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13th August 2015
Entrance to the University of Jordan in Amman
A session of Jordan's parliament was suspended amid uproar on Tuesday as dozens of MPs demanded the sacking of Labib Khadra, the higher education minister. The MPs were accusing the government of trying to abolish an "exception" system which allows… Read more
10th August 2015
There are few things more likely to infuriate Arab citizens than blatant abuse of privilege – when those with powerful connections behave as if the law does not apply to them. This is what led to a rare public outburst at the weekend in the Syrian city of Latakia in the Assad regime's heartland.… Read more
9th August 2015
The UAE has some of the world's toughest laws against drugs. Convicted drug traffickers are liable to be executed and possessing even small amounts of illicit substances can lead to a lengthy jail sentence.
Not only that. The British Foreign Office warns travellers arriving in the UAE or passing… Read more
8th August 2015
Rather belatedly, the United Nations has taken its first concrete step towards ending impunity for chemical attacks in Syria. Although any criminal charges are still a distant prospect, the move may be aimed more immediately at halting the use of chlorine as a weapon.
On Friday the Security… Read more
3rd August 2015
The document below, which has no official status, is a draft circulated by the Global Network for Rights and Development at a conference in Geneva on 16-17 February 2015.
It proposes establishing an "International Council for Counterterrorism", closely modelled on the UN… Read more
2nd August 2015
Privacy policy at al-bab
In case you are wondering about the pop-up box (which you should have seen by now) asking you to agree to the use of cookies, here's a short note of explanation.
It doesn't indicate a change in the use of cookies at al-bab. It's to make the existing… Read more
30th July 2015
The launch of Huffington Post's Arabic website earlier this week has had a surprisingly favourable media reception considering that it's a joint venture with a Qatari-owned company, that its editor-in-chief is a longstanding member of the Muslim Brotherhood and its editorial… Read more
28th July 2015
The grubby relationship between GNRD – a supposedly "neutral and impartial" human rights organisation – and the PYD, a Kurdish political party, continues. Anne-Marie Lizin, the discredited Belgian politician who revels in the title of GNRD's "High Commissioner for Europe", was interviewed recently… Read more
27th July 2015
In an Orwellian twist of logic, Gulf states are once again pushing to restrict religious freedom under the guise of promoting tolerance, combating extremism and protecting human rights.
At a conference in France at the weekend, a Saudi official from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs called for the… Read more
26th July 2015
Crossing boundaries
A discussion of Arabic literature in translation
MORE than ever before, novels by Arab writers are reaching new audiences in the west. More of their work is being translated into English and there are also growing numbers of Arabs who choose… 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
