31 Jul, 2014

Bolivia declares Israel a ‘terrorist state’ – USA Today

Bolivian President Evo Morales declared Israel a “terrorist state,” Wednesday, because of the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli citizens will now be required to obtain a visa before traveling to Bolivia. Previously, under a 1972 agreement, which Morales denounced for being “signed under a dictatorial regime,” Israelis could travel freely into Bolivia without […]

31 Jul, 2014

British Council Survey: Brits Polite & Friendly but Drink Too Much

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London, 29 July 2014, British Council media release – Research by the British Council shows that the UK’s culture and history are our biggest draws in the eyes of the world – but the UK weather and food put the most people off. The research was carried out for the British Council by Ipsos MORI […]

31 Jul, 2014

The most heartbreaking image of the Israel-Gaza conflict?

This could be the most heartbreaking image of the Israel-Gaza conflict yet Click here: This could be the most heartbreaking image of the Israel-Gaza conflict yet.

31 Jul, 2014

The Mendacious Propaganda Israel is Pushing to Justify Its War On Gaza | Alternet

July 30, 2014 | It is time to clarify the real facts on the aggression the Israelis started on the Palestinians. Unfortunately, the Israeli narrative has dominated in the global media. It’s very important to uncover the Israeli narrative and bring facts to the public’s attention. The world needs to differentiate between myths and truth. […]

31 Jul, 2014

Jews Can No Longer Claim to be a “Compassionate People” – by Rabbi David Seidenberg

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Introductory Note by Rabbi Michael Lerner, Director of Tikkun, Network of Spiritual Progressives: Rabbi David Seidenberg, one of the most creative rabbinic voices explicating the Jewish mystical tradition and championing the environment, presents an important Jewish religious perspective on the religious ethical issues raised by Israel’s war in Gaza. Please share these articles with anyone […]

31 Jul, 2014

12 Mega-Trends in Focus at Frost & Sullivan Conference in New Zealand

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand, July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Mega trends are defined as transformative, global forces that define the future world with their far reaching impact on business, societies, economies, cultures and personal lives. Frost & Sullivan’s report, ‘World’s Top Global Mega Trends To 2025 and Implications to Business, Society and Cultures’ identifies 12 of these trends […]

31 Jul, 2014

UN health agency moves to allay travel industry fears over Ebola spread

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Geneva, UN News Centre, 30 July 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today advised that while travellers should be aware of Ebola, they will not contract the highly-contagious, often fatal disease unless they actually touch someone who is showing active symptoms. “So one can travel,” Gregory Hartl, WHO spokesperson on epidemic diseases […]

31 Jul, 2014

The ethical defence to Israel’s actions in Gaza – by Rabbi Gideon Sylvester

by Rabbi Gideon Sylvester Earlier this month the Unite union passed a resolution denouncing Israel as an apartheid regime, supporting boycotts against it and accusing it of “feeling able to commit war crimes with complete impunity”. When Israel launched its latest operation in Gaza, the union issued a statement to “unreservedly condemn the continuing Israeli […]

31 Jul, 2014

Two parallel massacres: Palestine and East Ukraine – English pravda.ru

The Transnational Elite, (i.e. the Western elites based in the G7 countries) with the fascist Junta they installed in Kiev, and the Israeli Zionists, are fully engaged at the moment in carrying out new massacres in East Ukraine and Palestine respectively. These massacres share several important common elements. Firstly, despite the shameless lies of the […]

31 Jul, 2014

Western Sanctions Means that Russia Has to Look East – Minister – RIA Novosti

NOVO OGARYOVO, Moscow Region, July 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia could loosen the tightening grip of western sanctions on its economy by improving the economic climate in its far-eastern territories, designated as “advanced development zones” in a bill that may be laid before the Duma in autumn, Russia’s Far East Development Minister said Wednesday. Speaking […]

30 Jul, 2014

The consequences of Indian kids eating like the Americans – The Hindu

One of the first declarations of the newly elected government in June was a proposal to ban unhealthy or junk food (defined as food high on fat, sugar and salt) in school canteens across the country. This was followed up with an increase in the prices of soft drinks in the recent budget. This has […]

30 Jul, 2014

To the family of the 1,000th victim of Israel’s genocidal slaughter in Gaza – Ilan Pappe

This is 2014 — the destruction of Gaza is well documented. This is not 1948 when Palestinians had to struggle hard to tell their story of horror; so many of the crimes Zionist committed then where hidden and never came to light, even until today. So my first and simple pledge is to record, inform […]

