30 Apr, 2013

Palestinian students beat visa, travel curbs to win top prizes in robotics challenge

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25 April 2013, West Bank, (UNRWA media release) – UNRWA school in the West Bank receives first prize for team work and second prize for their robot in an international robotics challenge. The First Lego League (FLL) is an internationally attended robotics competition, challenging youth between the ages of 9 to 16 years to use […]

30 Apr, 2013

PATA Seeks To Rebuild Value and Business, But Regaining Trust Will be Key

Imtiaz Muqbil

Graphs and charts indicating PATA’s Financial Status BANGKOK — The PATA summit and its associated events, held in Bangkok between 25-28 April, closed on an optimistic note that the worst is over for the 62-year-old association and that best is yet to come. But the self-congratulatory back-thumping is tinged by a sense of caution that […]

29 Apr, 2013

Building Workers’ Power: ITUC May Day statement 2013

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29 April 2013, International Trades Union Congress: Working people are facing sustained and often brutal attacks on their rights in every region of the world. Inequality and unemployment are hitting record levels, as governments continue to follow the failed and destructive policy of austerity-at-any-cost, and the onslaught against collective bargaining continues. The future of an […]

29 Apr, 2013

Europe scores lowest on Gallup Economic Confidence Index, Asia highest

Jenny Marlar and Lisa Cimbaluk, www.gallup.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. April 29, 2013 — Economic confidence worldwide has improved little since the height of the downturn in 2009. Gallup’s global Economic Confidence Index improved eight points over this time period, rising to 18 last year from 10 in 2009. Europe, with a score of -35, has the lowest economic confidence of all regions, […]

29 Apr, 2013

Turkish Airlines, Air France start flights to Kuala Lumpur

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Muqbil

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 29 April 2013 (18 Jumaada al-Thaani 1434). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ========== MESSAGE FROM TOURISM MALAYSIA World Islamic Tourism Mart to be held in Kuala Lumpur […]

28 Apr, 2013

I could justify fighting in Afghanistan — until the Boston bombing – The Washington Post

I deployed to Afghanistan believing my presence in that country would help stop attacks such as Boston’s from happening. But instead, my war has spilled over, striking the city where my 22-year-old brother goes to school and where my mom, until recently, felt perfectly safe eating lunch outdoors. The Tsarnaev brothers aren’t the first alleged […]

28 Apr, 2013

Trust in European Union hits record low | Deutsche-Welle

Public confidence in the European Union has hit rock bottom, a recent survey reveals. Since the onset of the euro crisis, Europeans have lost faith in the bloc, even in pro-European countries, like Germany. Jose Ignacio Torreblanca compares the growing skepticism sweeping across Europe to a virus from which no one is able to escape. […]

28 Apr, 2013

We Are in the Middle of a Global Civil War | Alternet

Casino capitalism – aka turbocharged neoliberalism – is ruthlessly destroying the last vestiges of the welfare state and the egalitarian consensus in the industrialized West, possibly with the odd Scandinavian exception. It has established a “New Normal” consensus, intruding into private lives, dominating the political debate and institutionalizing for good the marketization of life itself […]

28 Apr, 2013

Pressure grows for the nation’s housewives – The Japan Times

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s April 19 National Press Club speech about boosting women’s participation in the workforce has been covered extensively in the domestic and foreign media since it signals a sea change in the Liberal Democratic Party’s view of women’s role in society. He said the government will work to increase the number of […]

28 Apr, 2013

Number of elderly workers in 2012 hit record high – The Japan Times

The number of workers aged 60 or above averaged 11.92 million in 2012, setting a record high for the sixth straight year, according to recently released government data. The average number of elderly employees last year increased by 170,000 from 2011, accounting for 19.0 percent of the nation’s total workforce, the Internal Affairs and Communications […]

28 Apr, 2013

Europe bids to help workers exercise rights to free movement

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Brussels, 26 April 2013 – The European Commission has today proposed measures to ensure the better application of EU law on people’s right to work in another Member State and so make it easier for people to exercise their rights in practice. Currently there is a persistent problem with public and private employers’ lack of […]

28 Apr, 2013

Barbados Tourism To Give Cash Vouchers to Boost Arrivals, Length of Stay

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27 April 2013 – (Ministry of Tourism media release) – Weeks after the Central Bank of Barbados reported a weak 2013 first quarter performance by the country’s tourism industry, the authorities have come up with a plan to put the sector back on a growth path. The Minister of Tourism of Barbados, Richard Sealy has […]

