Every morning for the past six years, Rania al-Baz has been the smiling face of a family programme on Saudi television. She was a young, beautiful Saudi TV news presenter — the first woman to have such a job — when her abusive husband beat her into a coma and left her for dead. She remained in a coma for four days and later underwent thirteen operations to reconstruct her face. When she agreed to let horrifying pictures of her ravaged face be made public, her story sparked general criticism of Saudi culture. A month after the tragedy, the first Saudi research into domestic violence began at King Saud University in Riyadh. Rania’s story subsequently appeared in the press all over the world. more »
There are 27 World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO in the United Kingdom and Ireland and this authoritative guidebook describes them and their reasons for inclusion on the list. more »
Any time spent in Bath is a pleasure. The historic city buzzes with vitality and its accolade as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites is confirmed by the annual arrival of some four million visitors from Britain and all over the world. more »
WIDENING OPPOSITION TO THE ILLEGAL IRAQ WAR, growing recognition that the war in Afghanistan has failed to bring stability or democracy to that beleaguered country, new tensions rising in Pakistan, escalating violence and humanitarian crisis in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, have all brought new fears but have also heightened interest in the wider Middle East region, especially interest in Iran. This book aims to address this new and renewed interest in Iran, to answer questions, and propose some ideas to prevent another looming military disaster. more »
THE TRADITIONAL COSTUMES OF THE Palestinian villagers and Bedouin are of exceptional beauty and diversity, especially the festive costumes of the women with their lavish silk embroidery and patchwork and their dramatic headdresses encrusted with coins. more »
New Updated Second Edition: Bistros transport us into the Paris of our collective memory, of our youthful imagination, of literary legend. Here are the haunts of Bistros transport us into the Paris of our collective memory, of our youthful imagination, of literary legend. Here are the haunts of Henry Miller, the hangouts for Hemingway and Fitzgerald, the watering spots for Richard Wright and James Baldwin. In Paris by Bistro, you enter the neighbourhoods of the tiny narrow streets, pass the smoky clubs and steamy little restaurants. You learn the character of each district and encounter a Paris that you might think no longer existed. more »
