Take Causeway To Bahrain? Prepare for a Long Wait
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Traffic across the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain is increasing hugely year on year. What’s to be done?
‘Where To, Guv?’: London’s Black Cabs Head to Gulf
CROSSROADS ARABIA: A true London icon – the Black Cab – is set to take to the streets in number in Riyadh and Dubai. It’s good the vehicles are so robust.
Wadjda – the official trailer
VIDEO: WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries…
‘Wadjda’ – A Beautiful, Nuanced Evocation of Saudi Life
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s the story of a young girl’s everyday life in Riyadh. How many Saudis, though, will give up the chance to see the latest CGI blockbuster to view it?
Saudi Authorities Greet Departure of Morsi With…Delight
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Most Gulf countries have been circumspect in their reaction to the toppling of Morsi’s government. Not so Saudi Arabia
Better Than The West: An Immigrant’s View of Saudi Arabia
ABU MOHAMMED: Sometimes life in the Kingdom can be more than a little testing but it has unqualified advantages.
In Saudi Restaurants ‘A Woman’s Place Is In The Kitchen’
At least in restaurants in Saudi Arabia, that’s where women ‘belong’. Arab News reports that the Ministry of Labor still bans women from working as waitresses or cashiers in restaurants, permitting them only to work in kitchens. The reason, of course, is to prevent the ‘mingling’ of the sexes in the workplace. It’s easy to […]
Grilled Loin of Hyena: A Surprising Saudi Delicacy
CROSSROADS ARABIA: It may not feature high on the menu at many restaurants around the world but Saudis have a taste for hyena
‘The Devil’s Fire’: Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror
STEVE ROYSTON: The situation in Syria is so desperate, so serious and so wide-ranging that it has the potential to affect every individual living in the region
‘Wadjda’: Is It The First Good Saudi-made Movie?
EMAN AL NAFJAN: Go see it is my recommendation and the movie reminds me of my own childhood growing up in the Kingdom
In Praise of The Late Carol Fleming Aka ‘American Bedu’
STEVE ROYSTON: I was inspired to blog by Carol Fleming. She wrote with great feeling and affection about the country she loved, Saudi Arabia
Is It Time for Europe to Ban Saudi Men from Driving?
EMAN AL NAFJAN: So Kuwait is thinking about changing its laws to suit Saudi Arabia. Maybe it’s time for the European Union to take a leaf out of their book
Patenting Disease: Saudi Authorities ‘Must Pay To Protect Citizens’
CROSSROADS ARABIA: A Dutch laboratory has patented the virus that is currently killing Saudi citizens.
‘Women Welcome’: Progress But Heat Rises in Saudi Stadiums
JAMES DORSEY: It’s a significant move by the Saudi authorities but rising discontent is evident on the terraces in the Kingdom
Saudi’s ‘White Ribbon Campaign’: Conservatives Lash Out
EMAN AL NAFJAN: Saudis are generally at ease with international campaigns such as Breast Cancer Awareness. Why the furore over the White Ribbon campaign?
Unsustainable: The Bell Tolls For Subsidies in Saudi Arabia
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Herbert Stein Law runs: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” The tautology is starting to surface in Saudi Arabia.
Thomas Friedman in Yemen: ‘An Innocent Abroad’?
DANIEL M. VARISCO: I felt the ghost of Mark Twain speaking to me as I read about Tom Friedman’s latest adventures in Yemen.
‘Cover Up Now’: Oman’s Islamists Target School Girls
DHOFARI GUCCI: A disturbing propaganda campaign is being spread throughout schools in Dhofar.
Banished: The Man Who’s ‘Too Handsome’ For Saudi Arabia
DANIEL M. VARISCO: He’s a danger to Saudi society. Women in the Kingdom must be protected from his dazzling good looks. All hail Handsome Omar!