30 Jul, 2014

Dealing with India’s right-wing cultural outrage machine – Hindustan Times

Today, small but growing and ever more vocal groups of cultural vigilantes in India are attacking everything from books and films to art and western attitudes if they deem these injurious to their faiths or if these don’t conform to their notion of purity and morality. Books are getting pulped and authors are forced to […]

30 Jul, 2014

11 Takeaways From the Worst Crisis Ever to Hit Thai Tourism

Announcement

What next for Thai tourism? Will it bounce back from the worst crisis it has faced since the first outbreak of AIDS 30 years ago? Imtiaz Muqbil, one of Asia’s longest serving travel trade journalists, has compiled an in-depth compendium of 11 factors that will change the face of Thailand’s most important service industry, one […]

30 Jul, 2014

U.S. Transparent Airfares Act: Is it, or isn’t it?

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Is the U.S. Transparent Airfares Act really “transparent”? Depends on which side you are on. On July 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Act. It now goes to the Senate. The same day, Airlines for America (A4A), issued a statement lauding the House. The following day, the American Society of Travel Agents also […]

30 Jul, 2014

MH17: Who stands to gain? – by Prof Chandra Muzaffar

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Kuala Lumpur, 26 July 2014. — The Russian military has released military monitoring data which challenge allegations circulating in the media pertaining to the MH 17 crash in the Donetsk Region of Eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014. Questions have been raised about Kiev military jets tracking MH 17, Ukrainian air traffic controllers and the […]

30 Jul, 2014

Australian Research Shows Children Fare Best in Families With Less Conflict

Department of Social Services

Canberra, 29 July 2014, New research shows children can have more behaviour problems and difficulties socialising with peers if raised in families with high levels of parental conflict, or with low levels of parental warmth and few shared activities between parents and children. Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrews said the research, published today in […]

30 Jul, 2014

Gallup Polls: Reports of Alcohol-Related Family Trouble Remain Up in U.S.

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ – July 29, 2014, Gallup Polls – More than one in three Americans (36%) say drinking alcohol has been a cause of problems in their family at some point, one of the highest figures Gallup has measured since the 1940s. Reports of alcohol-related family troubles have been much more common in recent decades […]

30 Jul, 2014

Britain announces visa reform package in China

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Beijing, (Xinhua) 2014-07-29 – The British Home Office on Monday announced a variety of improvements to the visa system in China, including a 24-hour visa service, the expansion of mobile biometrics, and a new service enabling customers to apply for the British and Schengen visa at the same time. The mobile biometric service, which allows […]

30 Jul, 2014

US visa delays likely to continue, says embassy in Beijing

By Zhao Xinying

Beijing, China Daily, July 29, 2014 – Delays in issuing visas for the United States are likely to persist as the computer problems causing them have not yet been resolved, Nolan Barkhouse, spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing, said on Monday. “Our recordssystem has been experiencing significant performance problems, including outages, since July 19,” he […]

30 Jul, 2014

Gaza, Israel and the company we keep – Al Jazeera Blogs

So I got into it with an old friend from high school days over Gaza and Israel. I’ll call her Judy. She’s Jewish and I’m not. Typically we see eye to eye on most issues, geo-political and social. We still swap music, doing online today what we did as students with cassettes and vinyl. But […]

29 Jul, 2014

Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Pedro Almodovar denounce Israel – Haaretz

Dozens of stars from Spain’s cultural scene have added their names to an open letter blasting Israel’s Gaza operation, and denouncing Israel’s actions as “genocide.” In the letter, which was published on Monday, Oscar-winners Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and the feted Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, were joined by a long list of names, in […]

29 Jul, 2014

Richard Falk – When BBC calls, don’t answer

Four times in the past week I have received invitations to be a guest on BBC programs dealing with Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Each time the female producer, with charming British intonation, expressed her strong interest in arranging my participation at such and such a time. And each time I agreed, although my presence […]

29 Jul, 2014

Americans Waking Up – Discover That High-Sugar Sodas are Bad for Health

by Justin McCarthy

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 28, 2014, Gallup Polls – Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they avoid soda in their diet, while more than half say they avoid sugar. Meanwhile, more than nine in 10 Americans claim they try to include fruits (92%) or vegetables (93%) in their diet — slightly more than said this previously. These […]

29 Jul, 2014

Survey: Business Travelers Demand Better Day-of-Travel and In-Trip Alerts

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July 28, 2014, BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Business travelers crave proactive, personalized communication when they travel, yet most third-party travel providers are falling short, according to a new survey of more than 550 business travelers by FlightView, the day-of-travel information company. “Proactive travel alerts and notifications are a critical element of the business travel experience” “Proactive travel alerts […]

