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Lebanon: Strike Gone Sour

Moussa Bashir · 18:55, May 8th, 2008

lingua → ar · mk · bn

May 7 should have been a day for general strike and demonstration to contest the government’s economic policies, price rise and low wages. The workers syndicate had to cancel the demonstration, although keeping the strike on, because clashes broke out in many places around Lebanon between different factions belonging to the pro–government and opposition camps. Bloggers were quick to comment on the events. Here are some of their reflections from yesterday although the events are escalating very fast into gunfights in the streets of Beirut. Check back for more summaries on bloggers posts and reports on the unfolding crisis. 3 comments · »»

Iraq: Stop the massacre in Sadr City…

Salam Adil · 00:18, May 7th, 2008

lingua → pt · bn

… so says Al-Ghad. In the weeks following the high profile attack on Basra by the Iraqi army and its high profile failure something of a low-level war has been going on across Iraq much behind the scenes of the mainstream media. Yet now the situation seems to be coming to a head. 88 comments · »»

Stories

May 11th, 2008

Tunisia: Sarkozy's Visit Spurs Blog Reactions

Naruto · 21:14

The Tunisian blogosphere was buzzing last week with responses to French President Nicholas Sarkozy's official visit. Naruto brings us some of the reactions in this post. 0 comments · »»

PangeaDay: Impressions from Brazil

Paula Góes · 13:45

Pangea day took place this Saturday, May 10 2008, and the world watched together a selection of films broadcast via the internet and TV simultaneously to every corner of the planet and with live broadcast in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro. See here a comprehensive wrap up: PangeaDay as seen by a Brazilian blogger. 0 comments · »»

May 5th, 2008

Arabeyes: Freedom for Fouad Al Farhan

Amira Al Hussaini · 14:40

lingua → bn

Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan is now a free man, after spending 137 days in detention in Jeddah. While bloggers have all along speculated why he has been held by the authorities for this long, Arab bloggers are unanimously excited over his release. And they also share their hopes for the release of other jailed bloggers. 0 comments · »»

May 3rd, 2008

Jordan: Gearing Up for Strike

Amira Al Hussaini · 22:24

lingua → bn · es

Jordan is gearing up for a strike on May 4, according to bloggers. Just like in Egypt, the message to strike was posted on Facebook, and later picked up by blogs, in protest against increasing prices and calling for better living conditions. 0 comments · »»

Iran: Inflation and Untouchable Tomatoes

Hamid Tehrani · 22:15

lingua → bn · fr · de

The Iranian government has often denied the existence of inflation, even suggesting it is an invention of foreigners and the media. However, in recent months inflation has risen stronger and faster than ever in Iran. It is partly due to the rise in food prices on the international market, but ... 0 comments · »»

Bahrain: Lebanese singer causes political storm

Ayesha Saldanha · 18:12

Earlier this week the provocative Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe performed in Bahrain, but not before Bahrain's MPs protested and tried to ban her concert. 0 comments · »»

Links

May 11th, 2008

According to anasonline blog, access to Wikipedia Arabic, the Arabic language version of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, is now blocked by all ISPs in Syria.

May 10th, 2008

“The army command has just announced it is reinstating Wafiq Shuqair as the head of airport security and will investigate Hizbullah’s communications network ‘without harming the resistance’, asking for the withdrawal of all armed men and the reopening of the streets,” reports In the Middle of the East about the government's decisions that started the current crisis in Lebanon.

“It's a pretty hot summer indeed in Lebanon… A strike that turned into a civil war… I'm scared..Yesterday when I heard the gunshots getting closer to my house I couldn't stand up!! I couldn't run!! and I couldn't even move!!!” writes NightS on her experience with the current events in Lebanon.

MFL's provides a list of lessons and observations drawn from the crisis in Lebanon.

“I live in Ras El-Nabeh, where clashes have been raging for the last 2 days, and thanks god today is relatively calm and under the Lebanese army control. But still, I didn’t go to work in fear of not being able to come back! Yeah feels like being under siege!” writes Rami.

“During the war last summer, i cried the most when i heard that the Baalbek ruins are being threatened. Not equally dramatic but equally tragic, it seems that all the archives of future tv got totally destroyed! (18 years worth of records),” writes Mirvat about the damaging of one of the television station's buildings.

Khomeinism says [Fa]despite all these stories about Iranian nuclear program and sanctions, western companies continue to sell all their products in Iran.The blogger says, with irony, we should remind these countries that Iran has “Atomic Bomb”, do not sell your products anymore.

May 9th, 2008

“There are heavy gun-shots going on near us, and my roommate made me laugh amongst the shootings: ‘these are crazy mother-******s, i am happy to be as normal in comparison,'” writes Razan in Beirut.