27 Apr, 2013

U.S. academic nonprofit votes in favor of boycotting Israeli academia | Haaretz

The Association for Asian American Studies voted in favor of boycotting Israeli academic institutions. The academic nonprofit, known by the acronym AAAS, passed the vote last week during its annual conference in Seattle, according to Inside Higher Ed. The resolution calling for a boycott passed unanimously and accused Israeli universities of being complicit in violations […]

27 Apr, 2013

Whose terror, whose pain? – Zillah Eisenstein – Al Jazeera English

Who gets to say what terror”ism” is? Terror and its trauma exists in too many places with too much heartbreak – in wars, random accidents, rapes, bombings and plant explosions; in tsunamis and earthquakes, in mass shootings and gang wars. Terror when an “ism” is always politically loaded. When Obama went on national television to […]

27 Apr, 2013

Xinhua: Short-sellers “crying wolf” again on Chinese economy

By Liu Jie (Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) — Some investment gurus, if they can be called that, periodically express their pessimism about the Chinese economy and short sell Chinese stocks, but it turns out theirs is nothing but a game of crying wolf. Their bearish tone has mostly proven to be a shortcut for securing handsome profits, with […]

27 Apr, 2013

Judiciary Panel Hears Testimony on Use of Drones – NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — A Yemeni man who studied at an American high school told Congress on Tuesday that a drone strike on his village in Yemen last week terrified his neighbors, turning them against the United States in a way that terrorist propaganda had failed to do. The man, Farea al-Muslimi, said his friends and neighbors […]

27 Apr, 2013

UK to confiscate passports from ‘suspected’ terrorists, criminals, football hooligans — RT News

UK citizens can now be stripped of their passports for “actual or suspected” activities declared to be “contrary to the public interest” without a legal procedure, Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. Previously, the Home Office could only confiscate passports if a UK citizen engaged in “demonstrably undesirable” acts. The sanction was applied infrequently, […]

27 Apr, 2013

China’s Top leaders see Difficulties, Challenges for Economy

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — China’s top leaders on Thursday pointed out difficulties and challenges facing the country, saying macro policies should be stabilized and control over micro segments loosened with better social security measures. The message by the top decision-making body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) came at a special session held […]

27 Apr, 2013

Homework, games limit Chinese kids’ reading

(Shanghai Daily)

April 23, 2013 –  A heavy load of studies and homework is a primary reason hindering local students from reading after school, a report released yesterday by the Youth League’s children and teenager research center showed. More than 1,400 local students in the fourth to the seventh grade were surveyed about their extracurricular reading hours […]

27 Apr, 2013

China: Insisting on Wrong Road, Japan has No Future

Zhong Sheng, People's Daily

April 23, 2013 –  Visit to the Yasukuni Shrine is to revive militarism. It seriously hurts the feelings of the people of Asian countries, and blatantly challenges the current international order. If Japan continues to slide down the wrong road, it has no future. A fox cannot hide its tail. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe […]

27 Apr, 2013

Indian Met Office Forecasts Normal Southwest Monsoon Rainfall during 2013

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Ministry of Earth Science, 26-April, 2013 – The year 2013 will most like have a normal Southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall for the country as a whole i.e. 96 to 104% of Long Average. during  June to September. This was announced by the Union Minister of Earth Sciences & Science and Technology Mr S.Jaipal Raddy at […]

27 Apr, 2013

USA, Iran Wrestling Teams to Compete in Historic Friendly Event in LA, May 19

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LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — USA Wrestling and Beat the Streets-Los Angeles, Inc. has announced that the United States and Iran will come together in a friendly international wrestling competition Sunday, May 19 at 2 p.m. at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The event will also be a major opportunity for the Keep Olympic […]

27 Apr, 2013

What Responses To Different Tragedies Teach Us About Ourselves – The Daily Beast

Something about the third week of April brings tragedy and bloodshed into American history: Waco, Oklahoma City, Columbine, Virginia Tech. Now Boston and West, Texas, are added to the list. The United States has too many memorials to remember in this short span. But the 2013 version of this week will prove important to reflect […]

26 Apr, 2013

Former Palestinian Prisoners to Speak at Brussels Conference on May 18

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Brussels, (Palestinian Return Centre) – Arrangements for the 11th Palestinians in Europe conference are running smoothly and more guests have been confirmed. The 11th Conference, organized by the General Secretariat of the Palestinians in Europe Conference, The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), will be held in Brussels, Belgium on Saturday 18th May 2013. The one-day conference […]

26 Apr, 2013

The “Facts” Keep Changing About the Boston Bombings | Alternet

April 25, 2013 | In the aftermath of massive, complicated crimes it’s not uncommon for a bit of crucial information to be immediately put forward by police, only to be contradicted later on. While it’s understandable that initial leads and assertions might end up being wrong in a dynamic situation like the aftermath of the […]

