I’ve just came home after another long day at work. Only difference is today ended with a cake in the office and me yelling and jumping in excitement. I even slammed a zaghrouda into the office  Al Masry Al Youm’s long awaited news portal is finally going online! Well, it’s a soft launch of phase 1 – [...]

Upon reading this morning news of US army engineers securing Egypt side of border against tunnels I went to Rafah city to check border. Security was relaxed compared to past days though the city was still a ghost one.
At Rafah crossing, a high level security officer told me American army engineers were here 7 months [...]

As clock was ticking towards midnight 31 December, me on Egypt side of Rafah border, I got this SMS from my friends in Khan Yunis, Jabalia, Rafah…:
Look outside
F-16 SMILING for you
MESSILES dancing for you
ZANNANA singing for you
because I requested them ALL to wish you a *HAPPY NEW YEAR*

The impressive flickr account of blogger and friend Hossam el-Hamalawy is facing censorship by flickr themselves! First they disabled pro-palestine photos he had taken in Ireland, then they started searching their old drawers for reasons to un-list his account from public search.
Shame!
I was just awarded Human Rights First 2008 award. I am quoting HRF here: “One [...]

A video report by World Focus on the dilemma of free speech in Egypt

Did you just hear him saying it is not Switzerland? I guess they just don’t want it to be.. they want it to be China or Libya.

Blogger and friend Hossam el-Hamalawy in an exclusive web interview for World Focus.

well said Hossam!

Chahine passed away few hours ago. I am happy for him. He lived over 82 years and at least 60 out of which were thorough, intense, and edgy experiences. Chahine has also enjoyed a peaceful – but surely not quiet – exit. I am sure his funeral will be a red carpet Cannes. It is [...]

Via Amr Gharbeia

Income-tax authority has been bombarding Egyptian citizens with TV ads calling for barbers, cheese-sellers and mechanics to provide tax-payable receipts with every single purchase. Apparently those brilliant kids were motivated to give a lesson in Social Marketing but in a bottom-top approach. The boy buying the weekly Mickey asks for receipt, gets a [...]

Global Voices Advocacy interviewed me on the role of web tools and facebook in the current struggle in Egypt. You can read it here: Egypt Facebooking the Struggle

ليلتي الأخيرة في غزة لم تكن سهلة.. شبح “المرة الأخيرة” شاب وداع الأصدقاء مع تصاعد احكام الحدود وفشل مفاوضات اعادة فتح المعابر.. الأصدقاء، الذين التقيت أغلبهم للمرة الأولي خلال الأيام القليلة الماضية، أمطروني بوابل من الهدايا.. زعتر، وزيتون، ولبنة، وبن، ومربى قراصيا، ومطرزات فلسطينية، و…
كل من عرف أني مصرية، بلا أقارب في غزة، أتيت عبر الحدود المفتوحة فقط [...]

 
غزة، نهار خارجي، بعد فك الحصار قسرا.
اضغط على الصورة لمشاهدة باقي المجموعة الأولي
تصوير نورا يونس

Here is another story I reported from the border with Gaza published at the Washington Post two days ago.
‘Dear Palestinian Brothers . . . Please Return to Gaza’

By Nora Younis and Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, January 26, 2008; Page A11
RAFAH, Egypt, Jan. 25 — Throngs of Palestinians fought off Egyptian security forces trying to [...]

I just returned to Cairo after spending 4 days covering Gaza and the fallen border. This story was published few days ago in the Washington Post.
Order Begins to Return To Breached Gaza Border
Some Israelis Want Egypt to Control Strip

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 25, 2008; Page A13
RAFAH, Gaza Strip, Jan. 24 — Egyptian [...]

دعت منظمة Leadership Council for Human Rights داعمي حقوق الانسان في الولايات المتحدة وخاصة واشنطن الى مسيرة بالشموع الى البيت الأبيض على أن يتجمع النشطاء غدا الاثنين 10 ديسمبر 6 مساءا في حديقة لافايت يتوجهون بعدها الى البيت الأبيض
وقامت المنظمة بتزيع دعوة جاء فيها:
REMINDER! REMINDER! REMINDER!
ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, UNITE FOR [...]

While in Libya I got this news

My blog is nominated for the Reporters without Borders (RSF)  award with Deutche Welle (DW) Best of Blogs (BOBs)competition
Vote for me here
and vote for Torture in Egypt (Volter in Agypten) in the Best Arabic Weblog section
Meanwhile, follow my sms updates from Libya on Twitter

Update: Press Syndicate issued a statement dated Oct. 11th protesting Tantawi’s fatwa
During a religious celebration co-memorating the eve Quran descended from heaven, Mohamed Sayid Tantawi, sheikh of Azhar mosque preached a crowd of state officials including President Mubarak, finding religious grounds for whipping rumors spreaders 80 times
This comes as editors and journalists of independent media are [...]

Egyptian blogs go on strike today, October 7th, together with daily and weekly newspapers protesting crackdown on blogs, bloggers and free press. Striking blogs placed this banner at their front pages

Early on, Egyptian bloggers started a freedom of speech campaign, placing this postcard on line for e-purchase. Card reads: ‘Why should speech be taken to court?’. [...]

Click on above photo to read today’s Washington Post report, with my contribution, on regime’s crackdown on Egypt’s civil society; Ikhwan, Jornalists, Saadeddin Ibrahim, Ayman Nour, Prisoner’s Support NGO, and Center for Workers Services
Above photo was taken by Ikhwan web during Monem’s detention in May 2007