Promising new resource from iwpr.net « The Time Is Always Now

The most recent project from the Institute of War and Peace Reporting brings a professionally edited forum for Iranian writers & journalists to the web. It will provide articles and content in English and Farsi reaching a global audience, online and through traditional syndication. I.W.P.R. aims to further peace and democracy. It does so by training and publishing local journalists in countries undergoing transition, while seeding institutions to enhance and protect the media. Mianeh, meaning “middle” in Farsi, is the latest example of electronic media’s fast-paced evolution.

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[from jeffdavis] Vancouver police officer faces assault charge

[from elizrael] DUBAI: 'Manly' women considered menace to society | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2009

the ministry of social affairs a few days ago launched a campaign called “Excuse me, I am a girl," directed against what they described as the "fourth gender," according to media reports. The language is seen as a euphemism for lesbians. Officials sounded the alarm against these women who they say have lost their femininity whom then allege ha […]

[from elizrael] BAHRAIN: New Year's crackdown on cross-dressing revelers reveals moral struggle | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times, Jan 6, 2010

Linking immigration and homosexuality is not unusual in countries where homosexuality is banned. Conservative governments often justify such discriminatory measures as a necessary protection against corrupting foreign influences. But Lebanese gay rights activist Ghassan Makarem says such measures are usually aimed at poor workers from Asian countries suspect […]

[from elizrael] Expats in Kuwait may win right to own homes - The National, Jan 6, 2010

Even if the legislation is approved by parliament, Kuwait’s lethargic property sector is unlikely to undergo the dramatic transformation that Dubai witnessed in 2002, when pent-up foreign demand for properties was unleashed by opening the market, causing a building boom that would reshape the city forever. Instead, the proposed article restricts who can buy […]

[from elizrael] Envoy Oren: Iran-Israel relations could change if regime falls - DPA, Jan 6, 2010

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[from elizrael] Evidence of former minister's misdeeds disappears | Al-Masry Al-Youm, Jan 6, 2010

Security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that files documenting violations believed to have been carried out by Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman, the former housing, utilities and urban development minister, are missing from the New Urban Communities Authority.... Monitoring bodies visited the relevant offices Tuesday to locate the documents, only to find that four pl […]

[from elizrael] NSHR trying to reform sponsorship | Arab Times, Jan 6, 2010

he National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is attempting to reform the current sponsorship system for foreign employees in Saudi Arabia. The aim is to introduce more flexibility, according to Shoura Council member Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Annad.... allowing sponsors to keep their employees’ passports and not allowing them to travel without permission is a “restr […]