Joelle Bassoul
latest news & developmentsTourism takes a beating in crisis-hit Lebanon
It was projected to be a golden year for Lebanon and one to beat all records; instead 2006, with its string of crises including a 34-day war, proved a disaster for the tourism…
Sea spits oil six months after Lebanon offensive
Six months after thousands of tonnes of fuel oil spilled into the Mediterranean when Israel bombed a Lebanese power plant, the waters are still spitting out black poison despite…
Belly dance brings life to City of Dead
In the depths of Cairo’s City of the Dead, Umm Essam unveils her latest creation: a blood-red belly-dance costume, complete with golden pearls. But there are no models or podiums…
Move over, Superman, the Arab superheroes are here
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Jalila, the new Arab superheroine, coursing across the sky, black hair flying, in her battle to right the wrongs and ensure that justice…
Angry survivors blame crew for Egypt ferry tragedy
Surviving passengers of an ageing Egyptian ferry that sank in the Red Sea, leaving hundreds feared dead, blamed the crew Saturday for failing to turn around when a fire broke out…