The UAE has announced it intends to enforce legislation combating the "spreading of rumours" by social media, punishable by up to three years in prison. Despite the authorities' assurance that "there are clear definitions in the law to explain the...
CATEGORY: Middle East and North Africa
Egypt: Judge bans cameras for remainder of Mubarak’s trial
An Egyptian judge has banned state-owned TV cameras from filming the rest of Hosni Mubarak's trial. Even though state TV cameras were allowed in the courtroom for the first two hearings, Judge Ahmed Rifaat made the decision to ban live coverage...
Tehran to London: Caring for our kids, gesture politics and acts that will make a difference
The sight of children too young to be working, is sadly too familiar on the streets of Iran. Selling flowers and washing car windscreens at traffic lights are frankly the less disturbing of chores bestowed upon them. (View everyday scenes in Yunes...
Oman: Officials threaten to shut down newspaper
Omani officials are threatening to shut down Al-Zaman, an independent newspaper, after it published allegations of corruption in the Ministry of Justice. Youssef al-Haj was interrogated for writing the articles questioning the Ministry's decision...
Yemen: Copies of newspaper confiscated
Yemeni security forces confiscated copies of Ahdath al-Madina, a local independent newspaper, on 7 August. Security forces seized the paper from newsstands in order to stop its distribution on the national level. Last April, security forces...
Iran, China, schadenfreude and the London riots
State media in China and Iran have both offered their two cents in response to the riots that have swept the UK over the past three days. A commentator at Communist Party mouthpiece, People's Daily, opined that this sort of chaos is precisely the...

The Sacking of Dina Abdul Rahman is a threat to the freedom of Media in Egypt
"You say the Armed forces are trying to teach people democracy; this is part of the democracy you speak of, and the Egyptian people know what democracy is and how's practiced, General". Television presenter Dina Abdul Rahman was responding, calm,...
Egypt: BBC journalist released
BBC journalist Shaimaa Khalil has been released after her arrest yesterday in Egypt. The BBC has said it is not yet clear whether she faces further action by the authorities. Reports say that Khalil, a producer at the broadcaster's Cairo bureau,...
Egypt: BBC journalist detained
The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil has been arrested in Egypt while reporting from Cairo. In her most recent tweet, Khalil said she and those with her were "OK" and on the way to see district prosecutors. She had travelled to Tahrir Square after Egyptian...

John Moores University withdraws Robert Halfon libel case
Liverpool John Moores university has dropped its libel case against Conservative MP Robert Halfon, who had criticised the university’s alleged commercial links with the regime of Colonel Gadaffi.