10 Aug, 2015

Israeli settlement expansion ‘root cause’ of growing violence in Occupied Palestinian Territories – UN experts

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 10 August 2015 – A United Nations human rights committee has completed its annual evaluation of the situation affecting millions of people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has cited Israel’s policy of settlement expansion as a primary driver of the escalating violence in the area. In a press […]

10 Aug, 2015

64% of Iranians prefer German cars

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Tehran, Aug 7, IRNA – Findings of a new public opinion survey conducted on Monday showed that a majority of Iranians prefer German cars, if the country’s automakers were to start joint ventures with foreign car-manufacturing companies. A poll of 71,384 Iranian voters was conducted by a nationwide television program named Payesh on Monday on […]

10 Aug, 2015

U.S. real estate companies to hold largest show to attract Chinese investment

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New York, NY (PRWEB), August 07, 2015 — The Real Deal is bringing the “U.S. Real Estate Showcase & Forum” to Shanghai on September 10 through 12 at the Jing’An Shangri-La Hotel. The show will be the largest U.S. real estate event ever to be held in China. The showcase will feature exclusive networking events […]

10 Aug, 2015

President of India inaugurates Conference on ‘Inclusive Museums’

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New Delhi, 06-August-2015, (Press Information Bureau) – The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an International Conference on ‘Inclusive Museums’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The theme of the Conference is ‘Museums as Civic Spaces’. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that he was happy to note that India has been chosen as the venue […]

10 Aug, 2015

Skyscanner Reveals the Best Time to Book 2015 U.S. Holiday Travel

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MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)-August 04, 2015 – Global travel search engine, Skyscanner, uncovered that Week 33, August 10, is an ideal time to purchase all holiday air travel tickets – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Through analysis of 2014 purchasing patterns, Skyscanner saw that Thanksgiving week tickets booked during week 33 garnered a nearly 5.5 percent […]

10 Aug, 2015

Lotfollah Mosque of Isfahan tops list of world’s most beautiful mosques

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 10 August 2015 (25 Shawwal 1436). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ A WORD FROM MY SPONSORS: TOURISM MALAYSIA MALAYSIA CELEBRATES A YEAR OF GREAT FESTIVALS 2015 […]

10 Aug, 2015

Australia hands down record jail term for head administrator of global paedophile site

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Canberra, 7 August 2015, Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions — Former South Australian public servant, 33-year-old Shannon Grant McCoole was today sentenced to a benchmark record of 35 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years for his lead role sharing child pornography material on a global child abuse internet website. In May 2014 the Queensland […]

9 Aug, 2015

US teens start school too early, need more sleep: study

Most teenagers in the United States start the school day too early each morning, robbing them of the sleep they need to concentrate properly and remain healthy, according to a study published Thursday. Fewer than one in five middle and high schools in the United States start at 8:30 am or later, as recommended, according […]

9 Aug, 2015

UK airport VAT scam: Retailers pocketing millions from duty-free discounts – The Independent

Some of Britain’s top retailers are facing calls to be more honest with airport customers as they pocket millions of pounds in VAT discounts on duty free items without passing on the savings. Many stores in airports across the UK now demand that passengers present their boarding cards at checkouts before paying for any goods. […]

9 Aug, 2015

Community-oriented Hotel/Hostel Complex ON THE MARKS Opens in Kawasaki

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TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 06, 2015 — UDS Ltd. (http://www.uds-net.co.jp), responsible for the Hotel Claska and Hotel Anteroom Kyoto, announces the opening of a new hotel/hostel complex ON THE MARKS (http://www.on-the-marks.jp), specializing in tourist accommodations and planned, designed, and operated by UDS Ltd. in Kawasaki near Tokyo. Hotel Concept ON THE MARKS is a stopping point for […]

7 Aug, 2015

Israeli Forces Deny Palestinian Professor, his Family Entry into West Bank

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RAMALLAH, August 5, 2015 (WAFA)- Israeli forces Wednesday afternoon denied a Palestinian professor and his family entry into occupied Palestinian Territories to work for Birzeit University in Ramallah. According to a press release issued by Birzeit University, professor Omar al-Surani and his family were denied entry into the West Bank through the Allenby Bridge border […]

7 Aug, 2015

Elderly make up 80% of Japanese fraud victims, police say

Tokyo, Kyodo, Aug 6, 2015 – Elderly people accounted for nearly 80 percent of all victims of confirmed fraud cases in the first half of 2015, according to provisional data released by the National Police Agency. “Special fraud” cases, including swindling the elderly by impersonating their children over the phone and asking for urgent money […]

7 Aug, 2015

Major China-Nepal highway reopens after 3-month blockade

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — The Araniko highway that links Nepal and China reopened Thursday after being blocked for more than 100 days. The 114-km highway, which suffered severe damage due to the landslides triggered by the torrential rain after the April 25 earthquake, reopened after five-day joint operation of Chinese armed police officers and […]

7 Aug, 2015

Up to 10% of Australian children suffering mental health problems: report

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CANBERRA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — A ground-breaking Australian study has revealed as many as 10 percent of children suffer a mental health disorder during childhood, with up to one in 13 children considering suicide. The results of the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents survey, released on Friday, also showed the number of children seeking […]

7 Aug, 2015

Averting déjà vu: Why the travel & tourism industry should back Obama on the Iran nuclear deal

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – President Barack Obama’s 5 August 2015 speech on the Iran nuclear agreement was replete with warnings about heeding the same bunch of warmongers trying to use the same bunch of discredited arguments in the same old table-thumping way as they did in whipping up the U.S. political establishment to sanction the 2003 attack […]

