Blog archive all
11th March 2010
A 27-year-old Saudi man from Jeddah has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a year in jail and a fine of 5,000 riyals ($1,330) after appearing in an amateur gay video (above).
The film, which lasts 2 minutes and 46 seconds, shows him dressed in a police uniform asking to inspect someone's driving… Read more
10th March 2010
President Salih of Yemen held out an olive branch to the southern separatists yesterday, offering to discuss their grievances.
"Come talk with your brothers in the authority, and we will talk with you," he said. "We extend the hand of dialogue without (you) having to resort to violence or blocking… Read more
10th March 2010
Like him or loathe him, when Rupert Murdoch has something to say it's always worth listening. Giving the opening speech (full text here) to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit yesterday, he made an economic case for freedom of expression in the Middle East. And it was presented in a way that many in the… Read more
8th March 2010
A military court in Cairo yesterday dropped charges against Ahmed Mostafa, the young blogger who was arrested a fortnight ago and accused of "tarnishing the image" of the armed forces.
He had written in his Arabic-language blog about someone being removed from a military college so that a rich kid… Read more
7th March 2010
An al-Qaeda suspect who was taken to hospital in Yemen after claiming to be ill seized a gun from one of his guards and shot him dead, then held two other guards hostage yesterday.
The suspect, named Sharif Mobily – a German national of Somali origin – was eventually overpowered and taken to… Read more
7th March 2010
An article for the Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor takes a brief but interesting look at the social roots of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
The author, Murad Batal al-shishani, says al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (as the Yemen-based network is known) is dominated by Yemenis (56%) with Saudis… Read more
7th March 2010
A rumour has been going round that the Saudi authorities are about the cut off the BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) – much to the annoyance of its customers. According to versions the cut-off was due to happen last Saturday, though it hasn't materialised yet.
The story began when al-Watan… Read more
5th March 2010
It now appears that no one saw the murder of Ali Tounsi, Algeria's national security chief, in his office last week. The interior minister has promised "full transparency" in the investigation but says: "The crime was without witnesses."
This is odd but no doubt convenient for the regime. Press… Read more
5th March 2010
A demonstrator was shot dead by security forces in Yemen yesterday as he tried to remove a Yemeni flag from a government building and hoist a southern flag in its place during a separatist protest. The shooting, in Radfan (Lahej province), is reported by Reuters and DPA.
Meanwhile, more details… Read more
3rd March 2010
It's strange how Reuters grandly describes the prominent Yemeni separatist, Ali Salim al-Baidh, as "an exiled former president of South Yemen". At a stretch, it's technically correct but it's also misleading.
Al-Baidh was secretary-general of the Socialist Party during the last few years of its… 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
