11 Aug, 2014

US$100M ADB Loans For Bangladesh Railways Upgrade

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of stories of interesting events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 11 August 2014 (14 Shawwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE – GATEWAY TO MALAYSIA, THE MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION The Islamic Tourism Centre in Malaysia has […]

8 Aug, 2014

Checks on foreigners stepped up in Beijing

By Cao Yin

Beijing, (China Daily), August 06, 2014  – Immigration officers in Beijing have intensified inspections of foreigners as an increasing number have started to use China to enter third countries illegally. Ji Lixia, assistant head of the Beijing office of China Immigration Inspection, said the number of foreigners being sent back to their home countries has […]

8 Aug, 2014

Nalanda University to reopen from September 1 – Hindustan Times

Nalanda University is set to kick off its first academic programme from September 1, reviving an institution that was in existence long before Harvard and Cambridge were set up. The ministry of external affairs will support six students from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam at Nalanda, which has been revived by a group of scholars […]

8 Aug, 2014

U.S. F&B Survey: Changing Lifestyles Means More Meals Being Taken Alone

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Chicago (PRWEB) August 06, 2014 – Consumption behaviors in the U.S. have become less household-oriented and more individualized than previous generations, and now over 50 percent of eating and beverage occasions happen when consumers are alone, reports The NPD Group, a global information company. Also contributing to consumers dining alone is that 27 percent of […]

8 Aug, 2014

Western Interventionism To Blame for Deadly Chaos in Middle East

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CAIRO, Egypt, Aug 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – These days the Middle East situation is rather heart-wrenching, with rampant violence and destruction having torn peace and tranquility to tatters. Libya is quickly descending into a possible civil war while militia clashes are ramping up; Iraq is teetering on the edge of a split-up as Islamic State militants […]

8 Aug, 2014

Getting the Small Tasks Right: 10 Tips to Avoid Ineffective Restaurant Service

(PRWEB) August 06, 2014 – In the daily routine, it is easy to overlook small and seemingly mundane tasks in pursuit of big-picture goals. But according to Roger Beaudoin, a 20-year veteran restaurateur and industry service training developer, it’s consistently getting small tasks right that sets the best restaurants apart from the rest. Avoid these […]

8 Aug, 2014

India’s senior-citizens now total 8.6% of population

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New Delhi, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, 07-August-2014 – As per census 2011, the population of Senior citizens in the country has increased from 7.7 crore (7.5%) in 2001 to 10.38 crore in 2011, which is 8.6 percent of the total population. A statement showing size of elderly population (aged 60+) by residence in […]

8 Aug, 2014

Russia mulls sanctions on trans-Siberian flights by European airlines

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Agencies, MOSCOW, 2014-08-05 – Russia may impose restrictions or a ban on European airlines using trans-Siberian routes, raising the cost of their flights to Asia in response to the European Union’s sanctions over Ukraine, the business daily Vedomosti reported on Tuesday. Russian low-cost airline Dobrolyot, run by state-controlled Aeroflot, had to suspended all flights last […]

8 Aug, 2014

Global Human Rights Groups to UN Secretary General: Stand for Law and Justice or Resign!

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5 August 2014 For humanity and the little remained credibility of international law: Un Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, stand for law and Justice or resign! Mr. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, We, the under signed Palestinian human rights and community-based organizations are extremely disappointed by your performance, notably by your biased statements, your failure to act, and the […]

7 Aug, 2014

The science of alcohol: The impact on your liver and heart – The Independent

The journey begins with your alcoholic drink slipping past your lips, down your oesophagus and into your stomach, dancing its way around your gastric juices. For those of you drinking a carbonated drink your alcohol will be absorbed faster as the pressure increases inside your stomach, forcing alcohol into your blood stream. This compared to […]

7 Aug, 2014

We now spend more time in front of a screen than in bed, Ofcom study shows – The Independent

Britons now spend more time watching TV, using their mobile and on the computer than they do sleeping, according to new research. The study, by communications regulator Ofcom, found that the average UK adult uses technology for eight hours and 41 minutes a day, 20 minutes longer than they spend in bed. The research also […]

7 Aug, 2014

Tensions Flare Between Sikhs and NYPD After Racially Motivated Hit and Run | Village Voice

It was shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Sandeep Singh and three of his friends were crossing 99th Street at 101 Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens when they crossed paths with a man in a pick-up truck. Witnesses say the driver called Singh a “terrorist,” and yelled at him to “go back to your country.” Singh, […]

