Blog archive all
1st May 2015
Almost a month since the Islamic State group was expelled from Tikrit, the city is a graffiti-covered ghost town ruled by opposing groups of gunmen, none of whom trust one another.
By Mustafa Habib in Tikrit, via Niqash
In Basha Street in the centre of the Iraqi city of Tikrit,… Read more
30th April 2015
British supermarket chief Mike Coupe: sentenced to jail by a court in Egypt without his knowledge
Egypt's repressive Sisi regime held a glitzy conference in Sharm el-Sheikh last month designed to attract foreign investment. More than 1,700 investors, government officials and consultancy experts… Read more
30th April 2015
I had been looking forward to this year's International Human Rights Rank Indicator (IHRRI) which was due to be issued tomorrow but – alas – it has suddenly, and without explanation, been postponed for several months.
The IHRRI is (or perhaps was) an international league table of human rights,… Read more
29th April 2015
Tunisia is the only bright spot, says report
Following historic gains for media freedom in 2011 as a result of the Arab Spring, Tunisia is the only Arab country continuing to make progress, according to the latest annual report from Freedom House.
The report, which covers 199 countries… Read more
29th April 2015
The changes in Saudi Arabia's royal pecking order, announced overnight, raise the question of what they are likely to mean for Yemen.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 34-year-old defence minister, appears to have been rewarded for his disastrous bombing of Yemen by being promoted to Deputy Crown… Read more
28th April 2015
The last few days have brought a spate of articles about Syria, all noting that the Assad regime is under increasingly serious pressure:
Assad’s hold on power looks shakier than ever as rebels advance in Syria (Washington Post)
The Assad Regime: The Beginning of the End? (Middle East Institute… Read more
26th April 2015
Labour leader Ed Miliband meets The Muslim News
Miliband interview causes a Twitter storm
In the midst of Britain's general election campaign, The Muslim News reports:
"A future Labour government is committed to outlaw the scourge of Islamophobia by changing the law and making it an… Read more
24th April 2015
Cooperation is good, but not always easy
There was a long-overdue development in Britain's general election campaign earlier today when Labour opposition leader Ed Miliband gave a speech on foreign policy – an issue which has largely been ignored until now apart from interminable arguments about… Read more
21st April 2015
An Iranian “armada” is heading towards Yemen, according to a report last Friday. A couple of days later, the American aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt set sail from the Gulf, also heading in the direction of Yemen. Fox News is in no doubt about what this means; a headline on its website says “US… Read more
18th April 2015
Lookalikes: Abozer Mohamed of Maarij (left) and Abozer Elmana Elligai of GNRD (right)
Following the revelation that it is at the centre of a $13 million money-laundering investigation by Norwegian police, the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) has been eager to create the… 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
