Stories about Middle East & North Africa from April, 2008
Kuwait: No to No Pants Day
yawWAR, from Kuwait, (Ar) writes about No Pants Day, being celebrated on May 2. He hopes that day won't find it's way to Kuwait any time soon.
Bahrain: Why are Adult Sites Popular?
Why are adult sites popular in the Middle East, asks Bahraini Esra'a, who posts a video opinion from Lebanon.
Jordan: That Toyota Ferrari
Jordanian Lulu shares one of the stupidest things she has ever uttered in this post. She recalls: ‘Me: “I saw a cool car today.” Brother (15 at the time):”Really? What model?” Me: “I am not sure. I think it's a Toyota Ferrari”‘
Kuwait: Weird Dust Storm
Describing a recent sandstorm, Mark from Kuwait writes: “The dust went from maroon to orange to yellow to white and then decided to leave altogether.. Apparently it rained, which in turn brought the dust down.”
Lebanon: Remove the Mufti
“The Mufti (religious leader) of Mount Lebanon is a foul-mouthed demagogue who needs to be demoted as soon as possible,” writes Beirut Spring from Lebanon.
Jordan: A Day at Work
With tomorrow bring a holiday – Labour Day – Ola Eliwat, from Jordan, gives us a break down of her day at work today.
Bahrain: A Tale of Two Villages
Journalist Jeffrey Black visits Bahrain and notes his observations in this post.
Egypt: Facebooking the Struggle
After little less than a month following the April 6 strike, during which a number of prominent Egyptian bloggers and internet activists were arrested, preparations for the next round of a planned general strike to mark the 80th birthday of President Mubarak, on May 4, 2008, are currently spreading all over the blogosphere and the Internet. Blogger and activist Nora Younis shares some of her ideas with us about the role of Internet in Egypt as a platform for political activism.
Qatar: Online Community Comes to the Aid of Workers
Qatar Living members are rallying to help an offline community of 600 workers who have lost all their belongings after a devastating fire broke out in their labour camp, writes Mohamed Nanabhay, from Doha, Qatar.
Iran: Hunger Strike in Sahand University
According to [Fa]Tabout, several students have gone on hunger strike in Sahand University in Iranian city,Tabriz, for 6 days. 8 students have already been transfered to hospital.They protest against moral and sexual harrasment of female students by employees.
Iran:Protest against Persian Gulf “renaming”
Tribun Azad says[Fa] that about 500 Iranians on Tuesday gathered in front of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Tehran and protested against renaming of the Persain Gulf by several Arab states.The blogger has published several photos of this event. He adds that security forces arrested several people.
Kuwait: Remembering Chernobyl
The birthday of Bashar, from Kuwait, coincides with the Chernobyl disaster. “I have had several bad incidents on my birthday before, I started wishing I could just skip it. It’s just in my mind I know, it’s a low probability that just happens,” he reasons.
Jordan: Mixed Signals
“Can the same facebook contact add an application called (The Latest Hunk) and within the same day join a group called (Proud to be a Muslim) ?” asks Hani Obaid from Jordan.
Saudi Blogger in Coma
Last week, Saudi Jeans announced that female blogger Hadeel was found in her bed in a coma. Saleh Al Zaid (Ar) updates us about her condition in this post.
Kuwait: Congrats Manchester United!
Kuwaiti blogger Frankom (Ar) is ecstatic that Manchester United beat Barcelona and reaching the football Champions League final.
Kuwait: Speeding Foreigners Unwelcome
A new traffic law which ejects foreign traffic violators from the country, is creating waves in Kuwait. While one blogger asks what the fuss is about when other countries have already implemented similar rules, another argues that the new clampdown is too strict.
Iran: Remember Iranian Cheetahs
Iranian Cheetah Association informs [Fa] us that in two days there will be a festival to let people know more about Iranian (Asiatic) Cheetahs.Festival is called “the children of cheetahs’ land.” Students, clerics,delegates of United Nations and many others are invited to this festival.
Armenia: Torchlight Procession
Life in Armenia posts an account and photographs from last week's torchlight procession held on the eve of the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The blog says that the march brought a much needed sense of unity to Armenia after the recent post-election unrest that left...
Bahrain: Food, Money and Traffic
Bahraini bloggers are sticking to the important subjects this week: food, money and traffic congestion, writes Ayesha Saldanha who brings us the latest vibes from the local blogosphere this week.
Egypt: The New Governorates
Sandmonkey, from Egypt, wrote here about the presidential decree to create two new governorates, 6th of October and Helwan.
UK: Armenian Genocide March
Unzipped posts video, photographs and an account of a march staged by the London-Armenian community remembering the 1.5 million Armenians who died during the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The blogger from Armenia now living in the United Kingdom says the march reminded him to some extent of the...
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Mariam Abuadas is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