26 Apr, 2013

Shock: Tom Brokaw Acknowledged That America’s Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost| Alternet

April 25, 2013 | “The stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.” — Reverend Jeremiah Wright In 2008, the hysterical backlash to the above comment by Barack Obama’s minister became a high-profile example of one of the most insidious rules in […]

26 Apr, 2013

EC seeks public views on Google’s offers to address anti-trust concerns

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Brussels, 25 April 2013, European Commission Press release – The European Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on commitments offered by Google in relation to online search and search advertising. The Commission has concerns that Google may be abusing its dominant position in the markets for web search, online search advertising and online search […]

26 Apr, 2013

Flawed U.S. Terrorism Policies will Create Long-term Problems, with Limitless Costs

By Fu Xiaoqiang (China Daily)

Beijing, 2013-04-25  – The Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured more than 170, the shootout that followed on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a massive explosion in a fertilizer plant in Texas made up a black week for the United States and highlighted domestic security issues. Police later identified […]

26 Apr, 2013

More Chinese travel abroad from second & third-tier cities

By Zheng Xin and Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)

Beijing, April 25, 2013  – More people from smaller Chinese cities are traveling abroad, new research released on Wednesday showed. Thanks to the country’s rapid economic development, residents of second- and third-tier cities have plans and are able to go overseas for their holidays, according to the China Outbound Tourism Development 2013 report, released by […]

26 Apr, 2013

Asia’s Soaring Consumption Of Raw Materials Unsustainable, UN Warns

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United Nations, Apr 24 2013 (UN News Centre) – The Asia-Pacific region, which has overtaken the rest of the world in consumption of raw materials as affluence and manufacturing increase, must boost its resource efficiency or risk losing ground in lifestyle, economic growth and environmental sustainability, according to a UN report released today. From 1970-2008, […]

26 Apr, 2013

PATA Youth Forum Hears “Anarchy” Warning if Thai Tourism Growth Neglects Sustainability

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – Decrying the corruption and poor law enforcement plaguing the Thai tourism industry, three “NextGen” Thai executives have warned of “anarchy” and a looming crisis if the problems are left unaddressed. One executive also warned of another round of cut-throat pricing competition when the next crisis hits. The strong words rang out loud during […]

26 Apr, 2013

New film looks at ‘War on Whistleblowers’ – The Washington Post

The Obama administration’s approach to federal whistleblowers has been likened to “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” On the good doctor’s side, President Obama has important accomplishments in protecting the rights of whistleblowers. Yet whistleblower advocates are fuming at the administration’s actions against federal employees whom it considers to be leakers of national security information. “There’s […]

26 Apr, 2013

Visa holders targeted for tax fraud – Sydney Morning Herald

Details of one million Australian visa holders will be compared with tax office records in a data-matching investigation targeting fraud and tax law breaches. The Australian Tax Office has announced it will seek and collect names and addresses and other details of the holders of 27 types of visas, including skilled workers under the contentious […]

25 Apr, 2013

Israeli airport security given green light to search tourist emails — RT News

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Israel’s attorney general says security officials can continue to access emails of foreign tourists landing at Ben-Gurion Airport. If they refuse, they can be denied access to the country. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein defended the practice in a statement, saying that such searches “are performed only in exceptional instances, after other relevant incriminating indications are […]

25 Apr, 2013

Turkey Launches Online-based Visa for Trade, Tourism Visitors

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Ankara, 24 April 2013 (Anadolu Agency) – Turkey on Wednesday launched a new online-based visa issuance system for foreign nationals visiting the country for tourism or trade purposes only. The e-visa system replaces ‘sticker’ and ‘stamp-type’ visas formerly issued at the borders, and for the time being it is only available for foreigners arriving in […]

25 Apr, 2013

A train on fire – America’s waning empire – English pravda.ru

The USA is a train on fire, in love with war; so puffed with ignorant, patriotic pride that it is unaware it’s careening out of control, on a destination of complete self destruction. The danger lies when war becomes a way of life and an accepted part of national culture. All aggression is redefined as […]

25 Apr, 2013

State terrorism and double standards – English pravda.ru

The degrading and inhuman treatment they are subjected to remind inmates that Guantanamo is a space for outright denial of the law, and a disgraceful example of the criminal network set up by the White House at the time of George W. Bush to kidnap, imprison and torture suspected terrorists or citizens of the Arab […]

25 Apr, 2013

America’s War on Islam 2.0 – English pravda.ru

Waging war at home or abroad requires enemies. America creates them when none exist. Imperial strategy demands them. Post-9/11, Muslims were targeted for political advantage. Post-Boston bombings, America’s war on Islam continues. Muslims are “war on terror” scapegoats. Washington’s Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia wars rage. It’s the wrong time to be Muslims […]

