Every March 8th brings an annual opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements while calling for greater equality. Happy International Women’s Day! But no sitting on your laurels, ladies. This year’s theme is “Make It Happen,” and we bring you twelve women who are doing just that across sciences, education, sport, culture and human rights. We left the celebrities (and porn stars , and beautiful brainiacs married to Hollywood A-listers) off this power-panel. There’s ample coverage of them in the Al Bawaba archives if you haven’t had your fill! Instead, our list ...

The ‘National Day of Unplugging’ is upon us! This is a 24 hour period that begins on the first Friday in March when participants pledge to unplug for a day from all high-tech “conveniences” that loom large in their lives. The project is an outgrowth of a California (of course!) movement to carve out one day each week to unwind, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and connect with loved ones with technology support - or interruption. The annual unplug is happening March 6-7. Are you ready to abandon your devices? Quick ...

Eminently anonymous British street artist Banksy recently descended on Gaza, tagging some of its few unbroken surfaces with his iconic images. This time, he also created a mock video documentary showing the devastation of his latest urban canvas. It shows the squalid conditions in Gaza six months after the end of the war between Hamas and Israel. You can see the full mockumentary on the artist’s website . Over 2,100 Palestinians were killed during the fighting, mostly civilians and many of them children, while 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians ...

Listen up for the best tip you’ll get today. It’s not about "location, location, location.” The key to success in everything is “ communication, communication, communication .” And here in the modern, multilingual Middle East, where many people in the major cities have a tenuous (or better) command of English, the opportunities for skewed communication go far beyond comic cab conversations. We bring you 17 real-life funnies, most captured by the Al Bawaba news team, and urge you to share your own. Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said, “A rows buy ...