Twitter ‘to remove anti-Semitic posts’ after legal threat in France
Friday, 19 October 2012
Twitter, a day after saying it blocked a neo-Nazi account in Germany in a global first, made another major concession Friday by agreeing to remove anti-Semitic posts in France, a lawyer said. The company did not immediately confirm the move, but the lawyer for a French Jewish student union said that after it ... Read More
WWE debuts its first wrestling show in Egypt
Friday, 19 October 2012
World Wrestling Entertainment has performed their show live in Egypt for the first time on Thursday, WWE said on its website. The WWE smack down crew will run three shows starting Thursday in Cairo. The Cairo Stadium Complex is hosting the event which will see top wrestling stars take to the ring. Big names include: ... Read More
ISESCO honors Al Arabiya GM during conference on Arab Spring media
Thursday, 18 October 2012
An Arab media conference, hosted by the Moroccan capital Rabat, called for increasing the independence of the Arab media and boosting the freedom of expression. The conference was held under the title “Arab media in the age of changes: did it achieve victory for professionalism or increased sectarianism?” A number of ... Read More
Arab artists: Chouk’s paintings reflect her subconscious
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Tunisian artist Mona Chouk flirts with the idea of painting faces in her work. She was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and migrated to Tunisia to study Business Administration, however changed to Fine Read More
UAE boasts Middle East’s largest hot-air balloon
Thursday, 18 October 2012
The United Arab Emirates’ long record-breaking list expanded as the Middle East’s largest hot-air balloon flew to its horizon early Wednesday. Already boasting for having the world’s biggest kebab, tallest tower, most expensively dressed Christmas tree and highest resident tower – among others, A6-BOB, the Middle East’s ... Read More
Arab artists: Obaid Suroor, a painter proud of his roots
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Obaid Suroor is an artist based in the UAE, finding inspiration in the local natural landscape; he paints reality according to his own unique Read More
‘9/11 mastermind’ can wear fatigues at Guantanamo trial
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Self-declared 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be allowed to wear military-style camouflage at his Guantanamo Bay trial, a U.S. military judge ruled Tuesday. The issue of what he and his four alleged co-conspirators will wear when they eventually appear before a military tribunal at the U.S. base in ... Read More
Antique, rare teapots exhibited in Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
The world’s oldest and most valuable traditional teapots are displayed in this exhibition. The price of some of those sets might exceed 130,000 Saudi riyals, which is equivalent to around $30,000. Teapot craftsmen spend four months to turn brass into a container for preserving Arabic coffee. Engraved on the pots are images ... Read More
Arab artists: Khalid al-Meqdadi finds inspiration in the most unusual places
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Khalid al-Meqdadi started his relationship with art at a young age, the bond grew with maturity and he currently holds the title of an accomplished painter on the Iraqi art scene. His abstract work is famed for being vibrant and dynamic, inviting a positive response from viewers enchanted by his bold use of color and ... Read More
Arab artists: Walid Siti is a nomad traveling in search of inspiration
Monday, 15 October 2012
Kurdish-Iraqi artist Walid Siti’s life has been plagued by war, exile and tribulations, all this has failed to dampen his buoyant spirit. On the contrary, his history has inspired Siti to represent a mature vision in his art, his work portrays the in-depth meditation that comes with a life of upheaval. “I trudge ... Read More
Rolling Stone Middle East ‘Street to Stage’ competition final in Dubai
Monday, 15 October 2012
Rolling Stone Middle East will hold the final of the “Street to Stage” competition on Friday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dubai. The event will be held on the same night as the highly anticipated Atelier/Festival that will be held at the Meydan Racecourse, a UAE daily reported on Monday. The competition will have five finalists ... Read More
How the Arab World reacted to Felix Baumgartner’s jump
Monday, 15 October 2012
While more than 5 million people around the world watched with awe as Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner conducted the world’s first jump from as high as 36 kilometers, many Arabs were busy commenting on the historic event on micro-blogging site Twitter with a mixture of satire and hilarity. Most popular were tweets from ... Read More
Saudi father pardons his son’s killer if he memorizes the whole Quran
Sunday, 14 October 2012
A Saudi father pardoned his son’s killer if he successfully memorized the Holy Quran, a local newspaper reported on Saturday. Rabi’a al-Dousary, father of the slain young man named Abdullah, promised to pardon the convicted felon, Faisal al-Ameri, if he successfully memorized all of the Holy Quran before leaving prison, ... Read More
Arab artists: Bassem al-Sayer belongs to an ancient era
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Syrian artist Bassem al-Sayer takes his inspiration from the banks of the Euphrates river, where he was born and where he has chosen to Read More
Iraqi film ‘Bicycle’ wins first prize in Beirut festival
Saturday, 13 October 2012
“Bicycle,” directed by Iraqi Rizgar Hussein, won the Gold Aleph Award as the Best Middle-Eastern Short Film at the 12th Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF) on Thursday. “Bicycle” has also won the Best Scenario and Best Film in the recently held Gulf Film Festival 2012. The 17-minute film revolves around two ... Read More
TV journalist Rima Maktabi returns to Al Arabiya
Saturday, 13 October 2012
After a notable stint at global news broadcasting corporation, CNN International, Lebanese TV journalist and reporter Rima Maktabi, is set to return to Al Arabiya News Channel. Maktabi, former host of Inside the Middle East, CNN’s monthly program which focuses on trends and developments in the Arab World, returns to ... Read More
Arab artists: Khalifa al-Shaimi paints with his words
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Khalifa al-Shaimi is an Egyptian artist who paints with his words, these words are often poignant and reflect the artist’s innermost thoughts. Al-Shaimi, famed for his mastery of Arabic calligraphy, believes that incorporating letters and words into his art work is like “walking on a Read More
Breast cancer in Middle East: a pink spotlight on the UAE
Saturday, 13 October 2012
The UAE is going pretty in pink this month. Although the color is usually seen as fun and girlish, it is also commonly associated with breast cancer awareness campaigns, an issue of serious concern for the Emirates. The disease is the 2nd most common cause of death amongst women and the most common form of cancer in the ... Read More
6th Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicks off with Richard Gere’s ‘Arbitrage’
Friday, 12 October 2012
The sixth edition of Abu Dhabi Film Festival was opened Thursday night by Richard Gere’s latest movie ‘Arbitrage’, a UAE daily reported on Friday. Stars from the Arab world walked side by side with Hollywood and Bollywood superstars. Screen legend Gere played his part perfectly, arriving with the cast and crew of his ... Read More
U.N. urges governments to take swift action against child marriage
Friday, 12 October 2012
More than 14 million girls under the age of 18 will be married each year during the next decade, and the number could increase to more than 15 million between 2021 and 2030, a new report from the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) showed. As the number of young married females grows, the number of children bearing children ... Read More