The Media Line Staff Cairo, Egypt David E. Miller – Egypt’s birth rate dramatically increased in 2009 compared to the previous year, casting doubt on the effectiveness of government-led birth control policies. “A high birthrate isn’t good for Egypt,” Maye Kassem, a political scientist from the American University in Cairo, told The Media Line. “The [...]

The Media Line Staff Cairo, Egypt David E. Miller – Egypt’s birth rate dramatically increased in 2009 compared to the previous year, casting doubt on the effectiveness of government-led birth control policies. “A high birthrate isn’t good for Egypt,” Maye Kassem, a political scientist from the American University in Cairo, told The Media Line. “The [...]

The Media Line Staff Dead Sea, Jordan (TML) – Nuclear experts from around the world were climbing into craters and clamouring up landslides as they gathered in a desolate corner of Jordan beside the Dead Sea to test their ability to uncover evidence of an unauthorized test explosion. Some 35 experts from 20 countries poured [...]

The Media Line Staff Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates David Rosenberg – Less than a year after Dubai World holding company shocked global investors by asking to delay repayment of its debt, money from abroad is flowing back to the Middle East. But the region still has a long way to go before it returns [...]

The Media Line Staff Cairo, Egypt (TML) – How many Egyptians are there? Do they have enough hospitals and doctors to serve them? How many kilometers of paved roads cover the country? How many children will start school next year? National statistics are the foundation of government policy and planning. But the quality of Egypt’s [...]

The Media Line Staff Tehran, Iran David Rosenberg – From President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to housewives and shopkeepers, all of Iran is on tenterhooks as the government prepares to slash subsidies that have kept down the cost of everything from gasoline to flour. Ordinary Iranians, already hard-pressed by inflation and unemployment, are hoarding goods and wondering [...]

The Media Line Staff Mecca, Saudi Arabia (TML) – A steep rise in Hajj pilgrimage package prices is making the ritual trip to Saudi Arabia’s holy cities of Mecca and Medina less affordable for the Muslim masses. The Hajj pilgrimage is expected to begin on November 14, lasting four days. Last year’s swine flu pandemic, [...]

Anne Lu – AHN Entertainment Contributor Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Tiffani Thiessen has just launched a new line of children’s furniture with designer Lonni Paul. The former “Saved by the Bell” teen star talks about the new line, her acting career, and the new “90210.” After trying to establish a company in [...]

The Media Line Staff Beirut, Lebanon (TML) – The Lebanese Army has moved to dismiss rumors that its ranks could be ripped apart by sectarian strife over heightened political polarization in the mixed Christian/Muslim country. In a bulletin entitled There is no Cause for Civil Strife, issued by the Guidance Directorate of the Lebanese Army [...]

The Media Line Staff Jerusalem, Israel Benjamin Peim – Demands by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state have sparked reflections among Israelis over their own self identity. Washington did not appear to suffer such soul searching and State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that the Obama administration [...]

The Media Line Staff Tehran, Iran David E. Miller/The Media – A new religious opinion issued by Iran’s foremost Shiite cleric has pleased Sunni leaders throughout the Arab world. Ayatollah ‘Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a new fatwa on Oct. 2 forbidding the denigration of the Prophet Muhammad’s wife, ‘Aisha, or any other [...]