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The Arab Free Press Forum, which I'm attending in Beirut, opened today with a discussion of "soft" censorship and the judicial stranglehold on the media.
The prevalence of soft censorship in Arab countries is not a sign that regimes are becoming more civilised, we were told, and in many ways it is… Read more
Following last month's botched airstrike which accidentally killed Jaber al-Shabwani, the deputy governor of Marib province, along with four bodyguards, his tribe has now accepted compensationfrom the Yemeni government – in the form of five million riyals ($22,000) and 200 Kalshnikov… Read more
In a legal ruling that has far-reaching implications, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court last week ordered Pope Shenouda III to allow two Coptic Christians, in two separate cases, to remarry after divorce.
At present the Coptic church does not allow re-marriage except in very limited… Read more
Egypt opened its border with Gaza yesterday in a move which is "seen as a response to increasing Arab anger at what is perceived as Egyptian complicity in the [Israeli] blockade" (as the Guardian puts it).
The decision followed demonstrations in Cairo on Monday and may take some of… Read more
The Saudi government has begun issuing new papers for marriage contracts which will require the age of the bride to be recorded. Arab News reports:
“The new marriage contracts represent a serious step to prevent the marriage of young girls,” said sources at the ministry. “There is a serious… Read more
Israel's assault on the humanitarian aid flotilla brought protesters on to the streets in numerous western countries yesterday, with
demonstrations in Washington, London, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Greece, Cyprus – and of course Turkey which seems to have suffered the brunt of the casualties. In… Read more
An interesting variant on that hoary old tale of Muslims who cut open aubergines, tomatoes, etc, and find the word "Allah" miraculously inscribed in Arabic by the arrangement of the seeds.
Now, the Yemen Observer reports a similar miracle of a more secular kind: a 32-year-old man who has… Read more
The family of Suzanne Tamim, the murdered Lebanese pop star, have dropped their civil claim against her alleged killers, according to numerous reports (The National, Reuters, AFP, etc).
Hisham Talat Mustafa, an Egyptian property magnate who is close to the Mubarak regime, was convicted of… Read more
A story of a kind that's all too familiar in the Middle East. Last Friday night, an altercation broke out between two motorists in the streets of Rabat, right in front of the parliament building. In the ensuing scuffle, one of the motorists (a local doctor) was injured.
The… Read more
Khadija Ahmed, a 32-year-old mother who owns what is thought to be Bahrain's first sex shop (discreetly known as "Khadija Fashion House"), was up in court on Monday, accused of insulting a customs officer during a dispute over the types of items she is allowed to import. The case was… 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
