Worldcrunch
Al Karak, with its famous Crusader castle, used to be an important place of power because of its control over the caravan route between Damascus and Egypt, and the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Mecca. But that was a long, long time ago. Just three months before we went there in 1996, there were food […]
I knew Wadi Rum in southern Jordan, had been used as a filming location: Much of Lawrence of Arabia was shot there in 1962, which made sense since the British officer himself passed through the region in the early 20th century. What I didn’t know was that since then, several science fiction movies were filmed […]
From the Israeli side of the border, a view of how the whole of the Middle East seems to be maneuvering.
Since Syrians began fleeing the war zone for safety in their neighboring country, schools are overcrowded, jobs are scarce and tensions are high. Especially vulnerable are school children.
The driving force of multiple and competing jihadist groups here is the dream of returning to the three original Arab states, and overthrowing the King and his Palestinian wife.
Though Petra is awe-inspiring, I’m not sure I’d go back today. A trip to Jordan must be very different now than it was 18 years ago. The colors on this shot of the Ad Deir monastery shows well why the archeological site is nicknamed “the Rose city.”
A young Syrian widow who lost her husband and four children to the civil war describes a miserable life in a Jordanian refugee camp – and a heartwrenching decision.
How many slaves are there around the world? What’s the (government-set) price of marijuana in Uruguay? Can an online video game star be a millionaire? Take a tour of the news by the numbers…
A quarter of the two million Syrians fleeing their country have wound up in Jordan, where there is overcrowding and difficulty obtaining work permits. Refugees are rooting for strikes asap.
ZAATARI – The Khamsin is what they call the desert wind that blows in gusts, blocking your sight with an opaque fog, burning your eyes and lungs at the same time. Scruffy-looking kids are pushing makeshift carts through the mini windstorm, piles of clothes and kitchen tools almost falling off them, as ghost-like figures of […]
AMMAN – King Abdullah II of Jordan personally tested one of the hand grenades during the opening ceremony of the brand-new Nashshab factory, built by the Jordan Russian Electronic Systems Co. The factory produces hand-grenades that were specially designed for Jordan by Russian specialists. Although the opening ceremony was held last week, the factory had […]
After five long years of battle in court, Adidas has finally settled with Adivon, a Chinese sportswear company. The latter is to transfer its Chinese trademarks and the triangular logo to the German multinational and will not be allowed to use them again, in any store. Meanwhile, another unfinished lawsuit has aroused even more attention. […]
U.S. WARNS OF BOMB THREAT ON SOCHI The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned airline companies to watch out for explosive materials that could be hidden in cosmetic tubes, including toothpaste, CNN reports. Republican Congressman Michael McCaul said that according to the bulletin, the explosives could be used during flights to or in Sochi, where […]
BASEL – Johann Ludwig Burckhardt’s bust can be seen at the foot of the monumental staircase of his family’s palace in Basel, Switzerland. It is hard to believe that this is his family home when you see his long curled beard and oriental turban. Burckhardt – also known as Sheikh Ibrahim – who died at […]
PETRA (Jordan), INDEPENDENT, GUARDIAN (UK), AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE (France) Worldcrunch AMMAN – Jordanian police say they have arrested 11 suspected terrorists who had crossed the border from Syria and were planning a major attack against foreigners in Jordan’s capital. The U.S. embassy in Jordan was among the targets, an embassy spokesman confirmed to the Independent. […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), FRANCE 24-ARABE (France) Worldcrunch AMMAN – Led by Jordan’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, thousands of protesters marched in the capital on Friday demanding democratic reforms from King Abdullah. Following the Friday prayers, protestors who’d come from across the country descended on the Husseini mosque in downtown Amman, chanting: “Listen Abdullah, our […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie REGIME AND REFORMJordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s leading opposition movement, cautiously welcomed the appointment of a new prime minister on Monday, Awn al-Khasawneh, a former judge at the International Court of Justice. “The appointment of al-Khasawneh is a positive sign as he is a […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا VANISHEDSyrian security forces are conducting arrests and house-to-house searches seeking any information related to the whereabouts of Hama’s Attorney General, Adnan Bakkour, who announced his resignation last week in a video posted on YouTube. Bakkour condemned the Syrian regime and cited the slaughter of civilians in Hama […]
The husband and children of a Jordanian woman can never become a citizen, and enjoys no basic rights in the country. Many of those shut out are Palestinian, which makes the law even more difficult to undo.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا SNUBBED?“Trusted sources’ tell the Kuwaiti daily “The Gazette” that Jordan’s King Abdullah recently refused to meet with an envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report comes the day after the King met in Amman with the visiting editors-in-chief of Kuwait newspapers. Jordan enjoys a reputation […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا UPRISING (CONT.)*As the government of President Bashar Assad offers a public face of reconciliation toward protesters while using an iron fist on the ground, fresh video clips suggest that demonstrations and marches are continuing around the country. Despite the growing risk, one thing Arab regimes will never […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا SUBVERSIVE TV In a video clip taken from Syrian state television that is circulating with the title, “Syrian girl terrorizes 1,000 men,” a woman named Zubaida calls in to a live broadcast. The banner below the presenter indicates that the next segment of the show will feature […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا A CHILD IN SYRIA*With more than 70,000 members, the facebook group “We are all the hero-martyr Hamza Ali al-Khatib,” named for the 13-year-old boy who participated in a protest on April 29th outside Daraa. His tortured, mutilated body was returned to his family by Syrian intelligence last […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا PROPAGANDA MACHINEState media coverage in the Arab world shares a number of traits. Whether its urgent, front-page coverage for various leaders sending and receiving cables of condolence and congratulations, or “news’ reports that raise more questions then they answer, state media is largely an anachronistic propaganda conglomerate […]
As protests in Egypt continued for the 11th day, calls continued for Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, a state of affairs the Egyptian President said he is “fed up” with, in an exclusive interview with the American broadcaster ABC News. A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie As protests in Egypt continued for […]
While broader civil unrest spreads across the region, Jordan’s Islamists focus on fighting “desecration” on a pair of Amman boulevards with the most holy of names. Amman by night (gr33ndata) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST Like their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt, more and more young Jordanians are taking to the streets in unauthorized […]