7 Aug, 2015

“The absolute evil and ultimate inhumanity that is nuclear weapons”: Full text of Hiroshima Peace Declaration by Mayor Kazumi Matsui

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HIROSHIMA, Kyodo – Below is the full text of the Peace Declaration delivered Thursday, August 6,, by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui at the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima: In our town, we had the warmth of family life, the deep human bonds of community, festivals heralding each season, traditional culture […]

6 Aug, 2015

Koshi Bridge in Nepal, Built With ADB Support, Helps Restore Connectivity and Livelihoods

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KATHMANDU, NEPAL, 03 August 2015, ADB media release — The Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushil Koirala, today opened the newly constructed Koshi Bridge in Chatara in Sunsari District, restoring mass connectivity and economic activities in the eastern development region and directly benefitting the districts of Sunsari, Saptari, and Udaypur. The bridge was built with financial […]

6 Aug, 2015

Myanmar, Thailand pledge to make progress on Dawei SEZ development

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NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Myanmar and Thailand on Wednesday agreed to make progress for the development of the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in southern part of the country’s Taninthayi region, said the press release issued at the joint high- level committee meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw. The Dawei SEZ covering […]

6 Aug, 2015

China Exclusive: New Orient Express on track to popularity

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HOHHOT, Aug. 5, (Xinhua) – A luxury long-distance train service linking Beijing and Moscow and modelled on the infamous Orient Express is bridging cultures and harking back to an era before low-cost air travel. Ticket sales are picking up steam since the first of the trains departed earlier this summer, according to the local authorities […]

6 Aug, 2015

Feature: Days may be numbered for free entry to Britain’s museums, galleries

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LONDON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Are the days of free admission coming to an end at Britain’s 700 museums and art galleries? This week visitors heading to York Art Gallery, one of Britain’s tourism hotspots, had to pay £7.50 (11.7 U.S. dollars) to enter after it re-opened following a 12.5 million U.S.dollar facelift. Before the […]

6 Aug, 2015

Univ study reveals how easily Americans can be conditioned to feel prejudice against social groups

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WELLESLEY, Mass., Aug. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — When people feel or act negatively toward a group, they may explain their feelings or behavior by saying, “I felt threatened.” However, new research reveals how easily people can be conditioned to feel prejudice — and that unrecognized prejudice can be the source of a perceived threat. The […]

6 Aug, 2015

Germanwings crash probe report highlights impact of stress, alcohol and drugs on those at the controls

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok — Two investigation reports into the March 24 crash of Germanwings flight have underscored the role of stress, alcohol and drugs (S.A.D.) on the mental condition of pilots. By extension, they have raised serious concerns about the influence of S.A.D. on the mental condition of those at the wheel of all modes of transport, […]

5 Aug, 2015

EU-Vietnam free trade deal, first of its kind with developing country

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Brussels, 04 August 2015, European Commission – Press release – Today the EU and Vietnam have reached an agreement in principle for a free trade agreement (FTA), after two and a half years of intense negotiations. Following a telephone conversation this morning between EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade […]

4 Aug, 2015

Survey: 98% of Travel Professionals Support U.S. Open Skies Policy

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WASHINGTON, DC –, August 4, 2015, (Business Travel Coalition media release) — OpenSkies.travel today released the results of a survey of 420 U.S. travel industry professionals conducted online by the Business Travel Coalition. The survey found that 97.6 percent of respondents indicated support for U.S. government Open Skies policy objectives and 90.2 percent agreed that […]

4 Aug, 2015

Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao Launches Exclusive ‘Meditation on the Mekong’ Experience

Imtiaz Muqbil

Hong Kong, 3rd August 2015 – Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, Laos has launched an exclusive ‘Meditation on the Mekong’ experience, immersing guests in an integral cornerstone of Buddhism during an intimate tour of the country’s spiritual capital. Arranged in partnership with local meditation company Your Mind Retreat, this one-of-a-kind tour takes […]

4 Aug, 2015

Etihad Airways Deploys Luxury Travel B787-9 Dreamliner on Singapore Route

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Singapore – Etihad Airways has set a new benchmark for luxury travel on the UAE-Singapore route with the start of daily Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services on 1 August. Flight EY470 departed Abu Dhabi at 10pm on Saturday 1 August and touched down at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 10.15am the following day. The return flight EY473 […]

4 Aug, 2015

A Pakistani centenarian’s “alternative” way of filling up Asia’s potholes and boosting road safety

Imtiaz Muqbil

Karachi — Millions of potholes pockmark the streets, roads and alleys of Asia. They exact an immense collective toll in the form of motorcycle accidents, damage to vehicles and traffic casualties. Filling them up is usually a public sector responsibility. That means waiting for the local Roads or Transport departments to complete the bureaucratic process […]

3 Aug, 2015

India to Fund Translation of Ancient Arabic Manuscripts Showing Islamic Health & Wellness Advances

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 03 August 2015 (17 Shawwaal 1436). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ A WORD FROM MY SPONSORS: TOURISM MALAYSIA MALAYSIA TO CELEBRATE A YEAR OF GREAT FESTIVALS […]

2 Aug, 2015

Average of 22 dowry deaths per day in India over last three years: Govt – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: A total of 24,771 dowry deaths have been reported in the country in past three years with maximum of them occurring in Uttar Pradesh with 7,048 deaths. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, women and child development ministry Maneka Gandhi said that 8,233, 8,083, and 8,455 cases were registered under section 304B […]