Readings tips again

I have quite a lot this week (and some older material too) that I would like to share.

I'd like to start this week with BBC's photos of Druze at the Israeli-Syrian border. A written report on the same theme here.

Dagens Nyheter has met Åsne Seierstad to talk about her most recent book The Angel of Grozny. Swedish radio reports on power struggles growing in Chechnya.

Patrick Seale writes for Gulf News on Sarkozy's Mediterranean Union.

Gulf News also wrote about films in the Gulf film festival.

Again from Gulf News, the lives and situation of Muslim women is discussed. On a similar theme, Gulf News interviews Fatima Rafsanjani. BBC reports on a case in Yemen were a young girl gets a marriage annulled.

BBC reports on a women's rights campaigner in Iran.

From Turkey, al-Jazeera reports on new protests against ruling AKP. Swedish radio interviews AKP-parlamentarian Haluk Özdalga on the political crisis in Turkey. BBC here reports on the freedom of expression in Turkey and the focus on the "insulting Turkishness". Svenska dagbladet interviews a Turkish comedian.

The discussion on food prices and globalization continues in Al Jazeera.

BBC shows photos of protests in Egypt, on themes of food prices, against the government. Swedish radio reports on the threat against the government in the food crisis in Egypt.

In IWPR, and Iraqi woman tells of her family's life in Baghdad. BBC reports on a journalist being freed.

Swedish radio's Konflikt last week was on Afghanistan.

Svenska Dagbladet writes on falafel and the symbolism of ethnic food in conflict situations.

Rarely in focus here but very much so globally and in Sweden today is China. Svenska Dagbladet here interviews an Uighur dissident in China when visiting Sweden. BBC tells the story of Tibetan exiles in India.

Maciej Zaremba in Dagens Nyheter writes critically on the issue of islam and freedom of speech. I am not sure I agree with him, but the discussion is important.

Perry Andersson traces the history of Cyprus and the conflict on the island for London Review of Books.

My sense of absurdity is tickled by this BBC description of the Kosovo phone system. and funnily, it has mattered practically to me, but that's a long story.

Eurasianet reports on a Neolithic site outside Urfa where German archaeologists are excavating. If we had had more time when we were there alsmot 1 1/2 years ago, we could have gone to the site (but no digging in the winter), but unfortunately we didn't.

Svenska Dagbladet interviews Swedish lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz, known for representing women in difficult situations, especially in honor-tainted cases.

Dagens Nyheter had an article on the traces of the Second World War in Finland.