#BooksForRasul: What Jailed Azerbaijani Human Rights Defenders Need Most? Books.

A former political prisoner invites people to send books to Azerbaijani activist Rasul Jafarov, who has been arrested and will be spending his 30th birthday in jail.

Bosnian Protesters Demand Bread, Social Justice and Freedom of Speech

When the citizens of Bosnia’s second largest city, Tuzla, went out to protest on February 4, 2014, few expected to witness the countrywide unrest that erupted a week later.

A Pastebin for Arabic Content on the Web

“Arabic is the seventh most spoken language by Internet users but only three per cent of digital content on the web comprises of Arabic material,” estimate experts. Among the most frequent web usages is sharing text, through Pastebin and similar services. Yet these do not properly support Arabic text. Developed...

Egypt: Campaigning for Rights of People with Special Needs

Marginalized Egyptians with special needs have been protesting for their rights both before and since the #Jan25 revolution. However, their grievances are yet to be resolved. At the time when the Committee of 50 is voting on the most recent draft of the Egyptian Constitution, Zayee Zayak campaign, which translates...

Egypt: Mohamed Mahmoud Won't Be Forgotten

Back in November 2011, violent clashes erupted in Mohamed Mahmoud Street, in Cairo. Protests erupt two years later in remembrance

VIDEO: “No Woman, No Drive” Stuns Saudi Arabia

Today, October 26, was the day Saudi activists chose to protest against the driving ban on women in the Kingdom. As social networks were buzzing under increasing number of reports of women driving across the country, a brilliant a capella remake of Bob Marley's “No Woman, No Cry” spread at...

Morocco Censors the Web: Collateral Damage Allowed

A number of websites, among them popular social media platforms Instagram and Pinterest, have been blocked in Morocco. Also, one of the main independent media outlets, Lakome, has been censored.

Dandin.me: Encompassing the Emerging Talent in the Middle East

October 10 saw the official launch of Dandin.me, a novel independent platform whose founders are based in Egypt. Abdel-Rahman Hussein, one of the people behind Dandin.me, explains what it aims to achieve: The rationale behind it was our desire to create an audio platform that would manage to encompass a...

Nobel Peace Prize Fails to Pacify

Assad for Nobel Peace Prize 2014? This is one of many reactions after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was named as this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Protests in Iraq Crowdvoiced

Crowdvoice is a platform that “works to provide first-hand reports, occasionally coupled with the top mainstream media coverage.” By curating and putting to the forefront the sound bytes of these working to change the world, Crowdvoice compiles a wide range of resources in a meaningful whole thus enabling access to...

VIDEO: Filmpoem “Prayer of Fear” Stuns Egypt

The Egyptian citizen collective Mosireen has been tirelessly documenting the #Jan25 revolution and the events that followed in images and documentaries. One of their very last creations is “Prayer of Fear”, a filmpoem by Mahmoud Ezzat narrated by Mosireen member Salma Said. Between roving and painful memories, the filmpoem stuns...

Saudi Clergyman Delivers Ground-breaking Science on Why Women Shouldn't Drive

Women in Saudi Arabia should not drive because driving will have adverse effects on their pelvis and ovaries, says a religious scholar. No Kidding.

Egypt: Caught Between a Zombie and a Bloodsucker!

The current situation in Egypt is a challenge for everyone: diplomats, citizens and commentators. The army has used excessive force to disperse sit-ins where Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers were camped to support former president Mohamed Morsi. Illustrating this complex situation, Egyptian artist Ganzeer depicts the army as a vampire...

Turkey: “A Tree Dies, A Nation Rises”

The situation in Istanbul turned violent when police cracked down on peaceful protesters on Friday, May 31. The peaceful sit-in started five days ago where several tens of people gathered to oppose plans by the government urban reorganization of Istanbul's only green spot: the Gezi Park. The brutality used by police forces — teargas, water cannons, fists and batons — to expel protesters from the park generated a national outcry.

Egypt: Prime Minister Prescribes Smurf Diet

Hesham Qandil, Egypt's Prime Minister, is an illustruous expert in healthcare issues as attested by, e.g. his insightful comments about ‘dirty boobs breastfeeding’. The Prime Minister delivered another priceless advice to Twitter users, this time about a healthy diet:

Opening the Black Box of Governance: Alleviating Poverty With Data

Opening the data produced by public administrations is part of an effective approach to poverty alleviation. Despite the huge potential for the public good, this data is rarely released and shared for public use.

A Platform for Middle East's Indie Musicians

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.

The Sinai Peninsula: Egypt's “Wild West”?

In April of this year, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt a “kind of Wild West” after rockets were fired from there targeting the resort town Eilat in Israel.

North Korea's Missile Launch Depicted by Cats

The cheeky Tumblr blog International Relations as Depicted by Cats suggests North Korea's reaction to their own missile launch.

Independent French Data Journalism Website OWNI Under Threat of Closure

News of the imminent demise of OWNI (OWNI.fr), an independent French data journalism media outlet, surfaced last week. Famous for its close collaboration with WikiLeaks, OWNI developed the WarLogs application and conducted a great deal of analyses on the SpyFiles among others, and has been consistently reporting on surveillance, internet governance and freedom online.