· June, 2008

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from June, 2008

Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport

  28 June 2008

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

  28 June 2008

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

  27 June 2008

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!

  27 June 2008

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 E-Transactions Law Issued

  27 June 2008

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

  27 June 2008

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?

  27 June 2008

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

  27 June 2008

“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

  27 June 2008

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

  27 June 2008

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.

Bahrain:Blocking Sites

  24 June 2008

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

  24 June 2008

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

  24 June 2008

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

  24 June 2008

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.

About our Middle East & North Africa coverage

Mariam A.
Mariam A. is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.