With al-Qaeda's loss of its key asset OBL, a gaping (arguably prominent beard-shaped hole) is left for the filling. The position of Chief and head of the famous global terror outfit, will make for tough boots to fill given OBL's track record and noteriety. Under OBL's watch, this organisation has pulled off sensational terror operations and campaigns with world-resonating 'success' . The man for the job has to re-invigorate an organisation that was flagging with the debilitation of the core elite group in Pakistan, as well as maintain, if not ...

World's most dysfunctional family Even before OBL's much hyped capture, the bin-Laden family, as with many modern families, has somewhat dispersed, more so given the circumstances involved in being a fugitive family. Any large family comes with variety. And this is a large clan of a family. Even the core family unit- that is all four or five wives and between 12 and 26 children- travelled widely due to husband/ father’s career that took them from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Sudan and Afghanistan. The bin Laden family is one of ...

The man responsible for a trail of destruction amounting to the tune of 4570 dead and thousands more killed through his meddling in Iraq is dead and presumably in the sea. Will his reign of terror drown with him? So Obama finished him off - the world's most wanted man Osama bin-Laden. But Bush Junior certainly loosened the proverbial lid of the jar for him by kick-starting the wide-scale man-hunt with gusto, and officially declaring the search party to begin in 2001 when he demanded his nemesis Dead or Alive ...

April 29, 2011 and The Royal Wedding of the Century as it's being touted, went off even better than could have been dreamt by fairytale fantasists. General word on the street and vibe post-wedding, produced a sense of hope and optimisim for the newly wed, newly titled royal couple, for the institution of marriage and for the country, say historians. It was also an occasion where the people felt at one with their Royal Family as they welcomed in a 'commoner' in a tradition of non-aristorcratic ladies in line to ...

While protests officially first erupted in Darra- the town that’s spawned the Syrian Revolution, trouble actually first started 26 th January 2011 in Al-Raqqah, home to many Kurds in Syria. In Al-Hasakah, a predominantly Kurdish village, a man set himself a-light and died. The frustration started here , in a community of citizens upward of 150,000, who serve in the army but have til now been denied Syrian nationality. The Syrian revolution has been a slow starter , working its way in fits and starts. This Kurdish spark was a ...

In the Arab World, the most solemn week in the Christian calendar was matched by the sobriety of celebrations snatched during political upheaval and bloodshed. With revolutions getting bloodier, religion has taken a backseat, somewhat sidelined, for Arabs during this political turmoil, only remembered as a battle cry or appeal for preservation of life. Nevertheless, Easter time for the Christian Arab communities, who are often minorities at home, has been a reprieve from the suffering in the region this year: taking time out to recall the suffering of Christ, amidst ...

Here are the funniest moments that have come out of these Arab revolutions and upheavals: Apart from all the deaths and mass destruction above are some of the lighter things we can take from the revolutions because it turns out that dare we say it, revolutions make for good entertainment. Thank you Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Husni Mubarak, Bashar al-Assad, Ali Abdullah-Saleh, and of course last but not least, Muammar Gaddafi, the main actors in this terrible drama.

So the Mubarak Gang are to be reunited again, but this time not in their regular state offices but in jail. They have been arrested pending questioning for at least 15 days as of 13th April. Mubarak hench-men kept the state secrets and family from harm, but in prison they won’t keep him secure. There are prison officers for that. Head of the embezzling entourage, t he fallen dictator seems to have dug his own grave. Quite literally, as shown above. Egypt’s Military council might have let him alone or ...

Arab First Ladies: A Blessing or a Curse for falling leaders: While Arab leaders fall will their wives be there to catch them? As protests spread like wildfire in the Middle East, the often opulent lives of Arab stately or royal wives are in the spotlight. Who’s footing the bill for the First Ladies expenses? Do they provide a false idealized image of their country, with their good works and initiatives in the arena of development and human rights, when on the ground their husband-led regimes are shunning their so-called ...

The Ottoman Empire, after centuries of rule has left indelible marks on Arab lands, leaving its imprint on art, language and food. But the legacy that shows itself most powerful is more cinematic and some could argue cultural: Soap Opera. At least 20 Turkish soaps have aired on Arab television, offering an escape from the hard daily realities of life. Three years ago, April 2008, and the one everyone was talking about was " Nur ". Today in many parts of the MBC-viewing-Arab world it's " Forbidden Lov e" (or ...

As Gaddafi's speeches and wild statements quieten down, Hala Musrati is now the self-appointed spokeswoman for the pro government national voice who carries the Gaddafi cause, generating quite a stir in the increasingly incredulous and bemused world audience. This Libyan State news anchor woman has had some airtime recently launching a pretty strong smear campaign on Libya's alleged rape-victim people heroine Iman al-Obeidi. As she defiantly emphasizes her propensity to truth and candour, she reminds of other far-fetched propoganda artists that the media exposes by showing us up-to-date information that ...