10 Feb, 2012

India-ASEAN Links Grow: Myanmar A New “Bridge”, Bangkok A New Hub

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – The Look East Policy of India and the Look India Policy of ASEAN will combine the 600 million population of ASEAN and the 1.2 billion population of India into a multi-dimensional cooperative network. Two important developments to watch are the emergence of Myanmar as a bridgehead between South Asia and Southeast Asia, and […]

10 Feb, 2012

Australia Invites Comments on “Asian Century” Issues Paper

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Canberra, February 9 2012 (Australian Ministry of Trade Press Release) – Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson on February 10 will meet peak business and industry associations to canvass their views on the ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ White Paper. The meeting will include high-level representatives from the agriculture, mining, services and manufacturing sectors. “An important […]

10 Feb, 2012

Thailand To Start Dredging Canals to Avert Future Flooding

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Bangkok, Feb 8 — The Thai government has agreed to an integration of responsibility for dredging canals in and around Bangkok between the city government and nine ministries in order to improve the capacity of water management in Bangkok areas, according to a Cabinet announcement. A newly-established umbrella grouping, the Strategic Committee for Water Resources […]

8 Feb, 2012

Report on Romance Sets the Record Straight About Love As You Age

TORONTO, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Seniors are setting the record straight – love and romance aren’t just for the young, according to the Revera Report on Romance, a new survey by Revera Inc., a Canadian provider of seniors care and services. Seven-in-ten seniors over age 75 say you are never too old for love […]

8 Feb, 2012

Australian Inbound-Outbound Movements: 10-Year Analysis

Australian Bureau of Statistics

CANBERRA – Figures on international movements through Australian border crossings over the last 10 years show some remarkable changes. Short-term visitor arrivals from Japan, once the blue-eyed boy of Asia-Pacific tourism, have fallen from 673,600 in 2001 to 332,600 in 2011 with a commensurate fall in market share from 13.9% to 5.7%. By contrast, short-term […]

8 Feb, 2012

UN Marks Interfaith Harmony Week: “Common Ground for a Common Good”

Feb  7 2012 (UN News Centre) — The President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser today stressed the potential of all of the world’s religions to promote global peace and stability, saying that faiths have common principles that can be used to bring about grater unity and harmony among people. “We recognize and celebrate […]

8 Feb, 2012

Free Downloads: Horwath’s 26 Market Reports for 2012 Hotel Yearbook

London — Horwath Hotels, Tourism and Leisure (HTL), the prominent global hospitality consulting network, contributed 26 key market reports to the latest edition of the Hotel Yearbook. Published annually, the yearbook provides in-depth and cutting edge opinion and commentary about the industry for the coming 12 months. One of the key areas of the Yearbook […]

8 Feb, 2012

Why Universities Should “Beware the Seductive Attractions of Money Power”

Ramesh Thakur

Reporting on the management changes at Research in Motion, Tim Weber, business editor, BBC, wrote that the co-chief executive officers’ departure was ‘long overdue.’ The once-dominant company had ‘thrown it all away… in an orgy of poor executive decisions, lacklustre innovation, unkept promises in delivering new product and — the greatest sin of all — […]

8 Feb, 2012

China Again Blasts EU: Cannot Act As Sole Toll Bearer of the Skies

By Yu Jincui (Global Times) February 07, 2012

Full Text of Commentary reprinted in the official Chinese publication People’s Daily Online Beijing – China has taken a tough stance against the EU charges on carbon emissions from flights in and out of the EU by forbidding domestic airlines from taking part in the carbon-emissions system on Monday. According to the Civil Aviation Administration […]

7 Feb, 2012

2,000 More African Communities End Female Genital Mutilation in 2011

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UNITED NATIONS, 6 Feb 2011, (UNFPA Press release) — Almost 2,000 communities across Africa have abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 2011. This brought the total numberof communities renouncing the practice to 8,000 over the last few years, according to new findings by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s […]

7 Feb, 2012

Connection Technologies “Critical To Building the Future We Want”

