Syrian students banned from using supercomputer at KAUST University in Saudi Arabia

Syrian students denied academic access to IBM supercomputer at KAUST due to US sanctions

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) honors US political restrictions over internationally-set academic freedoms and integrity

Damascus (October, 2009) –  The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the new world-class research university in Saudi Arabia, has denied [...]

Buy Shares in the Syrian Dream

By Abdulsalam Haykal, for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). The original article can be viewed at http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=26077&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1#.
I spent summers as a young boy in Damascus, while my fellow Syrians were flocking to my coastal hometown of Tartous to savor the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the heat of Damascus, my summers there were [...]

When Damascus is too hot and the day refuses to end

In the cab an hour ago, we couldn’t help but recall the famous Syrian saying: “The doors of hell are wide open” (Bwab jhannam mfatta7a el youm shi?).
We had an interview with a young man for an article in July, and so we hopped into a yellow cab, which had all its windows wide open. [...]

Late Syrian Prime Minister Khaled al-Azem commemoration event

Responsible for an economic boom from 1941 onwards, late Syrian PM Khaled al-Azem will be remembered at an event on June 1 (today) at the Rida Said Hall (University of Damascus). Economist Ghassan Kalaa will be delivering a lecture about al-Azem along with editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine, Sami Moubayed.
Organized by Forward Magazine’s sister magazine, Aliqtisadi, [...]

Syria’s daily news scoops on Twitter

Forward Magazine is now on Twitter, bringing Twitter-ers the latest news from Syria: Inside information and scoops you can’t find anywhere, stories from the homeland that only journalists have access to, untold stories from the nooks and crannies of Damascus and beyond.
Read Syria’s daily headlines on http://twitter.com/ForwardMagSyria

Setting the example to boycott boycotting

Last year, on March 14, The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) called on all 50 of its member states to boycott the Paris book fair. Why? Because the French had dared to choose Israel as its guest of honor. In the ultimate act of shooting itself in the foot, the organization not only [...]

To Barack Obama from a Syrian citizen

Damascus, 13 December 2008
Mr. Barack Obama
President-elect of the United States of America
c/o President Jimmy Carter
Dear Barack, 
You certainly want to know more about Syria, and I will volunteer —even uninvited— to share some information that can be useful until you manage to see for yourself.
This is a time of festivity in Syria. The end of Eid [...]

World Economic Forum names Syrian entrepreneur as Young Global Leader

  The Davos-based World Economic Forum (WEF) named a Syrian entrepreneur to be among 200 most distinguished young leaders in 2009. Abdulsalam Haykal, founder and CEO of Transtek Information Systems and Haykal Media, was selected as a Young Global Leader by WEF’s selection committee, composed of top media leaders and chaired by Her Majesty Queen [...]

Carter v.s Forward Magazine: 1st Syrian media outlet to conduct an interview with a U.S President

Forward Magazine is the first Syrian media outlet to ever carry out an interview with an American president. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is the first American leader to speak to Syrian media – he spoke to Forward last month and broke many important news, including:

The appointment of a US ambassador to Syria is expected [...]

List 5 things Obama should do for peace in the Middle East, and 5 challenges he’ll face there.

The popular Barack Obama seemed and sounded very confident as he told the world during the American festival of democracy that the US is “ready to lead once more.” In his inauguration address on 20 January, the new American president said to “all other peoples and governments who are watching” that “America is a friend [...]

I would write only for Gaza’s sake…

For Gaza’s Sake

By Dima Abdulhaq*
8.1.2009

If my words could make a difference,
then I would write only for Gaza’s sake.
And if my voice could tear the distance,
then I would shout to make the dead awake.
 
If I could write and the poem becomes an armor
to shield the space above the children’s heads,

I would have written a [...]

Reacting in moderation: How not to let the death of those in Gaza be in vain

By Mehdi Rifai
First off, an easy confession for me to make is that what is happening in Gaza appalls me, and makes me rethink a lot of my former “moderate” opinions concerning Israel. It has been my opinion for some time that Arab grief over Palestine has been stuck too long in the “anger” and [...]