NPR– As the center of the political whirlwind that toppled President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year, Cairo’s Tahrir Square became synonymous with revolution in Egypt.

Now, the protesters have returned: Nearly three weeks ago, demonstrators unhappy with the pace of change in Egypt began camping out in the square, hoping to revive the spirit that shook the country six months ago.

Tahrir, or Liberation, Square has become a political festival — with singing, dancing, face-painting and arguing. It’s a sit-in, a camp-in, a tent city — a place of artistic expression and political freedom unlike anything Egypt has seen in decades.

It was created primarily by the young, and protesters like 26-year-old Ramy Muhammad Abdullah don’t want to give it up.

People in Tahrir Square walk by graffiti showing a protester with an Egyptian flag in front of the sun on Saturday.

“Every day I finish my work and I come here [to] Tahrir Square. I’m trying to do my best to achieve our goals. Because our revolution until now didn’t achieve anything from our goals,” he says.

That’s become the mantra of Cairo’s protest movement: The military council that is Egypt’s caretaker government has moved too slowly; the revolution has stalled. Flags and posters and banners in the square announce that message — sometimes expressed with anger, other times with humor and sarcasm.

Take the fight over the word “thug.” When the protesters march, the military calls them thugs. The protesters counter that the military employs thugs to squash the revolution. Semantics clash on banners flapping in the wind.

Tahrir Square is not a quiet place. The air is filled with the sound of speeches and chanting, which breaks out all the time.

Read more about Revolutionary Spirit Returns To Egypt’s Tahrir Square

© 2011 National Public Radio

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VBS TV– For part one of Vice’s recent journey into Pakistan, Vice founder Suroosh Alvi travels to Bin Laden’s infamous compound, chats with Osama’s neighbors, and visits a local university to see what people really think about having lived next to America’s most vilified fugitive for the past five years. Unsurprisingly, their concern lies less with the proximity of Bin Laden than the chaos that his death has sparked.

Although the controversy over whether or not Pakistan was harboring Bin Laden and the “trust deficit” is the primary focus for the American media, Pakistani news is busy covering the onslaught of violence that has broken out since the May 2nd raid. The people have seen a marked increase in American drone attacks, while the Taliban continues its retaliation with a relentless wave of suicide bombings. Anti-American sentiment has never run higher and this turbulent nation clearly has bigger issues than Bin Laden’s death to contend with.

© 2011 VBS TV

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HAARETZ– The Greek government issued a statement on Friday, saying that the departure of ships with Greek and foreign flags from Greek ports to the maritime area of Gaza has been prohibited. The statement explained that this is in a bid to prevent a breach of Israel’s naval blockade.

The Greek government stressed that local Hellenic Coast Guard Authorities must take all appropriate measures to implement the decision. It also warned that the broader maritime area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea will be continuously monitored by electronic means for tracking the movement of ships trying to participate in the flotilla.

Naval authorities have already implemented the order, blocking both an American and Canadian ship planning to participate in the pro-Palestinian Gaza flotilla set to take place next week.

However, in light of Greece’s decision to block all ships heading to the strip, the flotilla has been delayed further.

American activists attempted to set sail from Greece toward Gaza on Friday aboard a boat dubbed “The Audacity of Hope”, defying calls from Israel to cancel and the ban by Athens.

Read full article about  Greece Blocks Departure of all Gaza-bound Ships.

© 2011 Haaretz

Photo by Flickr user Poster Boy NYC

THE NATION– Amid the economic and social upheaval of Greece’s beleaguered capital city, where demonstrators have been protesting government-imposed austerity measures, forty activists from across the United States began training this week to nonviolently confront the Israeli military blockade of Gaza. The Americans are part of a flotilla of ten ships—from France, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Greece, Sweden and other countries—planning to set out for Gaza’s main seaport in the next week to relieve the siege.

With an age gap of sixty years between the youngest and oldest passenger, the diverse group of Americans have taken over a hotel in a trendy Athens neighborhood for days of nonviolence training and preparation.

Israel has stated that it will enforce its naval blockade by any political, military and economic measures at its disposal. This week it submitted an urgent request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking for international cooperation in stopping the flotilla. Ban embraced the Israeli government’s position, arguing in a public statement that aid should be delivered to Gaza only through “legitimate crossings and established channels,” all of which are controlled by Israel. Ban added that the flotilla is not helpful in assisting the economy of Gaza and encouraged organizers to cancel their voyage.

Read the full article about Israel Attempts To Shut Down Humanitarian Gaza Aid.

© 2011 The Nation

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GUARDIAN– At just after 10 o’clock on Friday morning Maha al-Qahtani swapped places with her husband, Mohammed, and took the wheel of the family car.

For the next 50 minutes, she drove through the Saudi capital, along the six-lane King Fahd Road, through Cairo Square, down the upmarket Olaya Street with its shopping malls, Starbucks, Apple store and boutiques.

“No one tried to stop us. No one even looked,” the 39-year-old civil servant said. “We drove past police cars but had no trouble.”

In fact, the biggest problem for Qahtani was her husband sitting next to her in the family Hummer. “He kept telling me to slow down or speed up. He was very fussy,” she said.

This is Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world that bans women from driving motor vehicles.

Qahtani was part of a small but striking movement of women determined to do something about it.

The exact number of Saudi women who protested was unclear. It was certainly not a mass movement.

Continue reading full article on Saudi Women Protest Driving Ban.

© 2011 Guardian

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