7 Aug, 2014

Over 100 Middle East Studies Scholars, Librarians Call for Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions

As employees in institutes of higher learning from around the world, we have a particular interest in and responsibility to respond to the obstacles to the right to higher education that the Israeli state has created for Palestinians both inside Israel and in the occupied territories. In the past two months alone, Israeli forces have […]

7 Aug, 2014

Newsweek: Israel Flagged as Top Spy Threat to U.S. in New Snowden/NSA Document

Israel was singled out in 2007 as a top espionage threat against the U.S. government, including its intelligence services, in a newly published National Security Agency (NSA) document obtained by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden, according to a news report Monday. The document also identified Israel, along with North Korea, Cuba and India, as a “leading […]

7 Aug, 2014

Mindanao connectivity to ASEAN revived | Manila Bulletin

Mindanao is being revived as the new gateway to Southeast Asia this time with more vigor with real connectivity by air and sea underway on hopes that manufacturing operations will further thrive with new power capacities coming in. Rey Billena, regional governor for Mindanao of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), told reporters […]

7 Aug, 2014

Could the debate over Israel in the U.S. be changing? – The Washington Post

It may be time to ask whether the political status of Israel within the U.S. could be changing. It won’t happen overnight, and it may not happen at all, but it’s entirely possible that the issue of U.S. support for Israel could go from being a matter of complete unanimity in Congress, and among political […]

7 Aug, 2014

A Chinese word to the ‘world policeman’: Who wants it, anyway?

By Hua Yiwen

Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), August 05, 2014 – In an interview with the highly-rated CBS program Face the Nation, former United States Secretary Madeleine Albright expressed the view that the world is in a mess, and stated that the U.S. no longer wants to act as the ‘world policeman’. The U.S. enjoyed its role as […]

7 Aug, 2014

Mainland Chinese visitors lose shopping enthusiasm for Singapore

By Brian Leonal

Singapore, (China Daily) August 05, 2014 – Retailers billed it as the Great Singapore Sale. Chinese tourist Zhu Liang bought it, only to regret it afterward. “We will never come here again on purpose to shop,” said Zhu, a 35-year-old businessman from Hangzhou, in East China’s Zhejiang province. Visiting the city during the final days […]

7 Aug, 2014

Tragic past of Hiroshima bombing must inspire future free of nuclear weapons – UN chief

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United Nations, 6 August 2014 (UN News Centre) – Remembering all those who died in the bombing of Hiroshima and, later, Nagasaki, some 69 years ago, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that the atrocious memories of that tragedy must inspire new generations to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons. “This solemn […]

7 Aug, 2014

Muslim Travel Index 2014 Lists 15 Top European Countries “Most Likely to be Visited”

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LONDON, 6 August 2014 — The Muslim Travel Index 2014, released today, has revealed a list of European countries that Muslim tourists from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia will visit in the future. According to the research, France topped the list with 30% saying they would like to visit in the near future. […]

5 Aug, 2014

GfK Urges Undergraduates to Experiment with Cutting-Edge Market Research Lenses

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NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 04, 2014–With its fourth annual Next Generation Competition, GfK is encouraging undergraduate students in North America to use a variety of cutting-edge market research “lenses” to understand what makes brands successful. The winning team will receive a trip to GfK’s North American headquarters in New York City (for two of its members […]

5 Aug, 2014

India clarifies: WTO deal blocked to end double standards of developed countries

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Ministry of Commerce & Industry, 05-August-2014 – The following is the full text of a statement by Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman in the Indian Lower House of Parliament regarding “India’s Stand in the WTO”. It clarifies the many misleading and deliberately deceptive international media reports about the reasons why India blocked the […]

5 Aug, 2014

U.S. Has Illegal Muslim ‘Blacklist,’ ACLU Says | Alternet

August 4, 2014 | LOS ANGELES (CN) – The United States violates its own immigration laws through an under-the-radar “blacklist” that denies citizenship, green cards and political asylum to thousands of people, including innocent people placed a terrorist watch list, longtime legal-resident Muslims claim in Federal Court. Lead plaintiff Reem Muhanna, et al. claim that […]

5 Aug, 2014

Rabbi Mourns for a Judaism Being Murdered by Israel

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by Rabbi Michael Lerner, chair of the interfaith and secular-humanist-welcoming Network of Spiritual Progressives My heart is broken as I witness the suffering of the Palestinian people and the seeming indifference of Israelis. Tonight (August 4) and tomorrow (August 5), which mark Tisha B’av, the Jewish commemoration of disasters that happened to us through Jewish history, I’m […]

