20 Jul, 2017

CAIR Report: 2017 on Track to Becoming One of Worst Years for Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes

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WASHINGTON, DC, 17 July 2017, CAIR News –The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released an update on anti-Muslim incidents in the second quarter (April-June) of 2017. CAIR’s quarterly report indicates that the number of hate crimes in the first half of 2017 spiked 91 percent […]

20 Jul, 2017

Jerusalem’s religious figures call for not using Israel’s e-gates at Al-Aqsa mosque

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JERUSALEM, 17 July 2017, (WAFA) — Jerusalem’s top Islamic religious figures Monday called upon Palestinians seeking to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque not to go through the metal detectors installed by Israeli police the day before at the entrances to the mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City. The officials, who included the Mufti of Jerusalem, the head […]

17 Jul, 2017

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Olive Tree – How Travel & Tourism can Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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The Olive Tree is the first and only publication designed to help Travel & Tourism become a more enthusiastic part of the solution in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Free download. Click on any of the images below. ============== The Olive Tree Edition 11, January-February 2019 ============== The Olive Tree Edition 10, November-December 2018 […]

14 Jul, 2017

New global partnership to help countries tackle increasing e-waste challenges

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Geneva, 12 July 2017, ITU News –As digital and tech devices become more available worldwide, their responsible disposal is becoming a challenge for many countries. In response, ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technology (ICT) has partnered with the United Nations University (UNU), acting through its Vice Rectorate in Europe hosted […]

14 Jul, 2017

Over 12 mln yuan in fines issued in Chinese tourism industry crackdown

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Beijing, 11 July 2017, Xinhua — Over 12 million yuan (1.76 million U.S. dollars) in fines were issued during the country’s largest ever crackdown on its tourism industry. From February, the tourism watchdog worked with public security, industry and commerce authorities to launch the three-month long crackdown on irregular practices in the tourism industry. Thousands of inspectors […]

14 Jul, 2017

Chinese tourists to get visas on arrival in Qatar

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Beijing, 11 July 2017, People’s Daily Online — Qatar recently announced that tourists from China will be able to get 30-day visas on arrival for roughly $30. According to the official WeChat account of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Chinese foreign ministry on Monday, Chinese tourists only need a passport with at least six months […]

14 Jul, 2017

Chinese company contracted to build Pakistan’s largest airport

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Beijing, 11 July 2017, People’s Daily Online — China Construction Third Engineering Bureau has won a 41-billion rupee (about 2.6 billion RMB) contract to engineer, procure, and construct the Allama Iqbal International Airport. It will be Pakistan’s largest airport after reconstruction, and local infrastructure will be improved too. It is the largest project that the Third Engineering […]

14 Jul, 2017

Billions around the world lack safe water, proper sanitation facilities: UN

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2 July 2017, UN News – Some three in ten people around the world lack access to safe and readily available water at home, and almost six in ten to safely managed sanitation, a new United Nations report has warned, calling on countries to do more to fulfil these basic human needs. According to the […]

14 Jul, 2017

Asia-Pacific moving in ‘wrong direction’ on some development targets, notes UN regional report

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United Nations, 11 July 2017, UN News – Despite an impressive track record, the Asia-Pacific region will need to scale up development efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the target envisioned, the United Nations development arm for the region has said. “The region is making progress towards achieving the Goals on […]

14 Jul, 2017

Eleven global banks partner with UN to make financial markets more climate transparent

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United Nations, 11 July 2017, UN News – Representing over $7 trillion, eleven major financial institutions around the globe have joined forces with the United Nations to promote climate transparency in financial markets, the Organization’s environment wing said today. According to a news release by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), ANZ, Barclays, Bradesco, Citi, Itaú, […]

11 Jul, 2017

Thai hotels show that it pays to be Muslim-friendly

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – July 8 marked the start of Buddhist Lent, a three-month period of abstinence from alcohol and other forms of self-restraint. As Buddhists still have to travel for both business and leisure, those keen to abide by the Lord Buddha’s precepts may find it easier to avoid alcohol by staying in a Thai Muslim-friendly […]

8 Jul, 2017

UN agency launches video to ‘forecast’ visual impact of climate change on global cities

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 5 July 2017 – In a year already marked by heatwaves and new daily temperature records, the United Nations weather agency and television weather anchors have joined forces to create video forecasts that explore how climate change would make future summers even hotter in major cities of the world. The […]

8 Jul, 2017

Second Global Cybersecurity Index launched

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 5 July 2017 – Only about half of all countries have a cybersecurity strategy or are in the process of developing one, the United Nations telecommunications agency today reported, urging more countries to consider national policies to protect against cybercrime. Releasing its second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), the International Telecommunication […]

8 Jul, 2017

Univ of Phoenix Survey Finds Need to Use Personal Devices on Vacation Outweighs Cybersecurity Concerns

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PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 05, 2017 — The University of Phoenix® today released the results of its summer travel cybersecurity survey, which found that while half of registered U.S. voters worry about cybersecurity risks while on vacation, 55 percent feel that the need to use personal devices outweighs those risks. “Vacations are often a time when we […]

8 Jul, 2017

UNCTAD launches World Consumer Protection Map for the Digital Age

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Geneva, 7 July 2017, UNCTAD/PRESS – Another global malware attack, another leak of personal details online, this time of 200 million US citizens. It’s no wonder that consumers are concerned about online security, data protection and cybercrime. Trust in the internet is essential for inclusive e-commerce, but trust must be earned. So how can we […]

3 Jul, 2017

The India I love and will always be proud of appears to have receded – by Karan Thapar, Hindustan Times

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3 Jul, 2017

Chinese spend 3 hours a day on smartphones, ranking 2nd globally: Survey

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Beijing, People’s Daily Online, 2017-06-28 — Chinese nationals spend an average of three hours a day on their smartphones, ranking second in the world after Brazilians who spend two additional hours on their phones, according to a survey by a German internet company. In just a few years, smart phones have transformed from a communication […]

3 Jul, 2017

The 2017 International Toilet Tourism Award Winners Announced

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03 July 2017 – Six public toilets loved by tourists have officially wiped the floor with the competition. Winners include a cliffhanger dunny where you can sit and watch crocodiles basking while you do your business. Overall winner Toowoomba Portable Toilets; basking crocodile under the cliffhanger loo (top right) at Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territories, Australia; […]

30 Jun, 2017

Asia Premiere of banned documentary film “Sittwe” on Myanmar’s Rakhine State

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Bangkok – Sittwe is a short documentary about two teenagers affected by conflict in Burma’s Rakhine state. The film was banned to premiere at the Human Rights, Human Dignity International Film Festival in Myanmar by government censors. It will be shown at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok at 7pm, Wednesday July 5, […]

30 Jun, 2017

APEC Helps Small Fashion Houses Go Global

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Hong Kong – China | 23 June 2017 — Trade officials from APEC member economies and the USD1.3 trillion fashion industry have sewn a new partnership to make it easier for up and coming designers in the Asia-Pacific to build their brands and trade internationally. Under the arrangement, officials, together with fashion designers and industry […]

30 Jun, 2017

Muslim lynchings by cow vigilantes batter India’s image

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India’s image is taking a global battering these days. Here is a collection of news items, both in India and abroad, showing the public relations crisis facing the country as it abandons its once cherished democratic, secular credentials and steadily drifts towards becoming a Hindu theocracy Modictatorship. The impact of this on travel & tourism […]

27 Jun, 2017

U.S. Supreme Court Muslim Travel Ban: Get set for chaos, confusion, maelstrom and more Islamophobia

Imtiaz Muqbil

The following is a roundup of reactions by four advocacy groups representing Muslims, the Arab-American community and the Business Travel community. ADC Troubled by the Supreme Court’s Decision to Partially Reinstate Travel Ban Washington, D.C., June 26, 2017 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination (ADC) condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to partially reinstate the Arab and Muslim […]

26 Jun, 2017

Everbridge Research: Growing Mobile Workforce Expects Companies to Help Protect Them While Traveling

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BURLINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 21, 2017 — Everbridge, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVBG), a global software company that provides critical event management and enterprise safety applications to help keep people safe and businesses running, today announced the findings of its research into the safety of mobile, remote and traveling workers. The report, “Protecting the Modern Mobile Workforce,” focuses […]

25 Jun, 2017

EIA: Leaked EU-Japan Trade Agreement Would Increase Illegal Logging Globally

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 23, 2017 – Draft documents published today set the terms for a new trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Japan (JEFTA) that, in its current form, would likely result in increased illegal logging and timber smuggling, including within Europe’s last remaining virgin forests. The documents, posted to the website www.trade-leaks.org by […]

25 Jun, 2017

China e-commerce market to grow 19% in 2017: report

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SHANGHAI, June 22 (Xinhua) — The e-commerce market in China is expected to grow by about 19 percent year on year in 2017, a report said on Thursday. China has entered “a new retail era” characterized by online and offline (o2o) retail that has created huge potential and demand, especially for customized products, according to […]

25 Jun, 2017

As of 2019, Beijing’s new 7-runway airport to be world’s biggest aviation hub

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Beijing, (CRI Online) June 24, 2017 — The new airport under construction south of Beijing will become the world’s biggest aviation hub, reports the financial media company Bloomberg. Located on the southern part of Daxing district, along the border with Hebei province, the new airport is planned to go into service in 2019. “There are […]

23 Jun, 2017

China counts 1.58 million high-net-worth individuals in 2016

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By Sun Wenyu Beijing, (People’s Daily Online)  – China’s population of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), defined as those who have investable assets in excess of 10 million RMB, reached 1.58 million in 2016, according to the China Private Wealth Report, jointly issued by China Commercial Bank (CMB) and management consulting firm Bain on June 20. The […]

22 Jun, 2017

Nominations for 2017 Australian Disability Awards Open

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Canberra, 21 June 2017 – The Hon Jane Prentice MP, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services has announced that nominations are now open for the 2017 National Disability Awards. Individuals, workplaces, and service providers, who have improved the lives of Australians with disability, are encouraged to submit a nomination for the Awards before […]

22 Jun, 2017

China to standardize use of English on public signs

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By Kou Jie Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), June 21, 2017 — Chinese authorities on June 20 issued a national standard for the use of English in the public domain, eradicating poor translations that damage the country’s image. The standard, jointly issued by China’s Standardization Administration and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, aims to […]

22 Jun, 2017

China to launch 2nd phase of cross-border interbank payment system for RMB

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SHANGHAI, June 21 (Xinhua) — The second phase of the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) will be launched in Shanghai to promote the global use of the Chinese currency and the Belt and Road Initiative. The upcoming launch of CIPS Phase II in Shanghai will further boost the building of the international financial center there, […]

22 Jun, 2017

Voice of China: US should look in the mirror before lecturing the world on human rights

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By Curtis Stone Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), June 20, 2017 – Responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement on June 16 that he is reversing steps to normalize relations with Cuba, the Cuban government said the US is in no position to lecture on human rights. In a speech described by the Cuban government as “full […]

22 Jun, 2017

Here’s why you should read this new anthology on the Israel-Palestine conflict — Hindustan Times

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The book was launched on June 18 to commemorate this month’s anniversary of the 1967 Mideast War, in which Israel took control of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Hebrew and Arabic versions are to hit bookshelves in Israel and the Palestinian territories later this week. Speaking to reporters at Jerusalem’s American Colony […]

22 Jun, 2017

China takes measures to boost sharing economy

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) — A guideline to further boost the blossoming of sharing economy was approved at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. According to the guideline, the sector will enjoy easier access, greater policy transparency, and better protection of legitimate rights of platform companies, resources providers and […]

20 Jun, 2017

Switzerland tops World Innovation Index; India and other emerging markets on the rise

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 15 June 2017 – Innovation is a key development tool that could boost economies and provide a way out of the growing squeeze on the world’s food resources – one of the major challenges of the 21st century – according to a new United Nations report. “Innovation is the engine […]

20 Jun, 2017

Qatar Blockade: Global Trades Union blasts Gulf royal families for jeopardising lives of migrant millions

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Brussels, 19 June 2017 (ITUC OnLine):  Concerns over the conditions of migrant workers in Qatar are mounting, as the blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries continues.  Workers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal are telling of essential food prices doubling with the sealing of the Saudi border and closure of air […]

19 Jun, 2017

Australia opens Great Barrier Reef cruise ship policy for public consultation

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Canberra, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 16/06/2017 – Public feedback is invited on a draft policy for cruise ship operations in the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s draft policy brings together all current management arrangements for cruise ships operating across the Reef and promotes ecologically-sustainable activities. Great Barrier Reef […]

19 Jun, 2017

Theme Index and Museum Index 2016 shows Asian waterparks making a big splash

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HONG KONG, June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The 2016 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index, an annual study of attendance at top theme parks, water parks and museums around the world, reveals mixed results for calendar year 2016. While attendance at the top 25 global theme parks dipped by 1.1 percent, the world’s top 10 […]

19 Jun, 2017

ASEAN, EU to boost student mobility in the ASEAN region

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MANILA, 14 June 2017 (ASEAN secretariat media release) – Today, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines’ Commission for Higher Education (CHED), and the European Union (EU) joined forces to organise the First ASEAN Student Mobility Forum in Manila to capture and promote the benefits of student mobility in ASEAN. About 200 students […]

19 Jun, 2017

One Professor’s Journey from Israeli-occupied Palestine to Israeli-occupied USA

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By Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh I spent 40 hours on grueling travel between Palestine and the USA and my documents (and luggage) were checked 15-20 times along the way. The Israeli occupied United States is not much different from Israeli occupied Palestine. I will not bore you with details of going from Bethlehem to Jordan. I […]

14 Jun, 2017

Global aviation growth projects need for 530,000 pilots, 550,000 technicians over 20 years

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Bangkok, 14 June 2017 – The world’s passenger aircraft fleet above 100 seats is set to more than double in the next 20 years to over 40,000 planes as traffic is set to grow at 4.4 percent per year, according to Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast 2017-2036. Over this period, increasing numbers of first time […]

14 Jun, 2017

Asia-based HIV Workers Explore Innovative Use of Social Media to Combat Rising Infection Rate

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BANGKOK, June 14, 2017 (APcom Press release) – Reducing rising rates of HIV transmission among Asian gay men through the innovative use of digital communications is the focus of a special event which opened today in Bangkok. Connecting Asia is a three-day regional consultation – the first event of its kind in Asia – that […]

14 Jun, 2017

153 detained for airline ticket fraud following worldwide Interpol operation

Imtiaz Muqbil

Lyon, France, 13 June 2017, (Interpol media release) – An international operation targeting airline fraudsters has resulted in the detention of 153 individuals suspected of using tickets purchased with stolen, compromised or fake credit card details. Involving 64 countries, during the sixth Global Airport Action Days from 6 to 8 June, 84 airlines and eight […]

13 Jun, 2017

U.S. Extremist Anti-Islam Rallies a ‘Bust,’ Counter-Protests Far Overshadowed Hate Marches

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WASHINGTON, June 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said anti-Islam rallies held around the country on Saturday were a “bust” and were far overshadowed by counter-demonstrators who outnumbered the Islamophobes and their white supremacist and anti-government allies almost 10-to-1. SEE: NY Anti-Sharia […]

13 Jun, 2017

Mekong Tourism Forum 2017: Prospering, but for what Purpose?

Imtiaz Muqbil

Luang Prabang, Laos – One of the most powerful messages of the Mekong Tourism Forum held in this UNESCO world heritage site between 7-9 June was the contrast between the core argument advocated by the keynote speaker and the rest of the programme content. While Anna Pollock, the UK-based Founder of Conscious.Travel, flagged clear warnings […]

10 Jun, 2017

Number of Potential Migrants Worldwide Tops 700 Million – Gallup Polls

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WASHINGTON, D.C. 8 June 2017 (Gallup Polls) — After cooling off in the wake of the Great Recession, worldwide, people’s desire to migrate permanently to another country showed signs of rebounding between 2013 and 2016. Gallup found 14% of the world’s adults — which translates to nearly 710 million people — saying they would like […]

10 Jun, 2017

Time to impose visa curbs on U.S. citizens globally

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – An extremist anti-Muslim hate group is planning to hold rallies across 29 cities in the United States on June 10 to highlight what it calls the threat of “Sharia law”. Although the website of ACT for America describes these rallies as being opposition to female genital mutilation, honor killings and violence towards the […]

6 Jun, 2017

From a Vietnamese farm to Forbes: The start-up that wowed Subic Ecotourism Fest

Imtiaz Muqbil

Subic Bay, the Philippines – Of the many erudite presentations at the Subic Ecotourism Festival held between 28 May – 2 June, the most inspiring was the story of how a young Vietnamese girl overcame poverty, illiteracy, an alcoholic father and single motherhood to land up on the cover of Forbes Asia magazine as a […]

27 May, 2017

European Commission simplifies rules for public investment in ports, airports, culture and the outermost regions

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Brussels, 17 May 2017, European Commission – Press release – The European Commission has approved today new state aid rules that exempt certain public support measures for ports, airports, culture and the outermost regions from prior Commission scrutiny. The objective is to facilitate public investment for job creation and growth whilst preserving competition. Commissioner Margrethe […]

27 May, 2017

Report: More European sites meet excellent bathing water quality standards than ever before

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Brussels, 23 May 2017, European Commission – Press release – More than 85% of bathing water sites monitored across Europe in 2016 met the most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards — meaning they were mostly free from pollutants harmful to human health and the environment, according to the annual bathing water quality report published today. Over […]

27 May, 2017

Clash of Generations: A Politically Incorrect Analysis of the PATA Summit 2017

Imtiaz Muqbil

Colombo — Of the many facets of internal and external change impacting the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the most important is the demographic transition from the ageing old guard to the young generation of millennials. The significantly different issues and challenges facing both were on full display during the PATA Annual Summit (PAS) May 18-21. […]

21 May, 2017

Chinese visitors flock to Philippines after bilateral ties are reset

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Beijing (People’s Daily Online)  May 19, 2017 – The number of Chinese people applying for visas to travel to the Philippine recently shot up by 200 percent, as the Chinese government canceled all travel alerts for citizens going to the country, according to Philippine news site Inquirer.net on May 18. With a booming tourism industry […]

21 May, 2017

China tourism investment to top 1.5 trillion yuan in 2017

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BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — China’s tourism investment is expected to maintain rapid growth in 2017 as ongoing consumption upgrades will keep the sector on the fast track. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Friday said tourism will remain a magnet for private capital, predicting direct investment will jump more than 20 percent from last […]

21 May, 2017

U.S. Families Will Spend Average of 1/3rd of Their Summer Staring at a Screen

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CHICAGO-May 18, 2017 -(BUSINESS WIRE)–With warmer weather finally arriving in most parts of the country and the school year winding down to a close, Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) (www.groupon.com) asked 1,000 U.S. parents how much time their families plan to spend on their electronic devices this summer––and the results were staggering. The average American family will […]

20 May, 2017

Amid ‘alarming rise’ in obesity, UN study finds one in three European adolescents overweight

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United Nations, (UN News Centre), 17 May 2017 – Citing eating habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviours, the United Nations health agency launched a new publication today at the European Congress on Obesity in Portugal which revealed a rising number of obese adolescents in many countries across Europe. “Despite sustained efforts to tackle childhood obesity, […]

20 May, 2017

Big data can have a ‘big impact’ on achievement of Global Goals, UN says on IT Day

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United Nations, (UN News Centre), 17 May 2017 – Mastering and measuring ‘big data’ – to map poverty from space or use mobile phones to track food security – could boost evidence-based decision-making at local and global levels and drive the implementation of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations telecommunications agency said […]

20 May, 2017

Societal Impact of Pain Costs the EU up to 441 Billion Euros Annually

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BRUSSELS & VALETTA, Malta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 19, 2017  – Pain causes a problem for individuals as well as a challenge for healthcare systems, economies and society: each year, approximately one in five Europeans or 20 percent of the adult population in Europe are affected by chronic pain. This includes 153 million people suffering migraine or other […]

20 May, 2017

“The Olive Tree”: New Publication launched to help Travel & Tourism meet UN Sustainable Development Goals

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Colombo — A pioneering publication designed to help the travel & tourism industry put its shoulder to the wheel of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been launched at the PATA Annual Summit here in the Sri Lankan capital this week. Although discussion of the SDGs is taking up a lot of time and […]

18 May, 2017

PATA pushes transparency agenda, goes public with finances

Imtiaz Muqbil

Colombo – The Pacific Asia Travel Association advanced its transparency agenda at its annual summit this week by publishing its first annual report in decades, including a detailed report on its financial status. In a move that will pressure other global and regional travel industry to follow suit, PATA CEO Mario Hardy circulated the annual […]

18 May, 2017

Global Trade Unions Call for G20 Commitment to Fair Globalisation

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Brussels, 17 May 2017 (INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION OnLine): The G20 Summit in July must finally agree on conditions for fair globalisation, according to the international trade union movement. This was the central message in the statement of Labour-20 trade union centres handed to German Chancellor and G20 President Angela Merkel at a meeting in […]

17 May, 2017

International Poll by World Union Body Shows Global Governance Failure on Jobs

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Brussels, 15 May 2017 (ITUC OnLine): The annual global poll commissioned by the 181 million-member International Trade Union Confederation shows that globalisation is failing people. The poll shows that 73 percent of people are worried about losing their jobs and 80 percent say the minimum wage is not enough to live on. Half the population […]

15 May, 2017

FREE Download: UN report assesses ‘huge benefits’ and challenges of green energy revolution

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 12 May 2017 – The latest United Nations report on energy-efficiency technologies shows that low-carbon technologies apparently aid clean air, save water and cut land use, and could reduce 25 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 17 million tonnes of particulates a year. “We are on the right track. […]

15 May, 2017

20 years after moving to Asia, a chance for PATA to reclaim its former glory

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The PATA Annual Summit to be held 18-22 May in Sri Lanka offers a golden chance for the regional travel organisation to capitalise on a number of converging opportunities and regain the leadership status dating back to 1998, when it moved the HQ from San Francisco to Bangkok. The Summit takes place against […]

12 May, 2017

European Union Ready to Build Cooperative New World Order, Its Top Diplomat Tells UN Security Council

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United Nations, (UN meetings coverage record) 09 May 2017 – Describing the European Union as an indispensable partner of the United Nations, the bloc’s senior-most diplomat told the Security Council today that it was ready to move beyond the current international uncertainty and join the Organization in building a more cooperative world order. “The European […]

12 May, 2017

Sixth UNWTO Int’l Conference on Tourism Statistics in Manila, June 21-24

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Madrid, 11 May 2017 (UNWTO media release) — On the occasion of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, the Government of the Philippines and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are organizing the 6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics to be held in Manila from 21 to 24 June 2017 with the primary […]

12 May, 2017

US-Bangla Airlines starts four-weekly flights to Bangkok

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – US-Bangla airlines, a rapidly rising private airline operating out of Bangladesh, has started four weekly flights to Bangkok. To be operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a 156 (Y) and 8 (J) seat configuration, the full-service flights are expected to go a long way towards boosting Bangladeshi tourism to Thailand. However, the […]

11 May, 2017

Time for a new tourism roadmap: Imtiaz Muqbil to speak on ASEAN, Islamic Tourism and Sustainability topics

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Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor of Travel Impact Newswire, will be speaking on a diverse range of subjects at a number of regional travel industry events in May and June. Travel & tourism is entering a new era. The “operating environment” is no longer the same as it was at the turn of the millennium. Clearly, […]

10 May, 2017

As World Economic Forum meets in Cambodia, ASEAN MPs say human rights as important as economic growth

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PHNOM PENH, 10 May 2017 (Press Release from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights) – As senior decision-makers and stakeholders from the economic sector gather in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN starting today, regional parliamentarians urged participants, as well as all Southeast Asian leaders, to ensure that human rights concerns are […]

10 May, 2017

Travel website shows Muslims dumping U.S. for Asia, Europe, Africa

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By Irfan Ahmed, CEO & Editor in Chief, Irhal Inc. [Irhal is an Arabic/English travel website and app aimed at the world’s 100 million Muslim travelers. It has 90+ city guides with information on tourist attractions, shopping and hotels. It also lists Halal restaurants, mosque locations and prayer timings for each city. 85% of Irhal’s […]

10 May, 2017

FREE Download: New CAIR Report Shows 57% Spike in Anti-Muslim Incidents in U.S.

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(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/9/2017) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which claims to be the U.S.’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released a report showing a 57 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents in 2016 over the previous year. This spike in anti-Muslim incidents was accompanied by a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim […]

10 May, 2017

Australia unveils $20 billion investment in nationwide rail upgrade

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Canberra, 09 May 2017 – Joint release by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and the Minister for Urban Infrastructure — The Turnbull-Joyce Government is delivering a $20 billion investment in rail that will cut congestion in cities, grow the regions and create thousands of new jobs. This long-term investment in passenger and freight rail will […]

9 May, 2017

‘Save Lives: Slow Down’: UN health agency launches Global Road Safety Week

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 5 May 2017 – Spotlighting the relationship between speeding and traffic fatalities – speeding contributes to one in three traffic deaths – the UN health agency, ahead of Global Road Safety Week, is urging countries to take measures to curb dangerous driving behaviour. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), […]

9 May, 2017

Worsening food insecurity forcing more people to migrate, finds new UN report

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 5 May 2017 – Highlighting the complex link between food insecurity and migration – where increase in one forces the other to rise and then spirals back to push the former even higher – the United Nations food relief agency has urged greater investments in food security and livelihoods at […]

5 May, 2017

Exclusive Resinar 4 July: Promoting Thailand as a Muslim-Friendly Destination

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Travel & tourism to Thailand began with the Americans. Then came the Europeans, followed by the Japanese and Koreans. It is now the era of Chinese, Russians and Indians. The next wave will be the ASEAN countries and the Islamic world. Each source market has its own unique traits and characteristics. For the […]

4 May, 2017

Ex-beauty queen, Buddhist economics deployed to confront OTA oligopoly

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – A former Canadian-Russian beauty queen, a Dutch convert to Buddhism, a hotelier driven by a passion to put justice back into the travel booking system and a high-powered techie have teamed up to create a portal that will give the “oligopoly” of giant online travel agents a run for the money. Set for […]

2 May, 2017

The US$5 million WTTC Summit: Did Thailand get money’s worth?

