· April, 2009

Stories about Bahrain from April, 2009

UAE: Torture video sends shock waves around the world

  29 April 2009

Last week, a grainy video from 2005 made headlines, shaking up viewers around the globe. The video, first shown on U.S.-based ABC News, showed Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan - brother of UAE's crown prince torturing an Afghan grain farmer, attacking him with a cattle prod then literally pouring salt on his wounds. Jillian C. York brings us reports from the blogosphere.

MENA: Reflections on Durban II

  22 April 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.

Bahrain: Submissions for Bitfilm Open

  22 April 2009

Mideast Youth has been named a partner in the Bitfilm Festival for Digital Film and New Media, which will be Hamburg and Tel Aviv, writes the site's Bahraini founder Esra'a. The deadline for submissions is July 1.

Bahrain: Who's Calling?

  19 April 2009

Bahraini blogger Hussein Nasser explains why an Arabic-interfaced phone needs to be told if a caller is male or female.

Bahrain: News At Full Volume

  13 April 2009

Bahraini blogger The Dude is not impressed: “If anyone was ever unfortunate enough to stumble upon the Kingdom of Bahrain's official news agency's website, they'd be forgiven for thinking Bahrain was a backward, angry country. Everything, every single release, is IN CAPITAL LETTERS.”

Bahrain: Celebrating Veganism

  12 April 2009

Tasha, an American living in Bahrain who blogs at The Voracious Vegan, is celebrating two years of veganism with a special recipe.

Bahrain: Airport Stories

  11 April 2009

Bahraini blogger Yagoob recounts some of his recent experiences in airports – including meeting a Japanese security officer in Nagoya who wanted to practice speaking Arabic.

Bahrain: Authorities Censor Just Bahraini

  11 April 2009

Just Bahraini has been blocked by the authorities in Bahrain. “I don’t know what the rationale used at our respected Ministry of Information to block this particular site, a site which I created in order to find common ground between all Bahrainis regardless of confessionalism or religious belonging,” writes Mahmood...

Bahrain: The Real Highway Code?

  9 April 2009

Jeremiah, blogging at Prophet in Bahrain, has outlined what he believes is the Bahrain Highway Code: “1. At any junction 1 in 4 cars must do a U-Turn.”

Bahrain: Ban On Alcohol Sought

  2 April 2009

Bahrain has always been known as one of the most liberal and tolerant of the Gulf states, but in recent years the country's political environment has become increasingly religious, with many members of parliament demanding amongst other things a ban on alcohol. Reacting to this as well as other legislation being introduced, some of Bahrain's bloggers have expressed their disbelief and anger.