5 Aug, 2014

China’s Plenary session in Oct to focus on “vital role” of the rule of law

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Beijing, (China Daily),  July 30, 2014 – The rule of law will be high on the agenda during the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee when it meets in October. The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Party’s top decision-making body, said […]

5 Aug, 2014

O.P. Rana: Please, stop bombing Gaza for the sake of children

By Op Rana (China Daily)

2014-08-04 – “Please stop! I ask you with all my heart, it’s time to stop. Stop, please! Brothers and sisters, never war, never war! I am thinking above all of children, who are deprived of the hope of a worthwhile life, of a future … Dead children, injured children, mutilated children, orphaned children, children whose […]

5 Aug, 2014

Chinese commentator: US must drop bias to help resolve Israel-Palestine crisis

By Chen Weihua (China Daily)

WASHINGTON DC., 2014-08-01 – The news from Gaza of innocent Palestinian civilians, including many women and children, being killed by Israeli fire is heartbreaking. The shelling on Wednesday of a United Nations school serving as a shelter caused the deaths of some 20 people and injured more than 100. An initial UN assessment concluded that […]

5 Aug, 2014

In war torn Gaza, traumatised children dream of going back home – Hindustan Times

Ask any child in Gaza to do a drawing and the resulting picture is likely to be a house being bombed by a fighter plane. In the strife-torn Palestinian enclave, thousands of children are suffering from the trauma of war but resources to help them are scarce. At a school in the northern town of […]

4 Aug, 2014

Another Snowden leak reveals massive scale of US aid to Israel — RT News

Further support involved multiple UN resolutions shielding Israel from international condemnation and enabling it – something Greenwald sees as peculiar, given the American media’s shocked reaction at how the Middle East situation supposedly takes on a life of its own, despite everyone’s best efforts. “The new Snowden documents illustrate a crucial fact: Israeli aggression would […]

4 Aug, 2014

Palestinian babies, pregnant women dying to keep Israel safe, UN meeting hears

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United Nations, 31 July 2014, Department of Public Information – Damage to neighbourhoods and essential infrastructure in Gaza was clear, and it was past time for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) told the Security Council today […]

4 Aug, 2014

Does Religion Affect Economic Growth and Happiness? Evidence from Ramadan

Filipe R. Campante, David H. Yanagizawa-Drott NBER Working Paper No. 19768 Issued in December 2013 We study the economic effects of religious practices in the context of the observance of Ramadan fasting, one of the central tenets of Islam. To establish causality, we exploit variation in the length of the fasting period due to the […]

4 Aug, 2014

Israel bars dozens of Palestinians from travelling abroad

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Ramallah, Aug. 2 (Petra) — Israeli occupation forces on Saturday prevented dozens of Palestinians from the cities of Hebron and Tulkarim from travelling outside the West Bank through the al Karamah crossing. Many Palestinians said they work in Arab Gulf states and voiced fear that they might lose their jobs due to the Israeli step. […]

4 Aug, 2014

Independent Jewish Voices Canada: Israel actions fomenting anti-Semitism

Independent Jewish Voices – Canada (IJV) deplores credible reports of anti-Semitism, such as Jewish-owned shops in Sarcelles, France that were recently ransacked. IJV condemns in the strongest of terms, all racially-motivated violence related to the Israeli attack on Gaza. It is important to understand that Israel’s violent crimes against an occupied, captive Arab Palestinian population, […]

4 Aug, 2014

10 Most Shameless Ways U.S. Politicians Are Pandering to Israel | Alternet

With each passing day, Israeli military operations perpetrate new horrors in Gaza. One day it is the bombing of Gaza’s main power plant. The next day it is the shelling of a United Nations school that kills 16 civilians who thought they were in a safe place. But the U.S. political class–save for the exceptions […]

4 Aug, 2014

Israel’s “Final Solution” for Gaza and the Cadaverous Conscience of the West

With very few exceptions, the western press’ headlines are designed to spare Israel, rather than to inform. When the Israelis shell a United Nations’ school in which some one thousand women and children were seeking shelter, and kill or injure scores of them, the CNN headline reads, “Strike hits shelter in Gaza.” That is, it […]

4 Aug, 2014

MH-17: Pravda’s 11 Questions to the Global Aviation Industry

The Malaysian Airlines MH 17 flight over an active war zone in Ukraine has been chalked up by Western news agencies as a terrorist strike by President Putin, as a terrorist strike by Russia, as a terrorist strike by Pro-Russian forces. Predictably. Now let us examine the facts and let the law suits begin for […]

