "seriously distorted Morocco's image and manifestly… Read more
An intriguing report in Asharq Alawsat says the US and Israel have been quietly exploring the possibility of a land-lease option for parts of the West Bank.
The proposal is that under a peace deal, Israel would lease some land (including "land in occupied eastern Jerusalem and the… Read more
Qatar has out-performed both Britain and the United States in this year's Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International. The tiny Gulf state is ranked 19th worldwide – one place ahead of the UK and four places ahead of the US.
Elsewhere among the Arab counrties the… Read more
Saudi Arabia's religious police – the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice – have reported a 20% drop in the number of cases they handled since last year, saying this is due to a "fear of negative media portrayal".
The often-thuggish behaviour of the… Read more
The World Economic Forum is currently meeting in Marrakesh and the photograph above, showing an odd but official-looking banner, is being passed around on the internet.
The wording says: "Wolrd [sic] Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa. Can We Cut to the… Read more
Following yesterday's story about the Saudi "morality queen" contest – won by Zainab al-Khatam, who dutifully stays at home "taking care of her family" – here's the other side of the coin.
Twenty-nine-year-old Samar Badawi has just been released after spending seven months in jail… Read more
Ahead of next month's elections in Jordan, five people have been charged with vote-buying, the Jordan Times reports. Under the electoral law, they could face seven years in jail.
The 2007 elections were marred by complaints of irregularities and this is the first time the Jordanian authorities… Read more
Discussing the use of child soldiers in Yemen, the US State Department's annual report on trafficking in persons, issued in June, said:
"Despite a 1991 [Yemeni] law which stipulates that recruits to the armed forces must be at least 18 years of age, and assertions by the government that… Read more
The annual Queen of Beautiful Morals contest in Saudi Arabia, where contestants are chosen not for their appearance but their commitment to "traditional" Saudi values, has been won by Zainab al-Khatam, a 24-year-old blind woman from Qatif.
Arab News says that since finishing at… 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
