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. [...]

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

Abortion in Syria… under the microscope

A few issues ago – in March – we dedicated our cover story to talk about abortion in Syria. I just found this Arabic article about our issue in all4syria website.
Anyhow, the stories reported in this article are spine-tingling. As I was giving the article a final look, after Mehdi was done with the editing, [...]

Young electric guitarist from Syria releases album: Luay Rifai

Luay Rifai is one of Syria’s exciting young musicians. He recently released an electric guitar album, dubbed Vital. Forward Magazine featured Luay’s work in our new youth section, Forward Shabab, appearing for the first time this April. Check out this issue of Forward for more… Luay Rifai’s Vital on page 51, under sectionhead “Music Made [...]

Suggestion Box of Doomed Ideas: Cinema in Syria

 
I had intended this for a later post, but I got to thinking about it since so many coffee shops were being overrun by viewers of soccer matches. First, though, some background of the situation as I understand it. In the good old days we only hear about in magazines (like our March 2009 issue [...]

The Suggestion Box of Doomed Ideas: Parking in Damascus

In what might become a regular feature of the blog, I start today with a suggestion that truly can only be described as doomed. Not because it’s a bad idea, mind you, I don’t think it is, and I’ve had some support. Simply put, it is doomed because no one will ever, ever take the [...]

Forward Magazine sponsors concert by leading Syrian pianist Ghazwan Zerkli & The National Symphony… on Dec 30, 08!

The Syrian National Symphony Orchestra is joining Syria’s most-acclaimed pianist Ghazwan Zerkli & compatriot conductor Missak Baghboudarian in a unique concert tomorrow, Dec 30 2008, at Dar al-Assad for Culture & Arts (The Opera House).
Starting at 8:30pm, the concert is sponsored by Forward Magazine, and organized by Damascus 2008 Arab Capital of Culture.
Hurry up [...]

Merry Christmas, Syria!

By mere chance I arrived in Bab Touma yesterday when a parade of Santa Clauses of every age, size and height were marching the streets of Assa’ (2assa3) market and Bab Touma’s plaza, in celebration of this year’s very merry Christmas. I felt so lucky when I asked the taxi driver: “what’s going on, is [...]

Syria: A European Arab Country?

So if Syria is to belong to another group other than the Arab World, would it be Europe, or Asia?
Perhaps this is a more legitimate question to be asked by Turks about their country, especially with their bid to join the European Union.  However, this is a question that is being asked today about Syria, [...]

Profile of a young photographer from Syria: Mais Shourbaji

It doesn’t take one a long time to realize the young woman, holding her camera and getting busy searching for good angles, is a talented one. Born in 1983, Mais Shourbaji is one of Syria’s self-taught photographers; ready to snap a picture with great ingenuity and passion as long as she is in love with [...]