Iraq’s black community hopes that Jan. 31's provincial elections will provide an opportunity for the descendants of African slaves to field their own political candidates and reverse centuries of discrimination.
Every year, dozens of travel agencies overprice flights and hotel bills, cheating thousands of Muslims who travel to Mecca for the annual hajj. According to a victims' association, some 5,000 French travellers have been swindled this year alone.
Read our exclusive interview with Shojaa al-Mahdi, director-general of the Yemen coast guard authority, who explains how Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden are so effective.
Human rights activists in Saudi Arabia are turning to the Internet, including the social networking site Facebook, to make their voices heard. Despite the state's tight controls on spreading information, they seem to be making some headway.
Alaa AL-HATHLOUL 
