Political comebacks come in many guises and have the tendency to take us by surprise. Take former British PM Tony Blair, who having initiated the war in Iraq somehow landed the position of UN Middle East peace envoy, even as coalition forces continued to patrol Baghdad. Hugo Chavez has come back from the grave to seemingly steer his tea boy to victory in Venezuela’s Sunday election. But what of Hosni Mubarak? Despised by his people, wasting away in a Cairo hospital prison, the ousted Egyptian President appeared on the edge ...

A report released on Thursday documenting widespread deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by Bashar Al-Assad against Syrian civilians has revealed the shocking means to which the embattled President will go to cling on to power. The Human Rights Watch study found that since July 2012, 4,300 civilians have been killed by their own government, with many thousands more injured and entire towns reduced to rubble. The government-led chaos has been exacerbated by some opposition groups, who have used heavy weaponry and bombs in attacking civilians areas. Such warfare has rendered public ...

April 8, 2013 saw the Kissinger Cables break into the wiki-sphere , causing little commotion. Thanks to the intelligence-leaker’s latest filing job (an archiving of already public files) of the notorious shuttle diplomat’s arguably dubious dealings, the US foreign policy power-broker who flourished through his behind the scenes ground-work was thrust into a limelight he might be less than comfortable rehabilitating. The smooth operator Henry Kissinger , whose contributions to Middle East peace were never overt, might wonder if it was all for nothing, as another secretary of state - ...

Combining the cultural sensitivity of the FEMEN girls with a sinister nod to Iran's Israel-bashing President, Anonymous Arab hackers spent Sunday, the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, attempting to "wipe Israel off the internet" with #OpIsrael. Early Sunday, Israeli Cyber bureau spokesman Yitzhak Ben Yisrael said that #OpIsrael had failed , as only a handful of government sites were hacked for a brief period of time, but the attacks continued in to the afternoon.The #OpIsrael site itself was briefly hacked by Israeli retaliatory activists, who posted pro-Israeli history as well ...

They promised an international bare breasted revolution and FEMEN’s flashers are certainly giving it their all. Sour security guards at Tunisian embassies across the world have come face to face with a barrage of boobs. So far, so blonde: we’ve yet to see any action in the Arab world but it’s probably a case of shoddy web connections rather than mass indifference to FEMEN’s crusade. Check out the latest from Topless Jihad events in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Ukraine, as the Eurochicks show their support for Amina Tyler ...

From far, far away in a European corner of the globe comes an alternative call to Jihad. This is not just Jihad; this is Topless Jihad . Women of miscellaneous heritage but from the collective ‘sextremists’ FEMEN - strewn between hubs in the Ukraine, Sweden and Paris - are enjoining their supporters to strip off in the battle with the ‘Islamists’. The Ukrainian feminist protest group are known for their topless tactics in their struggle against man- made injustice. According to their website, they "defend with their breast sexual and ...

Hailing from the nation that prides itself on its rambunctious sense of humour, Bassem Youssef has kept Egypt's liberals laughing throughout a tricky period of transition . The self-styled Jon Stewart of Egyptian television has firmly stuck his satirical boot into the country's leadership, as they struggle with economic and political challenges in the tumultuous post-revolutionary climate. A demi-god among his supporters, Bassem's polarising brand of humour has made him enemies among the country's conservative Islamist political class. Public denouncements of the star were followed by an arrest warrant being ...

Life as an opposition politician wasn’t easy under ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak . Airing your thoughts publicly was liable to get you a short stint in prison at the very least. But taking on the role of ruling the country is a different kettle of fish altogether, as Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi is finding out. With the world’s press following his every move, this ‘man of the people’ is struggling with the proper etiquette as he hobnobs with the great and the good. From ball-scratching to finger waggling ...

Far from the European faces of Israel and the ongoing struggle for Palestine, the Middle East’s Jews are starting to make a comeback. With the creation of Israel more than half a century ago, communities that had been thriving in places like Morocco and Syria were forced to make a hasty exit before their Muslim and Christian countrymen turned on them. But there are signs of hope for a return of Arab Jews to their homelands, with Iraqi Jews making public pleas to their government and the ‘Jews of Egypt’ ...

For the first few weeks of dire auditions and tuneless wannabes , fans thought the judging panel might be the only ones with the X Factor on the second season of the hit talent show. But as the series has moved on, special guests from around the region have appeared on screen , threatening to upstage the likes of judges, Wael Kfoury and Elissa. With big names like Saudi crooner, Mohammed Abdo and Egyptian rap star, Ahmad Mekki, all stopping by to get their faces on screen, fans are wondering ...

Mother’s Day in the Middle East is a time for people across the region to celebrate and appreciate the women who brought them into the world. Without a grey hair in sight, this year celebrity moms in the region have managed once again to balance the pressures of parenthood with the demands of fame. But while those starry moms are out at the latest fashion event or film premiere, most mothers are have to concern themselves with the more serious side of life. Standing by their children, Arab mothers have ...