13 Oct, 2015

Shiv Sena going back to its violent past – The Hindu

Shiv Sena’s reprehensible attack on Observer Research Foundation’s Sudheendra Kulkarni yesterday (October 12), for organising former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai, is another step back for a party desperately trying to remain relevant both to its voting constituency as well as in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in Maharashtra. […]

13 Oct, 2015

Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana returns Padma Shri – The Hindu

Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana on Tuesday announced that she will return her Padma Shri in protest against the ‘rising communal tension’ in the country. “In this land of Gautama Buddha and Guru Nanak Dev, the atrocities committed on the Sikhs in 1984 and on the Muslims recurrently because of communalism are an utter disgrace […]

13 Oct, 2015

Liberty is my only party, Rushdie to ‘Modi Toadies’ – The Hindu

Author Salman Rushdie, who came under attack for backing authors protesting against ‘rising intolerance’ in the country, rubbished the criticism by ‘Modi Toadies’, saying he supported no political party but was against ‘thuggish violence’. The author was flooded with a barrage of hate messages following his tweet in support of Nayantara Sahgal and other writers, […]

13 Oct, 2015

New beer behemoth a serious threat to global health and sustainable development – IOGT

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Stockholm, Swede, 13 Oct 2015 (IOGT media release)  — Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, the two biggest beer producers in the world, have agreed on terms for a gigantic deal to merge both companies. The merger is set to create a beer behemoth responsible for one in three beers sold worldwide. The final AB InBev offer is worth more […]

13 Oct, 2015

Remarkable study accidentally reveals what really happens when we help the poorest – The Independent

Twenty years ago, a group of researchers began tracking the personalities of 1,420 low income children in North Carolina. At the time, the goal was simple: to observe the mental conditions of kids living in rural America. But then a serendipitous thing happened. Four years into The Great Smoky Mountains Study of Youth, the families […]

13 Oct, 2015

Anti-TTIP campaigners mobilize to raise awareness of U.S. domination

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STRASBOURG, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Massive demonstrations against the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) reveal deep concerns among European citizens about the economic, social, health, environmental and cultural implications of the proposed agreement. In Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament (EP), […]

13 Oct, 2015

AirBnB and eDreams pinged by Australian consumer watchdog over undisclosed fees

Lodging website Airbnb and online travel agency eDreams have been told to clean up their act after running afoul of Australian consumer law for slugging customers with service and other fees that were not properly disclosed when they were booking accommodation. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement both companies misled and deceived customers by failing to adequately disclose to […]

13 Oct, 2015

Holy cow: India’s bovine protectors are milking an old script – DAWN.COM

The recent mobilisations around the cow in India have little to do with religion and everything to do with politics. The expanded ban on beef in Maharashtra, the vigilante violence in Punjab against those transporting cows, and the shameful lynching of a man suspected of possessing beef in Dadri, are chillingly resonant of the cow […]

13 Oct, 2015

Indian activist Sudheendra Kulkarni hit by Shiv Sena ink attack – BBC News

Far-right Hindu nationalists in Mumbai have doused the head of an Indian think-tank in black ink in protest at the launch of a book by a former Pakistani foreign minister. The Shiv Sena party said the ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni was a form of “peaceful protest” against Pakistan. The party later cancelled a planned […]

13 Oct, 2015

India Supports Palestinian Authority Budget with $5M, Announces $17.79M Projects

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RAMALLAH, October 12, 2015 (WAFA) – India Monday announced a grant worth of $5 million to support the Palestinian Authority’s budget in addition to five projects worth $17.79 million, in the fields of capacity building and education and signed a MOU on cultural cooperation. According to a press release, President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee […]

13 Oct, 2015

Salman Rushdie backs authors who returned Sahitya Akademi awards – The Hindu

Author Salman Rushdie on Monday joined the growing chorus of protests by leading writers against spread of “communal poison” and “rising intolerance” in the country even as seven more authors decided to return their Sahitya Akademi awards. “I support Nayantara Sahgal and the many other writers protesting to the Sahitya Akademi. Alarming times for free […]

13 Oct, 2015

Now Kashmiri writer Ghulam Nabi Khayal returns Sahitya Akademi award – The Hindu

Noted Kashmiri writer and poet Ghulam Nabi Khayal has joined the bandwagon of authors returning their Sahitya Akademi awards, saying the minorities in the country today feel “unsafe and threatened”. “I have decided to return the award. The minorities in the country are feeling unsafe and threatened. They feel their future is bleak,” Khayal said […]

13 Oct, 2015

Tamil Sahitya Akademi winners condemn the Akademi – The Hindu

Sixteen Sahitya Akademi award winning Tamil writers have condemned the Akademi for not adequately condemning the killing of Kannada writer M.K. Kalburgi and its failure to bring pressure on the Centre to protect freedom of expression. “The situation has come to such pass that there was no security for the life of a writer not […]

