Arab football politics: the match that said it all

The aftermath of the World Cup qualifying match between Algeria and Egypt has amounted to a diplomatic storm over the North African region spreading even to Sudan. Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Algeria for consultation in protest over alleged attacks by Algerian fans on Egyptian fans in Khartoum.

Cairo says 21 Egyptians were wounded in the attacks on buses transporting them to Khartoum airport  after the match and has expressed deep dissatisfaction with what they described as Sudan's failure to protect their citizens. 

Khartoum is furious in response and believes Egyptian authorities have exaggerated a minor incident in which only two people were slightly wounded in order to alleviate the bitterness of their defeat in the game. Sudanese foreign minister summoned the Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum and told him of his government indignation at the Egyptian threat to send troops to protect Egyptians on the Sudanese soil. 

State Department says Israel 'discriminates'

The U.S. State Department's 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom went almost entirely un-noticed by the international media.

In fact, I missed it entirely too, until the section on Israel suddenly generated some attention in the blogosphere, sometimes from unexpected quarters.

For the first time, the annual survey has accused Israel of "discrimination" against not only Muslims, but Christians and non-orthodox Jews too, and of generating trouble among the groups.

 Both Muslim and Christian Palestinians accused Israeli officials of attempting to foster animosity among Palestinians by exaggerating reports of Muslim-Christian tensions."

Yemen's complex reality

The war in Saada is perhaps the most misunderstood conflict in the world. And the reason is the very complex tribal, religious and political make up of Yemen.

For centuries, Yemen had been shattered into a mosaic of kingdoms or sultanates - a Shia Zaidi Imamate in the north and Sunni Sultanates in the south. That order was upset in 1962, in a coup that put an end to the rule of Hamid Eddine, a Hashemite family that had ruled Northern Yemen since 1918.

In 1967, a radical Marxist movement created a Soviet-inspired state in the south. In 1990, the north and south united under Ali Abdallah Salih, a Shia Zaidi who has been ruling Yemen since 1978.

The Houthi rebellion started in 2004 when a member of a Hashemite family - the Houthis - took up arms against the government seeking more religious and cultural freedoms.

Joining the dots

It's all about joining the dots.

The visit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Paris is the latest step in a process which could bring peace talks with Israel.

The two sides talked last year with the Turks as mediators. The Gaza War brought those discussions to an abrupt halt.

Now in the last 10 days, there's been some significant movement, which in some quarters is inspiring hope of renewed talks.

First, the Turkish foreign minister popped over to Paris. It's understood he was briefing the French on how far things had developed last year.

Then, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu arrived for lunch on Wednesday and stayed for nearly two hours.

Those close to him say he's willing to talk to the Syrians again "without preconditions".