4 Aug, 2014

U.N. marks World Breastfeeding Week: Best Investment Mothers Can Make

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United Nations, UN News Centre, 1 August 2014 – The best thing a mother can do for her newborn is breastfeed – which does more than help children survive, it helps them to thrive with benefits that last a lifetime, said the United Nations today, kicking off World Breastfeeding Week. “Immediate breastfeeding within the first […]

4 Aug, 2014

Iran Rising: 10-year Certification Deal Signed for Vocational Education, Skills Enhancement

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Athens, Greece (PRWEB) August 02, 2014 – PEOPLECERT, the global certification organization, and the Iranian Technical & Vocational Training Organization (TVTO), today announced the signing of an agreement which commits the two parties to a 10-year cooperation plan for the elevation of technical skills and vocational education in Iran. Affiliated to the Iranian Ministry of […]

4 Aug, 2014

Women Leaders Afraid to Be Seen as ‘Bossy’, Network of Executive Women Town Hall Finds

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Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 03, 2014 – Almost half of those attending last week’s NEW Executive Leaders Forum say women are afraid to be seen as “bossy.” More than 200 leaders in the mostly female audience shared their opinions at a live Town Hall polling event, July 30 in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. The […]

4 Aug, 2014

Interfaith house of prayer to be built in Berlin

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Berlin, 02 August 2014 (IINA) – An imam, a rabbi, and a priest start praying together under the same roof. It may sound like the start of a joke, but hopes are high it will become reality in Berlin, The Associated Press reported. The three men are working together to build a common house of […]

4 Aug, 2014

Radioactive cars from Japan turning up in Central Asia | Autoweek

A total of 70 used cars imported from Japan and found to have increased levels of radiation are being stored in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and cannot be sent back, according to Silk Road Reporters citing local news outlets. Car retailers in Kyrgyzstan, who have been importing significant numbers of used cars from Japan for resale in […]

4 Aug, 2014

Pravda Begins to Expose the Massive Federated, US-Based Pro-Israel Network

The Jewish Federation and the Jewish United Fund are two of the donors to UANI. These nonprofit organizations are part of the wider US-based, pro-Israel juggernaut that shapes American national security strategy for Israel. Through connections, money, position and power they seek to immunize Israel from criticism for its mendacious, militaristic policies. They have succeeded […]

4 Aug, 2014

Revealed – Britain’s ‘role’ in arming Israel – The Independent

The Government has been accused of failing to regulate arms sales to Israel following evidence that weapons containing British-made components are being used in the bombardment of Gaza. Documents shown to The Independent reveal that arms export licences worth £42m have been granted to 130 British defence manufacturers since 2010 to sell military equipment to […]

4 Aug, 2014

Dress the Gaza situation up all you like, but the truth hurts – Robert Fisk – The Independent

There was a time when our politicians and media had one principal fear when covering Middle East wars: that no one should ever call them anti-Semitic. So corrosive, so vicious was this charge against any honest critic of Israel that merely to bleat the word “disproportionate” – as in any normal wartime exchange rate of […]

4 Aug, 2014

How can Americans justify images such as this? – Brian Eno – The Independent

By Brian Eno I was in Israel last year with Mary [a mutual friend]. Her sister works for UNRWA [the UN agency for Palestinian refugees] in Jerusalem. Showing us round were a Palestinian – Shadi, who is her sister’s husband and a professional guide – and Oren Jacobovitch, an Israeli Jew, an ex-major from the […]

4 Aug, 2014

The death of privacy – The Observer

We have come to the end of privacy; our private lives, as our grandparents would have recognised them, have been winnowed away to the realm of the shameful and secret. To quote ex-tabloid hack Paul McMullan, “privacy is for paedos”. Insidiously, through small concessions that only mounted up over time, we have signed away rights […]

4 Aug, 2014

IDB Calls for Nominations: Islamic Economics Prize 2015

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of stories of interesting events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 04 August 2014 (07 Shawwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE – GATEWAY TO MALAYSIA, THE MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION The Islamic Tourism Centre in Malaysia has […]

4 Aug, 2014

UN Chief condemns Israeli deadly attack near UN school as ‘moral outrage and criminal act’

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United Nations, UN News Centre, 3 August 2014 – Amidst an ‘appalling’ escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip since the collapse of a brief 1 August ceasefire, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the killing today of at least 10 Palestinian civilians in shelling outside of a United Nations school in Rafah which had been […]