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Royal Thai Government forked out 135 million baht (about US$4 million) in official sponsorship funds to support the WTTC summit. This does not include additional sponsorship funds from other Thai travel industry organisations and the private sector, which would have totalled at least another US$1 million. Millionaire CEOs of some of the […]

2 May, 2017

WTTC summit shines spotlight on “The Two Global Warmings”

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Held under the lofty theme of “Transforming our World”, the 17th annual summit of the World Travel & Tourism Council was designed to focus on “Travel & Tourism’s power to transform economies, places and lives in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. If the two lead factors “Transforming our World” are […]

24 Apr, 2017

Global Coral Reef Experts Launch Major Restoration Efforts in the Caribbean

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San Francisco, 13 April 2017, (Business Wire) – A powerhouse group of scientists and conservationists are joining forces to tackle the unprecedented decline of coral reefs worldwide. The California Academy of Sciences, SECORE International, and The Nature Conservancy are sealing their commitment to help rehabilitate coral reefs and preserve them for future generations by spearheading […]

24 Apr, 2017

Thailand’s bid to “disrupt the disrupters” in legal limbo

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Taxi drivers in many Thai tourist cities have long been well known for ripping off passengers — meters that suddenly “did not work”, roads that were suddenly “closed for repairs” requiring the driver to take a longer route, shops that had “just shut down” so that the driver could take the passenger to […]

20 Apr, 2017

Australian critical infrastructure organisations targeted by cybercriminals hundreds of times each day – Survey

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Canberra, (19 April 2017), Joint media release by the Attorney-General, Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator George Brandis QC,  Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security, Dan Tehan MP — The Government has today released a comprehensive cyber security survey, published by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, of Australian government and major […]

20 Apr, 2017

CAIR-NY Condemns Racially, Religiously Motivated Attack on Sikh Man in New York

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NEW YORK, NY, 4/18/17 (CAIR media release) — The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the attack on a Sikh man in the Bronx as a suspected hate crime. According to police, Harkirat Singh, a 25-year-old Sikh man and taxi driver, […]

12 Apr, 2017

Aerial surveys help combat coral bleaching at Great Barrier Reef

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Canberra, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority media release, 10/04/2017 – Results from recent aerial surveys of the Great Barrier Reef will be used to target recovery efforts in those areas worst affected by this year’s coral bleaching event, as well as boost the resilience of those parts that remain largely unscathed. Great Barrier Reef […]

12 Apr, 2017

“Trust & Transparency” theme of Australian Privacy Awareness Week, 15-19 May

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Canberra, 10 April 2017, (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) – With privacy attracting a record level of attention from Australian consumers and communities, Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has today previewed key events of this year’s Privacy Awareness Week (15 to 19 May 2017). ‘Australians are more conscious of personal data issues […]

12 Apr, 2017

Door open for travel & tourism academia to boost research on “The Other Global Warming”

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Malaysia-based Global Movement of Moderates Foundation and the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, have signed an MoU to expand academic research in “religious moderation” as a universal force for peace, shunning all forms of extremism, nationalism and absolutism. Signed on April 5 at a conference designed to promote exactly that agenda, […]

9 Apr, 2017

Misleading travel booking websites a growing problem in Europe

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Brussels, 7 April 2017, European Commission Press release — The European Commission and EU consumer protection authorities launched a coordinated screening of 352 price comparison and travel booking websites across the EU in October 2016. They found that prices were not reliable on 235 websites, two thirds of the sites checked. For example, additional price […]

7 Apr, 2017

GMS Tourism “development” benefiting elites, cronies far more than the poor – NGO report

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Development in the Mekong Subregion is benefitting “powerful elites, cronies, corporations, and some politicians” far more than the poor, as well as doing serious environmental damage that will create major long-term problems, according to the Bangkok-based NGO Focus on the Global South.   Entitled “An Overview of Large Scale Investment Projects in the […]

3 Apr, 2017

ASEAN to recognise biodiversity heroes

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JAKARTA, 27 March 2017 (ASEAN secretariat media release) – What is biodiversity? Ask people what they think it means, and chances are only a few can accurately define it. Fewer still can explain its significance to human survival. The immense communication gap between the biodiversity conservation community and the general public is a major factor […]

3 Apr, 2017

China launches Integrated work permit to attract talent, make it easier for foreigners to work

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Beijing, April 02, 2017,  (CRI Online)  – Foreigners who want to work in China now only need to apply for one work permit, as of April 1. The new system unifies the two work permits required before into just one, and took effect across China on Saturday after a six-month pilot scheme in a number […]

3 Apr, 2017

Australia nabs child offender, 68, as part of efforts to stop them going abroad

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Canberra, 31 March 2017 (Joint media release by the Minister for Justice, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter Terrorism, and Minister for Foreign Affairs) — Officers from the Australian Federal Police and Victorian Joint Anti-Child-Exploitation Team (JACET) today arrested a 68-year-old man who was allegedly planning to travel overseas with the intention of sexually […]

3 Apr, 2017

Reality check: Chinese visitors spend more than any other country in U.S.

