West Jerusalem or “New Jerusalem” refers to the section of Jerusalem that remained under Israeli control after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, whose ceasefire lines delimited the boundary with the rest of the city, which was then under Jordanian control. A number of western countries acknowledge de facto Israeli authority, but withhold de jure recognition. Israel’s claim of sovereignty over West Jerusalem is more widely accepted than its claim over East Jerusalem. In 1980, the Israeli government annexed East Jerusalem and wanted to unify the city (Jerusalem Law) but the international community opposed this step vehemently (United Nations Security Council Resolution 478), which leads to move almost all foreign embassies to Tel Aviv. As a further result, the City Line, as part of the Green Line, is still valid today. The population of Jerusalem has largely remained segregated along the city’s historical east/west division. The city contains two populations that are “almost completely economically and politically segregated .. each interacting with its separate central business district”, supporting analysis that the city has retained a duocentric, as opposed to the traditional monocentric, structure. De jure, Tel Aviv continues to be Israel’s capital, especially since the international community tolerates, but does not acknowledge, West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital (with the ecxeption of Donald Trump, Russia (Times of Israel, 4 April 2017: In curious first, Russia recognizes West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital), Guatemala and Honduras (Washington Post, 28 December 2017: Guatemala and Honduras sided with Trump on Jerusalem. Here’s why.) and Australia (The Guardian, 15 December 2018: Australia recognises West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital but holds back on embassy move). read more…
The Islamic Centre Hamburg (German: Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg) is one of the oldest Shia mosques in Germany and Europe. Established in Hamburg, in northern Germany, in the late 1950s by a group of Iranian emigrants and business people it rapidly developed into one of the leading Shia centres in the Western world. read more…
Sopron is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near the Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. Today, Sopron’s economy immensely benefits from the European Union. Having been a city close to nowhere, that is, to the Iron Curtain, Sopron now has re-established full trade relations to nearby Austria. Furthermore, after being suppressed during the Cold War, Sopron’s German-speaking culture and heritage are now recognized again. As a consequence, many of the city’s street-and traffic-signs are written in both Hungarian and German making it an officially bilingual city due to its proximity to the Austrian frontier. read more…
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar (the investment company of Dubai World). She was designed primarily to run a transatlantic service from her home port of Southampton, England, to New York, USA, and was named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth (see Name section). She served as the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. Designed in Cunard’s then headquarters and regional offices in Liverpool and Southampton respectively, and built in Clydebank, Scotland, she was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners until the construction of the QM2 was announced. read more…
Judenburg is a historic town in the state of Styria in Austria, the capital of the Murtal district. It is located on the western end of the Aichfeld basin at the banks of the Mur river. The municipality also comprises the Katastralgemeinden of Tiefenbach and Waltersdorf. The town was first mentioned in 1074 near Eppenstein Castle, the ancestral seat of the Eppensteiner noble family, who ruled as Styrian margraves in the 11th century. The name literally means “Jews’ Castle”, referring to the town’s origin as a trading outpost on the route across the Alps, in which Jews played an important role, being represented in the city’s coat of arms. read more…
Rambouillet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is located on the outskirts of Paris, 44.3 km (27.5 mi) southwest from the center. Rambouillet is a sub-prefecture of the department. Rambouillet lies on the edge of the vast Forest of Rambouillet (Forêt de Rambouillet or Forêt de l’Yveline), and is famous for its historical castle, the Château de Rambouillet, which hosted several international summits. Due to its proximity to Paris and Versailles, Rambouillet has long been an occasional seat of government. read more…
San Antonio is the seventh most populous city in the United States of America and the second most populous city in the state of Texas, with a population of 1.4 million. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000 to 2010, and the second from 1990 to 2000. The city is located in the American Southwest, the south–central part of Texas, and the southwestern corner of an urban region known as the Texas Triangle. read more…
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