HEBRON, Palestinian Territories- More cases of Palestinian prisoners becoming fathers via sperm smuggling have come out since the first successful artificial insemination of its kind was reported in 2012. Just over a month ago, the wife of a prisoner in Israeli custody gave birth after being inseminated with her husband’s smuggled sperm. No …
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories- Israel’s recent offensive in Gaza triggered an unprecedented boycott of Israeli products across the West Bank, as many Palestinians opted for local equivalents in response to the Israeli military operation. Despite the economic boycott leading to a noticeable difference on the local market in the immediate aftermath, many question …
CAIRO, Egypt- About three weeks have gone by since the signing of a ceasefire agreement ended an almost two-month war that left around 2,143 Gazans dead and over 12,000 wounded. Hostilities halted immediately upon signing the agreement, and though the truce is holding on both sides so far, some thorny issues remain …
QENA-ASYUT, Egypt- It has been over two months since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi formally took power in Egypt following an election in which he won a huge majority, albeit on a low turnout. During his inaugural speech, Sisi highlighted the plight of the country’s farmers and rural poor, promising to develop the …
ARSAL, Lebanon- In early April 2014, the UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) claimed that the number of Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon passed one million, amounting to a quarter of the host country`s resident population. The UNHCR in Lebanon registers at least 2,500 new Syrian refugees every day. Hosting the highest …
TRIPOLI, Lebanon- Father Arabius knows his city well. He serves St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Ebbe, a district of Lebanon’s second city, Tripoli. Ebbe is bordered by two rival neighborhoods where a recurring conflict has violently erupted once again. Since the start of the uprising in Syria, Tripoli has seen frequent episodes …
CAIRO. Egypt- Fuel subsidies in Egypt account for 22 percent of the state’s annual budget, taking funds away from other sectors like health and education. The government believes an ambitious five-year scheme, starting with a fuel smartcard roll-out, will reduce and rationalize fuel consumption, circumvent widespread corruption and phase out fuel subsidies. …
CAIRO, Egypt- Last week, a dozen of female artists turned the walls of a downtown parking lot in Cairo into a street art gallery. Colourful group murals carrying personal stories and spreading messages to increase women’s visibility, and positively affect public consciousness. Women on Walls (WOW), Sit El 7eta in Arabic, celebrated …
CAIRO, Egypt- For the residents of the Middle East and Africa’s largest city, Cairo, 2013 ended with the often repeated government promise to finally provide basic services and development in the slums, where half of the city’s residents live. But instead of waiting for Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi’s slum renewal project, announced in …
CAIRO, Egypt- Twenty Syrian women sew patterns onto recycled fabric in the offices of Egyptian NGO Tadamon. The center is located in the satellite city of Sixth of October, known as Cairo’s “Little Damascus” because it hosts one of the largest Syrian refugee communities in Egypt. Two weeks ago, Tadamon launched a micro-grant …