29 Jul, 2014

Another Expose Report: How U.S. Mass Surveillance is Harming Journalism, Law & Democracy

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(Washington, DC) July 28, 2014 (ACLU media release) – Large-scale US surveillance is seriously hampering US-based journalists and lawyers in their work, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint report released today. Surveillance is undermining media freedom and the right to counsel, and ultimately obstructing the American people’s ability […]

29 Jul, 2014

How about tracking the UK and other dual-nationalities who fight for Israel? – Robert Fisk – The Independent

Now I think it’s a good idea that the lads in blue are keeping their eyes open at Heathrow for British citizens who’ve been fighting in the Middle East. I hope they are doing a thorough job of it – and I mean thorough. I don’t want to bump into a chap who’s been firing […]

29 Jul, 2014

Too much “growth” a cause of frequent plane crashes?

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Beijing (People’s Daily Online), July 28, 2014 – July 2014 must be the darkest month in the aviation history. Three air disasters happened in eight days and 465 people were killed. Despite the varying circumstances of each crash, insufficient preventive measures is a common cause of the accidents. Zhang Qihuai, vice-president of Beijing Air Law […]

29 Jul, 2014

Chinese developers placing bets on casinos overseas

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Beijing, (China Daily), July 28, 2014 – Chinese real estate companies are trying to participate in overseas casino projects as the sluggish property market at home is leading to a drop in profits. In the first half of 2014, Jeju Island in South Korea and Queensland in northeast Australia became the most popular destinations for […]

29 Jul, 2014

Campaign Launched to Address Work/Life Conflicts of Today’s Families

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San Jose, CA (PRWEB) July 28, 2014 – In response to the increasing conflict between work and family life Americans face today, BlogHer, The Center for American Progress and The Huffington Post are teaming up to launch “Make Life Work,” a campaign to raise awareness and promote real solutions to the difficulties faced by families […]

29 Jul, 2014

New UAE visa fee structure to take effect from August 1

Abu Dhabi: A new visa fee and fine structure will take effect from August 1, according to a Cabinet decision published in the latest edition of the official gazette. The new measures will include the issuing of a new array of entry permits and visas, such as multiple entry permits for visit or work; the […]

29 Jul, 2014

Israel’s other war, now on a street near you – Haaretz

“A man came from the direction of [the Jerusalem neighborhood] Neveh Ya’akov,” one of the victims, Samer Mahfouz, told Haaretz. “He said ‘give me a cigarette.’ I told him I don’t have any, and he heard I’m Arab and went away, coming back with his friends, maybe 12 people. They had sticks and iron bars […]

28 Jul, 2014

“I Felt So Good”: Even Hindus Joined The Ramadan Fast

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 28 July 2014 (1 Shawwal 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story.

28 Jul, 2014

Exposed: Secret P.R. blueprint reveals how Israelis lie to the world – The Independent

Israeli spokesmen have their work cut out explaining how they have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, compared with just three civilians killed in Israel by Hamas rocket and mortar fire. But on television and radio and in newspapers, Israeli government spokesmen such as Mark Regev appear slicker and less […]

27 Jul, 2014

Modi under fire for silence over communal controversies | The Indian Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing criticism for remaining silent about incidents deemed anti-Muslim in the past week, underscoring fears that his followers will upset religious relations in the multi-faith nation. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in May after an election campaign that mainly focused on promises to revive the economy but that […]

27 Jul, 2014

In Tel Aviv, thousands protest against Gaza operation – Haaretz

Thousands assembled at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Saturday evening for what became the largest protest against the Israeli military operation in Gaza thus far. According to official estimates some 7,000 protesters attended. Meanwhile, a smaller group rallied in support of the operation in Gaza. The police served as a barrier between the groups to […]

27 Jul, 2014

Machinists Demand Apology over Boeing CEO ‘Cowering’ Comment

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 25, 2014 – The President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is calling on Boeing CEO Jim McNerney to apologize to Boeing’s workforce for offensive remarks made during a quarterly earning call with reporters on July 23, 2014. “The heart will still be beating, the employees will still be […]

27 Jul, 2014

No Vacation for One in Five U.S. Microbusiness Owners Last Year

by Ben Ryan

WASHINGTON, D.C., Gallup Polls,  July 24, 2014 — One in five U.S. microbusiness owners (20%) report not taking any vacation days in the past 12 months, with another 21% saying they took a week or less. These owners are also the most likely to say they will not be vacationing anytime soon — with almost […]