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Feb 6 2012 (UN News Centre)–The upcoming United Nations summit on sustainable development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the world on a durable track that guarantees a decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations, a top UN official says. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, […]

7 Feb, 2012

Thieves Worsen Global Warming With Attack on Iconic Glacier

By Denis McClean

GENEVA, 2 February 2012 (UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction)  – Climate change was a key driver in 2005 when 168 UN member states agreed on an international blueprint for disaster risk reduction but there is no reference in the Hyogo Framework for Action* to the environmental threat posed to the world’s retreating glaciers by […]

7 Feb, 2012

British Singer-Actress Becomes UNESCO Artist For Peace

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Feb 6 2012 (UN News Centre) – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today that the renowned British singer and actress Sarah Brightman will join its roster of Artists for Peace who use their prestige and charisma to promote the agency’s programmes and messages. Sarah Brightman Ms. Brightman will be formally […]

7 Feb, 2012

Nominations Open for Global Business Awards That Follow Rio+20 Principles

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02 February 2012 – The World Business and Development Awards today launched a call for nominations for successful business initiatives that are in line with the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. All organisations, regardless of size or location, engaged in innovative business models that are delivering both commercial success and helping improve social, economic […]

7 Feb, 2012

World Freerice Week Launched To Fight Hunger Through Social Media Power

ROME, 01 February 2012, (World Food Program) – The theory of “Six Degrees of Separation” says that every person in the world is connected to every other person in the world through, at most, six other people. Through its online hunger-fighting game Freerice.com, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is encouraging Freerice players to use […]

7 Feb, 2012

Declaring Settlements “Illegal,” UN Chief Calls For End To Israeli Occupation of Palestine

New York, Feb 6 2012 (UN News Centre)– Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today renewed his call for progress in the Middle East peace process, citing the toll taken on the economy and lives of the Palestinians by the ongoing Israeli occupation. “Economic progress cannot be reached and sustained absent a credible political solution on the horizon,” […]

7 Feb, 2012

Asia, Emerging Markets Led Air Travel Surge in 2011: World Airports Report

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Montreal, 3 February 2012 (Airports Council International) – The international traveller is leading the global growth curve in passenger traffic since the stock of international passengers has risen by almost 7 percent year over year in December 2011. Overall passenger traffic posted gains of 5 percent for both the month of December and the entire […]

7 Feb, 2012

Distribution Specialist Demands Protection for Passengers Against Airline Insolvency

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DREIEICH, Germany Feb 2, 2012 (Business Wire)–Hahn Air is demanding the introduction of a protection mechanism for passengers against airline insolvency. In future, only airlines with comprehensive insurance coverage should be allowed to sell through travel agencies in Europe. “Furthermore, travel agencies have to face unnecessary risks due to the outdated programming of global distribution […]

6 Feb, 2012

China Hits Back, Bans Airlines From Paying EU Carbon Tax

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BEIJING, 6 February 2012, (Xinhua News Agency)  – China’s airlines are not allowed to pay a charge on carbon emissions imposed by the Europe Union (EU), and neither to hike freights nor to add other fees accordingly without government permission, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Monday. The CAAC said in a statement […]

5 Feb, 2012

Europe Needs 1.5 Trillion Euros To Upgrade Transport Networks by 2030; Bonds, User Charges Coming

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Text of speech (as prepared for delivery) by Siim Kallas, Vice-President and European Commissioner for Transport on “Transport Financing: The Way Ahead” at the European Policy Centre Brussels, 2 February 2012 Europe needs to invest heavily in transport infrastructure before 2050 to remain competitive. At the moment, Europe is going through difficult economic times. There […]

5 Feb, 2012

EU Moves to Upgrade Cruise Ship Safety

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Brussels, 03 February 2012 (European Commission Media release) – Vice-President Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport today was briefed by the board of the European Cruise Council about cruise ship safety. Mr Kallas announced that the Commission strongly supports a passenger ship safety review at IMO (International Maritime Organisation) to ensure that European citizens can […]

5 Feb, 2012

ElBaradei’s book exposes the lies and liars behind the war in Iraq

Imtiaz Muqbil

Originally Published: 05 February 2012 The sabre rattling over an attack on Iran, now in full swing, is following the identical game-plan that was mounted before the 2003 attack on Iraq, according to a tell-all book by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The key question facing the world […]

4 Feb, 2012

New Report Out: European Tourism 2011 – Trends & Prospects

Imtiaz Muqbil

Brussels, 30 January 2012. (www.visiteurope.com) – Although 2011 will prove to have been a record year for travel to Europe, the latest report by the European Travel Commission says that the Eurozone economic crisis is set to have a significant impact in 2012. According to Leslie Vella, Chairman, ETC Market Intelligence Group, “Last year will […]

3 Feb, 2012

Joint Statement Demands End to NY Cops Surveillance of Mosques

Imtiaz Muqbil

Washington, DC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) www.adc.org – February 2, 2012 — Recent reports indicate that the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been conducting covert surveillance of mosques in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The targeted mosques, highlighted in the secret NYPD document dated May 15, 2006 released by the Associated Press earlier today, […]

3 Feb, 2012

ASEAN Tourism Country Reports & Presentations 2011

Imtiaz Muqbil

The following reports on the tourism situation of 9 of the 10 ASEAN countries were presented at the ASEAN Tourism Forum meetings in Manado in January 2012. They have been made public in order to promote a better understanding of  official ASEAN tourism policies, strategies, directions and trends, build the ASEAN tourism brand image and […]

2 Feb, 2012

New UN Initiative Taps Power Of Social Media To Fight Global Hunger

Feb 1 2012 (UN News Centre) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a week-long campaign in which users of the popular online trivia game Freerice can recruit their friends to help bring food to the world’s most vulnerable populations. World Freerice Week, from 6 to 11 February, will have as its […]

1 Feb, 2012

Feb 4: US Activist Groups Invite World to Join Protests Against Attack on Iran

Imtiaz Muqbil

Source: International Action Center A broad spectrum of U.S.-based anti-war organizations, including the IAC, agreed on a Jan. 17 conference call to hold coordinated protests across the country on Saturday, Feb. 4. The demands will be: “No war, no sanctions, no intervention, no assassinations against Iran.” The ad-hoc group that took part in the call […]

1 Feb, 2012

India Issues 12,761 Visas on Arrival in 2011, New Zealanders Head List

Imtiaz Muqbil

New Delhi, Jan 31, 2012 (Press Information Bureau) – During December 2011, a total of 1640 Visa on Arrival (VoAs) were issued to foreign tourists, up from 1,382 in November. The breakdown was as follows: New Zealand (473), Japan (265), Indonesia (247), Phillippines (173), Singapore (194), Finland (246), Cambodia ( 7), Vietnam (18), Luxemburg (8) […]

1 Feb, 2012

India Embarks on Massive Railway Stations Upgrade Project

Imtiaz Muqbil

New Delhi, Feb 1, 2012 (Press Information Bureau) – The Ministry of Railways has moved to set up a separate corporate unit to upgrade and improve the country’s thousands of railway stations. In what was described as a “path-breaking initiative,” the Ministry signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle […]

1 Feb, 2012

China’s Firm Stance on Iran Issue: No Nukes, And No War

As Israel, the United States and Europe continue to ratchet up their anti-Iran threats, China has made clear that it does not support a war. The following is the full text of a commentary published in the official media, People’s Daily Online. By Zhong Sheng (People’s Daily) February 01, 2012, Edited and translated by People’s Daily […]

1 Feb, 2012

Whither Diversity? ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on Tourism, Culture & Heritage

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Continuing a series of dispatches on the Thai travel & tourism industry 25 years after 1987 Visit Thailand Year. Click on the image below to access the full text of the speech

1 Feb, 2012

Global Weather Body Launches Data Exchange System to Reduce Risks, Costs

Imtiaz Muqbil

Geneva, 31 January 2012 (WMO), A new international information system to improve and expand the current exchange of weather, climate and water data – and cut the costs involved – has become operational. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Information System will make it easier to find and use meteorological observations and products and to share […]