Anti-Austerity Protests in Israel This may come as a surprise for those who thought that anger over austerity plans was a sentiment confined to Europe. However, in Israel public frustration over rising living costs has been growing for some time. Never before had so many demonstrators taken part in street protests like in 2011; with [...]
About Sara Jabril
Based in Germany's capital, freelance journalist Sara Jabril writes about various issues with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. She studied at the Humboldt University Berlin and the University College London // Twitter: @sarajabril
The World’s First Fairtrade Smartphone
In light of the recent collapse of a Bangladeshi clothing factory, which killed over one thousand people, the debate surrounding fairtrade products has returned to the spotlight. We’ve heard of organic food, ethically traded coffee, conflict-free diamonds and clothes that have been produced under humane and fair conditions. Now a Dutch-based company is trying to [...]
MIDDLE-EAST NEWS ROUNDUP: Google & Palestine, Israel & Syria, Women’s Sport in Saudi Arabia
Google Recognises Palestine: If the twenty-first century truly is the century of the internet, it is no wonder that the recognition of Palestine by Google was accredited with considerable significance by the international media. This kind of evidence for the increasing interconnectedness between global politics and the online world is by no means a first. [...]
Women & Rape in Somalia: One Filmmaker’s Stance Against Sexual Violence
Somalia might no longer be thought of as a failed state: perhaps, today, we can instead refer to it as a fragile democracy. The presidential election of September 2012 heralded the troubled nation’s first, if awkward, steps towards a free democratic vote in several decades. Somalis in and around Mogadishu rejoiced as a new government [...]
The New Deal: How to Build More Peaceful States
About 70% of the world’s fragile states have seen conflict since 1989. A total of 1.5 billion people live in conflict-affected and fragile states. Since the pledge made by all United Nations member states to meet the so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, there has been an ongoing debate as to how to advance [...]
Briefing: Fracking – Curse or Blessing?
How did North Dakota become one of the wealthiest U.S. states with the country’s lowest jobless rate, in just a few years? Why are more and more environmentalists turning into zealous street preachers, relentlessly warning us of man-made earthquakes, water pollution and the general doom? The answer is fracking. If you have never heard the [...]
Shell Nigeria case verdict & the war against oil pollution
“So just try to put yourself into somebody else’s gills/ You’re killing my ecosystem with fishing and oil spills/ Thank you BP/ Thank you BP/ The British are spilling, oil is killing/ Now I can’t see [...] Oceans are browning/ I think I’m drowning/ Thanks to BP” Whether you have children, or know the Disney [...]
Two years after the Revolution: Egypt in Turmoil
It’s been two years, since Egypt’s landmark revolution. Since then, the country has often been referred to as the most successful example of the Arab Spring; a reputation that is now at risk. The world, and the west in particular, looked on cautiously as the Muslim Brotherhood emerged victorious in Egypt’s first democratic presidential election [...]
Siyavula – A Cape Town-based organization breaks down barriers to education for South African students
A 21st century approach to education Our world is changing – and with it are approaches to education. The digital age has transformed the way we communicate with one another significantly. In a world where most developing countries have expertly functioning mobile networks, but still fail to provide basic school materials to students, it is [...]
Somalia in Transition – An Interview with the British Ambassador to Somalia
Somalia is in transition. Over the past year, the Horn of Africa’s most troubled state has seen significant progress; with the 2012 Somali presidential election among the most notable developments. After two decades without a stable government, Somalis witnessed open campaigning and were able to cast their vote in what was an important step [...]
Europe’s Shame: Mayor of Lampedusa criticizes the EU for its immigration policies and treatment of migrants
With its tropical climate and breathtaking shores, the island of Lampedusa may well be described as an idyllic paradise, somewhere off the Italian mainland in the Mediterranean Sea. Contrary to this blissful image and as far as human rights and immigration are concerned, however, Lampedusa has become Europe’s shame. Since the 2000s, the Italian [...]
Trading Partner China: Friend and Foe? – A year in review
China’s role as one of the most prominent world economic powers is likely to remain firm, despite last year’s reports about its faltering economy. It is not slowing growth, high inflation or the reliance on exports that the country should worry about. China’s Achilles’ heel is still its partly clumsy diplomacy and reputation abroad. [...]
