NZ speller stumbles in US spelling bee

The New Zealand entrant in the US “Olympics of spelling” has been eliminated, although she did not botch her words on stage. Belinda Gibbon, 14, from Wellington Girls’ College, correctly spelled “terraqueous” meaning consisting of, or formed of, land and water, and “upsilon”, the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet […]

We separate between religion and statehood

Patriarch calls for finding solutions to national problems Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said on Thursday that Lebanese parties should seek common goals and find solutions to national problems. “We are meeting here today and we are aware that in Lebanon we separate between religion and statehood,” Rai told the press […]

Another day, another sex scandal

By Elena CASAS In Friday’s papers, Liberation puts former minister Luc Ferry on the front cover as ‘Dirty Ferry’ after he alleged – without naming names – that a colleague had been arrested for paedophilia. Le Parisien asks if this is the end of the French macho, now that the […]

I’m not going home today

As a Palestinian who lives in the Old City of Jerusalem, I must admit, I am so glad I’m not going home today. Instead of making my usual journey back to Jerusalem via the miserable Qalandiya checkpoint, I will be staying on this side of the wall. Today, of all […]

One in four Tel Aviv couples divorces

Statistics show one in four Tel Aviv couples divorces, and 20 percent of the city’s families are single-parent households, a rate considerably higher than the national average. The Tel Aviv municipality is giving serious consideration to a proposal meant to facilitate divorces in the city. According to the Central Bureau […]

Dante Alighieri and Islam

By ROBERTA FEDELE Considered an emblem of the Christian Middle Ages and a central author of the Western tradition, Italian writer Dante Alighieri unintentionally reveals a lot about the influence of Islamic thought and models on Christian Europe. This is especially true of his masterpiece, “The Divine Comedy”, regarded as a prodigy […]

Saudi labor minister calms jobs panic

DAMMAM/JEDDAH: Labor Minister Adel Fakeih on Tuesday urged expatriates in the Kingdom not to press the panic button regarding reports about the six-year visa limitation issue. Talking to Arab News at Asharqia Chamber, the minister said companies in the Kingdom will have until Sept. 7 to achieve a prescribed quota […]

Protesters call for amending Citizenship Law

By Rana Husseini AMMAN – Dozens of citizens demonstrated in front of the Prime Ministry on Wednesday, calling on the government to amend laws to allow Jordanian women married to foreigners to pass on their citizenship to their children. Under the slogan “We are full citizens and do not accept […]

Human trafficking: A regional fight

A workshop held by the International Organisation for Migration and the Public Security Department reached the conclusion that the issue of human trafficking should be pursued and dealt with on regional basis. The theme of the meeting, “Regional dialogue to enhance the identification and protection of victims of trafficking”, is […]