12 Oct, 2015

Chinese tourists spend over $830 m in Japan during Golden Week

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Beijing (CRIENGLISH.com/chinadaily.com.cn), 2015-10-11 — Around 400,000 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited Japan and spent nearly 100 billion yen, or around $830 million in shopping during the National Day holiday week from Oct 1-7.Popularly known as the Golden Week, this marks a peak in travel for Chinese tourists. Chinese customers queued up at Japanese malls […]

12 Oct, 2015

Facebook paid only £4,327 in UK tax last year, less than the average worker – The Independent

Facebook’s UK operations paid only £4,327 in taxes last year, less than the average worker. The small bill was despite the company being able to pay its 362 UK-based employees an average of £210,000 in pay and bonuses. It gave its London staff Facebook shares worth £35.4 million, according to the report, pushing its losses […]

12 Oct, 2015

Jewish Fanatics Resume Provocative Visits to Al-Aqsa Compound Amid Growing Tension

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JERUSALEM, October 11, 2015 (WAFA) – Jewish fanatics resumed their provocative visits to al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday, despite of an apparently ongoing uprising in the West Bank and Jerusalem districts prompted by Jewish entry to the Islamic holy site. WAFA correspondent said small groups of Jewish settlers entered the compound from the […]

12 Oct, 2015

Chinese Commentary: West-led Color Revolution in Middle East backfires as refugee crisis worsens

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BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — The West-led “Color Revolution” in the Middle East has not only failed to bring peace and stability to the region, but has also eventually backfired as Europe is now struggling to deal with the worst refugee crisis since World War II. An increasing influx of refugees has poured into the […]

12 Oct, 2015

Finance Minister: China to implement plan for transparent global tax regime in 2016

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LIMA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) — Taking up the G20 presidency in 2016, China will advance the implementation of the newly approved Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action plan, said Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei during the on-going World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Lima on Friday. The detailed final version […]

12 Oct, 2015

Australian art gallery to return 2,000-year-old Buddha idol to India

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New Delhi, October 11, 2015, Press Trust of India -Close on the heels of Germany returning an ancient Durga idol, an Australian art gallery has agreed to give a 2,000-year-old Buddha sculpture back to India. The Sitting Buddha sculpture, whose roots could be traced to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is currently with a national art […]

12 Oct, 2015

Inglis, Florida: home to the 1,000th US mass shooting since Sandy Hook – The Guardian

Just before sundown on Thursday 1 October, an old man charged across the main street of the little town of Inglis, Florida. He was expecting trouble. Someone had recklessly fired a pistol in public, and Buzz Terhune intended to have words about it. The horror that unfolded in the next few minutes has become so […]

12 Oct, 2015

Indonesia to prioritise border area development

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Kendari, SE Sulawesi (ANTARA News) 11 Oktober 2015 – The government will give priority to the accelerated development of border areas in the next three years, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said. “There are 187 sub-districts or points in border areas categorized as priority locations this year. They are located near the Indonesian borders with […]

12 Oct, 2015

Alibaba Group Launches Digital Experience to help Audiences Outside China to Better Understand the Company

HANGZHOU, China, Oct 9 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), today launched Alibaba Defined, a comprehensive digital experience created to help audiences outside of China better understand the company’s business model, strategy, and products and services. Alibaba Defined includes letters from Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang and other traditional annual […]

12 Oct, 2015

Ancient footwear exhibition to open at Egyptian Museum in Cairo

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 12 October 2015 (28 Dhul Ḥijjah 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 […]

12 Oct, 2015

20 Years since the Jewish terrorist assassination of Yitzhak Rabin – Haaretz Bookshelf

For a large segment of the population, Yitzhak Rabin was the man who was selling the country out to the Arabs. Most of his rivals among the Israeli right­wing respected Rabin the soldier, the statesman, while despising his peace policies. A tiny fringe of right-wing religious extremists, however, went further. At protest rallies, they portrayed […]

12 Oct, 2015

No, This Land And Country Is Not Ours Anymore: An Open Letter From An Indian Student – Countercurrents.org

I am Aslah, 21 years old, a post-graduate student in history. I have few things to tell this world. During our school days, we had history to study learn. World’s largest country Russia, smallest country Vatican, most populated country China – all these we had by hearted then. Also when asked about the largest democracy […]

12 Oct, 2015

Water Bombing Operations to put out forest fires start in Sumatra

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JAKARTA, Oct 11 (NNN-CNA) — The combined team from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia has begun water bombing operations to put out the forest fires in south Sumatra. In a statement issued by Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Sunday (Oct 11), a total of seven helicopters and four fixed-wing aircraft are involved in the […]

