Patriarch of Jerusalem’s edict puts unity on Holy Land’s Christmas in doubt
Amman, JordanRNS The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, whose authority extends over some 130,000 Middle Eastern Christians, has posted a memo on the patriarchate website that appears to overturn a 45-year-old agreement with Western Christian churches to unify the celebration of Christian holidays. Since 1975, Western and Eastern Christians in Jordan, the Palestinian territories (with the […]
Postcards: Jordan’s water crisis deepens as climate changes, population grows
HAMS RABAH and SULEIMAN AL KHALIDI, writing for Reuters, report on the water crisis in the Middle Eastern nation…
As Assad tightens grip on Syria, many refugees lose hope
Amman, JordanReuters When Syrian refugee Lara Shahin fled Damascus at the start of Syria’s conflict she thought her family would be back within months to help rebuild the country. Nine years later, an election dismissed as a sham by refugees across the region is set to grant President Bashar al-Assad another seven years in power […]
Jordan’s Orthodox Archbishop moves to deny evangelicals full legal recognition
Amman, JordanRNS Long-simmering suspicions between Orthodox and evangelical Christians have blown up recently over the refusal of the Jordanian Government to allow evangelical churches full legal standing under the country’s religiously divided judicial system. In a 26th January letter to the country’s Judicial Council, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christophoros Atallah attacked members of local evangelical churches, […]
Protecting refugees from COVID-19 a “global responsibility”, says Jordan’s king
Thomson Reuters Foundation The world has a “global responsibility” to safeguard the health of refugees from COVID-19, Jordan’s King Abdullah told a virtual meeting of leaders on Thursday after his country became one of the first to vaccinate refugees. Ensuring refugees and migrants get vaccinated is key to ending the pandemic through herd immunity, which […]
Jordan PM hints at support for one Israeli-Palestinian state
Jerusalem, IsraelAP Jordan’s Prime Minister says the kingdom would look “positively” on the creation of a binational state that guarantees equal rights to Israelis and Palestinians if Israel’s proposed annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank closes the door on a two-state solution. The international community and the Palestinian leadership remain committed to a […]
Essay: Refugees tell stories of problems – and unity – in facing the coronavirus
In an article first published on The Conversation, KAREN JACOBSEN and CHARLES SIMPSON, of Tufts University in the US, report on the experiences of refugees around the world during the coronavirus pandemic…
Concerns over water shortages jump in Jordan amid coronavirus lockdown
Amman, JordanThomson Reuters Foundation Complaints and concerns over water shortages rose by 58 per cent in Jordan in the first day after a country-wide curfew was instated, water authorities said Sunday. Jordan, the world’s fifth most water-stressed nation due to climate change and overuse, is trying to cope with increased demand from the public during […]
SNAPSHOT: WADI RUM, JORDAN
See YULIYA KOSALAPOVA’s image…
POSTCARDS: BRICK BY BRICK, GREEN HOMES BUILD COHESION BETWEEN SYRIAN REFUGEES AND JORDANIANS
ADELA SULIMAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Jordan on how a project to create affordable green homes is helping to strengthen relationships between Syrian refiugees and locals…