Egyptian voters approve constitutional changes
In a referendum held Saturday, Egyptians voted overwhelmingly to amend the nation’s constitution immediately, moving Egypt closer to a democracy, according to results announced today. Electoral officials said 77% of voters endorsed a set of constitutional amendments that included limiting presidential terms, removing limitations on forming political parties, and holding a general election within six months. Many of the mostly secular protest leaders who headed the revolution leading […]
Earthquakes change the earth
By Andy Soos, ENN The March 11 magnitude nine earthquake in Japan may have shortened the length of each Earth day and shifted its axis. Using a United States Geological Survey estimate for how the fault responsible for the earthquake slipped, research scientist Richard Gross of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., applied a complex […]
QUNFUZ: Should the no-fly zone fly?
For those of you wondering what’s become of our informant in Tripoli, I’ve heard from a member of her family who lives here in Britain that she is physically safe but in a difficult emotional state – terrified and very tired. The internet is properly down now, and Human Rights Watch reports a wave of […]
U.S. stays mum as Iraqi security forces kill, detain and abuse protesters
By Marian Wang in ProPublica. As the Mideast protests and government crackdowns continue, one country to watch closely is Iraq, with whom the U.S. has along-term partnership and where clashes between protesters and government forces recently turned violent. Even as Iraqi security forces detained and abused hundreds of intellectuals and journalists, the U.S. government—in keeping with a […]
QUNFUZ: No exception for Oman
By Iman Said I did not see this coming, though I am fully aware of the unemployment rate, high prices, low salaries, lack of freedom of speech and corruption that has been flowing in the veins of the Sultanate. Omani people have watched the uprisings in the Arab world, and they have learned a valuable […]
Eleven children injured in Scottish school shooting; two teenagers detained
Two individuals are in custody after eleven secondary school students were injured in a firearms incident near a school Auchinleck Academy, in East Ayrshire, Scotland, yesterday afternoon. Police have said they are carrying out “extensive enquiries” into the incident, which reportedly involved an air gun or BB gun. One pupil said he was walking near the school during the lunch […]
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden
On Thursday, a British court ordered Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, to be extradited to Sweden. Assange, a 39 year old Australian, has been accused by two Swedish women of sexual assaults against them. Assange’s lawyers have the option of appealing against this decision, and have decided to do so. Assange has denied the claims of sexual abuse, […]
Female foreign correspondents’ code of silence finally broken
By Kim Barker in ProPubilca. This piece was co-published in the New York Times Thousands of men blocked the road, surrounding the S.U.V. of the chief justice of Pakistan, a national hero for standing up to military rule. As a correspondent for The Chicago Tribune, I knew I couldn’t just watch from behind a car window. I […]
QUNFUZ: How many martyrs?
Our thoughts and prayers are with the heroes and heroines and martyrs of Libya, and with our brave correspondent in Tripoli, now under fire. Communication is on and off, mainly off. Here is her most recent report. Since she sent it the phone lines have been cut entirely and the city’s electricity is also disconnected. […]
Former Egyptian president Mubarak reportedly ill, may be in coma
Al Arabiya is reporting that former president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, 82, has fallen into a coma. According to the network, Mubarak went into a coma on Saturday night after falling ill. Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian ambassador to the United States said on theToday Show on NBC, that Mubarak is “possibly in bad health.” He is currently being treated at his home […]