12 Oct, 2015

Bisada Hindus fund Muslim wedding – The Times of India

BISADA: The two daughters of Hakeem, a Muslim villager in Bisada, will get married on Sunday morning, and some Hindus from the village are bearing the wedding expenses. The family of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was lynched in the same village on September 28 over rumours that he had beef at home, had always maintained that […]

12 Oct, 2015

Writers from Punjab, Gujarat return Sahitya Akademi awards – Hindustan Times

Three Punjabi writers and an author from Gujarat announced on Sunday they will return their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the government’s “onslaught on freedom of expression”. Playwrights Ajmer Aulakh and Atamjit and author Waryam Sandhu joined the dissenters in the literary fraternity who have either surrendered their coveted awards or quit the Akademi […]

11 Oct, 2015

Indian President: The Young Must Learn to Appreciate our Culture of Caring for the Aged

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New Delhi, President’s Secretariat, 01-October-2015 – Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the presentation of the National Awards for Senior Citizens – Vayoshreshtha Samman – 2015 1. It is indeed a happy occasion for me to be present amidst you on the International Day of Older Persons. It is my privilege […]

11 Oct, 2015

I wear a burqa to avoid attracting attention: Indian film star | The Indian Express

Mallika Sherawat may have made stunning fashion statements during her many media appearances in India and abroad but guess what. The stunner dons a burqa if she has to travel alone. Revealing this secret was the actress herself. Said Mallika, “Usually when I travel I have my staff with me. But on occasions when I […]

11 Oct, 2015

VIDEO: Is Palestine the Exception to Free Speech Rights in the U.S.? – TRUTHDIG

University campuses are the front line of Palestinian human rights advocacy in the U.S., but a new report by the Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal documents hundreds of cases in which students and scholars have been punished for expressing themselves. Watch the testimony of some of those who have dared to speak out, […]

11 Oct, 2015

Home-sharing services on the rise in Japan as owners cash in on tourist boom – Japan Times

TOKYO – For foreign tourists to Japan, staying at traditional ryokan inns is a popular way to enjoy their trips, but home-sharing services are growing as an alternative form of accommodation. Legally speaking, some home-sharing services fall in a gray zone because existing accommodation rules were drafted before such services began on the Internet. Following […]

11 Oct, 2015

Global travel becoming the ‘normal’ for more Chinese families

By Wang Wen and Xue Chaohua in Lanzhou

Beijing, (China Daily) Updated: 2015-10-01 – Jiang Jing, a 30-year-old from Weinan, a fourth-tier city in Shaanxi province, went to her local city hall early in September to apply for a passport as she planned a trip to The Maldives with her husband the following month. She was surprised to see so many people doing […]

11 Oct, 2015

Malayalam novelist Sarah Joseph returns her Sahitya Academy award | The Indian Express

Noted Malayalam novelist Sarah Joseph on Saturday said she has decided to return her Kendra Sahitya Academy award in protest against the ‘terror-like’ situation prevailing in the country. Joseph had bagged the academy award in 2003 for her novel Aalahayude Penmakkal (Daughters of God, the father). Joseph said the prevailing situation in the country was […]

11 Oct, 2015

Forget Hindu, Muslim – Let’s talk state responsibility for the Dadri lynching | The Indian Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sweet homily to the nation over the lynching of a Muslim in Dadri amounts to nothing more than preaching to the converted. That too reluctantly so, after 10 days of cajoling from innumerable quarters urging the country’s prime communicator to break his silence, and a day after President Pranab Mukherjee felt […]

11 Oct, 2015

Indian Poet quits Sahitya Akademi posts over MM Kalburgi’s murder | The Indian Express

Eminent Indian poet and writer K Satchidanandan on Saturday resigned from all committees of the Sahitya Akademi, saying the literary body had “failed” in its duty to stand with writers and uphold freedom of expression. Satchidanandan was serving in the General Council, Executive Board and Financial Committee of the Akademi. “I am sorry to observe […]

11 Oct, 2015

Shiv Sena demands cancellation of Kasuri’s book launch – The Hindu

After ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali, Shiv Sena on Saturday asked management of a city-based convention centre here to call off former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book launch function. Citing the neighbouring country’s support to terrorism as the reason behind the opposition, the party warned that the function will be disrupted if not cancelled. […]

11 Oct, 2015

BJP’s leading anti-beef crusader owned a meat exporting company – The Hindu

Sangeet Singh Som, the fiery BJP MLA at the forefront of the frenzied anti-beef protests and an accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots, founded one of India’s leading halal meat export companies, according to documents available with The Hindu. The company, Al-Dua Food Processing Private Ltd, was founded by Mr. Som, along with Moinuddin Qureshi and […]

