Stories about Middle East & North Africa from February, 2013
Saudi Arabia: Hospital Gives HIV, Minister Gives iPad
Reham al-Hakami is a 13-year-old girl who got infected with HIV after being given a blood transfusion in a hospital in Jizan, in southern Saudi Arabia. The case sparked anger on social media after the health minister visited her - and gave her an iPad.
Egyptians Elected Morsi Because …
On Twitter, Egyptians who voted for Mohamed Morsi in the Egyptian presidential elections in June 24 are remorseful - and their regret is evident in a new hashtag which reads: I elected Morsi because .. The hashtag [ar] #انا_انتخبت_مرسي_عشان generated tongue-in-cheek and sarcasm. Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, won the presidential runoff elections against Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister of Hosni Mubarak, who resigned after 32 years following 18 days of country-wide protests against his rule.
A Second Revolution in Libya?
The road to democracy is a bumpy one for Libyans, who are marking the second anniversary of their revolution this week. Fozia Mohamed charts the reactions of bloggers on the occasion. Could this be Libya's real second revolution?
Saudi Charged for “Down with the House of Saud” Tweet
Bader Thawab is a Saudi Twitter user who was arrested back in September 2012 after writing tweets calling for the fall of the Saudi monarchy. Journalist Iman al-Qahtani managed to get a leaked copy of the list of charges that he faces, and published them online. Among the charges are following political dissidents on Twitter.
Japan's Conservation Groups Fight to Preserve Wetlands
Damp and marshy, they seem boring and barren. But contrary to their appearance, tidal flats or coastal wetlands are rich in biodiversity and help maintain balance in the water cycle. For Japan, which hosts 46 of the 2,098 registered wetlands worldwide, their conservation is essential.
Secret Life and Death of Mossad Spy ‘Prisoner X’
Revelations by Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) progamme Foreign Correspondent on 12 February, 2013 have fired up onliners. The mysterious Prisoner X who allegedly committed suicide in an Israeli gaol in 2010 was not only a dual citizen of Australia and Israel, but also a Mossad agent.
Boy, 16, Killed on Second Anniversary of Bahrain Protests
A 16-year-old boy was killed in Bahrain today (February 14, 2013), on the second anniversary of the start of widespread Arab Spring-style protests across the country. His death, reportedly from shotgun injuries, sparked anger online – and on the streets.
Saudi Women Protesters Arrested for “Impairing Development”
Last Saturday, February 9th, a small protest was organized in front of the building of Human Rights Commission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by a group of women and children including the wife, daughter and granddaughter of Suliman al-Rushoodi, the detained chairman of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. The women were set free today - but the case against them was not dismissed. They will stand trial again on February 27.
Linking to Facebook is a Crime in Iran
According to [fa] Iranian media, linking to filtered social networking sites such as Facebook and Google+ can be considered a crime under the “computer crimes law”. Read more on the “Law of Computer Crimes” here.
Protester Sets Himself on Fire, Yemen Remembers the Revolution
Revolutionaries throughout Yemen are celebrating the 2nd anniversary of February 11, 2011 - the day Yemen's revolution began. Netizens share their thoughts on the occasion.
Dignity, Courage and Hypocrisy: Egyptian Man Stripped Naked by Police
A video showing an Egyptian man Hamada Saber being beaten and stripped by the police has gone viral, creating a wave of shock and disbelief in the country.
Egypt: Prime Minister's ‘Bad Boobs’ Speech Transcribed
YouTube user Masr Madaneya publishes a short video of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's speech subtitled in English. The declaration sparked outcry and mockery in the last days after the Prime Minister claimed that breastfeeding mothers cause diarrhea to their babies with their unclean breasts.
Secular Politician Shot Dead, Protests Erupt Across Tunisia
Protests have erupted in Tunisia following the murder of opposition leader Chokri Belaid. Belaid was shot dead outside his house in the early hours of February 6, 2013.
Iran: Will Thieving Officials Also Have Their Hands Chopped Off?
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once again proved his talent for making surprising headlines when he played a video for the parliament implicating some of the country's leading officials in a corruption scandal.
Saudi Activist Trial Postponed Without Prior Notice
A new trial was supposed to start today [Feb 4, 2013] for Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA) co-founder Dr Abdulkareem al-Khudr. Two of the association's co-founders, Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Dr Mohammad al-Qahtani, have been already under trial and contentious weekly interrogation for over the previous six months. al-Khudr is the author of several papers making the case for political and civil rights from an Islamic prospective, contradicting the state's official positions.
Palestine: Fighting with the Poem
Amira Abd El-Khalek, an Egyptian blogger who studied English literature and anthropology in Egypt and UK, wrote on the Arabic Literature blog about an evening of Palestinian poets, Asma’a Azaizeh and Marwan Makhoul, which was hosted by Banipal magazine and the Mosaic Rooms in London. During discussions that followed the...
Egypt: Morsi's State
Egyptian writer and journalist, Wael Eskandar, comments on the current Egyptian events.
Iran Sent One Monkey Into Space and Another Came Back
Bloggers have challenged claims by the Iranian government that they successfully launched a monkey into space and retrieved the animal alive on January 28, 2013. Before and after photos of the monkey do not match up.
News from the Iranian Journalists in Prison
Mezrab continues to report about the detained journalists in Iran. The post includes a very personal story about a an Iranian woman who shares her prison experience.
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