Egypt imposes new restrictions on tourist visas
Egypt needs to "revitalize its tourism sector," said Amr Sedky, deputy chairman of the tourism chamber’s board of directors. The sector was disrupted following the "January 25 Revolution of 2011, the subsequent strikes that plagued the country and after many countries imposed travel bans on Egypt."
Sedky’s statement came in response to a March 17 decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requiring tourists to obtain visas prior to their arrival in Egypt. As of May 15, tourist visas will no longer be issued at Egyptian ports of entry. Egypt will only grant visas to tour groups organized by national tourism agencies.
Source: Al Monitor
Snapshot: Palestinian spring
As a Palestinian photojournalist living in the West Bank my daily work is very far from the quiet and fabulous nature that is seen in these pictures. Every week I spend hours covering protests, clashes, and the military operations of the Israeli occupying forces. In between I give myself some rest time, which I prefer to spend in hills and mountains around the trees and flowers, away from the usual places I work.
Every year I try to take advantage of the spring season to take some green frames before the start of summer season when everything turns yellow.
Source: Jadaliyya
The Yemen crisis isn't about Yemen. It's about Saudi Arabia and its desire for regional power
On Thursday, March 26, Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign in Yemen, after fighters and army units allied with the Houthi movement threatened to overrun the southern port of Aden, as reported by The New York Times.
Saudi Arabia insists the Houthis, who adhere to the Zaydi branch of Shi’ism, are proxies of Iran and part of an Iranian plan to destabilize the region. Indeed, since the Arab Spring in 2011, Iran has stepped up its regional role, backing predominantly Shiite factions in regional conflicts, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, and the Iraqi military in its fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Source: Muftah