25 Apr, 2013

India Reports Rapid Decline in Child Sex Ratio between 2001-11

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 23-April, 2013 – As per the Census, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) has shown a sharp decline from 927 females per thousand males in 2001 to 914 females per thousand males in 2011. The government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy entailing schemes and programmes and awareness generation/advocacy measures, […]

25 Apr, 2013

India Expands Visa On Arrival Facility to More Airports, Plans More Steps to Ease Access

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Ministry of Home Affairs, 23-April, 2013 – The third Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee on Tourism Sector has decided to extend facility of Tourist Visa on Arrival at Goa, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi airports. The Government of India has permitted Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) facility for the citizens of 11 countries viz. Japan, Singapore, Finland, […]

25 Apr, 2013

FREE Download: Review of the Indian Economy 2012-13 – Highlights

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New Delhi, 23-April, 2013 – Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister released the ‘Review of the Economy 2012-13’ at a Press Conference in New Delhi today. Following are the highlights of the document: Economy to grow at 6.4% in 2013-14 The Advance Estimates of CSO have pegged the growth of Agriculture at […]

25 Apr, 2013

Chinese Draft Law to curb tourism price hikes

By ZHAO YINAN in Beijing, YU RAN and SHI YINGYING in Shanghai

Beijing, 2013-04-24, China Daily – The third draft of China’s Tourism Law, which was delivered to lawmakers on Tuesday, seeks to curb price inflation at scenic spots — a trend that is making tourists nationwide unhappy. The draft proposes strict controls on the costs of tickets to access natural scenery and ancient relics. Such areas, […]

24 Apr, 2013

UNWTO’s Most Spectacular Asia-Pacific Meeting Venue: Hyderabad’s “Mirror in the Sky”

Imtiaz Muqbil

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India — If there is one over-arching reason why delegates will never forget the UNWTO’s Joint Commission meetings of South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific held here between 12-14 April 2013 it is because of the spectacular venue, the Taj Falaknuma Palace hotel, the jewel in the crown of the palatial […]

24 Apr, 2013

Is Tourism The Most Destructive Enterprise? – YaleGlobal

Travel has grown exponentially since the 1960s, and tourism employs more people than any other industry. As political developments have opened borders, as new technologies in aviation and communications provide new access, few destinations go unexplored, suggests Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism. She explains that any human endeavor […]

24 Apr, 2013

Suu Kyi can’t wait forever to defend minorities – The Japan Times

LONDON – Last month, as the anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar spread from Rakhine state in the western part of the country to the central city of Meiktila, Aung San Suu Kyi sat among the generals on the reviewing stand as the army marched past on Armed Forces Day. She is seen as a saint by […]

24 Apr, 2013

CAIR Decries Inflammatory Anti-Muslim Rhetoric on Boston Bombing

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(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/23/13) (CAIR media release) –- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today decried the wave of inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric following the Boston Marathon bombings and the revelation that the suspects in the case are Muslim. CAIR also noted that Americans of all faiths have […]

24 Apr, 2013

Blowback: Suspect in Boston Attack Cites U.S. Wars as Motivation | Alternet

The Boston bombings appear to be a case of blowback for U.S. wars overseas. 19-year-old suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told U.S. interrogators that the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a main motivation for the attack on the Boston Marathon, which killed three people. A fourth man, a MIT police officer, was gunned down the […]

23 Apr, 2013

Robert Scheer: 277 Million Boston Bombings – Truthdig

The horror of Boston should be a reminder that the choice of weaponry can be in itself an act of evil. “Boston Bombs Were Loaded to Maim” is the way The New York Times defined the hideousness of the weapons used, and President Obama made clear that “anytime bombs are used to target innocent civilians, […]

23 Apr, 2013

Indian Tourism Minister to Inaugurate New Campus of IITTM at Noida

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Ministry of Tourism, 22-April, 2013 – Union Tourism Minister Mr K.Chiranjeevi will inaugurate the new campus of Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITM) at Noida on 23 April 2013. Spread over 10 acres of land in Sec 62 of Noida, the campus has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 27.70 crore. IITTM […]

23 Apr, 2013

First Time in India: Volunteer Guide Programme at National Museum, New Delhi

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Ministry of Culture, 22-April, 2013 – The Union Minister of Culture Mrs. Chandresh Kumari Katoch has asked the National Museum to be ready to engage in collaborative programmes with other museums, with a view to increase their expertise, and to develop a pool of highly trained manpower in this sector. Inaugurating “Path Pradarshak” Volunteer Guide […]

