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Archive for January, 2015

5 Jan, 2015

The Muslim Green: American Muslim Market Study 2014-15 released

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 05 January 2015 (14 Rabee’ al-Awwal 1436). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ A WORD FROM MY SPONSORS: TOURISM MALAYSIA NOW YOU CAN BUY EXQUISITE MALAYSIAN HANDICRAFTS ONLINE […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Twitter, Facebook ‘allowing Islamophobia to flourish’ – The Independent

Twitter and Facebook are refusing to take down hundreds of inflammatory Islamophobic postings from across their sites despite being alerted to the content by anti-racism groups, an investigation by The Independent has established. The number of postings, some of which accuse Muslims of being rapists, paedophiles and comparable to cancer, has increased significantly in recent […]

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3 Jan, 2015

US bases of war in the Middle East – Al-Ahram Weekly

With the launch of a new US-led war in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State (IS), the United States has engaged in aggressive military action in at least 13 countries in the Greater Middle East since 1980. In that time, every US president has invaded, occupied, bombed or gone to war in at least […]

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3 Jan, 2015

2014 one of Iraq’s bloodiest years as casualty rates soar, UN mission reports

United Nations, (UN News Centre) 2 January 2015 – Casualty figures for Iraq in 2014 were at their highest in over five years amid a spate of deadly violence which has been convulsing the country, the United Nations mission in the country reported today. According to the latest figures issued by the UN Assistance Mission […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Australia to toughen drone rules following several incidents – Sydney Morning Herald

Australia is set to have among the world’s toughest rules on drones after the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority rewrites its regulations in the new year. CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said the “huge growth” in popularity of the flying “unmanned aerial vehicles” – which are helicopter-like craft, with GPS and cameras – meant regulations had […]

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3 Jan, 2015

What made Thailand a unique travel & tourism country in 2014

Exclusive analysis by Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Thailand has become arguably the first in the world to statistically prove how political and geopolitical events at the local, regional and global levels can be both good and bad for the travel & tourism industry. From time to time, all countries are affected by negative man-made crises, and all benefit from positive […]

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3 Jan, 2015

5 Studies That Show How Wealth Warps Your Soul | Alternet

January 2, 2015 | “Money can’t buy happiness,” the old adage warns, although poverty is hardly a day at the beach. But according to several recent studies, excessive wealth not only fails to bring contentment, it warps your soul. (Or brain, for the skeptics among you.) That’s the thesis of a Michael Lewis essay on […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Chinese commentary: Why the US recovery will create problems for emerging economies

Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) – December 30, 2014 — It is reported that US GDP in the third quarter rose by an annualized rate of 5%, the fastest rate of growth recorded since 2011. The rebound is above expectations – a 5% increase is historically unusual, especially for an economy as big as the US. […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Surge in vacationing Chinese senior-citizens

By Xiaolixin and Zhengxin

Beijing, (China Daily) 2015-01-02 — Domestic and overseas travel have seen a sharp boost in the past decade, as groups of freshly retired Chinese senior citizens with abundant time and financial support enter the country’s tourism market. Senior citizens in China love to go on a trip with companions. [Photo by Shi Yucheng / China […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Macao casinos see their worst year

Macao, (China Daily) 2015-01-03 – Macao, the gambling capital of the world, saw its annual casino revenues decline for the first time in 2014 data released on Friday, as the Chinese government’s corruption crackdown ended a decade of booming growth for the industry. The release of special administrative region data showed gaming revenues falling by […]

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3 Jan, 2015

14,952 Jews Broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque in 2014

JERUSALEM, January 1, 2015 (WAFA) – Al-Aqsa Association for the Waqf and Heritage said that around 14,952 Israelis, including Jewish settlers, police, ministers and members of Knesset stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the year 2014. The association reported in a statistical report prepared with the help of witnesses staying daily in Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, the 14,952 […]

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3 Jan, 2015

86 Jewish Attacks on Religious Islamic, Christian Sites in 2014

JERUSALEM, January 1, 2015 (WAFA) – Al-Aqsa Association for Waqf and Heritage reported that Israel had carried out around 86 assaults and violations of Islamic and Christian Palestinian sites in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem in 2014. It said in a report published on Wednesday that about 30 cases of assault on mosques, 21 […]

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3 Jan, 2015

Australian Grand Mufti Criticizes Anti-Palestine Vote at UN

SYDNEY, January 1, 2015 (WAFA) – The Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed Thursday criticized his country’s decision to vote against the Palestinian draft resolution, submitted to the United Nations Security Council to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory by the end of 2017. A statement issued by the Mufti’s office warned […]

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3 Jan, 2015

India’s New Year begins on a sorry note of fear and loathing – Hindustan Times

By Namita Bhandare First columns of the year should herald new beginnings. But for me the year begins on a note of disquiet. And nothing exemplifies this more than the controversy around the film PK. I saw the film before the #BanPK and #SupportPK hashtags began trending on twitter, before cinema halls were vandalised and […]

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2 Jan, 2015

Chinese white-collar workers: Too much work, too little sex

By Wang Xiaodong

Beijing, (China Daily), 2014-12-31 – Most young white-collar workers in China lack a sex life and physical exercise, according to a report released by Zhi-lian, one of China’s largest online recruitment companies. The report sampled 9,272 white-collar workers from major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, most of whom had been in the workforce five […]

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