Stories about Saudi Arabia from May, 2007
Saudi: Saudi Jeans Birthday
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
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
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
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!
King of Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Visits Morocco, Gets the Royal Treatment
Tunisien Doctor muses (Fr) about King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia's treatment duing his visit to Morocco: the hand-kissing, the woolen carpets strenching hundreds of meters to line the path of the king's motorcade.
Jordan: Arab Media Watchdog
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 Death of a Prince, Water Shortages and Making a Splash
Saudi-American blogger Rasheed Abou-Alsamh sums up a few developments in Saudi this week. They include the death of a Saudi prince, water shortages in Jeddah and criticism of a BBC report on the status of women in the Kingdom. “Finally, I'd like to nominate the BBC's Rachel Reid for writing...
Saudi Arabia: The Weak-End
“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
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!
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...
Iraq: Why a Saudi-Egypt Bridge Would Worry Israel
Iraqi blogger Ladybird puts one and one together to explain why the construction of a bridge connecting Egypt to Saudi Arabia would get the Israelis worried.
Saudi Arabia: Milyani's blog has been blocked
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
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
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
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.
Camel Hopping in Yemen
Kuwaiti-Saudi blogger Yazeez links to a video of a new sport in Yemen. Anyone into camel hopping?
Iraq: Underground Missile Cities in Saudi and Syria?
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.