23 Apr, 2013

Univ of NSW woos Chinese students by accepting Gaokao scores for admissions

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SYDNEY, April 22 (Xinhua) — With Australia’s ‘Asia Literacy’ looming as a key issue in the upcoming federal election, Aussie universities, led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have launched a furious campaign to woo Chinese students and the potential boom in knowledge they provide. In a ground breaking policy launched this week […]

23 Apr, 2013

Tour for UNWTO Delegates Helps Andhra Pradesh Promote Its Buddhist Heritage

Imtiaz Muqbil

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India — Andhra Pradesh has joined the growing number of states promoting Buddhist pilgrimage travel to India. Capitalising on the presence of so many tourism representatives from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries with a sizable Buddhist population at the April 12-14 meeting of the UNWTO Joint Commissions for […]

22 Apr, 2013

How Boston Exposes America’s Dark Post-9/11 Bargain | Alternet

To put it mildly, this has been a bad week for democracy and a worse one for public discourse. In the minutes and hours after the bombs went off in Boston last Monday, marathon runners, first responders and many ordinary citizens responded to a chaotic situation with great courage and generosity, not knowing whether they […]

22 Apr, 2013

Afghanistan Seeks Revival of its Famous Saffron

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Muqbil

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 22 April 2013 (11 Jumaada al-Thaani 1434). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story.

22 Apr, 2013

Tit-for-tat: China Blasts U.S. Human Rights Record

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BEIJING, (China Daily) — The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China published a report titled “Human Rights Record of the United States in 2012” last Sunday. It was in response to the U.S. State Department’s release of its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which the Chinese describe as […]

22 Apr, 2013

UNWTO Chief: Visas, Security Issues “Not Out of our Hands”

Imtiaz Muqbil

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India – The UN World Tourism Organisation has called on the global travel & tourism industry to stop assuming that visas and security-related travel restrictions are “out of our hands” and work towards ensuring that 98% of legitimate global travellers do not become inadvertent victims of rules aimed at the remaining 2%. […]

22 Apr, 2013

Business of divorce gets more lucrative – Sydney Morning Herald

General manager of IBISWorld (Australia) Karen Dobie said the average cost of a straight divorce was $3600 per couple, while a contested one was just under $10,000. The research found the number of divorces in Australia had risen from 47,209 a year to 51,311 in the past five years. In that time the overall cost […]

22 Apr, 2013

PM’s Speech to Civil Servants Highlights Complexities of Governing India

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Prime Minister’s Office, 21-April, 2013 – Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s speech at Civil Services Day function in New Delhi today: “I am very happy to be with you today, as you begin your deliberations on the occasion of the 8th Civil Services Day. In these inaugural remarks, I […]

21 Apr, 2013

Activist Post: FBI Caught in a Web of Lies in Boston

Fact: the FBI has been involved in staging numerous fake terror plots using patsies to make themselves look like heroes when they stop the attack. Now they’ve been caught in a web of lies surrounding one that went live and resulted in the deaths of Americans. Question: In what world are they not the prime […]

21 Apr, 2013

PressTV – US most obvious false flag attack yet

In 2005, President Bush (43) appointed Michael Chertoff, an Israeli citizen, as director of the Department of Homeland Security. It was Chertoff’s job, while Secretary of DHS, to place all law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and domestic surveillance operations under Israeli control. This was done by directing all contracts to Israeli companies, all equipment, all training, and […]

21 Apr, 2013

It’s an old numbers game. What if they’re wrong? – The Washington Post

As the U.S. budget wars repeatedly demonstrate, GDP (gross domestic product), unemployment, inflation and trade statistics determine how the government spends (or does not spend) trillions of dollars. These numbers also shape whether large businesses invest or don’t, and whether small businesses spring to life or remain ideas to be acted on later. Our debates, […]

21 Apr, 2013

Beware the Labelling of Terrorist Attacks – People’s Daily Commentary

(People's Daily Online)

Beijing April 20, 2013 – Before or after the Boston marathon blast on April 15, other regions in the world have not been peaceful, either. The terrorist attacks toward civilians in Somalia, Iraq and Pakistan have all caused severe casualties. It’s a day that will go down in history along with other violent U.S. incidents […]

21 Apr, 2013

Whistling in the dark – Hindustan Times

It’s common enough in India, and not quite foreign to the United States, where the pressure cooker has been around for nearly 75 years. You could purchase one from Macy’s in Manhattan, or from the desi bazaar at Jackson Heights. Though given its post-Boston infamy, I won’t be surprised if potential buyers have to undergo […]

