Stories about Middle East & North Africa from June, 2008
Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport
As French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, shots rang out. A quick assessment revealed that one of the Israeli members of Sarkozy's security detail had turned his weapon on himself, apparently committing suicide. The victim, whose name has not been revealed at his family's request, was in his...
Kuwait: Video Games, Newspapers and Female Bloggers
Who should regulate the video gaming scene in Kuwait? This and many other questions are on the minds of Kuwaiti bloggers in this round up. Forzaq8 speaks of laws dealing with video games and who he thinks should regulate them. He writes: Politics shouldn’t interfere in games , i was...
Palestine: Visiting Arafat's Tomb
Fugitive Peace blogger Gideon Lichfield recently visited Arafat's tomb. He reports: “I paid my first visit to Yasser Arafat’s new mausoleum… It’s an austere, brilliant pearl incongruously plopped in the middle of the ramshackle Muqata complex, the presidential headquarters: a cube-shaped mausoleum at the end of a long plaza, with...
Israel: No Nuts for You!
Israel is the world's largest consumer of pistachio nuts, but recent reports reveal that illegal imports from Iran may be its primary source. Jewschool's Shalom Rav jokes: “Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Israeli snacking habits will attest that Israel will be hard pressed to give up their pistachio...
Omani Blogger Passes Away
The Omani Blogging Community grieves over the sudden death of Omani Blogger Sleepless in Muscat.
Omani E-Transactions Law Issued
The first Oman law dealing with electronic transactions was passed recently. Blue Chi writes about why bloggers and webmasters should know what it says.
Palestine: She Shoots, She Scores
Muna Nawajaa has scored a victory for social justice. Using a camera given to her by B'Tselem's Shooting Back project, Palestinian Nawajaa recorded the masked beating of members of her family, resulting in an investigation and arrest of suspects by Israeli police. In a post entitled “Cameras as Weapons,” Uriel...
Morocco: Shutting down Al Jazeera?
After a clash between protestors and police in Sidi Ifni lead to injuries and possible deaths, Al Jazeera issued a report at a news conference held by the Moroccan Human Rights Centre that several protestors had been killed. The Moroccan authorities, angered by the report, charged Al Jazeera's Rabat bureau...
Israel: Drinking Tap Water Good For Your Health
“Drink tap water, trust me,” Amir Mizroch of Forecast Highs urges. “The desalination plant in Ashkelon… is one of the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world… But there seems to be a vast disconnect between the contention by experts that desalinated tap water is clean and...
Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis
Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...
No More Highschool For Omani Blogger
Omani Blogger Abdullah has completed his high school exams and is back on the blogging scene. He has also posted a vlog to tell us how his exams went.
Jordan: Internet Cafes
Jordanian Qwaider warns Internet users about the security concerns from using Internet cafes.
Saudi Arabia: Flying to Cooler Climes
Saudi blogger ibusy [Ar] notes how many people are escaping his country's heats to cooler climes this summer.
Morocco: Amazigh Festival Planned
The fourth annual Festival of Amazigh Culture will be held in Fez from 3 to 6 July, reports Moroccan blog The View from Fez.
Bahrain:Blocking Sites
Blocking websites is the most effective way of making them famous, notes Bahraini blogger Mahmood AlYousif on his country's latest threat to block some sites.
Kuwait: White Umbrella Demonstration
Lebanese blogger Mark, who lives in Kuwait, wonders about a protest he saw on his way to work. Demonstrators were wearing white and carrying white umbrellas.
Jordan: Noting Changes
Jordanian ASKAdenia [Ar] is back home for a visit and notes several changes in his country. Among them is the skyrocket prices of fuel and other commodities, as well as the presence of large numbers of Iraqis.
Egypt: Kareem's 600th Day in Prison
It will soon be the 600th day in prison for jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulieman. Bahraini Esra'a writes about how you can get involved in pressing for his release.
Kuwait:The Incredible Hulk
Kuwait's Z District reviews The Incredible Hulk.
Saudi Arabia: Muslim Brotherhood
Abu Aardvark sheds some light on the Muslim Brotherhood in Saudi Arabia in this post.
Egypt: Bahai Rights Comic
Mideast Youth publishes a comic strip here about the rights of the Bahai religuious group here.
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