The failures of Egyptian agricultural policy
CAIRO: In his recently published book “The crisis of Egypt’s rural society – The end of the fellah?” Habib Ayeb, researcher at the American University in Cairo’s social research center,…
Challenges to civil society in the Arab World
It is a widely held perception that political development in the Arab world has come to a standstill as governments in power are ostensibly not prepared to open up the…
Face-to-face with facebook
NEW YORK: Long ago, when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was in grade school, I wrote a book (Release 2.1: A Design for Living in the Digital Age) in which I…
Farewell to the shadow shoguns
TOKYO: It’s déjà vu all over again in Japan. Despite a landslide electoral victory for his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) last September, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned only…
Blogging: from spectator to global citizen
TUNIS: My first experience with writing started with blogs. Through blogging, my view of the world started to change; I was no longer dependent on the censored lens of the…
LA teacher makes algebra cool with a hip-hop beat
The class of eighth graders at a Los Angeles middle school tap their rulers and nod their heads to the rhythm of the rap video projected on a screen. It's…
Protomembrana: Looking at art through the eyes of technology
In this day and age, media has strived to become more interactive and audience-oriented. The advent of new media has made it possible for the layman to use mobile clips,…
Kuwait Feb consumer prices fall 0.3 pct m/m
KUWAIT: Kuwait's consumer prices dipped 0.3 percent month-on-month in February partly on falling food prices in a reversal of course after two months of increases, the Gulf country's data showed…
Abu Dhabi's TAQA not planning bond issue in 2010, says exec
ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co (TAQA) has no plans to issue a bond this year, after reported meetings with investors since early June in the United States, Asia…
Jordan c.bank plans no change in forex reserves
ABU DHABI: Jordan's central bank does not plan to change the composition of its $11 billion foreign exchange reserves and it needs to be vigilant due to advancing inflation, Governor…