Hart signs new Manchester City deal

We may not play host to the Oscars or the Emmys, but our region can still reel in the sexy celebs for red carpet events. The Dubai International Film Festival drew in some ravishing formal wear draped across stars from both near and far over the past week. In full disclosure, a few of our Middle East A-listers sported embarrassing outfits that cannot be considered Al Bawaba approved. However, it wasn’t just the visiting Hollywooders like Eva Longoria and Emily Blunt that attracted our attention with their choice of apparel ...

Thousands of messages of support were posted online for Muslims in Australia fearful of an Islamophobic backlash in the wake of a shooting at a Sydney cafe that left three dead, including the gunman. When good samaritan Rachael Jacobs posted a Facebook message about a Muslim woman on her commuter train silently removing her hijab, it was picked up by the world: "I ran after her at the train station. I said 'put it back on. I'll walk with u'. She started to cry and hugged me for about a ...

Sure, we’ve got our share of problems out here in the Middle East -- destitute poverty and income inequality being among them. But the MENA region is also an epicenter of wealth and philanthropy that’s taking global markets by storm. Arab philanthropists have not only dominated local markets, but are also putting the region on the map in the international economy’s megapond. Every year, much to the discontent of Saudi Prince and mega-millionaire Al-Waleed Bin Talal , Forbes rates the Arab world’s top billionaires. But perhaps the better way to ...

Okay, the Arabic language is beautiful . It can sound musical and poetic, or exacting and fierce. It’s got metaphors that have lived through empires and colonialism, and ancient texts to boot. But let’s admit it. By (almost) 2015, it’s also got some vocabulary that’s better off scratched clear out of the dictionary. Politics, culture and a bit of good old fashioned ignorance have all played a big part in the way Arabic speakers refer to certain things. And some old dubious words seem like they’re harder to get rid ...

Centuries of political Monopoly have certainly made for some pretty wild reshifting in the Middle East. Whether chased away by modern wars, or inexplicably disappeared long ago, residents of these MENA ghost towns are nowhere to be found. Check out these locales around the region to get a glimpse of past — and present — Middle East.

Yikes! Three weeks left ‘til Christmas and you’ve got a mile-long list of holiday shopping to do. Years past, you’ve exhausted the usual Jordan offerings. You’ve gifted everyone with sand art, keffiyeh, and evil eye jewelry. You’ve overplayed the comic value of misspelled designer undies from the souks in al balad (downtown). So what’s a harried Jordan shopper to do ? Al Bawaba to the rescue with some insider tips that are high on hipster and low on cost. We steer you clear of malls, and point you to the ...