21 Apr, 2013

U.N. Forum on Forests Adopts Pacts on Conservation, Financing

UN Department of Public Information

ISTANBUL, 19 and 20 April, Department of Public Information— Calling on Governments to recognize that forests and the socioeconomic benefits they provide were essential to human development, the United Nations forum working to build global consensus on implementation of forest-related agreements concluded its tenth session late this evening, also deciding to consider setting up a […]

21 Apr, 2013

Japan to mull relaxing visas for S.E. Asian tourists – The Japan Times

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The government will examine relaxing visa requirements to encourage more tourists from emerging nations in Southeast Asia to visit Japan, sources in the Abe administration said Saturday. The move comes as the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has determined it is necessary to lure more travelers from fast-growing economies to attain its goal of […]

21 Apr, 2013

Scammed tourists begin class action – Sydney Morning Herald

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Australian holidaymakers are pursuing a class action lawsuit against one of the world’s largest banks after hundreds of false accounts were used in an international travel scam. Over the past 18 months, tourists have wired millions of dollars into accounts with London-based Barclays Bank to pay for luxury accommodation in dream destinations around the world. […]

21 Apr, 2013

Jim Dean, PressTV – Israeli-riddled FBI uses proxy info to blame Muslims for Boston terror

The long series of FBI manufactured terrorists operations organized from beginning to end using proxy informants who brought them easily influence people on the fringe of the Muslim community is a scandal. This includes a court system who put a stamp of approval on process. The FBI is now held in contempt by much of […]

20 Apr, 2013

FREE Download: Palestinian NGO Study Says Israel’s Water Policy in West Bank is Apartheid

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RAMALLAH, April 16, 2013 (WAFA) – Israel’s policies and practices in relation to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) amount to a system of “water-apartheid,” said a new study by the human rights group, al-Haq, published Tuesday. The report, “Water For One People Only: Discriminatory Access and ‘Water-Apartheid’ in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” said […]

20 Apr, 2013

Bedouin Community Faces “Transfer” as Israel Continues to Wipe Palestine Off the Map

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JERUSALEM, April 20, 2013 (WAFA) – In an attempt to uproot Palestinians from locations in the Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank, the Israeli Defense Minister has recently approved a master plan to forcibly transfer approximately 2500 Bedouins from the Jahalin tribe to a small, concentrated area in Nwei’mah, adjacent to Jericho, according to […]

20 Apr, 2013

S.F. Bay Area Group Leads Historic Israel-Palestine Effort to Remove Landmines From Bethlehem

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SAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– April 19, 2013 — Representatives of a Bay Area non-profit group which spearheaded a historic Palestine and Israel agreement to remove landmines from the City of Bethlehem will travel to the Holy Land to oversee the first removal and detonation of mines. Heidi Kühn, Founder and CEO of Roots of Peace, […]

20 Apr, 2013

EC Vice President: European Union has “Deep Structural Flaws”, Needs Redesign

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19 April 2013 – Text of the speech by Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission at the Bratislava Global Security Forum – GLOSEC/Brussels, “A new vision for redesigning Europe”. As posted on the EC website. Ladies and Gentlemen The motto of the European Union, as I am sure you all know, is ‘United in […]

20 Apr, 2013

Joint Statement: Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, Arab American Groups Urge Unity & Restraint

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Muslim Advocates, South Asian Americans Leading Together, Sikh Coalition, and the National Network for Arab American Communities issued the following joint statement urging Americans to unite in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon attacks.  April 19, 2013  – Our thoughts and condolences continue to be with the victims of the Boston Marathon attacks. We are grateful […]

20 Apr, 2013

‘They were set up, FBI followed them for years’- Tsarnaevs’ mother to RT USA

rt.com

Russian ‘Alpha’ Special Forces team-veteran and vice-president of its International Association, Aleksey Filatov, believes there is more to the case than meets the eye. He emphasizes, firstly, that the origin and religious beliefs of the suspect, along with the specifics of the bombing, have all been carefully pre-meditated and planned by someone within the United […]

20 Apr, 2013

UN Experts Urge World Bank to Raise Human Rights Standards For Project Finance

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GENEVA (18 April 2013) (UN OHCHR media release) – A group of United Nations independent experts on extreme poverty, indigenous peoples, right to food and foreign debt called on the Word Bank to adopt human rights standards, during the upcoming review this weekend of its environmental and social policies—also known as ‘safeguard policies’—which apply to […]

20 Apr, 2013

After Boston Bombing, Everyone Is Being Watched–and Everyone is Watching | Alternet