27 Jul, 2014

Kunming to join list of 72-hour visa-free cities

By Guo Anfei in Kunming and Hu Yongqi in Beijing

(China Daily) 2014-07-25 – Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, is to launch a 72-hour visa-free policy for transit passengers from 51 countries, local authorities said on Thursday. The tourism venue will become the eighth Chinese city to offer such a service, following those such as Beijing and Shanghai. The move is aimed at boosting […]

27 Jul, 2014

Indian cultural tour operator calls for Israel boycott at travel shows

Imtiaz Muqbil

An Indian tour operator has initiated a call for a boycott of Israeli stands at international trade shows, starting with the World Travel Mart in London. The move means that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has entered the realm of global travel events and will almost certainly have a deep and lasting impact on their costs, content […]

27 Jul, 2014

War and the US –what you don’t see can’t hurt – Al Jazeera Blogs

The images of the grief in Gaza and Israel are just powerful. The video of the dead, the grieving and destruction stays with you. The Pentagon knows this, which is why for years no one was allowed to take any video of the caskets of fallen soldiers being returned home. The loss becomes real. War […]

27 Jul, 2014

Modi silent as BJP members peddle communal hate agenda – The Asian Age

The attempt by a Telangana BJP MLA to revile Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has rightly raised concerns across the country. The communal tone of the attack on the ace player is unmistakable. In only two months since the Narendra Modi government took office, there has been a spate of episodes in different parts of […]

27 Jul, 2014

Turkish business world backs boycott of Israeli goods – The Daily Star

ISTANBUL: Turkish entrepreneurs are backing a boycott of Israeli goods in response to Israel’s recent military attack on Gaza which killed 815 Palestinians by Friday’s count. A worldwide boycott can affect the Israeli economy, entrepreneurs from the Anatolian Businesspersons’ Association and Istanbul Commodity Exchange told Anadolu Agency Friday. Municipalities from many regions of Turkey have […]

27 Jul, 2014

What if 800 Israelis had died and only 35 Palestinians? – Robert Fisk – The Independent

We don’t care so much about the Palestinians, do we? We care neither about Israeli culpability, which is far greater because of the larger number of civilians the Israeli army have killed. Nor, for that matter, Hamas’s capability. Of course, God forbid that the figures should have been the other way round. If 800 Israelis […]

26 Jul, 2014

Muslim hoteliers boycott US products to protest against Israeli strikes in Gaza – Hindustan Times

Muslims in Mumbai are protesting Israel’s military operation in Gaza and look who’s feeling the heat — Foreign food and drink companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kraft. Hotels in Muslim-dominated Bhendi Bazaar area, for instance, such as the Shalimar Hotel, have put up a list of brands that won’t be served. Other eateries […]

26 Jul, 2014

Gallup poll shows low support among young Americans for Israel – Haaretz

A Gallup poll shows support among Americans for Israel during the Gaza Strip conflict is divided, and is low among younger Americans. The poll posted on the pollster’s website Thursday showed a statistical dead heat between those who believe Israel’s actions against Hamas are justified, 42 percent, and those who believe they are unjustified, 39 […]

26 Jul, 2014

Thailand’s tourism comeback party in pictures: From protests to parades in six months

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Thai tourism industry pulled off a grand comeback party on July 25, designed to show the world that the kingdom is back to normal, safe and ready to receive visitors again. Blessed with a 35 million baht budget and the benevolence of the gods who kept the skies rain-free, more than 900 […]

26 Jul, 2014

When the guns are roaring, Israelis must speak out – Haaretz

These are difficult days for Israel. Its soldiers are fighting in Gaza and rockets are being fired at its cities. Alongside impressive displays of solidarity, ugly expressions of violence, incitement and the muzzling of critics are going on. But now is precisely the time we can’t afford to keep silent. We must not countenance the […]

25 Jul, 2014

Growing number of elderly working Britons driving down wages — RT UK

Britain’s more mature citizens who choose to delay their retirement because they fear running out of funds are driving UK wages down, the Bank of England (BOE) claims. The BOE’s comments follow a warning issued by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) that Britain’s elderly will have to delay their retirement to help lower the […]

25 Jul, 2014

U.S. businesses set to face heat as Gaza conflict sparks cola wars – Haaretz

Businesses in Turkey and India are spurning Coca-Cola in response to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, according to several news sources. Social media activists are also making calls to boycott consumer companies that do business with Israel in general and Coca-Cola, which has had a bottling plant in Israel since the 1960s, […]

