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Sometime in the future, when historians come to analyse the fall of the Saudi monarchy, the “regularisation” programme of 2013 is likely be seen as one of its causes.
“Regularisation” (a euphemism for expelling migrant workers in their tens of thousands) was meant to end the practice of illegally… Read more
All militias from the Libyan city of Misrata have been told to leave the capital, Tripoli, within 72 hours, and "without exception", the BBC reports this morning.
The Libya Herald says the withdrawal call came from members of Misrata’s shura council, local elders and commanders… Read more
A satirical song about the Saudi crackdown on migrants has become a hit on YouTube. “Ja Jawazat” – depicting Asians without passports – has been viewed more than a million times since it was posted in June.
Saudi Arabia’s ill-conceived crackdown on migrants continues to take its toll, and one of… Read more
An article in the Washington Post by David Ignatius reveals previously unreported French involvement in Yemen's Houthi conflict last year.
It says that the Saudis asked the US for imagery from surveillance satellites to assist their bombing of rebel positions in Yemen, but this… Read more
Saudi Arabia – once described as "the world's largest women's prison" – has finally won a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
There's still a slim chance that the kingdom, having been duly elected, will now turn the seat down, as it did last month when elected to the UN Security Council… Read more
The Saudi authorities arrested a total of 33,353 “illegal expatriates” and deported 14,304 during the first week of the crackdown against migrants which began on November 4, according to the General Directorate of Prisons.
In Riyadh, some 17,000 “illegal Ethiopians” have surrendered… Read more
Following an eight-day fact-finding visit to Qatar a UN investigator has called for an end to the restrictive sponsorship system for employing expatriate workers.
François Crépeau, the UN’s special rapporteur on migrants’ rights, said Qatar should make it easier for migrants to change… Read more
Two people died in Riyadh on Saturday in fights involving foreign migrants, Saudi citizens and police.
The rioting, in the Manfouhah district of the capital – a poor neighbourhood where many East Africans live – was the worst outbreak of violence since the Saudi authorities launched their "all-out… Read more
Thousands of expatriate taxi drivers in Jeddah have stopped work as result of Saudi Arabia's crackdown on migrant labour. Many have already left the kingdom – never to return – but most are thought to be in hiding for fear of arrest and deportation.
One company manager, Abdullah al-Shehri, … Read more
Dressed in a spotless white thobe, Madinah's municipality chief picked up a brush yesterday to assist other Saudi officials in sweeping the streets around the Prophet's Mosque.
This unprecedented but largely symbolic move came when the regular street cleaners stopped work in protest at 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
