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MENASource

Apr 28, 2015

EconSource: Gulf Banks Tighten Credit for Small Firms as Cheap Oil Bites

By EconSource

Banks are tightening lending conditions for small, private companies in the Gulf, a sign that the region’s economies are not escaping damage from the plunge of oil prices.

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

Syria: Is Assad Slipping?

By Frederic C. Hof

Recent tactical setbacks by Assad regime forces in northwestern Syria are reviving—for the first time since early 2013—fin du régime hopes and speculation. Reporting from the region suggests that arms transfers from Gulf powers and Turkey are enabling rebels to overcome exhausted and exposed Syrian Arab Army units.

Syria

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

Sisi Pulls the Plug on the Religious Debate

By Khaled Dawoud

Over the past two weeks, Egyptians were not occupied with the daily terrorist attacks in Cairo, Sinai and elsewhere in which dozens were killed, or with regional wars in Yemen, Libya, and Syria. Instead, the heated debate on the airwaves and in newspapers was over a call by a prominent journalist for Egyptian women to […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

Top News: State Owned Al-Ahram Slams Police Abuse of Power

By EgyptSource

State-owned newspaper Al-Ahram, renowned for its pro-government stance, released a report Saturday slamming police abuses of power and negligence.

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

Top News: Coalition of Rebel Factions Seize Control Over Jisr al-Shughur

By MENASource

A coalition of rebel factions, including the Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, captured the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib Province on Saturday.

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

EconSource: Gulf Deposits Will Raise Egypt’s Foreign Reserves to Over $20 Billion

By EconSource

Egypt’s foreign reserves are expected to rise to over $20 billion after recent Gulf deposits, the Governor of Egypt’s central bank has said. Egypt received deposits worth a total of $6 billion from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait last week.

MENASource

Apr 27, 2015

Egypt’s Virtual Fight Against Terrorism

By MENASource

When one thinks of cybercrime, thoughts typically veer toward identity and information theft or hacking and sabotage of websites—but the Egyptian government has taken it a step further. This month, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s cabinet sent a draft sent a cybercrime bill to the State Council for review.

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 24, 2015

Efforts to Fight Extremism in Education Miss the Point

By Ursula Lindsey

On April 13, photos circulated in the Egyptian media of a book-burning ceremony. Several Ministry of Education officials can be seen in the pictures standing in a school courtyard, holding Egyptian flags and watching while a small pile of books turn to ashes in front of them. The books, reportedly from the school library, all […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 24, 2015

Top News: Saudi-Led Coalition Will Continue to Combat Houthi Violence

By MENASource

Restarting political dialogue in Yemen remains the only solution for ensuring the country’s future, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday.

MENASource

Apr 24, 2015

Egypt’s Draft Cybercrime Law Undermines Freedom of Expression

By Ragab Saad

In 2007, blogger Karim Amer was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of insulting Islam and the president. It was the first instance in which Egyptian authorities targeted an individual on charges relating to online freedom of expression. Over the years, the public debate on online freedoms has grown, prompted by the advent […]

North Africa