25 Jul, 2014

New Partners Sign Up for Int’l Telecoms Union Be He@lthy, Be Mobile initiative

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Geneva, 23 July 2014 – The International Telecommunication Union today announces that global healthcare company GSK and Public Health England (PHE) will join Be He@lthy, Be Mobile, an initiative which it leads in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The new partnership and the continued evolution of digital health around the world are being […]

25 Jul, 2014

UN Human Rights Council agrees probe into war crimes, U.S. votes “no”

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United Nations, UN News Centre, 23 July 2014 – The United Nations Human Rights Council today decided to launch an independent inquiry into purported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Meeting in an emergency session today, the Council adopted a resolution agreeing to send the […]

25 Jul, 2014

Xinjiang’s privately funded railways face uncertain future

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URUMQI, July 24 (Xinhua) — Track-laying on the Hongliuhe-Naomaohu Railway, one of the largest privately funded rail projects in China, was just completed in early July, but insiders have already begun to worry about its future. The 435-km-long cargo line, with Xinjiang Guanghui Industry Investment Group Co. Ltd. as a major investor, aims to make […]

25 Jul, 2014

The new order of global networks depends on equality and joint governance

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Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), July 24, 2014 – Internet governance requires peaceful coexistence and the cooperation of the entire international community, with the goal of building a peaceful, confident, open and cooperative network, through the establishment of a multilateral, transparent and democratic system. During his recent speech to the Congress of Brazil, President Xi Jinping […]

25 Jul, 2014

Nobel peace laureates, celebrities call for military embargo on Israel

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Palestinian BDS National Committee on July 20, 2014- Israel has once again unleashed the full force of its military against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an inhumane and illegal act of military aggression. Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has so far killed scores of Palestinian civilians, injured hundreds and […]

25 Jul, 2014

Why We Called for a Boycott of the White House Iftar | Huffington Post

By Amani Al-Khatahtbeh As the media relations specialist of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, I wrote up the statement last week declaring our boycott of all 2014 government iftars and calling on community leaders to do the same. The statement made ADC the first American organization to formally boycott this year’s events. ADC has historically engaged […]

25 Jul, 2014

India’s missed opportunity on Gaza – The Hindu

There is reason to believe that greater diplomatic activism by India on the Israel-Palestine issue would be welcomed by the emerging powers as well as the global south, which is looking for new leaders on the global stage. This is especially true at a time when the international system is mutating from the unipolarity of […]

24 Jul, 2014

The culture of intolerance breeding in India – Hindustan Times

BJP leader K Laxman questioning Sania Mirza’s eligibility to be Telangana’s brand ambassador has again brought to fore the culture of intolerance breeding in present-day India. Forget rating Laxman’s barb of ‘Pakistan’s daughter-in-law’ on the scale of absurdity, his posturing makes it clear that the ugly face of identity politics still has takers. Laxman backed […]

24 Jul, 2014

Israeli academic calls for campaign of rape | GulfNews.com

Dubai: An Israeli academic and former intelligence officer in the regime’s military has called for the use of rape as a deterrent against Palestinian resistance fighters. Mordechai Kedar, a fluent Arabic speaker and lecturer on Arabic literature at Bar Ilan University, said in a radio interview earlier this month that the nature of Arab culture […]

24 Jul, 2014

¥80 million budget to translate Japanese books into English to aid PR drive – The Japan Times

The government will allocate ¥80 million to translate Japanese books into English as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s campaign to boost the country’s image in foreign countries, officials said on Wednesday. Read the rest: ¥80 million earmarked to translate Japanese books into English to aid PR drive | The Japan Times.

24 Jul, 2014

Southeast Asia’s biggest exodus peaks – The Jakarta Post

The largest exodus in Southeast Asia began this week with millions of Indonesians traveling home, packing the roads, railroads, sea-lanes and the sky on various modes of transportation. In Cirebon, West Java, thousands of people on motorcycles began swarming the Java north coast highway (Pantura) at high speed on Wednesday, still several days before Idul […]

24 Jul, 2014

HRW-Columbia Law School report exposes how U.S. created fake “Islamic terrorists”

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July 21, 2014 (Washington, DC) –The US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have targeted American Muslims in abusive counterterrorism “sting operations” based on religious and ethnic identity, Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute said in a report released today. Many of the more than 500 terrorism-related cases […]

24 Jul, 2014

China’s RMB as next world currency – four challenges to be faced

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Beijing, (People’s Daily Online), July 24, 2014 – The Chinese renminbi (RMB) will become the world’s third largest currency after the U.S. dollar and Euro within five years as the country accelerates the promotion of its currency unit. A report by the International Monetary Institute of Renmin University of China and the Bank of Communications, […]