3 Aug, 2014

Global Trades Union Call for End to Israeli “Excessive Attacks” on Gaza

INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

Brussels, 31 July 2014 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC is horrified at the rising death toll in Gaza, which is now over 1,200 – the vast majority of them innocent civilians. Destruction of civilian and UN infrastructure in recent days, including schools, hospitals and the territory’s only power plant, will have grave ramifications for the Palestinian […]

3 Aug, 2014

Muslim world condemns Dual-Citizen U.S. Jews fighting in Gaza

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Rabat, 29/07/2014 – The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) strongly condemned the flow of American Jewish volunteers to Israel to fight alongside Israeli forces attacking Gaza Strip for more than 22 days now by planes, tanks and rockets, brutally killing and injuring hundreds of children, women and elders, and destroying schools, hospitals and […]

3 Aug, 2014

Thousands protest in support of Palestinians near White House – The Washington Post

A demonstration drew thousands to the White House and the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday afternoon as participants from across the country called for an end to the continued violence between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “Free, free Palestine, killing children is a crime,” the crowd chanted, several holding Palestinian flags, cardboard […]

1 Aug, 2014

July 2014 – The “Tragic Month” the U.N. Fiddled While the World Burned

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United Nations, 30 July 2014, Department of Public Information – Although the Security Council should be commended for overcoming divisions and adopting important measures in the face of several grave international crises, it remained clear that Council members were once again unable or unwilling to use their influence to find sustainable political solutions, the representative […]

1 Aug, 2014

US hospitals fined millions for unethical acts, Indian ones go free – The Times of India

Jul 28, 2014 – Even as no action has been taken by the Indian government on hospitals giving doctors a cut for referring patients to them and for carrying out unnecessary procedures, in the US more than six hospitals have been fined several million dollars since the beginning of the year for exactly such practices. […]

1 Aug, 2014

U.S. Media’s Pro-Israel Bias: Why Does TV News Look Like a Netanyahu Ad? | Alternet

July 31, 2014 – Here are a few questions you won’t hear asked of the parade of Israeli officials crossing US television screens during the current crisis in Gaza: What would you do if a foreign country was occupying your land? What does it mean that Israeli cabinet ministers deny Palestine’s right to exist? What […]

1 Aug, 2014

Next-gen SITA Passport Control Kiosks Helping to Slash Immigration Queues

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ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 30, 2014–Air transport IT specialist, SITA, which was the first to implement Phase III Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks in the USA, today released a white paper detailing the benefits of the queue-busting technology. The paper shares case study examples which examine the successful implementation of the kiosks at Orlando International Airport (MCO). […]

1 Aug, 2014

Survey: The On-line Activities that Americans Most Want to Keep Private

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AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)- July 29, 2014 -WP Engine, a SaaS content management platform for websites and applications built on WordPress, announced today the results of its WP Engine Online Privacy Study. The survey was fielded by Harris Interactive to 2,100 Americans adults, and developed by WP Engine using the company’s expertise in content management and […]

1 Aug, 2014

Airline Trade Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Passengers from Security Cash-Grab

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WASHINGTON, July 30, 2014 (A4A/IATA media release) – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for leading U.S. airlines, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an international industry trade association representing some 240 airlines or 84 percent of global air traffic, filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. […]

1 Aug, 2014

EU-wide logo and “data protection impact assessments” aim to boost use of RFID systems

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European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 30 July 2014 – New EU-wide technical standards have been agreed that will help users of smart chips and systems comply with EU Data Protection rules and the Commission’s 2009 recommendation on RFID (see IP/09/740). A “data protection impact assessment” process has also been agreed. Practical effects of these new […]

1 Aug, 2014

Delays at Chinese airports see surge in flight insurance

By Wang Wen

Beijing, (China Daily) July 31, 2014 — Travel agencies have reported brisk sales of flight-delay insurance policies in the past two weeks, especially on routes in the eastern and central parts of China, as a result of an increasing number of flight delays. Ctrip.com International Ltd said on Wednesday that its sales of such policies […]

1 Aug, 2014

Travel & tourism in cross-hairs as anti-Israel boycott takes root in Thailand

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and its commercial, cultural and diplomatic interests, has taken root in Thailand with the strong possibility of expanding across ASEAN and Asia. A preliminary report summarising the status of relations between Thailand and Israel, including an entire chapter devoted to travel and tourism, was […]