Tarek Hoteit Notebook

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The Daily Star highlights a United Nations Report on the World Social Situation 2005 that despite declines in the Middle East & North Africa's poverty from 1981 to 2001, per capita income levels have been steadily declining relative to the average per capita income of the wealthier Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) counties. Quoted: "Per capita income has grown faster in richer regions than in poorer ones, widening the inequality gap."

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

Arabs and Israelis play an orchestra together in memory of the the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said. "This music is a call for freedom, freedom from want, freedom from occupation, freedom from walls of seperation, freedom from fear..", Palestinian foreign affairs minister Nabil Shaath was quoted saying.

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Daily Star reports that Phil Collins will have a concert in Beirut this November. The proceeds will go to Children's Cancer Center. Other benefits from this concert is simply the fact that three competing Lebanese summer music festivals are finally collaborating with one another in order to make this concert happen.

Labels: media

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

In an article published by the The Daily Star, the World Bank is reported to have released a report, "Strategy for Cooperation 2005-2009" which it lists the issues facing Morocco. The report suggests that if Morocco does not speed up economic growth and create more jobs in the course of the next decade, then social problems will arise especially its percentage of its population living in poverty would reach dramatic and uncontrollable levels. Already 15 percent of Morocco's 30 million people live in poverty.

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Daily Star reports that more than 7,000 mostly young people from different parts of the world gathered at Lebanon's Beiteddine and listened to Marcel Khalife and Oumayma Khalil singing songs, which the late Arab-American Edward Said described as songs about "liberation, social injustice, tradition, modernity, and the lives of the people".

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

check Go-Leb!, "proud to be Lebanese" site. Quoted from the site: Go-Leb is the first Lebanese Directory/Search Engine to include:
- Simple user interface for quick access to Lebanese links.
- Minimum advertising to improve your go-leb.com experience
- Lebanese keyword grid for the top search engines on the internet.
- Blog search, including keyword grid and top Lebanese blogs.
- Advanced Search feature to search only within Lebanese links.
- Powered by Google.com

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments

1500 leaders from the United States and the Arab world will attend the second U.S. - Arab Economic Forum in Houston on September 14 2005. The forum is themed "One World. Two cultures. Endless Possibilities." It's aimed to discuss economic issues and set an action plan for improving U.S. - Arab relations as a whole. Quoted from the Daily Star newspaper: "... Forum's list of speakers is massive, and reads like the who's who of the world's business and political heavyweights." (more on this from the Daily Star newspaper)

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

AlJazeera: Arab and world leaders have mourned the death of Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz as a major loss for the Muslim world. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who called for the Arab summit in Sharm al-Shaikh to discuss the threat of regional terrorism after deadly bombings last month in the Egyptian resort, ordered three days of mourning nationwide. "The kingdom has lost an honourable son and one of its dearest leaders... History will remember the great and numerous achievements he accomplished for the sake of the holy sites, his people and his nation," a statement said. Jordan's King Abdullah, who was on his way to London for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair when Fahd's death was announced, decreed a 40-day period of mourning at the royal court. "The Arab and Muslim world has lost an exceptional leader who did not spare any effort in order to unify Arab and Muslim ranks and defend their identity," King Abdullah said in a message of condolence. In Beirut, the government ordered three days of mourning and the closure of public buildings on Tuesday to "honour the memory of a great man who always gave support to Lebanon".

Labels: middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments