30 Nov, 2015

Malaysia helps Japan tap the Global Halal Market

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 30 November 2015 (18 Safar 1437). 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 […]

30 Nov, 2015

Egyptian writer blasts West’s duplicitous policies on fighting terror

The recent backlash against Egypt in connection with the plane crash has nothing to do with the plane crash and everything to do with international bias and misjudgement. When it comes to fighting terror, international policy is simply duplicitous. It all depends on who is being targeted, and what the outcome is for them. When […]

30 Nov, 2015

Shanghai plans to offer free HIV intervention therapy to MSM group

======

Shanghai, (People’s Daily Online), November 23, 2015 – Men who have sex with men (MSM) are responsible for a growing share of AIDS transmissions, according to the latest report released by Shanghai City Disease Prevention and Control Center on Saturday. Medical experts said Shanghai plans to give free intervention therapy to MSM group, but few […]

30 Nov, 2015

Chinese gay men hit hard by HIV/AIDS epidemic

======

hanghai (China Daily) Updated: 2015-11-20  – China has reported nearly 110,000 HIV/AIDS cases so far this year, a slight increase over last year, said the nation’s top AIDS specialist.The gay male population has been hit particularly hard, accounting for more than 25 percent of the total. Wu Zunyou, head of the National Center for AIDS/STD […]

30 Nov, 2015

Gay sex blamed for rise in young Chinese students with HIV/AIDS

======

Bejing, (chinadaily.com.cn) 2015-11-25 20:11 – The HIV/AIDS epidemic is hitting young Chinese students, particularly males, hard with annually reported cases surging more than four times in the past seven years, said the nation’s top AIDS specialist. China has reported more than 3,400 student cases of HIV/AIDS this year, compared with 779 in 2008, said Wu […]

30 Nov, 2015

US caused $4 trillion in damage over 23 years of carbon emissions: Bangladesh human rights groups

======

DHAKA, Nov 29, 2015 (BSS) – Rights organizations today renewed their call to the rich nations to pay compensation to the affected countries for climate change as they said only the United States has incurred a damage of debt of $4 trillion during the period 1990-2013. At a human chain titled “Rich Countries, You don’t […]

30 Nov, 2015

Rich world urged to pay climate bill

======

MENAFN – Gulf Times – 29/11/2015- Latin America will demand that the richest and most polluting countries foot the bill for reducing harmful emissions at the world climate summit starting tomorrow. Countries in one of the world’s poorest and most environmentally diverse regions have failed to agree on many things and do not have a […]

30 Nov, 2015

Is promoting gay travel contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS?

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The announcement of an “organizational partnership” between the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association has raised some serious fundamental questions about the appropriateness of promoting gay travel in a cultural context as well as its linkage with the spread of HIV/AIDS. On the one hand, the IGLTA […]

29 Nov, 2015

Chinese Billionaire Aims to Build World’s Most Profitable Sports Company

======

Beijing, (Xinhua) November 28, 2015 – Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin never conceals his ambition to build a world leading sports company. Wang’s Wanda Group has set up Wanda Sports company, an integration of sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). Wanda Group, a real estate giant in China, announced on […]

29 Nov, 2015

Schengen: Border-control agency Frontex seeks access to security databases

by Maria Vasileiou

THE HAGUE, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Without access to security database tools necessary for detecting terrorist threats, Frontex is forced to limit its controls of irregular immigrants at Schengen zone external borders to a minimum check with identity registering, said Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of the European external border agency, in an interview with Xinhua. […]

29 Nov, 2015

Chinese play growing part in online shopping

By Hezi Jiang

New York (China Daily USA) 2015-11-26 — Foreign brands and retailers are ready for another Chinese “Duo Shou Day”, which translates into one’s hands being chopped because of an inability to refrain from online shopping. Rewarded with good revenue on Singles Day on Nov 11, many international merchants are hoping to attract more Chinese online […]

29 Nov, 2015

Asia’s Largest Underground Railway Station to Open in Shenzhen

By Zhu Xi

Shenzhen, (People’s Daily Online) November 26, 2015 – The construction of Asia’s largest underground high-speed railway station has been completed in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, and is expected to put into operation by the end of this year, announced the Guangzhou Railway Group on November 15, 2015. The Futian Railway Station, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guangzhou […]

29 Nov, 2015

Xinhua Insight: China changes tactics in financial fight against poverty

Imtiaz Muqbil

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Zhang Xiangyin still remembers the day his daughter-in-law left home three years ago, leaving her 33-day-old son. She could no longer bear living entrenched in poverty in their mountain village. Zhang, a 58-year-old farmer in Bijie City of southwest China’s Guizhou Province, knows exactly what poverty means. With two daughters, […]

29 Nov, 2015

Aamir Khan is the true son of India: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | The Indian Express

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says superstar Aamir Khan, who has been embroiled in a controversy for his comments on intolerance, is a true son of the soil and does not have to prove anything. The 50-year-old “PK” star during an award function in the national capital had said he has been “alarmed” by a number […]

29 Nov, 2015

Acclaimed Palestinian theatre in Jerusalem faces closure

======

Jerusalem (IINA) 28 Nov 2015– The Palestinian National Theater, which for three decades has been the leading performing arts and cultural centre for Arabs in occupied Jerusalem, is facing closure after running up large municipal debts, its director said on Friday. Known as “Al Hakawati” (The Storyteller), the theater has amassed unpaid bills of $150,000 […]

29 Nov, 2015

The war on terror and the terror of war – DAWN.COM

We live in a world where wars are not fought anymore, but felt. A world where war has seeped into human hearts, silently and sinisterly, manifesting itself through the most trivial of human emotions. We live in a world where the battlefield is not a place anymore, but a condition. A world where the most […]

28 Nov, 2015

Lies, Terror and the Drive to War – PravdaReport

It is all about “narratives”, the buzz word coined by US propaganda. The point 0f a narrative is, however, that it needs to be consistent, whether it is a fairy tale or a spinned story. Many official narratives have become unraveled to the point where few people out there still believe them. This is the […]

28 Nov, 2015

Hong Kong Airlines’ “Fly with Faith – Taipei Tour for Seniors” Creates Memorable Journey for the Elderly

======

HONG KONG, Nov. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Senior citizens contribute to the society with their wealth of experience and knowledge. To show our gratitude and respect for them, Hong Kong Airlines co-organized “Fly with Faith-Taipei Tour for Seniors” with Pok Oi Hospital yesterday, sponsoring return air tickets to Taipei, afternoon tea buffet and coach service […]

27 Nov, 2015

RSS India’s number 1 terror group: Former Mumbai police officer – The Times of India

KOLKATA: Claiming that the activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been indicted in at least 13 terror cases across India, former Maharashtra inspector general of police S M Mushrif on Thursday described the BJP’s ideological mentor as India’s number one terrorist organisation. “RSS activists have been chargesheeted in at least 13 cases of […]

27 Nov, 2015

Paris attacks: Women targeted as hate crime against British Muslims soars – The Independent

Muslims living in Britain have suffered more than 100 racial attacks since the terrorist atrocities in Paris, figures prepared for ministers reveal. A report to the Government’s working group on anti-Muslim hatred, seen by The Independent, shows a spike in Islamophobic hate crime of more than 300 per cent, to 115, in the week following […]

27 Nov, 2015

Myopia epidemic: Kids urged to go outside and drop devices – or risk blindness – Sydney Morning Herald

Maxime Jalbert Locke has been told to spend more time outdoors. The 11-year-old has also been told to limit time on devices. The reason? He has been diagnosed with myopia. When asked what caused his myopia, he said it was caused ‘a bit’ by looking at screens. About 30 per cent of myopia is genetic. […]

27 Nov, 2015

The downside of too much technology: Young people with ‘old eyes’ | The Japan Times

Growing numbers of people in their 20s and 30s are reporting vision trouble. The cause is spending too much time staring at small screens. Staring too much at tiny details in the confined space of a small screen results in a condition known as presbyopia, a term derived from Greek words meaning “old eye.” The […]

27 Nov, 2015

Victims of war, apostles of peace – The Hindu

======

By Shiv Visvanathan Yet the message of these women needs to be listened to. They are suggesting that the official answer to genocide, the security discourse, is inadequate. It leaves nations, corporations, warlords and even the security discourse untainted. It is ordinary people, NGOs, women’s groups, spiritual leaders, trade unions like SEWA, ecology forums dreaming […]

27 Nov, 2015

Aamir Khan’s right to speak – The Hindu

In the Bharatiya Janata Party Parivar’s revised reckoner, actor Aamir Khan is now a villain giving India a bad name. It happened the day he joined forces with writers, actors and scientists and re-opened the debate on intolerance in the country by voicing his own concern and his wife’s anxiety and thoughts, perhaps fleeting, of […]

27 Nov, 2015

Hindu party leader offers hotel staff Rs 100k to slap Muslim actor, party says not official view — Hindustan Times

