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There are signs that the Egyptian authorities are becoming slightly more cooperative in their dealings with Italy over death of Giulio Regeni.
Regeni, a 28-year-old Italian studying for a doctorate at Cambridge University, disappeared in Cairo on January 25. Nine days later his body – showing… Read more
The number of job losses at the Binladin construction firm in Saudi Arabia has now reached 89,000, according to company sources cited by al-Watan newspaper.
Some 77,000 expatriate workers have been dismissed and issued with exit visas – an increase on the 50,000 figure reported … Read more
Newspapers in Saudi Arabia are reporting that the kingdom's largest construction firm, the Saudi Binladin Group, has axed 50,000 employees – thought to be about a quarter of its workforce.
The move comes just days after the king's favourite son, Prince Mohammed by Salman, announced ambitious… Read more
The recent Arab Youth Survey – widely reported by the world's media and personally endorsed by the ruler of Dubai – made a number of important claims.
One was that a majority of young Arabs (52%) agree that "religion plays too big of a role in the Middle East". This was highlighted in the survey as… Read more
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, based in Dubai, is one of the Middle East's most prominent PR firms. It boasts on its website:
"ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller has played a pivotal role in the development of the Middle East public relations industry. Through its longstanding commitment to providing innovative… Read more
"Mashrou' Leila are one of the most notable indie pop bands in the Middle East – and one of the most controversial. With a lead singer who is openly gay and lyrics sung in Arabic that satirise Lebanese society and politics, the band are overturning the status quo in Arab pop." … Read more
Renouncing Islam is a crime punishable by death in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In practice, though, the law isn't implemented nowadays. On the rare occasions that an apostasy case comes to court, the accused person is usually allowed to flee the country or… Read more
The annual Arab Youth Survey has been getting a lot of media attention since its findings were published earlier this month. Worldwide, it has generated a couple of hundred news items and three Emirati newspapers – Gulf News, The National and Khaleej Times – have produced no fewer than 17 items… Read more
"I was annoyed to see, once again, the UAE being included in the lists of global 'tax havens' trotted out after the Panama data was leaked," Frank Kane writes in a column for the Emirati newspaper, The National. He continues: "To group the Emirates together with the British Virgin Islands… Read more
Saudi Arabia, elected to the UN Human Rights Council three years ago in dubious circumstances, continues to play a negative role in the organisation's affairs. During the most recent session of the council, last month, it took a stand against protecting women, children and sexual minorities… 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