April 19, 2013 | FBI special agent and head of the bureau’s Boston office Richard DesLauriers has been running an crowd-sourced campaign for information about suspects in the Boston marathon bombing that left three dead and more than 170 wounded. So far, it appears to be working–but it also may herald in an unexpected end […]

20 Apr, 2013

‘Premanisme’, a root cause for violence in Yogyakarta | The Jakarta Post

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As Yogyakarta develops and becomes Indonesia’s second most-popular tourist destination after Bali, the city that is dubbed the heart of Javanese culture is also witnessing its service sector growing, as can be seen in the emergence of numerous nightspots. Such nightspots have led to the birth of private security services, referred to as preman (thugs) […]

20 Apr, 2013

Indian tourists third most likely to steal hotel items: Study – Indian Express

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Indian tourists have been ranked third in the list of nationalities that nick items from a hotel room as 38 per cent of them confessed they have stolen from a hotel, according to a new global survey. The survey by an online accommodation booking service found that 35 per cent of global travellers steal hotel […]

20 Apr, 2013

Workaholic Indians use technology to find work-life balance – Indian Express

With as many as 64 per cent Indians describing themselves as workaholics, their reliance on technology to strike a work-life balance has increased more than ever, according to a new study. In fact, 91 per cent of the Indians surveyed admit that the widespread use of technology has enabled them to achieve a more ‘flexible’ […]

20 Apr, 2013

Buddhist monk uses racism and rumours to spread hatred in Burma – The Guardian

His name is Wirathu, he calls himself the “Burmese Bin Laden” and he is a Buddhist monk who is stoking religious hatred across Burma. The saffron-robed 45-year-old regularly shares his hate-filled rants through DVD and social media, in which he warns against Muslims who “target innocent young Burmese girls and rape them”, and “indulge in […]

19 Apr, 2013

U.S. Mayors: “Senators Did Not Hear the Gunshots That Were Heard Around The World”

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WASHINGTON, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United States Conference of Mayors President Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter  issued the following statement after the Senate’s rejection today of various amendments focused on reducing gun violence: “It is with deep disappointment that the nation’s Mayors today watched the Senate reject amendment after amendment that would have strengthened […]

19 Apr, 2013

Hate Crimes in Massachusetts, New York Follow Boston Bombings

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WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/18/13 (CAIR media release) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said hate incidents in Massachusetts and New York occurred following the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. CAIR reports that a mother of Middle Eastern heritage wearing an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, […]

19 Apr, 2013

Israeli “Expert” on “Islamic Terrorism” Stirs the Pot, Offers Advice to U.S.

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NEW YORK, April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — As the entire nation joins Boston in mourning three deaths and massive injuries and amputations, Americans are once again facing the reality of homeland terrorism and resurrecting questions of security. David Rubin, Israeli terrorism expert, draws parallels between Boston and Israel, a nation plagued by long-term terrorism. Editor’s […]

19 Apr, 2013

Arab-Americans Issue Advisory: Be Cautious, Report Hate Crimes

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Washington, DC | www.adc.org | April 18, 2013 — As a result of a recent increase in attacks and discrimination targeting Arab and Muslim Americans following the bombing in Boston, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is asking that all members of the affected communities exercise extreme caution and immediately report any incidents of harassment, abuse, […]

19 Apr, 2013

Holiday scams leave British travellers £1.5m out of pocket – The Independent

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Thousands of British travellers are being swindled out of millions of pounds each year through scams involving flights, accommodation and religious pilgrimages. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has identified 1,000 separate holiday scams in the UK last year that cost consumers more than £1.5m. Read the rest: Holiday scams leave British travellers £1.5m out […]

19 Apr, 2013

Perspective: Home is Where the Overwhelming Majority of Violence Occurs | Alternet

Domestic violence is the number one cause of injury to women. The incidents add up to more than all the rapes, muggings, and car accidents women experience each year. One out of every four women in the U.S. will be physically injured by a lover in her lifetime. That translates into a woman being assaulted […]

19 Apr, 2013

Survey: Solid Majority of Iranian Americans Oppose Military Strike on Iran

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– April 18, 2013 – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) today released the findings of its 2013 National Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans. The results demonstrate that Iranian Americans retain close ties to Iran and want to see a democratic Iran that respects human rights. A majority are supportive of […]

19 Apr, 2013

Majority in U.S. Want Wealth More Evenly Distributed – Gallup Poll

PRINCETON, NJ — About six in 10 Americans believe that money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people in the U.S., while one-third think the current distribution is fair. Although Americans’ attitudes on this topic have fluctuated somewhat over time, the current sentiment is virtually the same as […]