11 Oct, 2015

Documents of Nanjing Massacre inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of World Register

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PARIS – A total of 47 new nominations, including Documents of the Nanjing Massacre from China, are inscribed on the Memory of the World Register by the International Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, announced Friday UNESCO in a press release. The decision was made during a three day meeting of UNESCO […]

11 Oct, 2015

Investigation uncovers coercive tactics Hindutva groups use to battle ‘love jihad’ – DAWN.COM

“Look, there is some truth in these cases of love jihad around here… There is someone or some organisation behind it. For instance, in the beginning, boys would roam around on motorcycles in front of schools or colleges or plus-two schools wearing a kalawa (a red thread around the wrist), using names like Sonu, Monu, […]

11 Oct, 2015

Japan, South Korea, Thailand most popular Chinese Golden Week destinations

By Liu Jing

Beijing, (chinadaily.com.cn), 2015-10-09 – The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad has seen a fast-paced rise during the National Day holiday with surrounding countries including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand among the most popular destinations, according the National Tourism Administration (NTA). Data from the Nationwide Tourist Group Services Management System shows that outbound tourists (except […]

11 Oct, 2015

China to open 10,000 Confucius Schools nationwide

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JINAN, (Xinhua) 2015-10-10 – The Confucius Foundation of China (CFC) plans to open 10,000 Confucius Schools across China to promote Confucius teachings, the CFC secretary-general Wang Daqian said on Saturday at a Confucianism forum. At the fourth Cross-Strait Academic Forum on Confucianism held in Jinan, capital city of East China’s Shandong province, Wang said over […]

11 Oct, 2015

Renminbi becomes world’s fourth-largest payment currency

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Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) October 09, 2015 — The Renminbi, or Chinese yuan, has surpassed Japanese yen to become the world’s fourth-largest payment currency, according to a report issued by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT). The rank of the Renminbi has increased by leaps and bounds— in 2012, it ranked 12th. According […]

11 Oct, 2015

In India, beefed-up curbs, feeble resistance – The Hindu

by Anup Surendranath Invariably, there are times in a Constitution’s life when its very fundamentals are under threat, times when the technicality of laws made under the powers of that Constitution are the very weapons used to undermine its foundations. Rarely do foundational threats to Constitutions come as sudden events, they often build up as […]

11 Oct, 2015

China launches International Payment System

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Shanghai, (People’s Daily Online), October 09, 2015 – China launched the first phrase of the China International Payment System (CIPS) in Shanghai on Thursday, which will provide capital settlement and clearing services for cross-border RMB transactions for domestic and overseas financial institutions. At present, the RMB has become the second largest cross-border payment currency in […]

11 Oct, 2015

WikiLeaks Reveals How the US Aggressively Pursued Regime Change in Syria, Igniting a Bloodbath

In 2010, WikiLeaks became a household name by releasing 251,287 classified State Department cables. Now, a new book collects in-depth analyses of what these cables tell us about the foreign policy of the United States, from authors including Truthout staff reporter Dahr Jamail and Truthout regular contributors Gareth Porter, Robert Naiman, Phyllis Bennis and Stephen […]

11 Oct, 2015

Traditional Chinese Medicine gaining recognition and respect in the West

By Xu Jingxi In Guangzhou And Wang Xiaodong In Beijing

(China Daily) 2015-10-06 – Traditional Chinese medicine has won more recognition in Western countries in recent years, but the 5,000-year-old medical science still needs a modern interpretation to break into the mainstream Western market. According to the Beijing-based World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, more TCM clinics have opened in the West and more colleges […]

11 Oct, 2015

Hindu group Shiv Sena forces cancellation of Pakistan singer’s concert in Mumbai – The Indian Express

The Shiv Sena Wednesday forced the cancellation of a concert by Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, who was scheduled to perform at Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Hall Friday as a tribute to Jagjit Singh on his fourth death anniversary. This prompted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to intervene and call Sena’s actions “unfortunate”. “My government is willing […]

11 Oct, 2015

Israel’s Culture of Impunity Killed the Oslo Accords – Palestinian leader

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RAMALLAH, October 4, 2015 (WAFA) – Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, said, ‘Israel’s culture of impunity killed the Oslo concept by tripling the number of settlers, stripping the Palestinian government of its attributes, and implementing various other contravening policies in breach of the agreement.’ In a statement received by WAFA, Erekat […]

11 Oct, 2015

Inside the Indian village where a mob killed a man for eating beef – The Guardian

The minister has arrived. The motorcade fills the unpaved street. Policemen who were slumbering in the early autumn midday heat stir, straighten, then spring into action, clearing the way with their canes for this most important visitor. Mahesh Sharma, India’s minister of culture, is preceded by a small aide in a purple shirt and followed […]

11 Oct, 2015

Rationalist thinkers under attack in India – Asia Times

By Sudha Ramachandran Rationalists in India are under fire from Hindu right wing organizations. A little over a month ago, noted litterateur and rationalist, Malleshappa M Kalburgi was shot dead at point-blank range at his house in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Kalburgi had several run-ins with Hindu groups over his remarks on idol […]

11 Oct, 2015

Whatever created the impression that Narendra Modi was a moderate?

