From Mubarak's militant dictatorship, to SCAF's militant army rule, to Morsi's arguably militant Islamic takeover, has the Egypt of today under the new regiment of Morsi produced the new world people sacrificed for? Two years ago on Friday, Egyptians began a revolution that toppled long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak, leading to the election of an Islamist president who has since faced his fair share of criticism. Deep political divisions remain, and Egyptians continue to protest against many of the same conditions that sparked the remarkable scenes in early 2011. The new ...

With elections looming, many Israeli politicians have been looking to rant about Iranian nuclear attacks and push on with settlement building. The all-important right wing Zionist vote is the key to success and Israeli PM, Binyamin Netanyahu, knows it. But Zionism is not the only story at the Jewish state’s polling booths and liberal voters are keen not to ignore the elephant in the room: Palestine. Sadly for them, the First Lady of the Left, Tzipi Livni, has been mired in more scandal than an Islamist politician , leaving them ...

Jordan: a country where over 13% of the population live below the poverty line and gas price increases recently sparked mass protests across the Kingdom. The financial crisis has hit deep into the pockets of the ordinary Jordanian but not so for the politicians running the country, apparently. With elections looming, candidates have been out in force, setting up their palace-like tents and serving lavish platters of food to anyone prepared to vote for them. No need for austerity measures for these tribal heads as their “families” of 800 or ...

To much of the western world, the Middle East is seen as a dangerous region with serious crimes and terrorist activity that make it a threat to itself and the rest of the world. But we've uncovered a lighter side to the villainy in the region that is less Bin Laden , more Bugsy Malone . Last year, the Mideast’s miscreants tried their best to dodge the law by making their criminal plans weirder and wackier than ever before. From turbocharged panties to snakes on a plane, confused cops across ...

Much like their Hollywood counterparts, raking in the big bucks with ever-so-slightly embarrassing advertizing deals in the far east, desperation is leading many a former celebrity to jet off to warmer, more inviting and less judgmental climates. Still riding high on the waves of their one hit wonders from the 90s, or even earlier, these Western has-beens are prepared to do just about anything keep their slimy grip on the edges of fame. They might be the slightly less famous sibling or the once loved now universally mocked former pop ...

As the debris from the revolutionary storm to power has begun to settle on the new Islamist forces that be, we cast an eye over the region’s religious revolutionary guard to assess how those untouchable bearded arbiters of the state are getting along. From the shadows of their erstwhile underground stations, while Arab dictators ruled them, to rehabilitated positions as leading lights to steer post Arab Spring states , the climb to their high horses has been a reply to repression, and a long time coming. Still, society is keen ...

The Russian winter swept through the deserts and up the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East in the last few days, causing havoc on roads and shutting down government services. The storm brought strong winds, torrential rains and deep snow to parts of Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. At least 11 people were killed in the Levant storm, which caused panic-buying of basic staples like bread. Heavy rains that preceded the snow storm flooded parts of Jordan, where the government locked down and a state of emergency was declared ...

Let’s face it, most of our favorite stars in the Arab celebosphere are getting on a bit: Lebanon’s golden girl Haifa Wehbe is now a Grandma and Egyptian heartthrob, Amr Diab, celebrated his 51st birthday last year. Sadly for these old-hands, no amount of plastic surgery can stand in the way of fame-hungry youngsters with ambitious plans to take over the celebrity world. The new kids on the block are prepared to do whatever it takes to make it big in the fame game. From stirring scandal, to taking on ...

It's been a year of highs and lows for the Muslim faithful . Followers of Islam found the old disagreements over what is acceptable and what is not resurfacing in contemporary arguments. Here we present some of the best, worst and downright unusual, Islam had to offer in 2012. Last year saw the opening of the first “gay mosque” in France to cheers and jeers. Some thought this was fabulous, saying that Islam is open to personal interpretation, a religion for the post-modern 21st Century, where each follower can choose ...

For celebs the world over there is no better way to see in a New Year than to be center-stage with all eyes on them. So it came as no surprise to see star-studded celebrations popping up across the Middle East on 31 December. Dressed to impress, microphone in hand and voices at the ready, Arab stars showed their wrinkle-free faces at only the biggest and most glamorous of the region’s events. Using the night as an opportunity to entertain, flash some flesh and fill their wallets, the stars revelled ...

"Happy New Year" felt like a hollow greeting if not a wise-crack on December 31, 2012 , for many members of the Arab hemisphere, entering their third year of Arab Spring. The New Year’s celebrations were muted to a minimum in the Arab capitals, as the region let its upheaval roll into another year. While Lebanese, Iraqis and Jordanians were among those who had ducked the outright 'change' of some of their neighbors in-revolution, they could not avoid the same old problems with plenty of new issues to add to ...