· May, 2007

Stories about Saudi Arabia from May, 2007

Saudi: Saudi Jeans Birthday

  31 May 2007

Saudi blogger Saudi Jeans (Ahmed Al Omran) is marking his 23rd birthday without much fanfare. “As for my birthday, there will be no party: Just me and my beer coke, working on some unfinished projects and getting ready for the tough finals,” he explains.

Egypt: From Here and There

  29 May 2007

Egypt-based blogger Issandr El Amrani selects a few essential readings here, where he links to articles of interest to his readers including one about how some Iraqi refugees are turning to the sex trade in Syria and the uproar an agreement to send 120,000 Egyptian housemaids to Saudi Arabia has...

Kuwait: Saudi Driving

  28 May 2007

Drunk'n'Gorgeous from Kuwait posts this YouTube video of a “driving adventure” in Saudi Arabia. And she thinks it's hilarious!

Egypt: Live Snakes to Saudi

  25 May 2007

Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein links to an AP story which says that police detained a man at Cairo's airport – bound for Saudi Arabia – who was trying to smuggle 700 live snakes on a plane!

Jordan: Arab Media Watchdog

  17 May 2007

Jordanian blogger Lina links to a news article which says that journalists from five Arab countries are to launch a media watchdog group in reaction to what they call increased restrictions on press workers in the region. According to the article, 20 reporters from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco and...

Saudi Arabia: The Weak-End

  9 May 2007

“It wasn't unexpected at all, at least not to me: several members of the Shoura Council decided to use the religion card against a proposal to change the Kingdom’s official Thursday-Friday weekend to Friday and Saturday. It is truly a pity how some people in this country would shove religion...

Saudi: Cooling off in a Swimming Pool

  9 May 2007

Saudi-based blogger Nzingha ridicules a report by a BBC correspondent about life in Saudi. “You will all be happy to know that as you plunge yourself deeply into the pools across the country to escape the summer heat you are not only cooling off but you are part of a...

Saudi Arabia: Don't Drive in Colorado!

  8 May 2007

Saudi blogger Serendipity warns people against driving in Colorado, US. “You know how they say that you shouldn’t speed towards the end of the month because Police try to meet their quota then? Well, in Colorado, I would suggest you don’t drive at all! Police in Colorado have issued a...

Saudi Arabia: Milyani's blog has been blocked

  5 May 2007

There's a thrilling debate on the Saudi blogsphere after the news of blocking Mohammed Milyani's blog by the Internet Services Unit (ISU). And even if there is a strong speculation that the block is due to a technical issue, since it is only targeting few pages and not the whole...

AlJazeeraTalk Blocked in Saudi Arabia

  4 May 2007

Muhammad Basheer and Amaar are both reporting that AlJazeeraTalk, a popular Arabic youth blog and discussion board, has been blocked to users in Saudi Arabia. AlJazeera Talk has responded by saying “Thank You Saudi Arabia!” They are asking if the block (which ironically occurred on World Press Freedom Day) was...

Arabeyes: The Middle East in Pictures

  3 May 2007

From dealing with the death of dear friend - a horse - to news of how the seaside town of Mukalla is Yemen is turning into a soulless new construction site, Amira Al Hussaini takes you on a new pictorial tour of the Middle East in today's blog round up.

Yemen: Breaking into Saudi Prison

  3 May 2007

Breaking out of prisons is the norm. Not any more. Blogger Jane Novak links to an article which claims that a cell of nine Yemenis were planning to break into a prison in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Iraq: Underground Missile Cities in Saudi and Syria?

  2 May 2007

Iraqi blogger Lady Bird points the finger at Israel, accusing it of spreading propaganda about the presence of underground missile cities in both Syria and Saudi Arabia. “Don’t be surprised if soon the propaganda machine publishes maps of Syria’s Qasioun caves complex or Syrian trucks carry chemical labs,” she notes.