Stories about Egypt from July, 2012
Egypt: Egyptian Woman faces Sexual Harassment, in Washington DC
Nancy M is an Egyptian woman who moved from Cairo to Washington DC last month, thinking she has left sexual harassment behind her.”I was still a woman, walking the streets of a city by myself, always open to the possibility that there was a man out there who felt entitled...
Egypt: Cairo's Urban Future
Cairo from Below has recently launched an urban competition as part of an international initiative entitled Our Urban Futures, in which participants should send their proposals about their vision for the future of Cairo. It should be in a visual format, like a short video, cartoon or info-graphic. Submissions deadline...
MENA: Welcoming Ramadan
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar has just begun. It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, try to get closer to God and celebrate their blessings. Around the world, Muslims have been trying to capture the spirit of the month with photographs, sharing them on different social media websites.
Egypt: No to a Military Funeral for Omar Sulieman
Hosni Mubarak's vice president and Egypt's former head of intelligence Omar Suleiman is dead. News of his death has triggered a storm of reactions on social media networks. On Twitter, netizens from around the Arab world, couldn't find much good to say to lament his loss.
Egypt: Egyptians Give Advice to Syrians
Egyptians are dishing out advice to Syrians - on Twitter. Under a dedicated hash tag, the advice ranges from "do not take photographs with tanks" to "take advice from someone else." The move follows news from Damascus this afternoon that three of Syrian president's inner circle have been killed in a bomb blast in Damascus. They include the Defense Minister, whose successor has since been named.
Egypt: Conflicting News on Casualties in Cairo Train Crash
Information remains sketchy about the number of casualties from a train crash in a Cairo suburb earlier today. Reports on mainstream media ranged from deaths and injuries - to no deaths and just injuries, in the accident where a passenger train derailed and caught fire.
Arab World: Detect Dialect Search Tool for Twitter
On Twitter, @Detect_Dialect is pushing for Detect Dialect – a dialect-specific search tool for Arabic content on Twitter. In addition to Classic Arabic, Arabs speak their local dialects, which sometimes differ even between neighbouring villages. This new tool claims to detect the dialects of Gulf, Iraqi, Levant, Egyptian and Maghreb...
Egypt: The Big Pharaoh Grabs His Popcorn
During the recent presidential elections many Egyptians were not really pleased with the options they had in the final round. Some decided to boycott the elections and many others voted for one of the two candidates out of fear of the other. Now that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi is president, netizens share their thoughts.
Sudan: Women Targeted as #SudanRevolts Enters Second Month
This Friday paying tribute to the revolutionary women (Kandaka) of Sudan's past, women chanted for the fall of the regime and demanded release of political detainees. Many were tear-gassed and arrested. The day came to be known as 'Kandaka Friday.'
Egypt: Remembering the Abbasiya Events
Egyptian blogger Wael Eskandar publishes an extensively documented report on “the most brutal military crackdown” for the last months. Preceeding the presidential elections in Egypt, the Abbasiya events were quickly forgotten by most of the media. Recalling them is important: “those arrested in the Abbasiya events are still in prison...
Egypt: Highest Court Freezes Morsi's Parliament Recall
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court has frozen President Morsi's decree to reinstate parliament. Blogger Zeinobia writes: “This is so annoying like a headache especially with the legal experts from both teams screaming on TV channels that they are the right and the other team is wrong.”
Egypt: Mapping Military Staff in Civilian Administrations
Egyptian independent activists started the mapping initiative el3askarmap [ar] aimed at following what happens to military personnel after their retirement from the army. Very often those senior officers land at influential positions within various civilian administrations. The map is actually a database: zooming in provides details on every person and...
Egypt: Protest Sends Message Against Sexual Harassment
Since the revolution took place, more and more Egyptians are speaking up and demanding their rights, including women's rights. In this photo post we look at a recent protest against sexual harassment held in Cairo.
A Weak African Union for 53 Member States
2011 was a tumultuous year for the African continent with revolutions, attempted coups and violent political crises. Unfortunately the union of 53 African states that has as its mission to help strengthen regional peace and development has proved its own shortcomings in dealing with these situations.