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30th October 2010
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 Jordan Valley")… Read more
29th October 2010
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 picture is… Read more
29th October 2010
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 religious police… Read more
28th October 2010
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 Chase? Show Me the… Read more
28th October 2010
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 for "disobeying… Read more
28th October 2010
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 have… Read more
27th October 2010
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 the… Read more
27th October 2010
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 school, Ms Khatam… Read more
26th October 2010
Fifteen men described as al-Qaeda fighters whose names are on the government's wanted list surrendered to the authorities in southern Yemen yesterday.
They gave themselves up following negotiations with tribal leaders in the area and the governor of Abyan province is quoted as saying that more are… Read more
26th October 2010
In Egypt the state has a virtual monopoly on data, which effectively stops public debate about government decisions. Read more at Comment Is Free ...
Posted by Brian Whitaker, 26 October 2010.
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