19 Apr, 2013

Bomb response refreshingly honest – Commentary – Sydney Morning Herald

Let’s clear something up: our responses to terrorism are not about the loss of innocent life. We think they are because that’s the first thing we talk about. We use the suffering of victims to emote, and we look at the attacks through that prism. But it’s never really about the victims. It’s about us. […]

19 Apr, 2013

The US, a Nation of Idiots? Commentary – Sydney Morning Herald

Next time the US struts the world stage, claiming American exceptionalism, setting itself out as leader of the so-called free world, it risks being dismissed as a nation of idiots. It’s too easy to defer to strong polling support for gun control and to just vent about the Senate and the House – after all, […]

18 Apr, 2013

David Sirota: Why I Hope the Boston Bomber is a White American | Alternet

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I’m not the kind of person who hopes to ever find conservative Fox News host Bill O’Reilly agreeing with me. But with my Salon piece on the Boston bomber now on the front page of Drudge, I think it is worth pointing out that last night O’Reilly effectively agreed with my piece by confirming the […]

18 Apr, 2013

FREE Download: Trades Union Report Blasts IMF Over Jobs Market Prescriptions

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17 April 2013: IMF labour market advice, as part of the Troika, undermines democracy and risks economic dictatorship across Europe and beyond warned the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and will create more divisions and social unrest, without producing any economic benefits. The ITUC Frontlines 2013 report, “Ideology without economic evidence: IMF attacks on collective […]

18 Apr, 2013

Our secularisms – Indian Express

Often, secularism is a kind of gesture of reaching out, as Nitish Kumar hinted: recognising that the topi has the same place as the tilak. Faced with the organised violence of rightwing mobs, this is a valuable gesture. But this politics has limitations. It rests on creating coalitions of fear: the topi being swamped by […]

18 Apr, 2013

‘Muslims are evil. Let’s kill them all’: US TV commentator’s Twitter rants

While public officials were urging caution in the immediate aftermath of the bomb attack on the Boston Marathon, some were quick to apportion blame. One of those was conservative commentator Erik Rush, who provoked a furious reaction after seemingly advocating the killing of Muslims in response to the attack. Rush is a columnist for Worldnutdaily […]

18 Apr, 2013

Turkey Becomes First Country With Ambassador To Palestine

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RAMALLAH, April 17 (NNN-TODAY’S ZAMAN) – Turkey has become the first country with an ambassador to Palestine after its envoy in Ramallah, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, presented his letter of credentials to President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday. Reflecting the upgraded status of Palestine from an entity to a non-member state by a UN vote in November, […]

18 Apr, 2013

Chinese Expert: US should re-think anti-terrorism strategy

By Fu Xiaoqiang, People's Daily Online

April 18, 2013 – Monday’s terrorist bombings in Boston is the major terrorist attack the United States has suffered since September 11, 2001. Although the scale and losses is not on par with the 9/11, it happened at the sensitive moment when the U.S. is accelerating withdrawal from Afghanistan and continuously concentrating anti-terrorism front, which […]

18 Apr, 2013

FREE Download: Annual Australian Alcohol Poll Cites “Carnage” and “Devastating Harms”

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Canberra, 18 April 2013, (Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education) – Australians are drinking to get drunk in greater numbers and feeling guilty afterwards, but remain overwhelmingly in favour of fixing our collective national hangover. This year’s Annual Alcohol Poll found that in 2013, 40 per cent or 4.5 million Australians drank to get drunk, […]

18 Apr, 2013

Changes in H1B visas to affect Indian IT firms – Indian Express

The proposed changes in the issuing of H-1B visas, the highly sought after US work permits, will badly affect the Indian IT firms which depend heavily on these work visas. The changes under the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) put a curb on use of H-1B visa for those companies which have a higher ratio of […]

18 Apr, 2013

U.S. Muslims mobilize to prevent Boston backlash | Religion News Service

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On his show, conservative host Glenn Beck opined that “no American citizen blows up random people; that’s a Middle Eastern scene, that’s not an American scene. When our crazies go off, they target the government, not streets that are crowded with people.” On Monday afternoon, the New York Post had to pull a story that […]

17 Apr, 2013

Japan’s depopulation time bomb – The Japan Times

The progress in the graying of the nation means that the need for social services for residents such as medical and nursing care services will increase. The population decrease means that the nation’s total tax revenues will decline. As a result, grants from the central government to local governments will diminish. Both the central and […]

17 Apr, 2013

Japan’s population falls by record level – The Japan Times

Japan’s population fell by a record 0.22 percent to 127.515 million as of last Oct. 1, while people aged 65 or older surpassed the 30 million mark for the first time, the government said Tuesday. The figures are from a survey by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. The decline of 284,000 in the total […]