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A 30-year-old Sri Lankan maid, Ambagla Mudian Silage, hasjumped to her death from an employment on the fourth floor of a building in Jal el Dib, Lebanon.
Suicides by domestic workers are common in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East but usually occur at the home of the employer.… Read more
Egyptian border guards managed to arrest seven African migrants yesterday without killing any of them. Since January 2008 more than 60 people have died at the hands of border guards while trying to cross illegally into Israel.
Earlier this month Navi Pillay, the United Nation's top human… Read more
Following my blog post yesterday, several readers have already come up with titles for inclusion on a "Middle East bookshelf". Many thanks to those who contributed, and please keep the ideas coming. The search, as I explained yesterday, is for 10 books that would give a good general… Read more
I'm intrigued by a cryptic report in Arab News today which says "a number of people" are seeking to have an unnamed Saudi writer prosecuted for blasphemy.
The "offence" was apparently committed on the American-run al-Hurra TV channel, in a programme presented by Nadeen Al-Badr.
The male… Read more
Writing in the Independent, Robert Fisk says that several times a year he is asked by readers to recommend a list of books about the Middle East in English. "It's a tough one," he says – and indeed it is.
I've had similar requests myself and before giving an answer I like to find out what… Read more
The National reports on the drafting of a new and much-needed law in Abu Dhabi to tackle domestic abuse. There's talk of jailing abusive husbands or banning them from their homes and also – perhaps more importantly – of preventing family members from dropping charges in cases of abuse.… Read more
President Salih has now ordered the return of transmission equipment that the Yemeni authorities seized from the local offices of al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya TV stations last week.
The equipment was seized on the grounds that it was "unauthorised", though nobody believed that was… Read more
Rupert Murdoch's purchase of a tiny (9%) stake in Rotana, the media empire run by the Saudi prince, Alwaleed bin Talal, has stirred up some predictable paranoia in Egypt. His move is viewed "not only with suspicion but as signalling the decline of Arab film and art heritage," … Read more
Yemeni forces launched three more airstrikes said to be directed against al-Qaeda targets in Lawdar district of Abyan province yesterday.
There is no official word about casualties but Abbas al Assal, a spokesman for the separatist Southern Movement, said seven people were… Read more
Members of Egypt's small Baha'i community are still having problems with the authorities over ID cards, despite a court rulinglast year which supposedly resolved a five-year battle in their favour.
When the Egyptian government began introducing computerised ID cards, holders were… 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
