One dead despite Syria no-shoot order, say activists
DAMASCUS: At least one protester was shot dead in Syria on Friday despite an order from President Bashar Al-Assad for security forces not to open fire on demonstrators, rights activists…
Egypt braces for turmoil-hit Q1 results
DUBAI/CAIRO: A construction boom in Saudi Arabia and hopes for an index upgrade in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates signal a positive week ahead for Gulf markets. But Egypt,…
Libya rebels take diplomatic offensive to White House
BENGHAZI: Libyan rebel leader Mahmud Jibril was headed for the White House Friday as he pressed a diplomatic offensive buoyed by a British invitation to open a first foreign office…
Yemen’s Saleh defies crowds demanding his exit
SANAA: Huge crowds in Sanaa and other Yemeni cities demanded on Friday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh leave after months of popular tumult that has brought the Arab world's poorest…
Israel police on high alert as ‘Nakba’ events begin
JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces were on high alert on Friday for fear of violence as the Palestinians began marking the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" which befell them following Israel's establishment in…
Arab auteurs go global at Cannes after revolt chaos
Riding the wave of the Arab Spring, Egyptian film star Khaled Abol Naga and his international backers have launched a revolutionary bid to bring quality Arab cinema to the global…
Buttered Up: Pita bread and Being In-between
Once upon a time, I sat on the warm floor of a kitchen. I cannot quite recall why I was sitting on the floor or how long for, but I…
Egyptian women and sectarian strife
By Rania Al Malky CAIRO: A pernicious misogynistic streak has been evident in the social attitude and media language that has emerged in relation to the so-called “woman-induced” sectarian violence that…
Democracy’s dawn in Tunisia and Egypt?
By Alfred Stepan CAIRO: With protests fading in Tunis and seeming to have peaked in Cairo, it is time to ask whether Tunisia and Egypt will complete democratic transitions. I have…
Jews extend Quran to Muslims
By Habeeb Alli TORONTO, Canada: I’m thrilled again to have been a part of recent history — while someone burned the Quran in the United States, another presented us with a…