Masgoof back on the menu: Iraq’s signature dish returns
Sunday, 04 November 2012
Abu Shahad digs his fingers into a flame-grilled carp, stuffs them into his mouth and relishes a taste of what is perhaps Iraq’s most beloved dish: masgoof. Thanks to a drop in the once-rampant levels of violence across the nation ravaged by years of war, sales of the national meal are soaring. Seated with four of his ... Read More
Egypt prepares to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Nov. 4: report
Sunday, 04 November 2012
Despite clashes and protests that have recently transpired in Egypt, sales on flowers and chocolates are set to hit the streets as the country prepares to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Sunday. Besides celebrating “hearts day” on its international date every February 14th, the Egyptians have been celebrating the 4th of ... Read More
In Israel, media stars are turning to politics
Sunday, 04 November 2012
They spent their journalistic careers analyzing, covering and skewering Israel’s politicians. Now, a striking number are vying to join their ranks. Four prominent Israeli TV anchors and news pundits are leaving their jobs and running for parliament in Israel’s upcoming elections, reflecting the rising star ... Read More
After Saddam and war, Iraq’s musicians see revival
Saturday, 03 November 2012
The once quiet courtyards of Baghdad’s Institute of Musical Studies, located in the busy Sinak area, where violence was rife during the height of Iraq’s sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007, are thriving again as the Iraqi capital enjoys a noticeable ebb in violence. Many of Iraq’s most talented musicians fled during the rule ... Read More
Under fire, Somalia’s brave journalists
Friday, 02 November 2012
Camera in one hand and pistol in the other, Somali reporter Abdukadir Hassan Abdirahman goes out to work on some of the most dangerous streets for journalists in the world. Sometimes reporting from anarchic Somalia -- where at least 18 media workers have been killed this year, double the worst on record and second only to ... Read More
Domestic travelers offer lifeline to ailing Egyptian tourism industry
Friday, 02 November 2012
A small number of tourists recently climbed the crumbling ramparts of Shali fortress to photograph the oasis town of Siwa in Egypt. Between the 13th to early 20th century the fortress was home to Siwans who lived inside the salt and mud brick walls to protect themselves from marauding Bedouins who came from the north coast ... Read More
Outsider bogged down in protracted battle for Aleppo
Friday, 02 November 2012
Munzir is still a teenager but he’s already a veteran of the Syrian war. He fought in his hometown, driving out regime soldiers, and is now trying to do the same in Aleppo. Except that winning Aazaz only took a couple of weeks. More than three months after moving into Syria's commercial capital, rebels lay ... Read More
Syrian anti-Assad cartoonist plans to relaunch satirical magazine in Cairo
Thursday, 01 November 2012
Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat has travelled a long road of persecution and exile before finding his way to banks of the Nile and a fresh start in Cairo. One of Syria’s most famous artists, Farzat earned recognition in the Arab world and beyond for stinging cartoons of Arab leaders such as Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi and Iraq’s ... Read More
State says go home and sleep, 24/7 Egypt resists
Thursday, 01 November 2012
Egypt’s capital prides itself on being city that never sleeps, with crowds filling cafes and shops open into till the small hours. So, the government is facing a backlash from businesses and the public as it vows to impose new nationwide rules closing stores and restaurants early. Officials say the step is ... Read More
Taxi drivers dodge snipers on Syria frontline
Thursday, 01 November 2012
Taxi driver Abu Mohammed cheated death when the sniper opened fire. The bullet whistled past his right temple and shot his female customer on the back seat of his yellow cab. Like scores of drivers in Aleppo, he risks his life every day to ferry passengers across the frontlines of Syria’s vicious civil war, ... Read More
Sudan rebels recruit children from S.Sudan refugee camp: US
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Sudanese rebels are using a refugee camp across the border in South Sudan as recruitment grounds for troops including child soldiers, a senior US official said Wednesday. Anne Richard, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, said Washington had called on rebels ... Read More
Lebanese campaign urges ‘right to know’ fate of disappeared
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
A Lebanese rights group launched a campaign Wednesday to push for new efforts to determine the fate of some 17,000 people still missing more than 20 years after the country's brutal civil war. The “right to know” campaign comes after fresh violence following a car bomb attack two weeks ago that raised ... Read More
Syrians turn to citizen journalism as state media fail to inform
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
In Syria, citizen journalism has perhaps become the most trusted primary source Syrians turn to as an alternative to state media during the uprising. Official media are often blamed by activists and even pro-government onlookers for failing to do their reporting duties. Suicide bombings that shifted into the capital Damascus ... Read More
Veiled Muslim mayor a first for Bosnia, possibly Europe
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Bosnia’s first veiled mayor began her duties this week, after an election which saw her becoming the first hijab-clad mayor in the country, and possibly in Europe. Amra Babic, who served as a regional finance minister before running for mayor, will now run the Bosnian town of Visoko, in an electoral win she describes as a ... Read More
Egyptians in hajj divided over Islam in politics
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Now that she has finished the hajj and is returning home to Egypt, Magda Bagnied says her family will no doubt try to convince her to put on the headscarf to demonstrate her religiosity after a pilgrimage meant to cleanse her of sin and bring her closer to God. She fully expects that from her parents. But ... Read More
The young girl who survived Beirut bombing
Monday, 29 October 2012
Ten-year-old Jennifer Chedid recovered from a life-threatening experience from injuries she sustained in Beirut’s deadly bomb blast that claimed the life of general Wissam al-Hassan. The young girl suffered internal bleeding in her brain from shrapnel that pierced her skull. She also suffered face disfiguration and other ... Read More
Anonymous man’s gifts delight Iraqi beggars on Eid
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Beggar Abu Jassim did not expect that he would get a huge Eid Al-Adha gift from an unidentified man while standing in Baqouba market in western Iraq. “The envelope had $64.50, I could not believe my eyes!It crushed my fears from being unable to provide bread for my family,” he said. For Abu Jassim, who described the Eid ... Read More
‘First’ Pakistani astronaut wants to make peace in space
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Once you’ve been to both poles, skydived over Mount Everest and set up your country’s first consulate in Monaco, the question is: what next? For 37-year-old explorer Namira Salim the answer is easy, become the first Pakistani to go into space. Her flight with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space tourism project is ... Read More
Egyptians volunteer for ‘Eid without harassment’
Saturday, 27 October 2012
The Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha is often marked in Egypt with bliss and festivity, bringing smiles to faces. But for many women, the celebrations can sometimes turn into quite unpleasant experiences with ubiquitous sexual harassment. To combat harassment during Eid, a number of Egyptian volunteers – men and women – have ... Read More
Calves replace sheep during Eid al-Adha in Gaza
Friday, 26 October 2012
Maher Abu Assi, who worked as a butcher for more than thirty years, can no longer slaughter calves on Eid al-Adha, as he is getting older. During his youth, he used to slaughter sheep. According to Abu Assi, due to the increased number of family members compared to the low revenue of people in the Gaza Strip, the majority of ... Read More