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Beijing, 01 April 2017, (People’s Daily Online commentary) – Recently, China-U.S. relations have attracted global attention. While some find endless faults with the trade relationship with China and blame China for America’s decline, we shouldn’t overlook the numerous positive aspects of the bilateral relationship, which overall outweigh the disadvantages.   One way to explain this […]

3 Apr, 2017

Improper disclosure hits Citibank Australia with $5 million refund in credit card int’l transaction fees

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Canberra, 31 March 2017 – (Australian Securities and Investments Commission media release) — Citigroup Pty Limited (Citibank) has refunded approximately $5 million to around 230,000 customers, for failing to properly disclose that credit card international transaction fees apply to Australian dollar transactions where the merchant uses an entity based overseas to process its transactions. In […]

3 Apr, 2017

Chinese-made passenger jet ready for maiden flight, will compete with A320 and Boeing 737

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SHANGHAI, 25 March 2017, (Xinhua) — China’s first large domestically designed and built passenger jetliner has passed a major technical assessment, bringing it a closer to its maiden flight, sources with the developer said Saturday. An evaluation committee consisting 63 aviation specialists from across China has agreed the C919 is technically ready for its maiden […]

2 Apr, 2017

Return journey to Uzbekistan, Heart of the Silk Road

Imtiaz Muqbil

For many years, promoting the Silk Road has been one of the priority projects of the UN World Tourism Organisation, which describes it thus: “Acclaimed as the ‘greatest route in the history of mankind’, the ancient Silk Road formed the first bridge between the East and the West and was an important vehicle for trade […]

24 Mar, 2017

High ratings for first resinar “ASEAN Travel & Tourism: The Next 50 Years”

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Bangkok – The first resinar (newly-coined shorthand for ‘research’ and ‘seminar’) organised in Bangkok on “ASEAN Travel & Tourism: The Next 50 Years” has been warmly applauded by many of the participants. Fifteen participants attended the March 17 resinar at the PATA Engagement Hub, designed to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN by providing the […]

16 Mar, 2017

Trump’s rump gets kicked again: Hawaii judge blocks Muslim Ban V.2

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A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday (15 March) halted President Donald Trump’s new travel ban that was supposed to take effect at midnight – one of a series of blows against the administration’s order since January. The order would temporarily bar refugees and people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Trump blasted the ruling during […]

10 Mar, 2017

ForwardKeys shared damaging travel data with White House prior to Travel Ban II

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LONDON, (Tarsh Consulting media release) 6 March 2017 – ForwardKeys, which monitors future travel patterns by analysing 16 million flight reservation transactions each day shared its latest analysis of the negative impacts of the travel ban on the US travel industry with the White House prior to the new ban coming in to force. The […]

10 Mar, 2017

Spineless U.S. travel industry kisses Trump’s rump

Imtiaz Muqbil

On March 06, 2017, right after the issuance of the revised Muslim travel ban, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement: “The American travel community supports efforts to bolster national security, and the Trump administration deserves some credit for the substantially more cautious and deliberate introduction of the revised executive […]

1 Mar, 2017

ASEAN Travel & Tourism: The Next 50 Years

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Bangkok – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is marking the 50th anniversary of its founding this year with another tourism marketing campaign under the slogan VisitASEAN@50. The ASEAN tourism industry, one of the greatest success stories of the global economy, has played a major role in helping the 10 member grouping create jobs […]

28 Feb, 2017

U.S. Children’s Museums Start 90-Day Campaign to Celebrate Role in Welcoming Immigrants, Refugees

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ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) has launched a new campaign—90 Days of Action—to showcase the important role children’s museums play in welcoming immigrant and refugee children and families to their communities. The campaign includes a variety of elements including a social media push, a survey of its members to learn more about […]

24 Feb, 2017

Indian techie shot dead in US, shooter yells ‘get out of my country’

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Houston/Washington, Feb 24 (Press Trust of India) An Indian engineer was killed and two others were injured after an American navy veteran yelling “terrorist” and “get out of my country” opened fire on them in a crowded bar in Kansas City in an apparent racially motivated hate crime, police said today. Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), working […]

24 Feb, 2017

Ethisphere’s Global Ethics Summit To Take Stock of Corporate Culture

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New York, NY (PRWEB) February 23, 2017 – The Ethisphere Institute, established to define and advance the standards of ethical business practices, is set to host the 9th Annual Global Ethics Summit when over 200 different companies and organizations will descend upon midtown New York City, March 15-16. A Summit where over half the delegation […]