"The Arab spring has not only revolutionized street art but also inspired Palestinian artists to use city walls for creative political statements and to address social taboos — especially in Ramallah on the West Bank." The walls are closing in but that doesn't stop the creative process from subverting the state. If only they had ears they would say: Gaza is running out of clean water; Hamas and Fatah are no closer to reaching a deal and the Israeli settlements keep going. Palestinians use graffiti to express themselves when other ...

Transfer deadline day has come and gone and, at midnight 31st August, we knew which football prize player was traded off to which lucky team. Now the European teams have set out their stalls and sealed their deals for the new season. Lucrative player-signings have just turned up the heat for the new season. Deal or no deal? Fee negotiations are done and dusted, medicals have been passed and failed to check that these Euro millions-worth hunk of football players come with a good warranty. Squads have squeezed that summer ...

Freedom of speech in the Middle East? Well not if it's distributed on the internet. Arab Internet 'surfers' are hitting a snag, or rip-current, in the region, and they might not be able to ride these waves of change. Are the tides turning against Arab internet users? Human rights NGO, Reporters Without Borders, have officially classified Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria as 'Enemies of the Internet' but there are others not yet on the list that are well on their way to becoming online pariahs. Under surveillance so-to-speak are ...

The Middle East has been baying for new blood and change for the past couple of years now, and some of their calls have seemingly been answered. Heads have rolled , governments have changed, and stubborn rulers have slunk away or been unceremoniously made redundent. But as we look around the region, unrest is still the order of play. Those who wanted new power in place do not seem happy with the replacements. There is a niggling feeling of déjà vu for many of the citizens who campaigned against old ...

Hollywood stars are probably more used to the kind of make-over that comes from the work of a hairstylist, make-up artist or - let's face it - cosmetic surgeon. But, Bahraini artist Mohammed Kanoo has proved that a bit of imagination and artistic prowess can make for a bigger transformation than all the collagen in LA. In 'A Question of Identity' - the artist's recent exhibition at Dubai's Meem Gallery - Kanoo took celebrities like Angelina Jolie and John Travolta out of designer threads and into Arab clothing. And he ...

All the stars were out that night, well except for those that cancelled for ‘security reasons’ or went on vacation instead. But for those that put in the performances we have all the details. Celebrities know that a new single or comeback concert is all about timing and the Eid El Fitr holiday is their chance. So we had Amr Diab in a ‘surprise’ new song release and Majed Al Mohandis just happening to start his tour on that date. Here is all the gossip on the highs and lows ...

The London 2012 Olympics have come and gone. If you were outside of London and blinked an eye you may have missed it. If you were in London you probably couldn't tune out from the commotion that was the 30th Olympiad. London pride flew at full mast and an opening ceremony that clocked praise globally was matched by the flying colors accompanying Team GB's record performances. What about the Middle East - the Arab players and occupiers of Arab lands? Overall, the sentiment felt has been one of disappointment. Less ...

In the Middle East, this Ramadan is proving hotter in more ways than one. If it's not one female Arab celeb giving us too much information (TMI) about her love life, it's another sharing childhood issues that her family might well prefer stayed behind closed doors. Bitching out rival stars or talking body parts shamelessly - it's all fair game and ready for spilling on Ramadan talk shows , much to the viewers' voyeuristic delight. Hot Gossip Airing dirty laundry - the more soiled and stained the better - seems ...

Far from the battlefields of Aleppo and Damascus, a war is raging: but this is more a question of funding and ideologies than tanks and bullets. As the biggest player in the region, Saudi Arabia has been doing its best to appear the savior of the revolution, blackmailing neighboring countries into getting involved in the fight. However, while they are happy to support a largely Sunni majority overthrowing a Shia dictator, they are rather more reticent about the uprisings happening at home. When there is strife in the Middle East ...

Assad and Gaddafi: age aside, the similarities are obvious. Or are they? Although the Syrian chaos is more often compared to Iraq , we take a look at a less obvious, but quite tempting, parallel to get a feel of whether the end is nigh for the Syrian dictator. Since Libya's downfall came first, we can see the signs of a leader's demise playing out now in Assad's regime. Today's news that almost half of Syria's second city, the strategic northern Aleppo , is now under control is a stark ...

'Tis Ramadan, the season to be subdued, calm, spiritual and ruminative, right? So what's all this we're hearing about cursing, feuding impure thoughts and soap operas depicting debuachery (at least in Islamic terms)? An Arabic Sex and the City, you say? Say it ain't so! Find out what the Arab world is abuzz with this Ramadan TV season , as complaints, gossip and controversy circulate. We look to the the TV soap productions of the holy month to see what's got everyone talking, and generally indignant and offended this season ...