· March, 2009

Stories about West Asia & North Africa from March, 2009

Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities

Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.

27 March 2009

Tunisia: Outcry over Italian Court's Verdict on Tunisian Pilots

Two Tunisian pilots of Tuninter Flight 1153, which crash landed in the sea off Sicily in 2005 killing 16 people, were sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Italian court. The decision is being contested by Tunisian bloggers, who say the pilots' heroic efforts in saving the 23 other passengers on board should have been celebrated.

27 March 2009

Palestine: The Purpose of Checkpoints

Marcy Newman, who lives in Nablus in the West Bank, describes driving home late at night, and the difficulties she had getting into the city through the numerous Israeli checkpoints...

27 March 2009

Armenia-Turkey: Obama's dilemma

Blogian gives its readers its opinion on the dilemma facing U.S. president Barack Obama in terms of fulfilling his campaign pledge to recognize the massacre and deportation of Armenians living...

27 March 2009

Tunisia: Dismissed Student Activists on Hunger Strike for the Right to Education

A total of 158 Tunisians and their friends from around the world went on hunger strike for a day today (March 26) in solidarity with five students who have been on hunger strike since February 11 in Tunisia. The initiative has been orchestrated on a Facebook group [Fr] as a symbolic form of support to the students, who are members of Tunisian Students' Union (UGET), and who have been suspended from university for their activism on campus.

27 March 2009

Pakistan: Persecution of Religious Minorities

Rumbold at Pickled Politics comments: “Before the latest round of violence, the situation was already bad for minorities in Pakistan. But now increased numbers are fleeing as more of them...

27 March 2009

Jordan: Blogger Exposes a State Secret

Jordanian blogger Rami Abdelrahman has blogged about a closely guarded secret about his government's involvement in the war on Afghanistan - and is getting unwelcome attention from the intelligence service.

26 March 2009

Jordan: Amman joins Earth Hour

Amman, Jordan, will turn off its lights for one hour on Saturday as part of Earth Hour, a worldwide initiative which urges people to turn off their lights for an...

26 March 2009

Iraq: Six Years On

It's the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war and while bloggers remember the past, few seem to look to the future anymore. Salam Adil reviews the Iraqi blogosphere for reactions.

26 March 2009

Palestine: A Mother's Pain

In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra tells the story of a mother who took part in a protest for the release of her son, a political prisoner in the...

25 March 2009

Tunisia: Bloggers Divided on Qaradawi's Visit

Discussions continue in the Tunisian blogosphere following the visit of Egyptian Islamic scholar Yousif Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar, to the secular country two weeks ago. Lina Ben Mhenni reports from a divided blogosphere.

25 March 2009

Libya: From Funerals to Weddings

From the death of a cousin after a lethal penicillin injection to discussing why Libyan men prefer marrying 'stupid' women over those who are educated, Fozia Mohamed sifts through posts written by established and new bloggers in her country to bring us those stories and more.

25 March 2009

Egypt: Google doodle by orphans

More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.

25 March 2009

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.


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