Car bomb attack on military in Turkish capital kills 28
By Reuters – Feb 17,2016 – JORDAN TIMES ANKARA — Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated […]
The dark heart of ASEAN
Feb 17,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Joshua Kurlantzick Next week, at a summit in California, US President Barack Obama will meet with the leaders of the 10 countries of Asia’s most important regional grouping: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The event, the first-ever US-ASEAN summit on American soil, is being […]
Syria conflict: Damascus remains a war zone – but some families are returning
In this subtle war, men of the Free Syrian Army are being allowed to rejoin the ranks of the government army they deserted on their return to the shattered neighbourhood of al-Qadam Robert Fisk Damascus @indyvoices Tuesday 16 February 2016 The aftermath of Russian bombing in Aleppo Ahmed Muhammed Ali/Anadolu/Getty Images “That is a […]
Freedom 251: India firm launches ‘world’s cheapest’ smartphone
Source: BBC An Indian company has launched what is being billed as the world’s cheapest smartphone. Ringing Bells said their Freedom 251 phone would cost just 251 rupees ($3.67; £2.56), […]
Palestinians renovate church at Jesus’ birthplace
Source: Associated Press BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — After two years of painstaking work, experts have completed the initial phase of a delicate restoration project at the Church of the […]
Pakistan’s Sindh province allows Hindu marriages to be registered
Source: BBC A province in Pakistan has become the first in the largely Muslim country to give Hindus the right to register their marriage officially. The bill was passed on Monday […]
Georgia Scraps “Blasphemy Bill”
Source: Eurasianet Georgia has dropped a proposed anti-blasphemy bill ardently opposed by freedom-of-speech activists. With a stated goal of protecting the feelings of Christian believers, the bill pitted civil liberties […]
A prayer for true dreams
Dr. Annemarie Schimmel, a German ‘Orientalist’, wrote in her book ‘Die Traeume der Kalifen’: It is reported that Hadhrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, prayed as follows: ” O Allah, let me sleep well tonight and grant me true dreams, dreams that are beneficial to me and […]
Turkey ditches religion from IDs
Turkey ditches religion from IDs as it eyes EU membership Turks will no longer be required to display their religion on national identification cards as part of the country’s attempts […]
Shaikha Moza: Technology is killing Arabic language
Qatar Foundation for Education chairperson calls for strong measures to preserve language Image Credit: QNA Shaikha Moza addressing the forum. Published: 09:34 January 21, 2016 By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief Manama: Shaikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), has lamented the inability of the Arabs […]
Prince Sultan Qur’an memorization competition to be held in Jakarta
SAEED AL-KHOTANI Published — Wednesday 17 February 2016 ARABNEWS.COM RIYADH: The annual Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Competition for the Memorization of the Holy Qur’an and the […]
First ‘Silk Road’ train arrives in Tehran from China
By AFP – Feb 15,2016 – JORDAN TIMES Iranian officials applaud on the platform as the first train connecting China and Iran arrives at Tehran Railway Station on Monday (AFP photo) TEHRAN — The first train to connect China and Iran arrived in Tehran on Monday loaded with Chinese […]
Turkey seeks allies’ support for ground operation as Syria war nears border
By Reuters – Feb 16,2016 – JORDAN TIMES People and Civil Defence members carry a dead body removed from a destroyed Medecins Sans Frontieres-supported hospital hit by missiles in Maarat Numan, Syria, on Tuesday (Reuters photo) ISTANBUL/ANKARA — Turkey is asking allies including the United States to take part […]
Brinkmanship that could end in war
Feb 16,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – OSAMA AL SHARIF Amidst the deep schisms, military escalation and political confusion in Syria today, it is difficult to believe that a political breakthrough will succeed in ending the war, put the country on the road to democracy, help it maintain its geographic integrity, […]
Dispelling the myth of ‘democracy’ within Israel’s political establishment
Feb 16,2016 – JORDAN TIMES The Israeli “right’, a scary coalition of right-wing nationalists, ultranationalists and religious zealots, deserves all the bad press it has garnered since its formation last May. But none of this should come as a shock, as the right in Israel has never been anything but […]
Indonesian officials, clerics ban Valentine’s Day observance
Source: Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Officials and clerics in the world’s most populous Muslim nation have banned young Indonesian Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s Day, arguing that the observance […]
Pilgrimage sites in Saudi Arabia
Places to Visit:Makkah Madina Jeddah Taif Abwa Badr Uhud Arafat Mina Makkah al-Mukarramah 1 Masjid al-Haraam The Holy Ka’aba. The House of Allah and the birth place of Imam Ali b. Abi Taalib [a] Hajar al-Aswad (The Black Stone) Maqam Ibrahim Hijr Ismail. This was the location of the house […]
Divisive politics return as Modi eyes make-or-break state vote
Source: Reuters At a campaign rally in a north Indian city, a visibly drunk election worker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist party climbs unsteadily onto the stage after being […]
Ali-Akbar Velayati’s books on history of Islam and Iran published
Ali-Akbar Velayati’s books on history of Islam and Iran published Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN – A series of books written by Ali-Akbar Velayati, a senior foreign policy advisor to the Supreme Leader, has recently been published by Tasnim News Agency Publications. The first volume of the Encyclopedia of Culture […]
Iran leaning neither towards the West nor the East: professor
Iran leaning neither towards the West nor the East: professor By Javad Heirannia TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is pursuing an independent policy and he is neither leaning toward the East nor the West, a former senior research fellow at Harvard University says. “His policies do not show any […]