Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi’s support in his own government began crumbling on Monday. Ten independent members of the Egyptian upper house or senate (Majlis al-Shura) resigned, ahead of 6 cabinet members in the Morsi government (including the minister of foreign affairs, who announced his resignation on Monday). The resignations come in the wake of Sunday’s […]
Archives for July 2013
Snowden: US now using deprivation of Citizenship as a Weapon
Edward Snowden released a statement from Moscow on Monday, slamming Barack Obama for revoking his passport and rendering him stateless and unable to seek asylum even though Snowden has not been found guilty of any crime. (The US denies that revoking a passport is the same as deprivation of citizenship, but in this case it […]
Baikonur, Kazakhstan: Unmanned Russian rocket crashes (spectacular video)
At the Baikonur Space Station in Kazakhstan, an unmanned Russian Proton M rocket booster went sideways and crashed this morning. Here’s the video from Russian t.v.:
How Internet Censorship Really Works
The Berkman Center points out that the internet is not a public space. It is a private space that tolerates some public speech; but not all public speech. Often there is no transparency in what content is removed and why and by whom. This video explains how the internet is censored by governments and corporations […]
“Egypt my Beautiful Country – Helwa Ya Baladi”: a slide show of simpler times set to Dalida’s Hit Song
Egypt is in for a hard week. To take the edge off let’s enjoy Mina Nabil Ramzy’s slide show of nostalgia for Egypt in simpler times, set to the French/Egyptian singer Dalida’s 1979 hit, “Helwa Ya Baladi” (Egypt My Beautiful Country).
How Egypt’s Michelle Bachmann became President and Plunged the Country into Chaos (Cole at Truthdig)
My column is out at Truthdig, “How Egypt’s Michelle Bachmann became President and Plunged the country into Chaos”. Excerpt: “Despite Egypt’s sagging economy, Morsi did not make stimulating it his first priority, and instead tried to please the International Monetary Fund with austerity policies, rather on the model of the Mariano Rajoy government in Spain. […]
Biggest Demonstrations in Egyptian History: Millions Demand President Morsi Step Down
The Egyptian military estimated that “millions” of Egyptian demonstrated on Sunday to demand early presidential elections, only one year into the four-year term of President Muhammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The nationwide rallies were, the military said, the largest in Egyptian history. The army estimated that 500,000 gathered at Maydan al-Tahrir in Cairo, and […]
Furious European Parliament Members Warn US Spying could Derail Free Trade Agreement
European Union officials are furious about revelations that the US is spying on them and on Continental Europeans as vigorously as it spies on China. Their anger derives in part from their negotiations over a free trade agreement with the US, given that they now believe their negotiating positions may have been penetrated by US […]
Dubai’s Underwater Hotel
Construction of the Water Discus underwater hotel of Dubai may be begun soon, and it will be finished in five years, according to Colin Simpson of the UAE’s The National. This video gives an overview: