31 Mar, 2014

U.S. moves to crush internal dissent | Intellihub News

By Janet C. Phelan (INTELLIHUB) – In yet another legal maneuver to shut down dissent, the attorney disciplinary board in the State of Illinois has suspended Chicago-based activist attorney Kenneth Ditkowsky’s license to practice law for four years, following a hearing where Ditkowsky’s right to speak out against corruption in the courts featured center-stage. Ditkowsky, […]

31 Mar, 2014

Putin’s rating hits record high, Obama’s drops to record low – English pravda.ru

According to opinion polls, President Vladimir Putin’s rating rose again in March and reached the record level of 82.3 percent. The head of state has earned such high approvals primarily in connection with the entry of the Crimea in the Russian Federation, VTsIOM research center said. Most Russians support Putin’s stance on Ukraine. Meanwhile, across […]

31 Mar, 2014

Russia Mulls Easing Visa Requirements for Tourists

MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s parliament is due to consider a draft law lengthening the validity of tourist visas and easing the requirements for obtaining them, a government website said Friday. The bill, initiated by the Russian government, proposes to reduce the complexity of the application process for tourist visas, as well as […]

31 Mar, 2014

Korean President visits Berlin Wall, pledges to make Korean DMZ “Symbol of Peace”

By Yoon Sojung

Berlin – Mar 28, 2014, Korea.net – Korean President Park Geun-hye visited the Berlin Wall on March 27, a symbol of Germany’s unification and freedom. Looking at the wall’s paintings while walking 20 meters along the East Side Gallery, President Park said, “I have a vision of Korea’s demilitarized zone (DMZ) becoming a symbol of peace.” […]

31 Mar, 2014

Russia thanks West for useful sanctions – English pravda.ru

Lt. Gen. Alexander Mikhailov, a member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, reviewed this issue in a live broadcast of Pravda.Ru.: Today all of our farms are suffering because we import products from abroad. Maybe we should not relegate our food market to foreign manufacturers or deliver dubious foreign products, but should pay […]

31 Mar, 2014

Kep tourism chief on latest plans – Phnom Penh Post

In a recent interview, Som Chenda, the newly appointed director of the Kep tourism department – he was in charge of Sihanoukville before moving to the post in 2012 – talks to the Post’s Chan Muy Hong about recent upgrades, and discusses what’s next. What’s the difference between Kep and Sihanoukville tourism? Kep province is […]

31 Mar, 2014

Computer Graphic Simulation Shows What Happens When Texting While Walking

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TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 28, 2014 – NTT DOCOMO, INC, as part of its initiative to prevent accidents from Texting While Walking (staring at the smartphone screen while walking) and to improve manners, has released the video “What if everyone was Texting While Walking at Shibuya Crossing?,” which is a simulation using computer graphics, on the YouTube […]

31 Mar, 2014

U.N. rights forum calls for use of armed drones to comply with law | Reuters

GENEVA Fri Mar 28, 2014 (Reuters) – The United Nations called on all states on Friday to ensure that the use of armed drones complies with international law, backing a proposal from Pakistan seen as taking aim at the United States. A resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of co-sponsors including Yemen and Switzerland did […]

31 Mar, 2014

Morocco: Music festival to honour Mandela

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 31 March 2014 (29 Jumaada al-Awwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE — SUPPORT MALAYSIA IN ITS TIME OF NEED The tragedy of MH370 […]

29 Mar, 2014

U.S. airline, hotel websites better than their service delivery levels — Survey

ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 25, 2014 – A new measure from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) rates user website experience across 33 different consumer industries, offering a first-of-its-kind index of website satisfaction at national, sector and industry levels. Inaugural results show that aggregate website satisfaction is 78.2 on ACSI’s 100-point scale, which stands 2% […]

29 Mar, 2014

UN official “deeply concerned” as Israel takes more steps to wipe Palestine off the map

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28 March 2014 (UN News Centre) – A senior United Nations official expressed deep concern today about the ongoing displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the destruction of their private property following the Israeli authorities’ recent demolition of a two-story building there, which affected a family of refugees as well as some Palestinian 15 […]

29 Mar, 2014

Asia’s real estate investors to target hotels in secondary cities – Colliers report

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HONG KONG, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Asia’s real estate investors will spend more in a wider range of geographical locations and property sectors outside the region in 2014, according to a new report from Colliers International. “Besides increasing global liquidity, the volume of outbound investments from Asia is being driven by both ‘pull’ and […]

29 Mar, 2014

Invasion of the Data Snatchers – Truthdig

Estimates vary, but by 2020 there could be over 30 billion devices connected to the Internet. Once dumb, they will have smartened up thanks to sensors and other technologies embedded in them and, thanks to your machines, your life will quite literally have gone online. The implications are revolutionary. Your smart refrigerator will keep an […]

29 Mar, 2014

To Spy To Live – Inter Press Service

GAZA CITY , Mar 28 2014 (IPS) – “If you want to live and receive medical treatment, you have my number, so you can call me and agree to my request. You will then get medical help, and survive.” The request, the patient said, was from an Israeli intelligence officer looking to recruit him in […]

29 Mar, 2014

Why battleground Varanasi is different – The Hindu

Mr. Modi sees the Varanasi of Hindutva. Mr. Kejriwal claims a more relaxed but lived Hinduism. He signals a holiness, which allows for difference, which generates the secular. He hints at the Varanasi of amity, of many faiths rather than a saffron Varanasi. For Mr. Kejriwal, the colours of Varanasi go beyond saffron and he […]

29 Mar, 2014

Australian galleries embroiled in Indian antiquities scandal – FT.com

Two of the biggest public art galleries in Australia have become embroiled in a controversy over their purchases of allegedly stolen Indian artefacts, amid concerns that the multibillion dollar international trade in looted antiquities continues to flourish. Visitors to the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Friday were greeted with a conspicuous blank space […]

29 Mar, 2014

“We must close gap between Mindanao and rest of Filipino society” – Philippines President

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MANILA, March 29 (Philippines Information Agency) — President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday reiterated his appeal to Filipinos to help the Bangsamoro people overcome the challenges of peace and development, stressing the need to close the gap between Muslim Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines. “For generations, fellow Filipinos in the region were embroiled in a cycle […]

28 Mar, 2014

Watch the US Drop 2.5 Million Tons of Bombs on Laos | Mother Jones

Between 1964 and 1973, the United States dropped around 2.5 million tons of bombs on Laos. While the American public was focused on the war in neighboring Vietnam, the US military was waging a devastating covert campaign to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines through the small Southeast Asian country. The nearly 600,000 bombing runs […]

28 Mar, 2014

FREE Download: OECD report asserts balance is critical for Travel & Tourism policy-making

Exclusive report by Imtiaz Muqbil

A major report on travel & tourism policies in the OECD countries abounds with distinct references to the importance of balance in policy-making to manage everything from taxation to facilitation, branding to customer profiles, sustainability to seasonality. Released at ITB Berlin earlier this month, the report proves 100% accurate the February 1999 forecast by Travel […]

28 Mar, 2014

Half of Americans Say U.S. Headed Back to Cold War: Gallup Polls

by Rebecca Riffkin

WASHINGTON, D.C. March 27, 2014 (Gallup Polls) — Fifty percent of Americans believe the U.S. and Russia are currently heading back toward a Cold War. During his trip to Europe, President Barack Obama acknowledged increasing tension with Russia but said he has no interest in entering into another Cold War. Spurred by increased international apprehensions […]

28 Mar, 2014

China’s Forbidden City to control visitor numbers

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BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) — The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, on Wednesday unveiled plans to control the number of visitors for protection purposes. The plans, including not allowing annual ticket holders to visit during peak seasons, a seven-day promotion of ticket sales for afternoon visits from July to August, and online […]

28 Mar, 2014

Narendra Modi cult threatens to swamp even his own organisation – Hindustan Times

Dravidian politics is full of blind hero worship of leaders. Devoted followers do not just believe in a leader but venerate him/her. The mega cutouts, the temples, the almost tribal rituals create a larger than life personality which then dwarfs everyone and everything around it. A signal from the Supreme Being can send the hordes […]

27 Mar, 2014

UN Human Rights Experts Denounce Land-Grab for Viet Nam Eco-Resort

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) Mar 26 2014 – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today called on the Vietnamese Government to “intervene urgently” in a case of forced eviction of the last remaining residents of Con Dau, a small village located on the outskirts of Da Nang city in the centre […]

26 Mar, 2014

Sex Trafficking Victims Go Unnoticed in Laos | The Diplomat

VIENTIANE – Like many girls in Laos, where almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, Vahn* was desperate to earn money for her family. This made her a prime target for sex traffickers. As an uneducated 15-year old, Vahn said she was convinced by her stepsister to work at a farm in […]

26 Mar, 2014

After years of humiliation, Israeli Arabs say getting better treatment at airport | Haaretz

A new security system at Ben-Gurion International Airport seems to have suspended the invasive and humiliating security checks that have until now been routine for Palestinian and Israeli Arab travelers. For the past two weeks, these passengers say, they have been treated exactly the same as Jewish passengers, instead of being subjected to interrogations, searches […]

26 Mar, 2014

A one-man show all the way: Dileep Padgaonkar – The Times Of India

The adage that you can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg or two is all too apposite in the BJP’s domestic turmoil at present. Given his antecedents in Gujarat, Narendra Modi will do better than break an egg or two. He will ensure that hens who preen their feathers are consigned to a coop […]

26 Mar, 2014

FREE Download: World Media Freedom Report Warns of Growing “Privatization of Censorship”

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) Mar 25 2014 – While technological progress and innovative business models have expanded opportunities for freedom expression, they have also allowed for new threats to emerge in the form of Internet censorship, filtering, blocking, and surveillance, warns the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Freedom of expression is […]

26 Mar, 2014

Indian VP’s lecture on balancing culture and globalisation

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New Delhi, Vice President’s Secretariat, 24-March-2014 – The Vice President of Prof M. Hamid Ansari inaugurated an “International Conference on the Relevance of Traditional Cultures for the Present and the Future” by highlighting the role of historical travelogues in recording the rich and diverse culture of India. He said, “Human societies retain much of what […]

26 Mar, 2014

Govt plans to cut number of elderly kept alive on feeding tubes | The Japan Times

For the first time, Japan is trying to hold down the number of bedridden elderly people kept alive, sometimes for years, by feeding tubes. The government is planning to cut payouts on insertions in new patients and encourage home care. About 260,000 elderly live on feeding tubes nationwide. Faced with a heavy public debt burden, […]

26 Mar, 2014

Stores looking to tourists for big sales | The Japan Times

Many major department stores are zeroing in on foreign tourists and other visitors exempt from paying the consumption tax if they spend over a certain amount, anticipating that sales of luxury items will plunge following the sales tax hike next Tuesday. Department stores have enjoyed solid growth in the past few months thanks to robust […]

25 Mar, 2014

WHO report: 7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution

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Geneva, 25 March 2014, (World Health Organization news release )– In new estimates released today, WHO reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died – one in eight of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now […]

25 Mar, 2014

Time to Show Support: Visit Thailand for Songkran, Malaysia for Easter

Imtiaz Muqbil

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Today, two ASEAN countries (Malaysia and Thailand) need as many friends as they can get. There is no better time than now to show them friendship and support. Thailand is recovering from a three-month political crisis. It’s not yet over but common sense has prevailed and a […]

25 Mar, 2014

Migrants to Australia fear racism, being victims of crime

Australians are no longer just a weird mob – they are also seen as racist and discriminatory, a survey of new migrants says. Asked to nominate what they ”least like” about Australia, racism and discrimination was listed among migrants’ chief concerns. Those from non-English speaking backgrounds were almost twice as likely to report suffering discrimination […]

25 Mar, 2014

Survey Rates Restroom Cleanliness as a Factor in Determining Stops on a Road Trip

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CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 21, 2014–When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, but a recent poll from Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) suggests that the size of your bladder isn’t the only factor when it comes to where travelers stop while on the road. The survey, conducted online for Cintas by Harris Poll from March 13-17, […]

25 Mar, 2014

NCR Research Shows Who Buys What from Airports and Airlines

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DULUTH, Ga.-March 20, 2014-(BUSINESS WIRE)–NCR Corporation, which claims to be the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, announced today the results of its global 2014 Traveler Experience Survey, examining the gaps and regional tendencies for consumer expectations of shopping experiences while traveling versus what is currently available to them. Revenue from airline amenities and ancillary […]

25 Mar, 2014

What happens to a relationship when people stop kissing? – The Independent

Some studies suggest that many people remember their first kiss better than the first time they had sex. But if you’re in a long-term relationship, can you remember your last one? One British Heart Foundation study revealed that 18 per cent of married people don’t pucker up with their partner for an entire week, while […]

25 Mar, 2014

On World Meteorological Day, UN Rallies Youth To Take On Climate Change

United Nations, (UN News Centre) Mar 23 2014 – Seeking to increase awareness among young people about climate change and mobilize them as champions for action, the United Nations is marking this year’s World Meteorological Day with a call for more young people — especially women — to become meteorologists, a profession which makes a […]

25 Mar, 2014

How the US dream of world supremacy was buried in Crimea

The main thing to understand about the US foreign policy is that it is basically run by people who have no experience or even understanding of diplomacy and its purposes. It’s not only Mrs Nuland and her famous “fuck the EU!” – it’s also Kerry and his constant lies and zig-zags, it is Mrs Rice […]

25 Mar, 2014

Chinese become world’s top tipplers of red wine

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LONDON, (Agencies) 2014-01-29 – China has overtaken France and Italy to become the world’s number one consumer of red wine, although the United States remains the world’s biggest tippler of all types of wines, the wine and spirits trade association VINEXPO said on Tuesday. China drank 1.865 billion bottles of red wine last year, or […]

25 Mar, 2014

China identifies six major uncertainties facing global economy

By Dong Guanyang, Chinanews.com

Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) March 24, 2014 – The global economy in 2014 is fraught with six major uncertainties, said Zhu Guangyao, Vice Minister of Finance, when delivering a speech at the “2014 Global Economic Outlook” session of the “China Development Forum 2014” in Beijing, March 22, 2014. These six uncertainties are : The Fed’s […]

25 Mar, 2014

China’s top universities to enroll more rural students

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BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) — China is eyeing a 10-percent increase in the number of students from impoverished rural areas attending the country’s top universities this year, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday. The MOE said the growth will be realized through expanding three existing programs. Under the […]

24 Mar, 2014

Western hypocrisy: Crimea and Israeli War Crimes – Al Jazeera

by Vacy Vlazna The West hits Russia with sanctions for annexing Crimea, but it has yet to punish Israel for war crimes in Palestine. Dr Vacy Vlazna is Coordinator of Justice for Palestine Matters. She was also a convenor of Australia East Timor Association and coordinator of the East Timor Justice Lobby as well as serving […]

24 Mar, 2014

Chinese doctors list the top 10 professions with worst sleep quality

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Beijing, 2014-03-21 (chinadaily.com.cn) –  Everyone wants good quality sleep. However, some find it difficult to give their body clock a proper rest due to the nature of their occupation. Chinese Medical Doctor Association, which launched the 2014 China Sleep Quality Index research report on March 16, shows that, in general, the sleep quality of Chinese […]

24 Mar, 2014

Electronic Warfare Technology Could Explain Disappearance of Malaysian Airliner

Renowned government cover-up expert Richard Dolan shared fresh ideas in a GaiamTV.com interview this week about a possible clue to explaining the March 8 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Dolan says 20 electronic warfare experts were among the 239 passengers and crew members aboard the plane that disappeared from radar 45 minutes after takeoff […]

24 Mar, 2014

Reconstruction of World Heritage mausoleums starts in Timbuktu

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 24 March 2014 (23 Jumaada al-Awwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE – GATEWAY TO MALAYSIA, THE MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION The Islamic Tourism Centre in Malaysia […]

24 Mar, 2014

Agoda.com Survey Reveals Things Travellers Can’t Live Without

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Singapore (PRWEB) March 24, 2014 – Agoda.com, one of Asia’s leading hotel booking sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group (Nasdaq:PCLN), has announced the results of their latest global survey, which reveals that Asian don’t want to forget their mobile phones on vacation while Westerners don’t want to forget their credit cards. The survey, conducted […]

24 Mar, 2014

German parliament confirms NSA inquiry to start in April – Deutsche Welle

Germany’s four major parties have unanimously approved a parliamentary inquiry into surveillance by the NSA. A German newspaper reported that whistleblower Edward Snowden, currently in Russia, may testify via Skype. No parliamentarian voted against the establishment of a special Bundestag committee investigating the global spying activities of the National Security Agency NSA in the US […]

23 Mar, 2014

Dry bars – is England sobering up? – The Guardian

Alcohol is omnipresent,” says Catherine Salway, handing me something called a Beetroot Coco-tini. “You can’t even go to the cinema now without considering having a glass of wine. But I thought: ‘There’s a way to cut through that, and do the opposite.’” Salway is 40, and the founder of a new “gastrobar” called Redemption, located […]

23 Mar, 2014

UN Rapporteur on Palestine, a Jew, blasts Israel for ‘colonialism’, ‘apartheid’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’

GENEVA, 21 March 2014, (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine, Richard Falk, today called for an assessment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal status of the prolonged Israeli occupation of Palestine, and allegations that it has legally unacceptable characteristics of […]

23 Mar, 2014

Another stolen generation: How Australia still wrecks Aboriginal families – John Pilger, The Guardian

The tape is searing. There is the voice of an infant screaming as he is wrenched from his mother, who pleads, “There is nothing wrong with my baby. Why are you doing this to us? I would’ve been hung years ago, wouldn’t I? Because [as an Aboriginal Australian] you’re guilty before you’re found innocent.” The […]

23 Mar, 2014

Will the real America please stand up? – Arab News

By Aijaz Zaka Syed There is a little America in all of us. And we all love and admire in various degrees what America ostensibly stands for or once stood for: Democracy, freedom, civil liberties, freedom of speech and action and a celebration of individualism and doing your own thing. If you are born with […]

22 Mar, 2014

Obama launches online poll to gauge public concerns on privacy vs big data

Imtiaz Muqbil

For the first time, the Obama administration has launched online opinion poll to gather public views on the “complicated issue” of balancing privacy, security and trust. The simple five-question survey first probes the level of trust respondents have in those who maintain “big data” records and queries their level of concern about how that data […]

22 Mar, 2014

The seven deadly sins of travel – Sydney Morning Herald

Travel broadens the mind – and possibly indulges some of our worst traits, as these writers reveal. Read the rest: The seven deadly sins of travel.

21 Mar, 2014

Int’l Day Of Happiness: Study Reveals 4 Ways To Boost Happiness On Vacation

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LITTLETON, Colo., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — On the second annual International Day of Happiness (the United Nations-inspired celebration dedicated to spreading happiness worldwide), Monograms and Shawn Achor, positive psychology researcher and author of The Happiness Advantage, unveil results from a NEW Road to Happiness Study.  This 34-item survey of 414 world travelers examines the […]

21 Mar, 2014

UK’s new immigration policy signals welcome for Mandarin-speaking teachers

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Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) March 20, 2014 – UK’s immigration policy creates a new visa category for overseas language teachers aiming to share knowledge and awareness of foreign culture in the UK. The first of these schemes will support a Mandarin teaching scheme designed to foster good cultural relations between the UK and China. A […]

21 Mar, 2014

Lessons from the Ukraine crisis: How Many Wars Does the West Seek to Wage?

By Wang Yiwei

Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) March 19, 2014 – Ukraine has become the final battlefield in the “cold war”, and it is becoming a possibility that the crisis will trigger a second “cold war”. The Crimean parliament’s declaration of independence from Ukraine ahead of the March 16 referendum indicates that Crimea may go ahead and join […]

21 Mar, 2014

How three major political players in India are using social media – The Hindu

In India, the mass social media revolution is being led by politicians who have grasped the medium and are now utilising it. Narendra Modi enters this election with a first-mover advantage and over three million twitter followers. Arvind Kejriwal is a social media wonder who has successfully used the medium for fund raising and increasing […]

20 Mar, 2014

On Int’l Day Of Happiness, UN Urges Action To End Poverty, Build Harmony

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United Nations, (UN News Centre), Mar 20 2014 – Marking the International Day of Happiness with calls to promote social inclusion and intercultural harmony, senior United Nations officials today urged the global community to make real the UN Charter’s pledge to end conflict and poverty and ensure the well-being of all. “Happiness is neither a […]

20 Mar, 2014

US tech giants knew of NSA data collection, agency’s top lawyer insists – The Guardian

The senior lawyer for the National Security Agency stated unequivocally on Wednesday that US technology companies were fully aware of the surveillance agency’s widespread collection of data, contradicting months of angry denials from the firms. Rajesh De, the NSA general counsel, said all communications content and associated metadata harvested by the NSA under a 2008 […]

20 Mar, 2014

Four user-driven projects shaping tomorrow’s Internet

Brussels, 18 March 2014 (European Commission MEMO) – With some 2.5 billion users world-wide, today’s Internet is an established part of our lives. But new challenges are arising all the time and Europe needs to think ahead so that Internet can continue to offer new services, applications and business opportunities. From 18th to 20th March, […]

20 Mar, 2014

Report: Israel’s Poverty Rate Highest Among OECD Nations

JERUSALEM, Mar 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – Israel has the highest poverty rate among developed countries, with one out of five Israelis living in poverty, said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its latest report. The ‘Society at a Glance 2014’ report says, Israel’s poverty rate is nearly twice the OECD average of 11.3 […]

20 Mar, 2014

Growing problem of untreated wastewater focus of World Water Day March 22

Bangkok (ESCAP News) March 19, 2014  — Even as global population grows steadily, an estimated 768 million people in the world do not have access to improved water sources, 2.5 billion people have no improved sanitation and 1.3 billion people cannot access electricity. The United Nations predicts that by 2030, we will need 35% more […]

20 Mar, 2014

Australian Minister lists full range of measures to balance facilitation <> security interests

Scott Morrison MP, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection

Full text of speech delivered at the Tourism and Transport Forum leadership summit in Canberra, 19 March 2014 I would like to acknowledge the presence of The Hon Bruce Baird AM, Chairman of TTF, Ken Morrison, CEO of TTF and Trent Zimmerman, Deputy CEO of TFF and thank them for their invitation to speak to […]

20 Mar, 2014

Political unrest causes Bt50 billion monthly damage to Thai economy

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BANGKOK, March 19  (MCOT online news)– Thailand’s tourism sector has been hardest hit of all sectors by the political turmoil since November during which a monthly circulating fund of Bt40-50 billion has vanished, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Mr Issara Wongkusolkit, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade […]

19 Mar, 2014

“Keeping the Lid on the Lie”: Growing Influence of the 9/11 Truth Movement

It is impossible to keep the lid on a lie forever – especially a major deception carried out in full view of witnesses and cameras. The last article in the Media Response series was published in February 2010, when public broadcasters in eight countries were reporting doubts about the official 9/11 story, and nine corporate […]

19 Mar, 2014

Why parents should embrace date nights | The Guardian

Welcome to child-centric family life where time alone has all but vanished. Adult recreation – supper, a glass of wine and Newsnight – now merges amorphously with last-minute maths revision, packing sports kits and urging children to get ready for bed – a ritual they are true masters at protracting. Couples therapists would say parents […]

19 Mar, 2014

Martin Amis: Money has finally defeated British obsession with social class – The Independent

An American-style pursuit of wealth has finally defeated the British obsession with social class, the author Martin Amis has claimed. Sending a child to Eton College was once a class statement. But now it is a display of mere spending power, the novelist argues in a BBC4 documentary, Martin Amis’s England. Amis, who moved to […]

19 Mar, 2014

Emerging New World Order: UK students to get Chinese math teachers

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SHANGHAI, March 18 -(Xinhua)  – Shanghai’s education authority has begun drafting a program to recruit math teachers from the city’s schools to teach in the UK at the invitation of the UK Department of Education, according to sources with the city’s education committee on Tuesday. The invitation came earlier this month after British parliamentary under-secretary […]

19 Mar, 2014

Saudi Arabia to invest $750 mn in Indian infrastructure – Hindustan Times

In what will channelise investments from oil-rich Saudi Arabia into India’s infrastructure sector, India and Saudi Arabia have formalised the structuring of the $750-million (about Rs. 4,650-crore) India-Saudi Investment Fund that was announced during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Riyadh in 2010. The infrastructure sector requires an estimated $1 trillion (or Rs. 62 lakh […]

19 Mar, 2014

Israelis restrict Muslim entry to Al Aqsa mosque – GulfNews.com

Ramallah: The Israeli occupation’s security authorities have been banning Palestinians from entering the Al Aqsa Holy compound in the mornings. The move restricts access to Muslim worshippers and students who study at the compound, also known as Al Haram Al Sharif. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the Israeli move. While Palestinians have […]

19 Mar, 2014

Airlines use technology to keep tabs on you | GulfNews.com

London: As the door of his limousine opened outside Virgin Atlantic’s business class lounge at Heathrow Airport one recent afternoon, Declan Jones was startled to be greeted by more than just a smiling face. Kenneth Charles, a Virgin customer service agent, picked up Jones’ suitcase and peered at him through a Google Glass headset, which […]

19 Mar, 2014

As confidence in Thai tourism resumes, major hotel conf returns to Bangkok

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – A major hotel industry conference in Bangkok that came dangerously close to being moved to Phuket has now been reconfirmed for the Thai capital following the return to normalcy and the scaling down of anti-government protests. The move will further boost confidence for the MICE sector, which was one of the worst hit […]

19 Mar, 2014

Leaked File Details U.S. Phone Monitoring Abroad – NYTimes.com

The National Security Agency is recording all telephone calls and their routing data in one foreign country and retaining that information for a month so that it can be analyzed later, according to a report based on a top secret intelligence document. Similar but less comprehensive efforts exist in at least four other foreign countries, […]

19 Mar, 2014

Did you catch your bad mood from Facebook? – Hindustan Times

Can you “catch a mood” from spending time on social media? Researchers from the University of California, San Diego believe so. Their study, published in PLOS ONE, analysed over a billion anonymised status updates from more than 100 million Facebook users located in major US cities. It took place over 1,180 days, between January 2009 […]

19 Mar, 2014

Glare from world’s biggest solar power plant is blinding pilots in-flight – Quartz

Airplane pilots reported that they were blinded by the intense sunlight reflecting off some of the 340,000 mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on the California-Nevada border. Yet six months elapsed before their reports reached the regulator that oversees the plant, which is located near the Las Vegas airport. The mirrors, called heliostats, […]

18 Mar, 2014

China cannot tolerate Philippines’ occupation of reef: spokesman

BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) — China will not tolerate the Philippines’ occupation of the Ren’ai Reef in the South China Sea and will closely watch the next move in the area, a spokesman said on Monday. “The Chinese government is as resolved to safeguard our sovereignty as ever,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at […]

18 Mar, 2014

BJP: Fascism in the garb of patriotism – Seema Sengupta – Arab News

Politics over appropriation of patriotism is going on in full swing in India, currently gripped by high election fever. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh and the controversial retired Army Gen. VK Singh have bombarded the Union government recently for failing to address the legitimate concerns of the armed forces. Gen. Singh, […]

18 Mar, 2014

Guardian editor receives European Press award for Edward Snowden story

Alan Rusbridger, the editor in chief of the Guardian, has been honoured at the European Press awards for leading the team which masterminded a series of remarkable disclosures from the files leaked by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The Guardian was given “The Special Award” by judges at the European Press Prize – Europe’s equivalent […]

18 Mar, 2014

A Global First: A database that visualises planetary land cover

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17 March 2014, Rome (FAO Media release) – A new FAO database released today collects previously scattered and unharmonized land cover information from around the globe into one centralized database, marking a major improvement in information regarding the physical characteristics of the Earth’s surface. Up to now, one of the major challenges to getting a […]

18 Mar, 2014

As massive travel shift looms, Asia, Africa, Latin America set to gain big-time from Ukraine crisis

Imtiaz Muqbil

The geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the United States / Europe over Ukraine is almost certain to generate a significant boost for Latin America, Asia and Africa as both European and Russian travellers shift towards destinations where they may feel more welcome. Good geopolitical relations between countries are the bedrock of travel & tourism flows, […]

18 Mar, 2014

Australian Insider trading laws in spotlight again – Sydney Morning Herald

The startling ramp-up in Leighton Holdings’ share price last week – ahead of Hochtief’s takeover move on Monday – is just the latest in a series of events that have sparked questions about the enforcement and strength of Australia’s insider trading laws. Last month, the corporate regulator was questioned for not taking action after two […]

17 Mar, 2014

Chris Hedges: Israel’s War on American Universities – Truthdig

The banning of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Northeastern University in Boston on March 7, along with a university threat of disciplinary measures against some of its members, replicates sanctions being imposed against numerous student Palestinian rights groups across the country. The attacks, and the disturbingly similar forms of punishment, appear to be […]

17 Mar, 2014

German tour operator reports major Iran tourist boom

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 17 March 2014 (16 Jumaada al-Awwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE – GATEWAY TO MALAYSIA, THE MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION The Islamic Tourism Centre in […]

16 Mar, 2014

Gallup Polls: In U.S., Most Do Not See Global Warming as Serious Threat

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ — March 13, 2014 — Gallup Polls — The majority of Americans continue to believe that the effects of global warming are happening or will begin to happen during their lifetimes. At the same time, many fewer, currently 36%, believe global warming will pose a serious threat to their way of life during their […]

16 Mar, 2014

Role of anti-gay U.S. evangelicals exposed in Uganda – The Independent

Last month, the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni finally signed his country’s controversial anti-gay bill into law, outlawing homosexuality and threatening offenders with up to 14 years in prison. Mr Museveni claimed the measure was “provoked by arrogant and careless western groups that are fond of coming into our schools and recruiting young children into homosexuality.” […]

16 Mar, 2014

Excess weight blamed for eighth of UK hospital admissions for women over 50 – The Guardian

One in eight admissions to hospital of women over 50 are caused by overweight and obesity, according to research that highlights toll our modern lifestyles are taking of the NHS. The figures come from the biggest health research project in the UK, which found that obesity-related diseases and ill-health in women were responsible for 2m […]

16 Mar, 2014

Egypt sees 28% drop in tourism in Jan/Feb 2014 – Ahram Online

The number of tourists visiting Egypt in the first two months of 2014 has dropped 28 percent to 1.3 million in comparison to January and February 2013. The majority of the decline in visits is attributed to Middle Eastern countries, specifically Syria, Libya and Bahrain. Visits from Arab countries fell 58 percent, mostly depicting an […]

16 Mar, 2014

Kejriwal: Media has no guts to expose Modi’s Gujarat – Hindustan Times

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday the media has no guts to expose the darker side of Gujarat under the leadership of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. “Has media guts to expose Modi? They are only repeating all the lies he tells in campaign speeches about the so-called development in […]

16 Mar, 2014

How many times must the Palestinians recognize Israel? – Hussein Ibish| Haaretz

Many commentators, including this author, have carefully picked apart the myriad problems involved with Israel’s new demand that the Palestinians formally recognize it as a “Jewish state.” But at least one of its most problematic aspects has been significantly under-examined and underappreciated. The new demand negates, both in effect and intention, the greatest of Palestinian […]

16 Mar, 2014

Indian TV anchor sees future global channel that will outgun BBC, CNN

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Mumbai, 13 March, 2014 (FICCI media release): “From this country, in the next five to six years will emerge a channel so great, so technologically potent, so editorially confident, so slick in production and so wide in its appeal that it will give the BBC and the CNN a solid run for their money” declared […]

16 Mar, 2014

Will Crimean tourism survive? – English pravda.ru

Political instability in Crimea can scare away all the tourists who annually vacation in the autonomy. Holiday season is approaching fast, but the number of tourists in Crimea this year may fall by nearly 30 percent. Koktebel, Evpatoria, Yalta and other resorts may lose both Russian and Ukrainian tourists. How will the referendum change the […]

16 Mar, 2014

FAO survey detects steady rise in low levels of GM crops in traded food and feed

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13 March 2014, Rome (FAO media release) – The increased production of genetically modified crops around the globe has led to a higher number of incidents of low levels of GMOs being detected in traded food and feed, FAO said today. The incidents have led to trade disruptions between countries with shipments of grain, cereal […]

15 Mar, 2014

Veteran Indian actor calls for ban on anti-Pakistan, anti-India films – ANN

Veteran Indian film artiste Om Puri has demanded a ban on films produced by India or Pakistan which carry venom against each other. Puri was addressing a crowded press conference with Indian actress Divya Dutta at a local hotel on Wednesday. Asked whether he would accept any film offer from Pakistan, he replied in the […]

15 Mar, 2014

Zuckerberg tells Obama: Facebook slams US spying | The Australian

FACEBOOK chief Mark Zuckerberg yesterday said he had called US President Barack Obama to complain that the US government was undermining confidence in the internet with vast, secret surveillance programs. In a post on his own Facebook page, the founder of the huge social network expressed anger towards Washington, in what appeared to be a […]

14 Mar, 2014

Something Very Wrong with Official Story About Boston Bombings | Alternet

An exclusive WhoWhatWhy investigation has found serious factual inconsistencies in accounts provided by the only witness to the alleged confession of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Why does this matter? Because this witness is the sole source for the entire publicly accepted narrative of who was behind the bombing and its aftermath—and why these events […]

14 Mar, 2014

55 Things About America You May Not Know | InvestmentWatch

Is America the greatest nation on the planet? Before you answer that question, you might want to check out the statistics in this article first. The reality is that the United States is in a deep state of decline, and it is getting harder to deny that fact with each passing day. Mentally, emotionally, physically, […]

14 Mar, 2014

How palm oil could kill orangutans – The Hindu

Greenpeace has spent the last few years furiously campaigning against Indonesia’s palm oil companies, which have been the main drivers of massive deforestation across the once-thickly forested archipelago. The NGO is currently investigating linkages between the global consumer goods giant, Proctor and Gamble, and companies in its palm oil supply chain that are still involved […]

12 Mar, 2014

Arvind Kejriwal’s right fight – Vidya Subrahmaniam – The Hindu

With his decision to go gale speed at Mr. Narendra Modi, the convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, has buried his own ambiguous past, and, in a first for any anti-corruption campaign, chosen to fight the “right” rather than fight on the same side as the “right.” All of India’s anti-corruption mobilisations […]

12 Mar, 2014

Watch Livestream: “Christ at the Checkpoint” Conference in Bethlehem

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BETHLEHEM, Palestine, Christian Newswire/ — The Bethlehem Bible College is currently holding the third Christ at the Checkpoint (CATC) conference, in Bethlehem from March 10-14, 2014. The conference theme, “Christ at the Checkpoint III: Your Kingdom Come,” draws from the Lord’s Prayer to ask how Jesus Christ would approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. According to […]

12 Mar, 2014

Healthcare providers see risks and opportunities in speed of technology change

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LONDON-March 11, 2014-(BUSINESS WIRE)–European healthcare executives (51 per cent) predict that over the next three years technology platforms will have the biggest impact on their business models, however they are wary that in driving rapid change the biggest areas at risk are 1) technology itself and crucially 2) R&D. The majority (71 per cent) believe […]