By Girish Shahane During an interview with LK Advani during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s first full term in power, Prannoy Roy asked him about growing extremism in the party, and how moderates like the Indian deputy prime minister planned to clamp down on it. For those such as myself who associated Advani primarily with his […]

11 Oct, 2015

Fukuoka honors Asians for work to preserve and reinvent culture – Japan Times

More than a century and a half after Commodore Matthew Perry’s “Black Ships” forced open the country to Western trade, vestiges of the sakoku (closed country) mentality arguably still linger on in the Japanese psyche. Although kokusaika, or internationalization, has been a buzzword since the 1980s, few cities along the archipelago seem to be able […]

11 Oct, 2015

Gallup Polls: U.S. Public Remains Wary of Federal Government’s Power

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9, 2015, (Gallup media release)– Six in 10 Americans think the government has too much power, marking the third year in a row that at least 59% of the public has voiced this view. The 60% recorded in this survey ties the previous high from 2013 for the question, which Gallup has […]

11 Oct, 2015

Nepal: Experts begin post-disaster work at quake-damaged UNESCO heritage sites

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United Nations, UN News Centre, 8 October 2015 – International and national experts from the Nepalese Department of Archaeology and an archaeological team from Durham University have begun post-disaster excavation surveys and rescue excavations at earthquake damaged UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. “Creation of risk maps and identification and characterization of […]

11 Oct, 2015

Indian President to Visit Palestine for First Time October 12

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RAMALLAH, October 7, 2015 (WAFA) – The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee will pay the first ever State visit to Palestine in mid October at the invitation of president Mahmoud Abbas, President of State of Palestine, said a statement issued by the representative office of India to Palestine on Tuesday. During the visit, which […]

11 Oct, 2015

The unmaking of India | The Indian Express

The RSS is allergic to democracy. M.S. Golwalkar, the most prominent ideologue of the organisation, while delivering a speech at the RSS Resham Bagh headquarters in Nagpur in 1940, demanded that India be governed by “one flag, one leader and one ideology of Hindutva”. We need to know from Madhav, who is learning from whom. […]

11 Oct, 2015

To ‘protect’ Hindu girls, Muslims barred from Gujarat Garba event – Hindustan Times

A right-wing group on Sunday said it has issued a “diktat” barring entry of Muslims at Garba events during the upcoming Navratri festival at Mandvi town in Gujarat’s Kutch district to prevent “love jihad” incidents. “We have issued a diktat barring the entry of Muslims at Garba events in Mandvi,” said president of Hindu Yuva […]

11 Oct, 2015

EU Ombudsman urges full transparency of meetings with tobacco lobbyists

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Brussels, Transparency International EU Office media release, 05 Oct 2015 – Transparency International welcomes the European Ombudsman’s recommendations to increase the transparency of the European Commission’s meetings with tobacco lobbyists. In the recommendations published today, which echo concerns about tobacco lobbying that led to the resignation of Maltese Commissioner John Dalli in 2012, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly calls […]

11 Oct, 2015

White supremacists a bigger problem in U.S. than “Islamic extremists”

Tehran, Oct 5, IRNA – While there is a high tendency in the United States to portray Muslims as a threat for international peace, figures suggest that white supremacy is a bigger problem. “There’s an acceptance (in the US) now of the idea that the threat from jihadi terrorism in the United States has been […]

11 Oct, 2015

Politics of beef: Modi’s vision scuttled by extremists from among his own followers | The Indian Express

Sartaj said he was part of the Indian Air Force family. He owed his allegiance to that family. The elders in that family would advise him what he should do next to ensure security and he would abide by their advice. He appealed for calm, understanding and communal harmony. He asked fellow-Indians to pray for […]

11 Oct, 2015

Digital India Rising, Democratic India Dying

Everybody expected the 21st century to be characterised by communal harmony, mutual brotherhood and greater tolerance. Rajiv Gandhi envisioned an India without communalism, casteism, hatred and violence. As ill luck would have it, he did not live long enough to give practical shape to his vision. Successive governments belonging to varied political formations ruled this […]

9 Oct, 2015

Hindu nationalist MPs attack Kashmir assembly member for serving beef at party – The Guardian

Politicians from India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party in Kashmir kicked and punched an independent member of the state assembly on Thursday for hosting a party where he served beef. Inside the Indian village where a mob killed a man for eating beef Read more Bharatiya Janata party members beat Rashid Ahmed, a Muslim, in the […]