24 Jul, 2014

Chris Hedges: The Palestinians’ Right to Self-Defense – Truthdig

If Israel insists, as the Bosnian Serbs did in Sarajevo, on using the weapons of industrial warfare against a helpless civilian population then that population has an inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The international community will have to either act to immediately halt Israeli attacks and lift the […]

24 Jul, 2014

Jewish Voice for Peace Executive Director Calls on World to Act Against Israel

Action Alert call by Rebecca Vilkomerson

Action Alert The glimmer of hope I have in these dark days is you – our community of members, supporters, and allies standing up all over the world.  In the police van with Maia Ettinger, daughter and grand-daughter of Holocaust survivors. The time to act is now. Dear Supporter, Yesterday, I was part of a […]

24 Jul, 2014

‘Witch Hunt’: Fired MSNBC Contributor Speaks Out on Suppression of Israel-Palestine Debate | Alternet

July 22, 2014 – MSNBC contributor Rula Jebreal’s on-air protest of the network’s slanted coverage of Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip has brought media suppression of the Israel-Palestine debate into sharp focus. Punished for her act of dissent with the cancellation of all future appearances and the termination of her contract, Jebreal spoke […]

24 Jul, 2014

The positions of global governments on the Israeli attack on Gaza

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Editor’s Note: The following is a summary record of statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict made at the 7222nd meeting of the UN Security Council on 22 July 2014. It was distributed by the UN Department of Public Information. United Nations, 22 July 2014, Department of Public Information – Although a ceasefire was critical in ending […]

24 Jul, 2014

Chinese wealthy spending more－on property

By SHI JING

Beijing, July 23, 2014 (China Daily) — After a slight dip in the Luxury Consumer Price Index last year, it rose by 4 percent in 2014, according to a Hurun Research Institute report released on Tuesday. The LCPI was also 1.7 percent higher than China’s overall CPI released by the National Bureau of Statistics in […]

24 Jul, 2014

We are Israeli reservists. We refuse to serve. – The Washington Post

Whenever the Israeli army drafts the reserves — which are made up of ex-soldiers — there are dissenters, resisters, and AWOLers among the troops called to war. Now that Israel has sent troops to Gaza again and reserves are being summoned to service, dozens are refusing to take part. We are more than 50 Israelis […]

23 Jul, 2014

MH17 & MH370: Can you spot the difference?

Imtiaz Muqbil

The campaign of vilification against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the fatal downing of MH17 has the same ring-tone as that against former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the 2003 attack on Iraq. That attack, based on the totally fraudulent claim that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, triggered a conflict that […]

23 Jul, 2014

World’s First Foresight Encyclopedic Dictionary Available to the Public

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(PRWEB) July 23, 2014 – FUTURES, the world’s first Foresight Encyclopedic Dictionary, is now available to the public in both English and Spanish, and plans are in progress for other translations as well. It contains more than 1,000 terms used in futures research and studies. It offers an immersion into the field of foresight, including […]

23 Jul, 2014

Massacre in Gaza – Richard Falk – Al Jazeera English

As with earlier massive Israeli military operations carried out against the people of Gaza 2008-2009, and 2012, the defenceless Gazan population is again being cruelly victimised. If an adversary of the West was behaving as Israel has since July 8, it would be branded an aggressor whose leaders would likely be held accountable before the […]

22 Jul, 2014

Philippines’ Population Expected To Hit 100 Million On July 27

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KALIBO, the Philippines, July 22 (Bernama) — The Philippines’ population is expected to reach 100 million on July 27, Xinhua news agency reported. The Philippine Population Commission (POPCOM) said Tuesday the 100th million Filipino is anticipated to be born that day in one of six provinces under the jurisdiction of the Western Visayas region and […]

22 Jul, 2014

Global Trades Union: Palestinians must have an independent state

International Trade Union Confederation statement

Geneva, 22 July 2014, ITUC media release: With over 500 people in Gaza killed, 80% of them women and children, in a massive escalation of Israel’s assault, an immediate ceasefire and return to the 2012 truce agreement is absolutely urgent. Over 80,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes, with many seeking shelter in […]

22 Jul, 2014

FREE Download: 3 in 10 Global Consumers Don’t Trust Retailers With Their Data – Survey

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NAPLES, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)-July 22, 2014-A global fraud study of more than 6,100 consumers across 20 countries revealed distrust among global consumers in retailers to protect their data. The new study, “Global Consumers: Concerned and Willing to Engage in the Battle Against Fraud,” is the second in a two-part series conducted by ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) […]

