Current Affairs
QABOOS OF OMAN: The end of an epoch
By Pat Lancaster. Within hours of the death of Sultan Qaboos, the inspirational ruler of Oman for almost half a century, his successor had been announced and taken the…
News & Views
Fahed Boodai: The building of a legacy
By Intisar Alyamani At an interview in London’s Corinthia Hotel, Kuwaiti businessman Fahed Boodai exhibits eagle-eyed focus, as he responds to questions about his business success. Indeed, his ever-sharp…
Women’s car club launched in Saudi Arabia
The first women’s car club has been created in Saudi Arabia – a year since the driving ban was lifted. Since the ban on women driving was lifted in June last…
After Abbass can the Palestinians hope for a change of direction?
The Palestinian people have little to look forward to in the coming weeks and months as life under the oppressive Israeli occupation becomes ever more difficult under the full glare…
Iran “greatest threat” to Middle East peace & security warns Pence
Iran is the “greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East”, US Vice President Mike Pence (left), said at a conference on the region taking place in Warsaw, Poland. …
EGYPT: Appeal for international help to remove WW2 land mines
Although World War II ended almost 75 years ago, residents of Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein still live with the danger of land mines left behind, a matter that prompted parliament to rekindle the…
Mosaic
Travel
Books
Omani author Jokha Alharthi wins Man Booker International Prize
Omani author Jokha Alharthi has become the first Arabic-language writer to win the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for Celestial Bodies, a novel that deals with family connections and history in the…
Book review : Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples
Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples By Nigel Fletcher-Jones Published by The AUC Press in Cairo ISBN 978774168789 Price £24.95 hardback The three-thousand-year-old rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel and the story…
Book review: Legacy in Stone: Syria Before War
Legacy in Stone: Syria Before War By Kevin Bubriski Published by powerHouse Books ISBN 9781576878897 Price $50 hardcover A collection of 100 black-and-white photographs taken throughout Syria in 2003, documenting many…
Book review : Egypt Desert dreams
Egypt’s Desert dreams By David Sims Published by AUC Press ISBN 9789774166686 Price £24.05 Paperback Egypt has placed its hopes on developing its vast and empty deserts as the ultimate solution…
Book review : Fragile Nation, Shattered Land
FRAGILE NATION, SHATTERED LAND The Modern History of Syria By James A. Reilly Published by I.B.Tauris ISBN 9781784539610 Price hardback £25.00 The Syrian state is less than 100…