Massive deforestation risks turning Somalia into desert
Monday, 19 November 2012
Hassan Hussein cuts down 40 trees every month to fuel his charcoal business, fully aware of the impact his action has on the environment. But for the livestock keeper, the forests are the last remaining resource. And he is not alone. Hundreds of thousands of Somalia’s traditional pastoralist ... Read More
The Arab Spring and disqualifying the Islamist myth
Sunday, 18 November 2012
At the time when idealizing and romanticizing the Arab Spring was the dominant narrative for the masses, neighboring governments and western analysts worried about the Islamists filling in the vacuum. The elections in Egypt caused the most concern as Mohammed Mursi became the country’s fifth president enchanting his supporters ... Read More
Culture shock awaits Somali returnees
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Two years ago, fashion designer Ayan Hussein left the high-end stores of Britain’s capital for a stab at promoting fashion that was in line with Muslim tradition in her Somali homeland. But she and her family, along with thousands of other Somalis who have returned in the hope of drumming up business or out of ... Read More
Afghan women learn literacy through mobile phones
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Afghanistan has launched a new literacy program that enables Afghan women deprived of a basic education during decades of war to learn to read and write using a mobile phone. The phone is called Ustad Mobile (Mobile Teacher) and provides national curriculum courses in both national languages, Dari and Pashto, ... Read More
Syrian activists prosper in peaceful town
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Children go to school, women shop with confidence, artists work and independent newspapers are flourishing — the town of Minbej is a rare example of the potential in a post-Assad Syria. Unlike other cities in the northwest heavily, which are petrified by the war to bring down President Bashar Assad, relative peace and ... Read More
Lebanese potter maintains ancient craft
Friday, 16 November 2012
Pottery has been an important part of Lebanese life and culture since the Phoenician era with generations of craftsmen keeping this ancient tradition alive. But, although this craft is declining in popularity, one artisan in the northern city of Tripoli, continues to make pottery the traditional way with great love and ... Read More
Yemeni riders protest government crackdown on motorbikes
Friday, 16 November 2012
Dozens of motorcyclists rallied outside Sanaa’s Municipal building on Thursday in protest against a recent government decision that requires they have a registered license plate on their motorbikes. The Yemeni Interior Ministry introduced the measures on Thursday in a bid to counter attack what they say is a spread of ... Read More
Gaza strikes expose new global divide on Mideast
Friday, 16 November 2012
Israel was condemned Thursday by much of the Arab world while securing Western backing and pressing its biggest air assault on Gaza for years amid a wave of Palestinian short-range rocket fire. Iran and Egypt -- its new Islamist leaders under pressure to build closer ties with the Palestinians at the cost of a ... Read More
After dark years, lights coming back on for Iraqi cinema
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
The din of power generators, tangle of jerry-rigged electric wiring and hassle of security checkpoints are all part of the movie business in Iraq, not to mention the lack of studio space and dearth of experienced crews. But actors like Sadiq Abbas are just happy to get back to work. “The journey of a thousand miles starts ... Read More
Iran aims for baby boom, but are Iranians in the mood?
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Before Somayeh can have the second child she and her husband have been talking about, they must first consider the expense. “Baby food, clothes, doctors, the hospital - it all costs a lot of money. Which we can’t afford at the moment,” she said, speaking to Reuters by phone from inside Iran. Like many countries, Iran is ... Read More
Desert music, dance and lament in dunes of Morocco
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Rousing desert rhythms brought to life the oasis of M’Hamid, last stop in Morocco before the vast empty wastes of the Sahara, as musicians from across the region descended on the dunes. The Taragalte music festival kicked off in earnest at the weekend under a spectacular star-lit sky, with a list of women’s ... Read More
Bahrain opens Arabian Nights-themed national theater
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Bahrain’s King Hamad opened one of the largest theatres in the Middle East this week as part of a drive to smooth over months of unrest that have rocked the Gulf Arab state. But the creation of an elegant cubic glass structure with a golden-coloured roof by the seaside may do little to quell lingering unrest between the ... Read More
Morocco’s ‘liquid gold’ enriches Berber women
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
In a poor but fertile corner of southern Morocco, illiterate Berber women are tapping the surge in global demand for argan oil, a “miracle” product they grind from a special nut, that is helping to lift them out of poverty. Sometimes known as “liquid gold” or “miracle oil” for its rich cosmetic, culinary and medicinal ... Read More
Three women intertwine in downfall of David Petraeus
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Jill Kelley is a fixture on the Tampa, Florida, military scene, volunteering for community relations work with foreign military officers and their families stationed at MacDill Air Force base. She is also a friend of David Petraeus, and yet, she appears to have contributed to his stunning downfall and departure as ... Read More
Syrian revolution will find salvation through a chosen charismatic leader
Monday, 12 November 2012
A month after pro-democracy protests erupted in Syria, Sheikh Mouaz Alkhatib gave an electrifying speech to a crowd in Damascus mourning Sunni demonstrators shot dead by President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite security forces. Ordinary Alawites, said the man chosen on Sunday to unite the country’s fractured opposition, were ... Read More
Afghans find hope for justice in video testimony
Monday, 12 November 2012
Through a video monitor in a military courtroom near Seattle, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales saw young Afghan girls smile beneath bright head coverings before they described the bloodbath he’s accused of committing. He saw boys fidget as they remembered how they hid behind curtains when a gunman killed 16 people in ... Read More
Syrians convert gold into cash to survive
Monday, 12 November 2012
In a Damascus jewelry shop, the customer’s jaw drops when he hears what he is being offered for his gold ring. Barely $100. “Can’t you do any better?” he asks timidly before accepting the deal. After nearly 20 long months of conflict, many Syrians are now digging deep into their pockets, with many having to ... Read More
Egypt Muslim Sisters rise with conservative vision
Sunday, 11 November 2012
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt has brought with it a new group of female politicians who say they are determined to bring more women into leadership roles — and at the same time want to consecrate a deeply conservative Islamic vision for women in Egypt. Women’s rights have sprung to the forefront of the ... Read More
Libyans discover video art after four-decade cultural vacuum
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Libya’s first video art exhibit proved a hit in Tripoli, drawing scores of spectators in a country emerging from 42 culturally barren years under the regime of slain dictator Muammar Qaddafi. People from all over the capital flocked to the seaside Old City this month following the itinerary charted by “First ... Read More
Palestinian farmers turn to organic farming
Sunday, 11 November 2012
The Palestinian olive harvest, an ancient autumn ritual in the West Bank, is going upscale. In an emerging back-to-the-land movement, Palestinian farmers are turning the rocky hills of the West Bank into organic olive groves, selling their oil to high-end grocers in the U.S. and Europe. The move is a reflection of the ... Read More