A leader of the Punjab unit of the Shiv Sena has offered Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000) to anyone who slaps Bollywood actor Aamir Khan for his comment on ‘growing intolerance’ in the country. The Shiv Sena, however, said on Thursday the remark was not the official view of the party. “Any person who slaps […]

27 Nov, 2015

What has a 15-year ‘War on Terror” achieved? – Interview with the Prime Minister of Australia

LEIGH SALES:Billions of dollars have been spent since 9-11, numerous civil liberties have been curtailed, Australians have been told the whole way along that it was to make them safer and to defeat terrorism around the world and yet here we are in 2015, told today that we’re less safe than we’ve ever been. Don’t […]

27 Nov, 2015

India’s religious intolerance flap: Aamir Khan’s comment is just the tip of the iceberg | Asia Times

By Amrita Mukherjee Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan recently stirred a storm on Indian social media by publicly remarking that his wife, Kiran Rao (who is a Hindu by birth), had asked him whether they should move out of India due to rising religious intolerance. Aamir (a Muslim) drew the ire of right wing Hindu politicians […]

26 Nov, 2015

Israel loses UN General Assembly vote on Palestine by overwhelming 153-7 margin, ignores result

======

United Nations, UN media release, 24 November 2015 – The General Assembly today adopted six resolutions on Palestinian and Middle East issues, as diverse as the Syrian Golan and the United Nations special information programme on the question of Palestine, all by recorded votes, exposing divisions in the world body. A resolution on Jerusalem called for […]

26 Nov, 2015

Aamir Khan and the Incredibly Intolerant Indian

======

by Punam Mohandas Shoot the messenger (for f***s sake, that’s a figurative statement; don’t get your knickers in a twist!) by all means, but the message still remains. One refers of course, to the latest controversy rocking India, which doesn’t seem to have much on its plate at the moment (poverty? Fiddlesticks. Female foeticide? Pah. […]

26 Nov, 2015

Lockdown Impact: Paris, Brussels Suffer Mass Cancellations

======

London, Forwardkeys News Release, 25 November 2015 – Flight bookings to Brussels have collapsed in the wake of the recent attacks in Paris and the lockdown in Brussels, as police search for more suspects. According to the latest figures from travel data analyst, ForwardKeys, net bookings, which take into account both daily bookings and cancellations, […]

25 Nov, 2015

Unprecedented Backlash Against American Muslims After Paris Attacks

======

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/24/15) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released an initial report on the unprecedented backlash and discrimination targeting the nation’s Muslim community since the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. [A more comprehensive report on the backlash is to be issued at a later date.] […]

24 Nov, 2015

Prevention Better Than Cure, UN Chief Says in First Open Debate on Root Causes of Conflict

======

United Nations, UN media release, 17 November 2015 – Today’s violent conflicts, most recently marked by terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, were often rooted in a mix of exclusion, inequality and governance failures, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council today, urging a greater focus on prevention, human rights and coherence among all […]

24 Nov, 2015

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Cannot Be Separated from Global Terrorism Threat, UN Security Council told

======

United Nations, UN media release, 19 November 2015 – The abhorrent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula reinforced the reality that the extremism and terrorism infecting many parts of the Middle East was not constrained by borders, and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not be separated from the global threat of terrorism, […]

24 Nov, 2015

States of Terror – Chris Hedges – Truthdig

It is nearly certain that we will endure, sooner rather than later, another catastrophic terrorist attack on American soil. The blundering of our military into the Middle East; the failed states that have risen out of the mismanagement and chaos of Iraq and Afghanistan; the millions of innocents we have driven from their homes, terrorized […]

24 Nov, 2015

PressTV – ‘Israel was prime force behind 9/11’: American Scholar

An American scholar and journalist in Wisconsin says not only was the Zionist regime the primary force behind the 9/11 attacks, it was Israeli spies working for Mossad – not Arab Muslims – who celebrated the burning Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Dr. Kevin Barrett, a founding member of the Scientific Panel for the […]

24 Nov, 2015

Speakers in UN General Assembly Sound Alarm as Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Continues to Fester

======

United Nations, UN media release, 23 November 2015 – The world was just one major provocation in Jerusalem away from a descent into an unprecedented religious war, the General Assembly was told today as it took up the question of Palestine and heard the introduction of four draft resolutions on that matter. With conflicts in […]

24 Nov, 2015

UN Deputy Secretary-General Says Children in Gaza Do Not Feel Diplomatic Advances, Only Glaring Lack of Hope

======

United Nations, UN media release, 23 November 2015 – Following are Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the meeting on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in New York today: I present this statement on behalf of the Secretary-General, who today is travelling.  One year ago, the General Assembly commemorated the International […]

24 Nov, 2015

Palestinians Call on International Powers to End Biased Policies in Applying Justice

======

United Nations, UN Information Service, 23 November 2015 – In a meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, to be observed 29 November, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine called on the international community to stop selective and biased policies in applying justice, stressing that the lack of implementation of […]

24 Nov, 2015

Attacks on American Muslims are growing uglier by the day. It must stop – Washington Post

In the week since the Paris attacks, the American conversation has escalated with frightening and jaw-dropping speed to include registration of U.S. Muslims, internment camps, closed borders. The tone is actually worse than it was after the Sept. 11 attacks on our own soil. Registration by religion? Sounds like Nazi Germany, not a country with […]

24 Nov, 2015

Why Gen Y Should Avoid Seeking Jobs in Travel & Tourism

Imtiaz Muqbil

The surge in travel & tourism over the last few years has attracted many young people who see it as a promising job opportunity. They are enticed by the glamour of working in a nice environment, meeting people of different cultures, enjoying good food and, if they stay the course, being able to travel at […]

24 Nov, 2015

ASEAN Parliamentarians Blast Excessive Focus on “Economic” Integration, Minus Social Agenda

======

Full text of statement issued by 23 Nov 2015 by Charles Santiago, Malaysian Member of Parliament and Chairperson, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) following the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. It’s the 27th time that ASEAN heads of state and world leaders have met to discuss the initiative for ASEAN integration, which deals with gaps […]

24 Nov, 2015

Amid violence, ‘glaring lack of hope,’ UN deputy chief urges action to break Israeli-Palestinian impasse

======

United Nations, (UN News Centre) 23 November 2015 – Nearly 12 months after the launch of the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with the aim of generating global engagement on ‘the Question of Palestine,’ security and hope in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remain at a “very […]

23 Nov, 2015

Settling Israeli-Palestinian conflict would help curb terrorism, says UN Middle East envoy

======

United Nations, (UN News Centre) 19 November 2015 – Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would help counter the extremism behind the “abhorrent terrorist attacks” in Paris, Beirut and the Sinai, a senior United Nations official on the Middle East peace process said today, referring to last week’s bloody attacks and the downing of a Russian plane […]

23 Nov, 2015

Turn off the TV, Islamic Terrorism is a Fat Lie – Moroccan World News

Rabat – Terrorism is a lie. It simply does not exist and is an example of yet another manufactured word that takes on a meaning far more insidious than the people who supposedly perpetrate the crime. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to see it or hear it fall, does […]

23 Nov, 2015

New Green America Campaign Calls Out Hasbro And Disney For Sweatshop-made Toys

======

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — One week before the “Black Friday,” Green America, the DC-based consumer advocacy organization, is launching a campaign calling on Disney and Hasbro to improve conditions for the overseas workers that make their products. In particular, the Green America campaign calls for these companies to create a safe work environment […]

23 Nov, 2015

Majestic Mughal Jewellery on display at V&A Museum, London

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 23 November 2015 (11 Safar 1437). 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 […]

23 Nov, 2015

Nearly 1 million international students now in U.S. colleges: report

======

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) — Almost a million international students were currently studying at colleges and universities across the United States, a new report said on Monday. According to latest data from the 2015 Open Doors Report, an annual survey by the U.S. Institute of International Education, the number of international students at U.S. colleges […]

23 Nov, 2015

ASEAN Confers First Peoples’ Award 2015

======

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) — In commemorating the establishment of the ASEAN Community end of this year, ASEAN will for the first time award and honour ASEAN Member States’ individuals or organisations who have made outstanding contributions toward the creation of a united, prosperous and caring ASEAN Community with the theme “Building A Vibrant […]

22 Nov, 2015

World Bank-PwC study: Electronic reforms have made it much easier for companies to pay taxes

======

WARSAW, Poland, Nov 19 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Electronic tax filing and payments were the most common tax reforms undertaken by countries worldwide during the past year, according to the latest edition of the Paying Taxes report from the World Bank Group and PwC. As a result, paying taxes became easier for medium sized companies globally, but the […]

22 Nov, 2015

ASEAN Strategic Plan Launched for SME development

======

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Nov 21 (NNN-Bernama) — The ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development (2016-2025) will place more focus on innovation, technology and productivity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In unveiling the plan today, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said the document was built on the achievements of the previous 2010-2015 […]

21 Nov, 2015

First Annual Drone World Expo a “success” – Global skies soon to be full of them

======

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 19, 2015 – JD Events hosted an extremely successful launch of Drone World Expo earlier this week at the San Jose Convention Center. The exhibit hall floor featured 75 exhibiting companies and the event attracted 2,120 commercial drone professionals. The exhibitors responded enthusiastically about their experience at the new trade show […]

16 Nov, 2015

Israeli Knesset Pushes Bill to Ban BDS Supporters Entry to Israel

======

RAMALLAH, November 12, 2015 (WAFA) – The Israeli Knesset Thursday advanced a bill to ban the entry of individuals who support boycotting Israel. The Knesset announced in a press release that the preliminary reading of the bill was approved with a majority of 55 to 31 votes. The bill was pushed a day after the […]

16 Nov, 2015

Malaysian training to boost Muslim-friendly Hospitality Services

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 16 November 2015 (04 Safar 1437). 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 […]

15 Nov, 2015

Tourism Faces Terrorism: Attacks on the Russian Airliner and Paris and What They Will Mean to You!

By Dr Peter Tarlow

This month has not been easy for specialists in tourism security.  We first witnessed the terrorist bombing of the Russian aircraft causing not only death and destruction to innocent civilians but also a major blow to Egypt’s tourism industry.  Friday afternoon, Texas time, the first reports of November 13th terrible attacks in Paris began to come through the newswires. It is still too early to provide […]

15 Nov, 2015

Paris attacks: 15 Years of a “War on Terror,” And What Have We Got?

Imtiaz Muqbil

Fifteen years after the terrorist 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, and the trillions, repeat trillions, of dollars spent on security, surveillance and weaponry, sanctions to curb terrorist financing, the regime-change attacks on countries, the biometric fingerprinting and iris-scanning, tighter visa restrictions, airport naked body-scanners, eavesdropping and monitoring of terrorist “chatter”, drone strikes, the […]

14 Nov, 2015

Eight Iranian universities among world top universities

======

Tehran, Nov 10, IRNA – Deputy minister of science, research and technology Hossein Salar-Amoli said on Tuesday that eight Iranian universities are among top 800 universities, as Iran advanced from 16th to 15th position on the survey conducted by the Information Science Institute Universities of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Sharif, Allameh Tabatabaei, Khajeh-Nasir, Elm-o San’at, Fredosi […]

14 Nov, 2015

China to become Australia’s biggest international tourism market: report

======

MELBOURNE, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — China is expected to overtake New Zealand as Australia’s largest tourism market by 2019-20, according to a report released on Tuesday. Tourism Research Australia said in its 10-year forecast for the nation’s tourism industry that tourism spending is likely to exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. The independent research […]

14 Nov, 2015

China’s mobile Internet users hit 875 mln

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — The number of people in China using mobile Internet has surpassed 875 million, according to an industry report released on Tuesday. China has the world’s largest population of mobile Internet users. The value of the market is expected to exceed 2.3 trillion yuan (362.2 billion U.S. dollars) by year end […]

14 Nov, 2015

Chinese leader vows faster economic structural reform

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — China will accelerate economic structural reform on the supply front to lend more steam to sustainable growth, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday. Proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy will be applied to offer a stable macro environment for economic restructuring, Xi told a meeting of the Central Leading Group […]

14 Nov, 2015

American Express, Airbnb Launch First Booking Experience and Loyalty Program Integration

======

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 03, 2015  – American Express (NYSE:AXP) and Airbnb announce a first-of-its-kind tech integration that enables U.S. Card Members to quickly and seamlessly sign up for Airbnb and book stays at close to 2 million listings around the globe. Starting today, Card Members can create an Airbnb account with their existing americanexpress.com User […]

14 Nov, 2015

Obesity on the rise among Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines Nov. 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Philippines National Nutrition Council (NNC) has expressed alarm over overweight and obesity which is becoming an “emerging problem” in the country, saying that this will result in a future generation of unhealthy Filipinos. “Unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle are now resulting in many Filipino children being overweight and […]

14 Nov, 2015

GCC States Able to Withstand Oil Price Decline – Minister

DOHA, Qatar, Nov 10 (NNN-KUNA) – Kuwait Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Electricity and Water, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, said, the GCC States are able to withstand the ongoing decline in oil prices, through their cooperative consensus inside the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah […]

14 Nov, 2015

Energy Security “Pivotal” for Economic Development – Asian Ministers

======

DOHA, Qatar, Nov 10 (NNN-QNA) – The sixth Asian Energy Ministerial Round-Table, concluded late Monday, with participants unanimously agreeing on significance of energy security, as pivotal for economic development. Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Electricity and Water, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, headed Kuwait’s delegation to the one-day event. Qatari […]

14 Nov, 2015

Most Chinese couples want two children, top health official says

By WANG XIAODONG

Beijing, 10 Nov 2015, (chinadaily.com.cn) – Most couples in China want to have two children once the national policy allowing a second child is implemented next year, China’s top health authority said Tuesday. Surveys show that married couples between the ages of 20 and 44 want to have an average of 1.93 children, Wang Pei’an, […]

14 Nov, 2015

China to start direct trading between RMB, Swiss Franc

BEIJING, (Xinhua), 10 Nov 2015 – China announced Monday that it will allow direct trading between the Chinese yuan and Swiss Franc in the inter-bank foreign exchange market starting from Tuesday. The move will lower trading costs for China and Switzerland, facilitate use of the two currencies in bilateral trade and investment and boost economic and […]

14 Nov, 2015

China plans new regulations to protect taxis from app-based cars

HANGZHOU, 10 Nov 2015, (Xinhua) – China’s transport authorities have decided to step in to help the traditional taxi industry, under pressure from app-based car services. The Ministry of Transport has just concluded soliciting public opinion in preparation for drafting a plan to improve taxi drivers’ incomes while solving urban traffic problems. Most of taxi […]

14 Nov, 2015

Upcoming Asian Infrastructure Bank will include an ethics integrity department

======

London (chinadaily.com.cn), Nov 10, 2015 – The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will set up an ethics integrity department and encourage employees to report to stamp out corruption, said Jin Liqun, president-designate of the institution. The bank will launch its first projects in the second quarter of next year, Jin said, adding that projects will focus […]

14 Nov, 2015

China briefs foreign diplomats on its next five-year plan

Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), November 10, 2015 – The International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held a thematic briefing for foreign diplomats to explain the outcomes of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2015, as a response to the […]

14 Nov, 2015

Spotlight: Saudi Arabia takes measures to cope with low oil prices

======

RIYADH, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — Saudi Arabia is feeling the heat of the dropping oil prices, and has been prepared to cut government spending to end decades of the nation’s dependency on oil-made wealth. Although the measures are still waiting to be implemented, the country, which is in the middle of a months-old air war […]

14 Nov, 2015

China’s Palace Museum sees a surge of tourists in off-season

======

BNEIJING (chinadaily.com.cn) 10 Nov 2015 – The number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing has increased by more than 200,000 people in less than a month after the National Day holidays, according to museum on Sunday. In previous years, the Palace Museum regularly saw a huge drop in the number of visitors after […]

10 Nov, 2015

ADB, India Sign $273 Million Loan to Improve Rural Roads in Five States

======

NEW DELHI, INDIA, 9 November 201 – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $273 million loan to continue improving rural roads in the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. The 20-year loan is the third and last tranche of an $800 million financing facility provided […]

10 Nov, 2015

Want to Understand Female Mood Swings? There Is An App For That

======

(PRWEB) October 23, 2015 — FDThinking.com has released Twenty8Watch app for iPhone® and Apple Watch®. This daring new app gives men a witty and insightful day-to-day guide to better respond to the mysterious moods of women’s monthly cycles. Through its sleek and a smart countdown, Twenty8Watch notifies the user of the best approach to the […]

10 Nov, 2015

New Security Module Launched to Mitigate Risks to the Female Business Traveler

======

TREVOSE, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 03, 2015 – International SOS and Control Risks launched the latest module in its travel preparedness suite for business travelers, risk managers and expatriates. Women’s Security eLearning provides practical tips and actionable advice for the female traveler. Fely Bowen, Regional Security Manager for International SOS and Control Risks, explained: “Female travelers have different risk […]

10 Nov, 2015

Environmental Investigation Agency does not support TPP due to overall threats to environment

======

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 05, 2015 – (Full text of EIA official statement) – The current model of free trade agreements, including the text released today of the recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), creates enormous perils for the environment. The race to secure greater access to natural resources and more favorable terms for trade through the existing […]

10 Nov, 2015

Many German Managers Not Strengths-Focused – Gallup

by Marco Nink Helping employees to set and achieve goals is a crucial responsibility for managers. But to encourage excellence, it’s important for managers to do more than hand their workers a job description or a list of tasks to be accomplished. To empower employees to take initiative and inspire high performance, the best managers […]

10 Nov, 2015

More Data Doesn’t Always Mean Better Insights – Gallup

by Ilana Ron Levey and John Timmerman As technology advances, it’s tempting for companies to believe that gathering more data and crunching more numbers will consistently lead to better customer insights. But Gallup finds that’s not always the case, particularly in the business-to-business (B2B) arena. Here’s why: For B2B companies, success hinges narrowly on the […]

10 Nov, 2015

The World’s Most Successful Islamic Economic Forum, And Why It Works

Imtiaz Muqbil

Kuala Lumpur — The World Islamic Economic Forum, held here between Nov 3-5, has evolved into possibly the most unique and successful festival of business, economics, music, arts, ideas and inspiration in the Muslim world. Having just completed its 11th year, the WIEF has grown ten-fold from a paltry 400 delegates at the inaugural forum […]

9 Nov, 2015

Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to open in January 2016

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 09 November 2015 (27 Muharram 1437). 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 […]

7 Nov, 2015

The Most Brazen Corporate Power Grab in American History – Chris Hedges – Truthdig

The release Thursday of the 5,544-page text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership—a trade and investment agreement involving 12 countries comprising nearly 40 percent of global output—confirms what even its most apocalyptic critics feared. “The TPP, along with the WTO [World Trade Organization] and NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement], is the most brazen corporate power grab […]

5 Nov, 2015

U.K. filmmaker backs protest against Modi – The Hindu

Leslie Udwin, who made the critically acclaimed documentary India’s Daughter, has voiced her support for protests organised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to London on November 12. Ms. Udwin however insisted that has not been personally involved in organising any of the Modi-related protests. Recent news reports have said that she issued […]

5 Nov, 2015

In India, portents of a religious autocracy – The Hindu

With the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) being the fountainhead of Hindutva, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government being strongly influenced by the RSS, we may ask: “Are we moving towards a Hindu religious autocracy which would move the country away from rationality and reason and, thus, democracy?” Unfortunately, it seems so. In any rational […]

5 Nov, 2015

Hotels in Delhi step up security after sting claims beef sale – The Hindu

Several five Star Hotels in New Delhi and South Delhi have been provided additional security cover after a sting operation purportedly showed them as serving cow meat. Talking to The Hindu a senior police officer said that the security was enhanced in the light of warning from right wing groups who have demanded action and […]

5 Nov, 2015

Dear Modi Sarkar, respect intellectuals and please respond – Hindustan Times

Right after documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan returned his National Award, he appeared for a television interview and said the current regime has ushered us into “early stages of nascent fascism”. Patwardhan – the director of hard-hitting documentaries like Ram ke Naam, Father, Son, and Holy War and Jai Bhim Comrade – was asked in return […]

5 Nov, 2015

UN expert: Curbing civil society spacefor “national security” becoming global trend

======

NEW YORK (26 October 2015) – United Nations human rights expert Ben Emmerson today urged governments across the world to ensure that the NGO sector be allowed to continue to play an indispensable role in co-ordinated efforts to counter the spread of terrorism. “A functioning civil society is an essential cornerstone of an open society,” […]

5 Nov, 2015

Hindutva hardliners seek review of population policy to counter Muslim growth – Hindustan Times

The RSS on Saturday sought a review of the population policy to counter “severe demographic changes” in India, flagging what it considers a high rate of growth among Muslims in the country. The Hindutva outfit – considered the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP at the Centre – passed a resolution on the contentious issue […]

5 Nov, 2015

Divided India observes Unity and Integration day – Hindustan Times

India’s yawning political divide was on full display on Saturday as the country failed to put up a united front in paying tributes to two of its foremost leaders, Indira Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on Saturday. Various states ruled by different political parties marked the death and birth anniversaries of the former prime minister […]

5 Nov, 2015

As the October Protests rage on – The Hindu

By Zoya Hasan Even as this is being written, the campaign started by 40 writers returning the Sahitya Akademi awards to the government to protest against the growing climate of intolerance, is still unfolding. More and more artists, painters, filmmakers, scientists, historians and academics have joined their ranks in the past month to register their […]

5 Nov, 2015

European taxpayers fork out another €19m to pay Palestinian salaries, pensions for October

======

JERUSALEM, November 4, 2015 (WAFA) – The European Union contributed approximately €19.1 million to the payment of October salaries and pensions of over 67,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This contribution, which is channelled through the PEGASE[1] mechanism, is being funded by the European Union (€19.0 million) […]

