Euro 2012 has dished up one thrilling moment after another in the course of a riveting group stage. There were teams that surprised us with their dramatic displays, and others that went short or below par. The compelling tournament so far has kept us on our toes - and it's still anybody's title for the taking. Co-hosts Poland and the Ukraine both failed to survive the group stage, though still left us with commedable performances. All groups face tough matches in the upcoming games. Before plunging ahead with the Euro ...

Mubarak is in critical condition with reports circulating that he might already be dead. While he was sleeping, the rumors began: was he faking it? Could he have medically induced his own coma to escape his fate? As he approaches death's door , we take a look at Mubarak's defining moments as president of Egypt and ask - how will he be remembered? As a military hero , devoted husband, and regional peacemaker ; or as the hated dictator, corrupt crony and criminal plaintiff ? Whether he's clinically dead or ...

As the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) announced its presidential triumph with Mohammed Mursi taking the throne of Egypt , all eyes were on the power struggle playing out between the military and the people's choice. While Shafiq is a defeated man, his cause is still being championed by his military friends who reign supreme. This time, Egypt's winner may not be taking all. Is Mursi just an Islamic figurehead to the real power at play? Back to a military future Some are calling today's announcement by the Supreme Council of the ...

The Lebanese Murex D'or awards also known as the Golden Murex awards did not sneak by unnoticed this year, not completely shadowed by the political turmoil and drama afflicting the region as a whole. Instead, the Murex D'or of 2012 contained a healthy amount of the usual red-carpet fuss and hot gossip. These Lebanese awards of pan-Arab recognition in the realm of film and the arts have been running since 2000 in the Lebanese capital in honor of the 'Phoenecian' root of the purple-dyed name. The stars and the fans ...

Mid-way through the group stage of Euro 2012 , and about to finish the second round, there have been some eye-opening individual player performances. The tournament is already delivering poetic displays and tales for veteran players who were written off but making timely comebacks. Young players too are making their mark, laying down ripe and promising futures. Strikers are scoring like they should and international players are showing their worth in the international arena. The people and the pundits have been anticipating the start of Euro 2012 where dreams are ...

To float one's eyes over a map of the Middle East, is to see a region in distress. Revolution or not, the Arab region has not been faring well for a while and has been failing to get out of deadlock political situations and economic black holes . While Egypt looks to be getting somewhere with its first free presidential elections coming to fruition , all eyes are on the blood baths in Syria and free elections may be harbingers to rougher times ahead, even if freely chosen. Syria's revolution ...

The Middle East leg of Madonna's MDNA tour , billed her Peace Tour, was the opening act to the world tour ahead, and certainly got off to a bang-bang, with guns blazing. The Queen of Pop and ever-evolving woman of a thousand contradictions, with fewer apologies, managed to impress and dismay in equal measure, whether for the heat storm she kicked up by shunning AC units on stage in Abu Dhabi, or the political upset brought about by her performing in Israel and talking 'peace'. Air con wasn't the only ...

The final week of May is the last week the Syrian conflict could be considered as something of an offspring of the Arab Spring . What started out as a protest in Derra is now, come the Houla massacre, a whole different warring ballgame, and something the international community, not least the Arab neighbors can no longer stomach without intervention. Was this the week that a protest game became something altogether uglier? Not dissimilarly to Libya's tyranny , and escalation, the nature of the Syria protest beast spilled into something ...

Cannes 2012 Film Festival presented a lot of Arab talent with a chance to showcase the fruits of their revolutionary year's labor. The springboard for former Arab hit films as Caramel 2007 , the international film platform proved this year to be a hot spot for budding Arab stars and starlets , a fashion catwalk for dazzling provocative dresses, and a comfortable patch for known celebrity faces to shmooze and work those redcarpets. The usual suspects mingled with the latest film inspiration from the Middle East to produce quite an ...

As Egypt's initial voting results break through the cloudy horizon of Egypt's political future, we take a look at the indications of the people's choice so far. While there are voting patterns to be found by mapping the disparate populace by region and demographic, the story of how five became two is still confounding many from the electorate to the outsider. A nation spoilt for choice with Salafis, Brothers, Arab nationalists, seculars, former militarians, old school, lefties, moderates, as well as the new breed of post Tahrir revolutionaries to the ...

Even as things hot-up in the electorate of Egypt over the final two candidates set to face-off in a run-off , it's not all doom and gloom, or intense as you could be forgiven for imagining, in a country that's gone through as much as revolutionary post-Tahrir Egypt. The Egyptians have retained their unfailing humor and, while some are genuinely horrified at the prospect of either of the two candidates up for the presidential seat, others are grinning and bearing it. For Egyptians, who value their entertainment industry as much ...