I've included discussions on these shows here, as they can have an email element (i.e. through voting)

Guardian/Taipei Times - Arab `Big Brother' battles mores and stroppy contestants well, the controversy over Hawa Sawa is over for now, and there is a net link as it has been a subject of discussion online, for example:

"All this purity did nothing to dampen Internet speculation that some women were smoking off-camera.

"'Hey -- they are human. We all have our demons,' one online commentator wrote.

"'I feel sorry and sad for these ladies. They are living a hypocritical lifestyle,' the commentator said.""

Also see:


Aljazeera.Net - Big Brother ban may spread to other shows

out-law.com - legal news and business guides: "Ninety-three percent of companies, and virtually all large companies, use virus protection, yet half of UK businesses were hit by a virus or denial of service attack in the last year, according to a biannual survey by the Department of Trade and Industry and PwC."

Worms nibble away at ISP profits - News - ZDNet: "Dealing with worms that travel over their networks could cost North American ISPs as much as $245 million in 2004, according to a study released Wednesday by peer-to-peer management company Sandvine."

Shia News | Front Page headlines on Iraq and Pakistan

in Counterpunch.org (only on subscription in today's Independent: Robert Fisk: All This Talk About Civil War, Now This...

Mobile Phones in Mosques no place is safe from the mobile phone: "Some people leave their mobile phones active even when they are doing the tawaf in the Haram. If it rings, they will answer the call, interrupting their act of worship. " Here is an answer to this issue.

Arab News, The Shoura on TV following the controversy from the Hawa Sawa house, here's some alternative viewing in another house - the Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia. This is an interesting article by Raid Qusti at Arab News.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Al-Qaeda denial - statement excerpts 'Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades (al-Qaeda) letter' sent to al-Quds al-Arabi

Islam Online- Iraqis Blame Foreign Hands, Insecurity For Blasts

Independent, Death toll in Iraqi shrines attacks rises to 271

The Command Post - Iraq - Ansar-al-Islam Suspected in Iraq Bombings

The Independent, Foreign suicide bombers in video boast of Jihad missions against US occupation, 2 Mar 04 "The commentary claims the video is produced by Jeish Ansar al-Sunna, a little known group that claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing in Arbil last month that killed more than 100 people." Expect to see this online (have yet to check the net)

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Scores killed in Iraq Shia blasts: "More than 140 people have been killed in blasts targeting Iraqi Shias as they celebrated the climax of a holy ritual in the cities of Karbala and Baghdad." Also see

BBC News, Analysis: Iraq's religious targets

al-Jazeera, مقتل وجرح المئات في تفجيرات كربلاء والكاظمية

BBC News, Carnage in Pakistan Shia attack

The Daily Star (Lebanon), These days, building your own home on the web is easy "Having a personal web site is only slowly becoming en vogue in Lebanon. Even though, as all owners of such web sites contacted by The Daily Star confirmed, it’s easy to write one and set it up."

SPIDER - Pakistan's Internet Magazine thought this was an interesting set of Pakistan related links

Star, TechCentral: Story Malaysian tech story: "Freeing up SchoolNet's excess infrastructure capacity for commercial use would have a significant impact on broadband penetration, which currently stands at less than 1% of population, and would bring broadband access services to rural areas. "

MSNBC - Blogging still infrequent, study finds "Posting photos, exchanging media files both more popular"

Further to the discussion below, this is an HTML link to the most relevant section (in terms of this blog)In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct: V. Exploiting Solitude: Entrapment Over the Internet

Egyptian crackdown on gay men "In its 144-page report, "In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice in Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct," Human Rights Watch documents what it describes as Egyptian government repression of gay men. It condemned the practice of police agents surfing the Internet and answering personals placed by men seeking men, then arranging meetings with them and arresting them."

The report was released today (1 March 2004), and is available in HTML and PDF formats (English and Arabic). Human Rights Watch, In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt’s Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct. I have yet to read the report (150 pages), but there is an internet subtext to it, hence its inclusion here. I refer to the Queen Boat Trials in my writing elsewhere.

Scotsman.com News - UK - MP who reported joke accused of poking fun at Islam "Nick Palmer, who led the attack on Anne Winterton for poking fun at the deaths of 20 Chinese cockle-pickers, reprinted a mock "Taleban TV" schedule on the internet - joking about the Muslim world’s tighter broadcasting standards."