Stories about Middle East & North Africa from October, 2006
Lebanon: Political Uncertainty and Men
Many Lebanese blogs are reflecting the internal political bickering that is creating an atmosphere of uncertainty about the future of the country. Most of the posts in this weeks review are bleak with little hope for the future. This is something that is very unusual for a people who take...
Hugo Chavez in the Iranian left-wing blogs
Hugo Chavez, the leftist Venezuelan President, has developed a very friendly relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian Islamist President. Iran even awarded the Venezuelan President its highest state medal for supporting Tehran in its nuclear standoff against the international community. This alliance was discussed a couple of months ago among...
Mexico: The last moments of Bradley Roland Will
Journalism seems like a precarious profession to practise in Mexico. It's ranked by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) as one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist. The latest tragic example of this came on Friday 27th October, in the southern state of Oaxaca, with the shooting...
Bulgaria: The Tripoli Six Update
Declan Butler posts an update on “the buildup of international pressure” in the Tripoli Six case.
Arabisc: Sexual Harrassment and the Egyptian Blogosphere
After a month of abstinence (from sex naturally) during daylight hours in the Holy month of Ramadhan, a mob of sex starved Egyptians decided to celebrate Eid by attacking and sexually harassing women on the streets of Cairo. The first the incident was made public was during a television show,...
Iran: UN Resolution Targets Iranian Students
Iranian Truth discusses the current draft Security Council resolution on Iran which states, in part: “all States shall prohibit specialized teaching or training of Iranian nationals, within their territories or by their nationals, of disciplines which would contribute to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program”, The blogger says the expansive...
Prominent Bahraini Blog, Blocked!
It's official, Mahmood's Blog (http://mahmood.tv) will be blocked effective immediately, by the orders of the Bahraini Ministry of Information. Together with 6 other web sites (listed below), the official memo was delivered to all the ISP's in Bahrain this afternoon. Mahmood Al-Yousif, is a prominent Bahraini/Arab blogger. His blog is...
The Week That Was in Bahrain
Bahrain's bloggers celebrated Eid this week, with many posting greetings on their sites or simply musing about the tradition. While Mahmood Al Yousif thinks that “Eid this time seems to be spread through the whole week, rather than a single day where the whole nation celebrates!”, Silly Bahraini Girl took...
Africa: PayPal expansion into Africa
Oluniyi David Ajao writes about PayPal expansion into Africa, “Hitherto, South Africa had been the only African country supported by Paypal. The popular online financial institution has now extended its services to Botswana, Cape Verde, Namibia, Togo and Tunisia, on the African continent. In all the six countries however, users...
Iran:Kianoosh Sanjari, a new blogger in jail
We read in Sos Sanjari blog that Mehdi ( Kianoosh) Sanjari, blogger and human rights activist was arrested during disturbances in Tehran. He was there to report about the event. There is also an online petition in English to demand his urgent release.
Arabisc: Rebellious Behaviour and the Quest for Intellectuals
With the festive season wrapping up in the Arab world, Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer has decided to ‘come out of the closet’ and drop a bombshell – making some of his readers happy and others not so! The Alexandria law student doesn't mince his words when he announces to his...
Egypt:Hijab in Australia
The more Shobrawy hear about Australia and their attitude towards Islamic extremism the more he wants to move there. Find out why!
United Arab Emirates: eBook and Education
UAE students are now receiving their curriculums in e-books saved on a flash memory disk usable in any laptop or computer. The student can order any number of subjects taught in public schools to be included in the hand-held device. The current product includes only the Grade 12 curriculum of...
Lebanon: Brammertz and Syria
Abu Kais says that Serge Brammertz will submit his report to Kofi Annan today, and in it, he will implicate the Assad regime for the first time since he took over investigation of the Hariri murder. Abu Kais has put together an archive of posts related to the Hariri investigation.
Kuwait: Kuwait Teens
Mark links to a video which he said it shows how some Kuwaiti teenagers are different and have different interests.
Jordan: Marriage tips
Getting married soon? Khalidah has 48 tips for a happy marriage. Don't miss them!
Albania, Italy, Turkey: “My First Hijacking”
Our Man In Tirana links to the story of a man who was a passenger on the hijacked Tirana-Istanbul flight – over at The Chronicles of Chris: Travel Recollections, written by a member of the U.S. Foreign Service, who served in Pakistan, and is now based in Israel, and was...
Iran: The end of Ramadan
Angus McDowall is a correspondent for Middle East Economic Digest and reporter for The Independent in Iran and he is blogging. About the end of Ramadan he says for a journalist, it can be a good time of year to check the social temperature. Some years the police hassle people...
Malaysia: Human Capital Development in Ottoman Empire
Nik Nazmi in Malaysia reads a book on Ottoman ruler Suleiman and discovers the Ottoman people's desire to develop the talents of any exceptional person they encounter.
Arabisc: Secret Meetings and Eid Greetings
It's Eid in the Arab world and Arab bloggers are celebrating the end of the Holy Month of Ramadhan with a riot of activity on their blogs. From Libya, Lona and A.Adam, writing in Flying Birds, wish us all a Happy Eid by posting a picture. The same sentiments are...
Thailand: Attracting Arabic Speaking People
Enda Nasution links to a website launched by Thailand to attract business and tourists from the countries in the Middle East.
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