With the big three talent shows out in force, all eyes are on who will make judge this year. While ordinary viewers will be looking to the quirky contestants and great singing voices, Arab celebrities are squinting for any spare chairs on those panels. Nancy Ajram , the Lebanese lady who has titled herself ‘super’ is the latest onto the list and is unsurprisingly thrilled. After all, a post on the ‘Idol ‘Talent' or ‘Voice' panel is a ticket to all things fame and fortune. Just ask Ragheb Alama, judge ...

As news emerged this week that the Free Syria Army (FSA) was harboring vendettas against Lebanon's Hezbollah and threatening to expand its battlefield to another country, some could no longer ignore the sneaking suspicion that things were not quite right with Syria's opposition. The crisis-ridden country's best bet out of the regime's stranglehold was starting to give off a stench of something rotten about the state of the FSA, and more widely, the Syrian National Council (SNC). Complaints were piling up against the amateurish rebel group, who displayed a record ...

While many Arab celebs have thrown themselves into the eye of the Social Media storm and taken to it like ducks to water, some may need a little guidance to avoid drowning in the rip-tides or stumbling across those pitfalls. It’s not always plain sailing for the stars who are often left floundering after social networking gaffes and blips. Where PR consultants or spin doctors may have once been able to handle their press statements and public manner, Twitter is now leaving indelible evidence and an online trail of drama ...

Given the self-professed failure of many UN peace-keeping missions (notoriously Bosnia and Rawanda) people have a hard time remembering the great good done by the UN , and its auxiliary bodies: the World Health Organization, which worked so hard to eradicate polio; the International Court of Justice, which has brought peace of mind, if justice to few; and Goodwill Ambassadors, who sent Angelina Jolie to Syrian refugee camps. Its flaws are easier to fault, but how did this giant beast come to exist, anyway? On the ashes of the Second ...

The world has been inundated with talk of a new looming war. Not World War III, not quite, but something quite sinister and bound to spill over into a wider threat. The speculated war has so far remained in the realms of rhetoric: overtures, hype, threats and counter-threat flood media channels and posturing and propoganda make up much of the mutual intimidation and sizing up involved ahead of a potential war between Iran and Israel. Tension between the two nations spoiling for a fight has become increasingly heated as the ...

Obama began his presidency with a rousing and incredibly well-received speech in Cairo , aiming to win over the "hearts and minds"--interestingly a military coinage born during Britain's colonization of Aden--of the world's hundreds and millions of Muslims. "I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition.” He came and saw, but did he ...

It seems that the FSA will recruit just about anyone in their fight against Assad. First soldiers and embittered civilians stood against the dictator's forces, now - in one big step for feline power - the kittens of Syria have risen. Do not be fooled by their cute, furry exterior - these kittens are tough. They fearlessly take on Shabiha on sniper duty whilst surveying the wreckage of their former homes. FSA kittens are not just found on the battlefield - representing the Syrian National Council (SNC), they have been ...

Papal Middle Eastern tours across the ages: How have the reigning Pope and the late Pope John Paul II fared in the Holy Land? In light of the recent Lebanon trip that captivated the Middle East's flock, wherein Pope Benedict XVI hailed the mountainous Mediterranean country as a beacon of inter-confessional coexistence, we take a look at papal Middle East tours past and present. The Pope pontificates from Lebanon to Morocco Like editors of Vogue magazine , the man sitting at the top seat in the Holy See - no ...

With September 11's 2012 anti-Islam movie mayhem for Muslims in the Middle East, we take a look at some other noteworthy examples of films or publications that have caused uproar and maximum offense to religious beliefs in the past. The movie trailer of the "Innocence of Muslims" was enough to induce protests and killings globally. Other films, books or works have been accused of blasphemy, and sometimes with varying degrees of consequence. Scandal-mongering films or cartoons have often resulted in life and business losses around the globe. The most inflammatory ...

Evidently too many talent shows don't spoil the broth - or at least MBC don't think so. The group already own the rights to 'Idol' and ' Got Talent ' but were keen to snap up the latest talent show phenomenon 'The Voice' as well. They have been plugging the show - which is set to hit TV screens on Friday - as an entirely different kettle of fish. 'The Voice' is aimed at people with genuine musical talent - semi-professionals and even former one-hit wonders can apply. There will ...

They have been the laughing stock of most Syrian netizens with conspiracy theories by the bucket-load but for a few, Dounia TV is a very real representation of the Syrian revolution . Dounia, although not technically a Syrian state-owned TV station, is about as close to the Assad regime as it gets. The Syrian president’s cousin owns the network and makes his loyalties clear in his news coverage. While bombs explode and gunfire spatters across screen, Dounia journalists are reporting ‘all clear.’ These news broadcasts, alongside conspiracy theories of Barcelona ...