Egypt marked the first anniversary of the ouster of Hosni Mubarak yesterday, February 12th, 2012, with a poor turnout for a strike called by activists to protest the snail pace of change from military rule to a veritable people power. This half-hearted protest exposed the country's ambivalence towards the progress made since that fateful day February 11th a year ago. Or perhaps the people of Egypt were suffering protest fatigue. The general 'strike', another form of protest, called people to demand the immediate departure of the military council SCAF that ...

In the winter months, people are obviously in need of warming foods, such as soups and winter casseroles. Even the Middle East, more renowned for its summery salads and room temperature olive oil dishes, has something to serve up when those scorching summer months turn a deadly shade desert chill! 2012 has dished up a protracted cold spell in the Middle East as well as in the wider globe and Eastern Europe. Morocco, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon and even extremities of the Arabian peninsula as Kuwait have shivered through the ...

Some newcomers to the MIddle East familiar celebrity set dominate the music scene in 2012, while the regulars carrying on strutting their stunning stuff in the second month of the year.

Egypt demonstrates to us what happens when sport meets politics and gets ugly. At Port Said on the1st February, a calamity for sport and Egypt- still-in-revolution unfolded to a world that could no longer be shocked by events flooding out of Egypt. A football match-turned violent aftermath will go down in Egyptian and world history. More than a football scuffle or altercation, yesterday's tragic bloodbath at Port Said's stadium took place when sport was very likely infiltrated by politics, ending in death and Egyptian football being suspended for the second ...

As the Syrian conflicts escalates, showing little sign of abating, or of effective intervention, the whole world has been abuzz with the prospect of Syria slipping into a sectarian scenario reminiscent of Iraq and Lebanon. Syria is a complex not homogenous landscape A breakdown of the ethnic minorities and the religious sects of Syria uncovers a picture of confused and conflicting allegiences beset by an ambivalence in orientation toward the regime. The diverse make-up of the minorities of the country alone are not simple to decipher. To make matters more ...

Syria's external relations As the Syrian 'lion' rages and the regime's clampdown on opposition forces reaches alarming death-toll figures, the media is ridden with questions addressing the peculiar deadlock or impasse in this Arab Spring country. Since international players often seem to 'help' to determine the fate of Arab regimes, it may be prudent to examine who exactly is set to profit from this regime's seeming inevitable demise, or else retention of power should the Arab League's (already shaky) Peace Plan be implemented. While a death toll that may have ...

On the eve of January 25th, the anniversary for Egypt's awe-inspiring "Jan 25" Revolution, we look back on a year ripe with burgeoning change and one long stop-starting protest. While the euphoria of 2011 has somewhat receded, we fully expect the Egyptians tomorrow to be giving themselves a pat on their back for what they have achieved- including the primary aim of namely getting rid of Mubarak- and what they have yet to achieve. In the meantime, a reminder of the flashpoints of the revolutionary year of 2011 for Egypt ...

Al Bawaba's pickings of some of the more colorful Tweeps operating in the Middle Eastern Twittersphere, include social networking Lebanese politicians and singers, preaching Egyptian and Saudi theologians, and hip and engaged Emirs and Queens of the region. Which Arab politicians or celebrities are dominating the Twitter-verse? We trace their orbits to provide some social media vitals: their traffic figures - their followers, who they are following, their tweet-count, their handles (a.k.a screen names) and their profile pictures (avatars). Arab celebrity Tweeps cover anything from royal contemplations to socio-political commentary ...

Masses of Tunisians marched in peaceful triumph Saturday Jan 14, 2012, to mark the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — and indisputably sparked uprisings around the Arab world. Arab dignitaries too were out for the occasion of professing their pro-revolution stance, joining their hands in recognizing the momentous events that precipitated an Arab Spring. All attended an event at Palais des Congres in downtown Tunis Saturday 14 January. Perhaps the revelers marching the streets were celebrating the rise of the ...

In the Middle East, as with revolutions, there's no shortage of controversial fatwas. These are a source of debate for some, and entertainment or flippant disregard for others who refuse to engage seriously with some of the more bizarre, seemingly absurd rulings made in the name of Islam. Fatwas, thankfully, have always lived in the realm of individual jurisprudence or subjectivity that makes them by and large, not binding for the whole of the Muslim faith. Still, Muslim scholars, theologians and sheikhs can command a whole lot of authority and ...

A run-down of the top predictions for 2012 from the prominent men and women in their field of regional 'predicting' and fore-casting. These Arabian 'predictors', primarily for the Arab world but also for the global future, share some of their ominous foresights for the year ahead. Between them, the selection in our panel comes from a mixed stock of astrology, healing, fortune-telling and simply 'predictor' backgrounds. Most are self-proclaimed 'predictors' by trade and some are voices by now well-documented in the region, with fairly impressive track-records of realized predictions. Is ...