7 Oct, 2015

Xinjiang to focus on maintaining stability

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Beijing (China Daily), October 02, 2015 – Yu Zhengsheng, China’s top political advisor, said on Thursday that long-term stability and security are the top priorities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. He stressed that counterterrorism will be the focus of the local government’s work.Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative […]

7 Oct, 2015

India’s Spiritual Market Enters World of Mobile-commerce with Wheresmypandit app

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Mumbai, 7th October, 2015/PRnewswire/- Puja rituals are an integral part of Hindu culture. In order to stand out from numerous startups, currently competing with each other in the spiritual market domain, and to cater to millions of Hindus worldwide, WheresMyPandit has entered the field of mobile-commerce with the launch of its mobile application. Built for […]

7 Oct, 2015

Golden Week Chinese Travel Hits 750mln, Equal to Half the Population

By Chen Shen

Beijing (People’s Daily Online)  October 06, 2015 – Transportation statistics in China shows that during the “Golden Week” over 750 million Chinese people are expected to use either railway or highway to travel domestically. This figure accounts for half of the population in China. Chinese Ministry of Transport anticipated some 640 million people use the […]

7 Oct, 2015

Indian poet Ashok Vajpeyi also returns Sahitya Akademi award – The Hindu

A day after writer Nayantara Sahgal returned her Sahitya Akademi award against what she described “unmaking of India, poet Ashok Vajpeyi also handed back the prestigious literary honour to the government, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against the recent spree of violence. Mr. Vajpeyi said that “it’s high time that writers […]

7 Oct, 2015

People being killed for not agreeing with “ruling ideology”, says Indian writer – The Hindu

Noted Indian writer Nayantara Sahgal has returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against what she called the “vanishing space” for diversity. In a telephonic interview, the niece of the former Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru also said people were being “killed for not agreeing with the ruling ideology.” Excerpts: What made you take this […]

7 Oct, 2015

Organic Merchants Campaign Cuts Out Middle-Man to Get Healthy, Affordable Foods Straight to Average Consumer

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Denver, CO (PRWEB) October 06, 2015 – The Organic Merchants team launched their Indiegogo campaign today and is looking to raise a total of $25K to help with the packaging costs for their new line of organic, NON-GMO popcorn. Organic Merchants is a family-owned business that delivers a multitude of different healthy foods at affordable […]

7 Oct, 2015

China National Day Holiday: Rural tourism blooms, villagers benefit

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BEIJING, Oct. 2, (Xinhua) — While most Chinese are relaxing as part of the week-long National Day holiday, Wang Zaolin is dealing with his busiest time of year. The peak travel week brings floods of city-dwellers to his hotel to seek pastoral pleasures. The rustic hotel in Hongcun, an ancient village in east China’s Anhui […]

7 Oct, 2015

China: Old indexes do not present true image of economic growth

By Chen Jia

Beijing (China Daily) Updated: 2015-09-26 – In response to analysts’ and media questions about the reliability of China’s economic data, a government spokesman said on Friday it is no longer appropriate to use only the old indexes to measure the country’s performance during its rapid transition. This is because, for the first time, the service […]

7 Oct, 2015

Palestinians Getting Poorer for Third Year in a Row – World Bank

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JERUSALEM, September 29, 2015 –  Reduced donor aid, war, suspension of revenue payments and ongoing restrictions by the Government of Israel have had a severe impact on the Palestinian economy. The World Bank economic report to the Ad Hoc Liaison committee (AHLC), a forum of donors to the Palestinian Authority, examines current economic trends and recommends […]

7 Oct, 2015

How No-Fly Lists Are Used to Punish Political Protesters | Alternet

It was August 2002. My partner Jan Adams and I were just beginning our annual pilgrimage to Massachusetts to visit my father and stepmother. At the check-in line at San Francisco International Airport, we handed over our driver’s licenses and waited for the airline ticket agent to find our flight and reservation. Suddenly, she got […]

7 Oct, 2015

Violence as the new normal – The Hindu

In directing States to show “zero tolerance” to attempts to “weaken the secular fabric” of the country, the Union Home Ministry was voicing its concern at the widening social acceptance of communal violence as a normal part of everyday life. The lynching in Dadri of Mohammad Akhlaq for “eating beef” was an extreme case, but […]

6 Oct, 2015

U.S. investors awaiting authorization to enter Iran market

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Tehran, Oct 3, IRNA – While US companies, similar to their European and Asian rivals, are eager to invest in Iran’s market, the United States laws prohibit such an access. Masoud Daneshmand, in an opinion piece published by the English-language paper Iran Daily looks into the issue and tells the reader how business ties could […]

