· May, 2013

Stories about West Asia & North Africa from May, 2013

African Union Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The African Union (AU), the single largest organization of states in Africa, marked its 50th anniversary from May 25 to 27, 2013 at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sparking debate among Africans throughout the continent over the organization's relevance and effectiveness.

31 May 2013

Yemen: Two Men Killed for Overtaking a Sheikh's Wedding Convoy

Two young Yemeni men were killed last week for bypassing a wedding procession of a Sheikh (tribal leader) in Yemen's capital Sanaa. Khalid Al-Khateeb and his friend Hassan Aman were driving in their car when they came across a tribal wedding procession and were shot to death for over-taking the convoy. The wedding convoy belonged to Sheikh Ali Abd Rabo Al-Awadhi, a member in Yemen's Islah party and a member of the National Dialogue. The murder sparked an outrage among netizens and activists.

27 May 2013

Egypt: “Are you Happy Morsi?”

Egyptian Ahmad Khalil tweets [ar]: الكهرباء قطعت من الساعة 9.5 وبالتالى النت قطع ، لعلك سعيد يا ريس مرسى ؟؟ نحن نعيش فى العتمه والقادم اسؤأ @ahmad_khalil:The electricity has been...

22 May 2013

KFC Deliveries Smuggled into Palestine Through Secret Tunnels

Palestinian Anas Hamra, from Gaza, claims he got his Kentucky Fried Chicken delivered – after a seven hour wait. His story tallies with a recent New York Times report which says that Gazans are getting their KFC deliveries, from Al Arish, in Egypt, where they are smuggled through secret tunnels. The delivery service has since been discontinued, but at least Hamra got his KFC treat and the chance to blog his experience.

18 May 2013

Turkey: Syrian Refugees Targeted after Reyhanlı Blasts

On May 11th, Reyhanlı [en] small Turkish town on Turkey-Syria border, was under terrorist attacks. This was the biggest terrorist attack [en] in country's 90 year-old republican history. Netizens react to the blast, a government imposed media ban on the tragedy and the targeting of Syrian refugees which followed.

18 May 2013

INFOGRAPHIC: The Forced Exile of Palestinians

In commemoration of Nakba Day, the ‘Visualizing Palestine’ graphic team have released their latest infographic entitled “An ongoing displacement” which “quantitatively catalogues the multiple dimensions of Palestinian displacement and loss of land.”

15 May 2013

Saudi Mobile Company Seeks Privacy Advocate's Help to Spy on Clients

Saudi Arabia's second largest telecommunication company, Mobily, has reached for a privacy advocate's help to surveil encrypted communication applications. The advocate went public with the request, publishing email exchanges online, and causing an outcry on social media, where Saudi netizens calls for laws to protect people's privacy and punish those spying on the people.

15 May 2013

Yemen: Focus on Education!

In a country where the illiteracy rate of both sexes (15 years and above) is almost 40 per cent, education and the empowerment of the women and youth is an imperative necessity for any concrete development in Yemen. Activists argue why education should be a right and not a privilege.

14 May 2013

About our West Asia & North Africa coverage

Walid El Houri
Walid El Houri is the West Asia and North Africa Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.