5 Nov, 2015

U.N. flags danger of anti-Muslim rhetoric during Myanmar election

======

(New York, 4 November 2015) UNITED NATIONS PRESS RELEASE — The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, Jennifer Welsh, called on the Government of Myanmar to take all possible measures to ensure that the upcoming elections of 8 November are held in a peaceful […]

4 Nov, 2015

The Costs of Hindu Extremism – The New York Times

The dismay that many ordinary Indian citizens feel about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s willingness to tolerate, even encourage, the Hindu hard-liners in his own party has now spread to the financial community. Last week, Moody’s Analytics, a division of the bond rating and risk management company, warned that Mr. Modi “must keep his members in […]

4 Nov, 2015

Corruption feeds and sustains ‘spiralling’ wildlife and forest crime – UN anti-crime chief

======

United Nations, (UN News Centre), 3 November 2015 – Expressing concern that spiralling wildlife and forest crime – fuelled by corrosive corruption – can impede vital progress of the new global sustainable development agenda, the top United Nations anti-crime official and the head of the global UN–backed treaty on protecting endangered species today urged nations […]

4 Nov, 2015

Climate change poses major threat to food security, warns UN expert

======

GENEVA (3 November 2015) Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) – “Climate change poses severe and distinct threats to food security, and could subject an additional 600 million people to malnutrition by 2080,” warned today the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver. “Increased frequency and intensity of […]

4 Nov, 2015

European Travel Commission: Visa reform will reap €114 billion in visitor earnings, create 615,000 jobs

======

London, 3rd November 2015. The European Travel Commission (ETC), the organisation responsible for promoting Europe as a destination, today called for reform of the way visas are granted to leisure and business travellers and it said the benefit to Europe’s economy could be in excess of €114 billion in export revenue and 615,000 new jobs […]

3 Nov, 2015

Rabin’s Death Anniversary: Jews and Travel & Tourism Need Some Soul-Searching

Imtiaz Muqbil

November 4, 2015 – Today marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic day in 1995 when a Jewish fanatic extremist terrorist named Yigal Amir shot dead his fellow Jew, the Nobel Peace laureate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Also today, at the World Travel Market in London, the International Institute of Peace through Tourism (IIPT) […]

3 Nov, 2015

Indian tribal gurus say no difference between missionaries and RSS – Hindustan Times

There is no difference between the Christian missionaries and the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) except for the fact that the former tried to lure tribesmen to their religion and the latter wanted to force Hinduism on them, tribal gurus from Jharkhand said on Monday. They were reacting to the RSS’s claim that all of Sarna […]

3 Nov, 2015

Shah Rukh Khan: Not being secular is the worst crime as patriot – Hindustan Times

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said on Monday there was “extreme intolerance” in India, touching upon a heated debate at a time a section of writers and intellectuals have launched a protest against the central government over ‘growing religious tension’. “People put words in the air even before thinking,” Khan said at a Twitter town […]

2 Nov, 2015

11th World Islamic Economic Forum To Open in KL Nov 3

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 02 November 2015 (20 Muharram 1437). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ A WORD FROM MY SPONSORS: TOURISM MALAYSIA MALAYSIA CELEBRATES A YEAR OF GREAT FESTIVALS 2015 The […]

1 Nov, 2015

‘I did it! Now bring me schnapps!’ How Rabin’s assassin greeted news that Israel’s champion of peace was dead – The Guardian

In one of the waiting rooms, he told a policeman his act would cause people to rise up. “I don’t want people to think I’m crazy. Otherwise, I won’t achieve my goal.” To Ronen, he explained that the Talmudic doctrine din rodef amounted to a death sentence for Rabin – an explication that only people […]

1 Nov, 2015

Clinton at Rabin Rally: Israelis Must Decide if They Stand for Peace – Haaretz

A rally marking the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin drew 100,000 people on Saturday, organizers said. Initial estimations suggested 50,000 were in attendance. President Reuven Rivlin vowed in a speech that Israel will never give in to violent extremists, while former U.S. President Bill Clinton told the crowds of Israelis […]

1 Nov, 2015

Australia to trial cloud passports in world-first move – Sydney Morning Herald

Australia is looking at trialling passport-less travel in a move Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop predicts will go global. The idea of cloud passports is the result of a hipster-style-hackathon held at the Department of Foreign Affairs, which culminated in an X-Factor style audition before the secretary Peter Varghese, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, Assistant […]