Blog archive all
In an apparent attempt to release Faris Mana'a, Yemen's top arms dealer (now under arrest), his relatives opened fireyesterday on a police convoy taking him to court. The driver of a passing mini-bus was killed.
Mana'a served for some time as head of the committee mediating between the… Read more
In a rare burst of public relations activity yesterday, the Egyptian embassy in London circulated emails to journalists about the latest extension of the country's emergency law which has been in place since 1967 (apart from a short break around 1980).
For several years the government has been… Read more
There were angry scenes in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, on Monday when students protested against the abduction and murder of Sardasht Osman, a 23-year-old freelance journalist. More demonstrations are expected today in Sulaimaniya.
Many are blaming his killing… Read more
Next Sunday, May 16, is the International Day Against Homophobia, or Idaho for short. Uniquely among the Arab countries, it will be observed in Beirut (as it has been for several years now).
Rather controversially, the title of this year's Idaho event in… Read more
Health authorities in the holy city of Madina are investigatingallegations of nepotism and fraud at the King Fahd hospital.
One senior official at the hospital is accused of appointing his nephew to fill a vacancy; another is accused of using fraudulent means to get his son and two nephews… Read more
The issue of child labour in the Arab states "has long been viewed either with indifference or with a degree of scepticism," the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says in a new report. "However, the last decade or so has witnessed a dramatic change both at the government level and in civil… Read more
Bahrain's unelected upper house of parliament has blocked a move by the lower house (elected and Islamist-dominated) to impose a total ban on the public sale and consumption of alcohol.
With backing from Bahrain's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Shura Council last week amended… Read more
Yemen has joined the list of Arab countries trying to stop people making cheap phone calls over the internet. According to the Yemen Times, blocking of Skype was introduced earlier this yearat the request of TeleYemen to protect the revenue it gets from international calls.
TeleYemen… Read more
Today's Arab News has an interview with Sir William Patey, who has just moved to Afghanistan after three years as Britain's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is changing, he says, and for the first time in ages it has a sovereign and group of senior people who are thinking long-term… Read more
Omani women can now appeal directly to Sultan Qaboos if their family do not allow them to marry the man of their own choice, according to a royal decree reported in The National. The paper explains:
Many parents, according to judicial experts, use the court of law to prevent their… 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