6 Oct, 2015

Chinese Palace Museum cracks down on visitor misbehavior

By Sun Xiaochen

Beijing, (China Daily) 2015-10-05 – Following a spate of uncivilized behavior related to the tourism market, the Palace Museum has blacklisted 2,500 visitors since June for misbehaving, part of an effort aimed at protecting ancient relics as well as restoring market order by eliminating illegal vendors and ticket scalpers. As the weeklong National Day holiday […]

6 Oct, 2015

Israeli Soldiers Kill 13-Year-Old near Bethlehem, Sixth in Two Weeks

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BETHLEHEM, October 5, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers Monday shot dead a Palestinian child during confrontations with youths in the Aida refugee camp north of Bethlehem, less than 24 hours after another Palestinian youth was killed by the Israeli army in Tulkarm, according to security sources. Medical sources said 13-year-old Abdul-Rahman Shadi Mustafa was seriously […]

6 Oct, 2015

Jewish Fanatic Settlers’ Violence Intensifies across West Bank

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WEST BANK, October 5, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli Jewish settlers last night and on Monday morning intensified attacks against Palestinians across the West Bank, according to local and media sources. These violent attacks continue for the third day of an unabated aggression against vulnerable Palestinian communities, especially villages that are adjacent to illegal settlements. In […]

6 Oct, 2015

OAG’s Megahubs Index Reveals the World’s Most-Connected Airports

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CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 05, 2015  – According to new analysis from OAG, the global leader in air travel intelligence and analytical services, Megahubs are transforming the way that we connect and travel around the planet. Selected major hub airports are now rapidly growing into Megahubs as expanded international connectivity, airline consolidation, larger aircraft types and the […]

6 Oct, 2015

U.S. Machinist & Aerospace Union Blasts TPP

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 05, 2015  – The following is a statement from International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) International President Tom Buffenbarger regarding terms of the secretly negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership: “As a labor union whose members build products that are exported all over the world, the IAM has always taken a strong interest in […]

6 Oct, 2015

Rationalist thinkers under attack in India | Asia Times

Rationalists in India are under fire from Hindu right wing organizations. A little over a month ago, noted litterateur and rationalist, Malleshappa M Kalburgi was shot dead at point-blank range at his house in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Kalburgi had several run-ins with Hindu groups over his remarks on idol worship.] Youth Congress […]

6 Oct, 2015

India witnessing a return to medieval Brahminical values – The Hindu

Ever since Mandal and Mandir in the early 1990s, conflicts arising from caste politics and from religious politics have been treated as separate types of problems, with distinct causes, logics and effects. This separation of “casteism” and “communalism” can be seen both in the specialist discourses of social science and in popular perception. So we […]

6 Oct, 2015

Holy cow, unholy violence – The Hindu

If you love cows and care for them, you have three choices: Choice A: Build goshalas or cow shelters where the animals can be taken care of. But this is an expensive proposition. There is heavy investment and no returns whatsoever, despite all the talk of the great medicinal value of cow urine and cow […]

6 Oct, 2015

India clamping down on critics of Modi, activist groups

NEW DELHI: It takes courage to accuse a powerful politician ─ a man who would go on to become India’s prime minister ─ of encouraging riots against a minority. Police officer Sanjiv Bhatt did just that. And he says he is paying the price for it. Bhatt was arrested months after he filed an affidavit […]

6 Oct, 2015

How to be a whistleblower – Sydney Morning Herald

It takes a lot of guts to be able to stand up at your place of work and make a call that something’s not quite right. For most people, it’s a seriously career-limiting move. But not for Sylvain Mansotte​, CEO of Fraudsec, an app that lets staff report internal fraud anonymously. Sylvain’s is an example […]

6 Oct, 2015

76% of U.S. Adults Concerned about Security of Health Care Data, Reveals University of Phoenix Survey

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PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In observance of National Health Information Technology (NHIT) Week and to mark the important role health information technology plays in improving U.S. health care delivery, University of Phoenix® College of Health Professions School of Health Services Administration today announced survey findings outlining the comfort level of U.S. adults when sharing their health data. The […]

6 Oct, 2015

Pacific Trade Agreement a Recipe for Corporate Greed – ITUC

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Brussels, 6 October 2015 (ITUC OnLine): The International Trades Union Congress (ITUC) has described the 12-country “Trans-Pacific Partnership” (TPP) trade deal announced on 5 October as a recipe for corporate greed. While the final text of the agreement is still not publicly available, leaked texts have given rise to major concerns amongst trade unions and […]

5 Oct, 2015

Sports Illustrated Dedicates “Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award” to Muhammad Ali

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 October 2015 (21 Dhul Ḥijjah 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 […]

5 Oct, 2015

Mosques in U.S. Urged to Take Added Safety Measures Prior to Extremist Anti-Islam Rallies Oct 10

