Stories from 9 November 2013
Bulgarian Students Occupy the Country's Future
Students in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities occupy universities in protest of a decision made by Parliament, but regarding on-going political, corruption and freedom issues in the country.
Bad Cop, Good Cop and Other Cops in Iran Nuke Talks
Six world powers and Iran are discussing Iran's nuclear programme in a two-day meeting in Geneva. Lebanese satirist Karl Sharro comments on Twitter: The Western sides at the P5+1 talks with Iran are playing good cop, bad cop, over-enthusiastic cop and insufferably pretentious cop. — Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) November 9,...
Saudi Women Insist on Driving Despite Ban
Saudi women continue to challenge the driving ban imposed on them in the absolute monarchy. This video shows a woman named as Azza Al Shammasi driving in Saudi Arabia on November 9.
Saudi Women to Continue to Challenge Driving Ban
Now that the Saudi government's position on the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is clear, activists intend to continue to challenge the ban and “focus their effort on changing the government’s position instead of spending time trying to convince observers that society is not against lifting the ban.”...
The Curious Case of Sami Anan
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia shares her two cents on the reemergence of Sami Anan, the former Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Is he bidding for presidency? Global Voices Online's Victor Salama has more.
21km of Jeddah's 655km coastline accessible to public
Do you live near the sea but feel it's unreachable? That is the case for people living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ahmed Al Omran tweets: Total length of coastline within Jeddah Governorate is 655km. Only 21km of that is properly accessible to public http://t.co/64gTbTSEV3 — Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) November...
Tunisian Police Blamed for Torturing Young Man to Death
Only few weeks after the adoption of a new anti-torture law in Tunisia, Walid Denguir, died in police custody. Pictures of his dead body, show bruises and head injuries.
Lebanese Man Microwaves Cat
A Lebanese man microwaved a cat while his friend filmed him. They uploaded the video on Facebook, drawing a manhunt for the culprits, who have been named and shamed.
Turk-Arab Youth Congress: Middle East Needs Greater Regional Cooperation
Global Voices author from Pakistan Fakiha Hassan Rizvi attended the 2nd Turk Arab Youth Congress (TAYC) held in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct 25-27, 2013 and reports what she learned.
In Response to Danny Ayalon: The REAL Truth about Palestine
In a video released in July 2011, Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon offered his version of the “Israel Palestinian Conflict: The Truth About the West Bank”. In the video he explained the meaning of terms such as Palestine, the West Bank and the Occupied Territories based on...
Egypt: The Sami Anan “Presidential Campaign” Goes Viral
Posters showing former chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Sami Anan in what seems to be election campaign posters have gone viral. Victor Salama has more
Philippines: ‘Pork Barrel Queen’ Senate Appearance a Dud
The 'pork barrel queen' is accused of siphoning billions of public funds into ghost non-government organizations through the projects of senators, congressmen and local governments
‘The More Truth You Know, the More Distressed You Feel': China's Journalists’ Day
Amid an ongoing crackdown in the country, Chinese journalists reflected on the state of the industry on Journalists' Day.
Researcher to Mozambique's President: “You Are Out of Control”
An open letter [pt] by Mozambican well-known economist and researcher Carlos Nuno Castel-Branco begins “Mr. President, you are out of control.” The letter frontally questions the credibility of President Guebuza in the current context of political and military tension in the country, followed by a strange rash of kidnapping. The researcher describes...