It's arrived, the next must-see TV to storm the Arab world is back in Arabs Got Talent's second appearance. As the Arab World awaits with bated breath, we sneak a preview into what's in store for Arabs Got Talent, 2012 , the second season. Here's a glimpse of the action-packed second series of the hit show. With some new ingredients and familiar faces, Arabs Got Talent is back. And just in the nick of time before our Arab Idol withdrawal kicked in. Egypt Takes All? Last year's winner was Egypt's ...

Heavy is the head that carries the crown, and no one represents this more than the weary leaders of the Middle East. At Al Bawaba HQ, the editors came upon a nice attache of youthful, sometimes embarassing, photos of the Middle East's most prominent male figures . The region's pioneers in their prime! These heads of states- Arab kings and Presidents , current and past, over all show a staggering degree of aging. It's as though this panel of guys have carried the world's weight on their shoulders -- or ...

It's probably a healthy sign of the changed times in Egypt, ripe with the promise of 'democracy' that Egypt's run up competition to the presidential elections includes some pretty bizarre candidates, vying for nomination. In past, less enlightened times, even the most qualified for the coveted role of President of this pan-Arab-esque nation would have shied away from running for presidential office in this nation that has seen just 4 Presidents in 60 years . There's certainly no holds barred for the freedom to run for President this time round ...

Palestinians wishing to return to their land-roots, and olive tree heritage, can celebrate Palestine Land Day. An unsung protest of the Palestinian cause is nearly upon us. March 30 presents Palestine's Land Day - a day which has in the past been overlooked by more prominent calendar dates . But perhaps this year it will attract its share of attention, as Palestinians get riled up to make some peaceful protest! to mark the memory of confiscated lands and ongoing losses in 2012, in home and land-stakes. Marching for Milk and ...

The final show-down for Arab Idol was not without all the drama and sentiment that such a pan-Arab talent contest might warrant. The Egyptian young thing, Carmen Suleiman won, in a crowd-pleasing moment of both classic Arab world pride in their Egyptian stars, mixed with a feel-good fever on the wave of Egypt's heady 2011 revolution days. The show was not free of the usual controversies that surround reality TV and talent shows. For the Arab version of things, this translated into religious debate over the word idol or concept ...

From the commotion caused by the only female judge, loud-mouthed Emriati Ahlam, to the debate on how fair this 'amateur' contest has been, Arab Idol has been the talk of 2012. Whether it's Ahlam's fashion faux pas or Jordanian contestant's tears or even the departed Arafat's oscillating nationality, it's all been up for commentary - emotional and comedic. Here are some reminders of the talking points, ahead of today's final showing of Arab Idol . Egypt Vs. Morocco - who will it be? The lovely Carmen or the soulful Dunya?

Mother's Day, as universally 'hallmarked' as it has become, is still celebrated on different calendar dates around the world. Arabs have earmarked their own date for this occasion. The Arab world has registered March 21st as its unique and fixed-dated ' Eid il Um '. This Spring Equinox date is not shared by the US and Canada's May-date, nor indeed the UK's rotating Mothering Sunday . Why Spring time - a Vernal Mother's Day? What is it with Arabs and Spring? Well it's not just Arabs being contrary, not even ...

Asma Al Assad's image in the western media has taken a turn for the worse since the Syrian uprising began. The wife of a man now regarded the world over as something of a murderous tyrant, she was previously feted by leaders of European countries; in fact, she was born in one, and carries a UK passport. There are many faces to Asma Al Assad: sometimes western, sometimes Arab; sometimes philanthropic, sometimes a banker. Always stylish. And, as recently most attested, the unremittingly good wife. A look at how Syria's ...

On the back of the Guardian's vanguard ground work to breaking 'The Assad Emails' into the public domain, here's a look at the juiciest revelations to emerge from this sensational finding. Just yesterday, the UK's newspaper dedicated a special space to these Assad-Leaks. The British publication yesterday and today ran with an exclusive preview into the 'real' cyberlives of President Bashar al-Assad and his First Lady Asma al-Assad when it shared an intimate batch of emails between the leading family and their inner circle. The Guardian emphasized the highly sensitive ...

A year on from the (Twitter hash-tagged, aptly named) "March 15" 2011 official start of the Syrian round of the wider Arab crisis, Syria's endgame looks nowhere in sight. One year anniversary, and counting. A Spring-Cleansing Marking the one year anniversary of revolution on March 15, 2012 when Syria's uprising lifted off in Damascus, having been conceived in Derra, we find the eye of the storm devastating Homs . The hottest spot of the Syrian conflict today, where massacres have cleansed both people and the city's infrastructure in one regime-destroying ...

As Greece meets the second stage of its bailout conditions, achieving a winning debt or bond-swap that has scored it some Euro points, we ask the question whether, in spite of Greek's firm bid to remain entrenched in the Euro, it should consider a 'swap' of a fundamentally different kind. While Euro-ministers are set to meet tomorrow, Monday 12th March, to officially sign off on Greece's second bailout, we entertain the idea that Greece not be more at home in the Arab lands, trading Europe for the Middle East? Just ...