22 Jul, 2014

4 Ways America Is Complicit In Israel’s War Crimes – Alex Kane, Alternet

July 21, 2014 | America’s unstinting support for Israel is a key reason why the assault on Gaza continues unabated. As the death toll climbs to over 500 Palestinians, mostly civilians, there is no immediate end in sight. There is little reason for Israel to stop when it can count on the backing of the […]

22 Jul, 2014

China, Venezuela sign 38 new agreements

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CARACAS, July 22 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Venezuela and China signed 38 new cooperation agreements for the development which open the doors to a new historical stage of exchanges, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro said. Maduro announced the construction and assembly of a third Venezuelan satellite with Chinese help and advice. Different joint funds between the two […]

22 Jul, 2014

Malaysian CEO Forum 2014 Flags Warning Signs of Looming Financial Crisis

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KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) — Economists and financial experts are predicting an imminent global financial crash, of equal or greater severity than the 1997 crisis, from which Malaysia recovered thanks to incisive policy decisions. The macroeconomic discipline imposed during the 1997 crisis helped Malaysia to weather the 2008 financial turmoil and Malaysia was spared […]

22 Jul, 2014

High-Level NSA Whistleblower: Blackmail Is a Huge Part of Mass Surveillance

According to James Bamford, author of two authoritative books on the agency, “The NSA’s operation is eerily similar to the FBI’s operations under J. Edgar Hoover in the 1960s where the bureau used wiretapping to discover vulnerabilities, such as sexual activity, to ‘neutralize’ their targets.” The ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer has warned that a president might […]

22 Jul, 2014

BRICS bank beginning of the end of Western hegemony – The Hindu

It is too early to say whether these mechanisms will challenge the role of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have been the bedrock of the Bretton Woods system under U.S. hegemony. But they at least serve as a reminder that the […]

21 Jul, 2014

Bethlehem Christians join the Ramadan fast in interfaith solidarity

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 21 July 2014 (23 Ramadan 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ EID UL FITR MUBARAK TO ALL MY READERS Islamic Travel Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil […]

21 Jul, 2014

“The Anatomy of a Great Deception” Chosen to Headline 9/11 Truth Film Festival

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Detroit, MI (PRWEB) July 18, 2014 – The 9/11 documentary film, “The Anatomy of a Great Deception” received an invitation to headline the 2014 9/11 Truth Film Festival to be held from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, California on September 11 2014. The fast-paced docu-thriller, which has been […]

21 Jul, 2014

Israel: America’s Frankenstein Monster – Alternet

There’s more to the history of the modern State of Israel than its fraught relationship with the United States. Israel’s roots extend back to 19th-century European Zionism, and before that deep into the peripatetic story of the Jewish people. But in the decades since Israel was born out of the global guilt and shame of […]

21 Jul, 2014

Confucius Institutes blossom across Latin American countries

By Sun Xiaochen

(China Daily) 2014-07-20 – Thanks to the growing ties between China and Latin American countries in recent years, demand for Chinese-language learning and cultural exchanges has surged in the region, as shown by the expansion of the Confucius Institute. The Confucius Institute, a nonprofit public agency affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, has built […]

21 Jul, 2014

Priority boost for development projects at Thai overland borders

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Bangkok – Thailand’s border checkpoint areas with Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia are to be prioritised for urgent development in preparation for the Integrated ASEAN Community in 2015, the country’s military chief announced on 18 July. In his nationwide weekly radio/TV broadcast, General Prayut Chan-o-cha Head of the National Council for Peace and Order, said the […]

21 Jul, 2014

No accountability as U.S. govt adds thousands to ‘opaque’ terrorist watch-list – Yahoo News

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) — The U.S. government is rapidly expanding the number of names it accepts for inclusion on its terrorist watch list, with more than 1.5 million added in the last five years, according to numbers divulged by the government in a civil lawsuit. About 99 percent of the names submitted are accepted, leading […]

21 Jul, 2014

Israeli soldiers spray sewage-smelling chemical on Manger Street in Bethlehem

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BETHLEHEM, July 20 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israeli forces sprayed homes and shops along Bethlehem’s Manger Street with a foul-smelling chemical on Friday night, following clashes with local youths protesting in solidarity with Gaza. On Friday evening, Israeli forces opened fire on youths in northern Bethlehem with stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets, after large marches broke […]

20 Jul, 2014

Exposed: How Israeli students manipulate global opinion via social media

Raich said students played a similar role during 2012’s Pillar of Defence operation – another Israeli military action against Hamas in Gaza. According to the university’s figures, 1600 students volunteered to spread social media messages to an audience of 21 million people in 62 countries and in 31 languages. The Prime Minister’s office, the Minister […]

20 Jul, 2014

World’s richest man calls for a three-day working week – FT.com

We’ve got it all wrong, says Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecoms tycoon and world’s second-richest man: we should be working only three days a week. Attending a business conference in Paraguay, Mr Slim said it was time for a “radical overhaul” of people’s working lives. Instead of being able to retire at 50 or 60, […]

19 Jul, 2014

A father who lost his children in Gaza calls for end to the bloodshed — theguardian.com

Nothing is impossible but we need to act before it becomes irreversible. Palestinians and Israelis have been angry for a long time but we need to ask what our anger has achieved? It has brought destruction and injustice to ourselves and to others. When the war ends, and I hope it happens soon, all will […]

19 Jul, 2014

How language changes views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Self-defence. Occupation. Apartheid. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as much a struggle over language as it is a battle over land. Military might has always relied on an effective propaganda campaign to distinguish aggressor from victim. When Alice asks Humpty Dumpty whether words can mean so many different things he answers, ‘‘the question is … which […]

19 Jul, 2014

BRICS development bank headquarters in Shanghai bolsters China’s status

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BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhuanet) — A day after the world’s five largest developing countries picked Shanghai as the headquarters for their new 100 billion US dollar development bank, experts say it will help reinforce China’s central role in the group of five nations known as BRICS. The New Development Bank is designed to fund infrastructure […]

19 Jul, 2014

China pledges backing for transcontinental S. American railway project

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BRASILIA, July 17, (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart, Dilma Rousseff, vowed here Thursday to cooperate closely on a railway project that runs across the South American continent. In his talks with Rousseff, Xi called upon the two countries to carry out strategic cooperation in high-speed railway construction and make concerted […]

19 Jul, 2014

Chinese firms to buy 60 aircraft from Brazil’s Embraer

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BRASILIA, July 17, (Xinhua) — Two Chinese companies on Thursday signed a deal here with Brazil’s Embraer, a leading aircraft manufacturer, to buy 60 more E190 planes from the Brazilian firm. According to the newly signed deal, Tianjin Airlines and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Leasing will buy twenty E190 aircraft from […]

19 Jul, 2014

China’s anti-corruption war: You can run but you cannot hide

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BEIJING, July 18, (Xinhua) — One disgraced ex-military chief; one fazed vice chairman of China’s top political advisory body; a handful of crushed vice governors; and close to 30 felled ministerial-level officials. The anti-corruption crusade of China’s current leadership since late 2012 has exposed a long, infamous list of fraudulent high-ranking officials, or “tigers” as […]

19 Jul, 2014

Lawrence Weschler: Israel Has Been Bitten by a Bat – Truthdig

It is quite simply massively self-serving delusion that Israelis (and their enablers and abettors here in America, among whom incidentally I count a steadily declining number of American Jews) refuse to recognize that fact. The backbone of Zionist AIPAC-like electoral strength in the U.S. today is rooted among Protestant evangelicals and other instrumentalist neocons, and […]

19 Jul, 2014

West’s Fight against Russian Exports: From Visa Denial to War – RIA Novosti

The recent scandal with the denial of British visas to more than half of the Russian delegation to FIA (Farnborough International Airshow) was characterized by the Russian foreign ministry as “clearly unfriendly.” Representatives of the Russian companies hit by the denial – Rostekhnologii and United Aviation Corporation (OAK) – have also voiced suspicions that the […]

19 Jul, 2014

Russian Defense Ministry statement on the MH Boeing 777 crash

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Moscow, 18.07.2014 – The Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation released the following statement in connection with the crash of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. “In view of the objective investigation of the air crash of the Boeing 777 that crashed on the territory of Ukraine, it is necessary to conduct thorough investigation with the involvement […]

19 Jul, 2014

Egyptian political groups support Palestinian resistance – Ahram Online

Revolutionary Socialist and prominent labour activist Haitham Moamadeen accused the Egyptian proposal of only being concerned with “protecting Israel’s security.” According to head of Egypt Freedom Party Amr Hamzawy, instead of holding talks with Israel – which he says “has never stopped from carrying out attacks on Palestinians” – the priority should be the immediate […]

19 Jul, 2014

Alternative Crops Vital to Alleviating Poverty, Combatting Drugs Menace, UN hears

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United Nations, Department of Public Information, 15 July 2014 — Organized crime and illicit criminal activity undermined essential institutions like the rule of law and delivery of education and health, the United Nations leading expert on drugs and crime told the Economic and Social Council today. Opening a high-level panel discussion entitled “Sustainable development and […]