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WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/4/15 – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged Muslim community leaders to consider instituting additional safety measures in response to hate rallies by possibly armed anti-Muslim extremists targeting mosques nationwide on October 10. [NOTE: October 9 has also been mentioned online as […]

5 Oct, 2015

BJP leader’s son held in Dadri lynching case – The Hindu

Five days after Mohammad Akhlaque Saifi was lynched over rumours about cow slaughter in this Uttar Pradesh village, Vishal, accused of inciting the mob, was arrested on Saturday. Vishal is the son of Sanjay Rana, a local BJP leader associated with the party for the past two decades. Mr. Rana is reportedly close to Union […]

5 Oct, 2015

FREE Download: 2nd Edition of UNWTO-PATA Tourism Update Report

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Bangkok/Madrid — The second edition of the UNWTO-PATA Tourism Updates has been released and is available for free download by clicking on the image. The highlight article of this edition is an article headlined: Fifteen global challenges that will determine the “State of the Future”.     The UNWTO/PATA Tourism Update, a bi-monthly series, is […]

4 Oct, 2015

At Awards Ceremony, Thai Tourism SMEs Get Crash Course in Creative Marketing

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Tourism Authority of Thailand prefaced its biannual Tourism Awards ceremony on 27 September 2015 by inviting about 150 small and medium sized enterprises for a crash course on enhancing their marketing and branding skills. Owners, operators and senior management executives of the emerging generation of Thai tourism products and services nationwide attended […]

4 Oct, 2015

Liberal Hindus, arise: Reclaim your faith from extremists – TOI Blogs

The brutal Dadri lynching, the unspeakably tragic, numbing, and horrifying death of the innocent Akhlaq and the grievous injury to his 22-year-old son Danish should make every Hindu bow his head in shame, to cry out loud, to scream in anguish and demand to know, what is happening to Hinduism? Where is the philosophy of […]

4 Oct, 2015

Israel Annexes Hebron Church Compound to Settlement Bloc

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HEBRON, October 1, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities decided to annex a church compound, which settlers claim they have previously purchased, to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the southern West Bank. Israeli ‘Defense’ Minister Moshe Yaalon has reportedly decided to annex the 38-dunum compound, known as Beit al-Baraka, which is located to the north […]

4 Oct, 2015

Mainlanders bypass Hong Kong for Golden Week

By WANG YUKE in Hong Kong and SU ZHOU in Beijing

Chinadaily.com – 2015-09-29 – Hong Kong is losing its luster for the increasingly affluent, sophisticated mainland tourists in the coming National Day holiday. “The passion of mainland travelers (for Hong Kong) has dampened dramatically this year,” said Sarah Leung, director of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union. She said the number of tour […]

4 Oct, 2015

Palestinian President: The First-Ever Raising of Palestine’s Flag at the U.N. Is “Our Moment of Hope”

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NEW YORK, September 29, 2015 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday affirmed that the Palestinian flag will be raised for the first time at the United Nations headquarters in New York and at other U.N. offices around the world on September 30. He wrote an op-ed, which was published on the Huffington Post, in which […]

4 Oct, 2015

New ZabCab Taxi App: No Peark-hour Surge Pricing and Only Licensed Drivers

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MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–September 28, 2015  – Taxi passengers in South Florida now have an easier and better way to taxi, thanks to Flatiron Apps, LLC, which today  launched three ZabCabTM taxi apps at press conferences in Miami and Fort Lauderdale: ZabCab for Passengers; ZabCab for Drivers; and ZabCab Front Desk for the hospitality industry and entertainment […]

4 Oct, 2015

Ten facts about China’s incredible high-speed rail system

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Beijing, People’s Daily Online, September 29, 2015 – I. China boasts the world’s longest mileage of high-speed rail (HSR) line, followed by Japan and Spain. By the end of 2014, the mileage had reached 16,000 km, accounting for 60 percent of the world’s total. II. The highest ridership in the world: In 2014, the HSR […]

4 Oct, 2015

Africa to be main beneficiary of China’s $1b Peace & Development Fund

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United Nations, (China Daily) September 29, 2015 – China will establish a $1 billion “China-UN Peace and Development Fund” to support the United Nations’ multilateral cooperation and boost world peace, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. Xi’s announcement came in his first speech at the UN headquarters in New York City, at the annual debate […]

4 Oct, 2015

ADB, India Sign $123.5 Million Loan to Upgrade Tourism Infrastructure in 3 States

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NEW DELHI, INDIA (ADB media release) 29 Sept 2015 – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $123.51 million loan for tranche 3 of the Infrastructure Development Investment Program for Tourism, to continue upgrading tourism infrastructure and services in three states. The loan will be used for development and […]