9 Jun, 2014

MH370: Australian oil rig worker loses job after ‘fire in the sky’ report

Reports from an oil rig worker who saw a fire in the sky on the night Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared are being taken seriously, police sources have confirmed. But New Zealander Mike McKay, 55, has lost his job in the ‘‘circus’’ that developed after his report to authorities was leaked. Mr McKay had been […]

9 Jun, 2014

Families of MH370 passengers seek whistleblower, offer $5m reward: The Independent

The families of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have launched a campaign calling for a “whistleblower” to come forward and reveal how the plane has lost, offering a reward of up to $5 million. They plan to raise the money via the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, and hope that a large enough […]

9 Jun, 2014

Sharad Pawar: Modi as PM emboldened communal forces – Financial Express

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Sunday expressed alarm over the rising communal incidents after Narendra Modi became the prime minister. At the NCP’s 15th Foundation Day function here, Pawar said, “The change of government in Delhi appears to have emboldened the communal forces who have started asserting themselves leading to growing incidents of communal conflict […]

8 Jun, 2014

No tolerance for hate crimes – The Hindu

Nothing puts to test the strength of India’s secular, social fabric as a hate crime does. The horrific murder of Mohsin Shaikh, an IT professional in Pune, by a group of youngsters owing allegiance to the Hindu Rashtra Sena, is a reminder of how a post-election feeling of triumphalism can feed a climate of lawlessness […]

7 Jun, 2014

How fasting can regenerate the immune system — Sydney Morning Herald

By Sarah Knapton Fasting for three days can regenerate the entire immune system, even in the elderly, scientists have found in a breakthrough described as ‘‘remarkable’’. Although fasting diets have been criticised by nutritionists, research suggests that starving the body kick-starts stem cells into producing more white blood cells, which fight off infection. Scientists at […]

7 Jun, 2014

Singaporean man sought consular help to get ‘bad sex’ refund | The Japan Times

SINGAPORE – Singapore on Thursday urged its globe-trotting citizens to avoid misusing consular services abroad, revealing “odd requests,” including one man who demanded help to get a refund for bad sex. Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said the number of overseas trips made by Singaporeans surged to 7 million in 2013, compared to 3.6 million a […]

7 Jun, 2014

PM Modi’s silence on some issues has certainly been perplexing – Hindustan Times

What’s happened in Pune is in some ways even more spine-chilling. Morphed online photographs of Bal Thackeray and Chhatrapati Shivaji resulted in communal friction and street protests in the city. Soon after, Mohsin Mohammed Sadique Shaikh — a computer engineer still in his twenties and in no ways connected to the circulation of these photographs […]

7 Jun, 2014

Gallup Polls: Few Consumers Trust Companies to Keep Online Info Safe

by John Fleming and Elizabeth Kampf

June 6, 2014, WASHINGTON, D.C. (Gallup Polls) — Recent incidents such as Target’s security breach, the Heartbleed bug, and eBay’s systems hack have called attention to how much consumers trust the businesses they patronize to keep their personal information safe. That trust currently appears to be hard to come by. Just 21% of Americans have […]

7 Jun, 2014

Manila Bulletin: Sex offenders to be barred from entering Philippines

by Jun Ramirez

June 5, 2014, Manila Bulletin –  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) banned the entry of foreigners who are registered sex offenders in other countries. BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison on Thursday said any alien whose name is found in the registry of sex offenders kept by foreign embassies and other watch groups will be issued an […]

6 Jun, 2014

No-fly list discriminates against Muslim travelers | The Daily Texan

Many Longhorns will take this summer break as an opportunity to study or travel abroad. Most students will board their planes without a second thought. However, some students will have to worry about possible discrimination based on appearance or religious affiliation by which they could be unfairly chosen for frisking or even denied boarding on […]

6 Jun, 2014

Israeli apartheid exposed at the airport – Haaretz

Despite new x-ray machines, the brutal treatment of Arab citizens at Ben-Gurion Airport continues in keeping with Zionist ideology. Read the rest: Israeli apartheid exposed at the airport – Opinion Israel News | Haaretz.

6 Jun, 2014

Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance – The Guardian

Vodafone, one of the world’s largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the existence of secret wires that allow government agencies to listen to all conversations on its networks, saying they are widely used in some of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe and beyond. The company has broken its silence on government […]

6 Jun, 2014

Eight ways to take back your online privacy — Sydney Morning Herald

A year ago, Edward Snowden’s leaks about the US mass surveillance program made headlines around the world. Now he’s urging internet users to stop relying on governments to protect their rights online and claw back their privacy themselves. “We’re past the point where citizens are entirely dependent on governments to defend our privacy, we don’t […]

6 Jun, 2014

Japan to share fingerprints with U.S. | The Japan Times

The Diet on Wednesday endorsed an agreement to share with the United States in real time the fingerprints of suspected terrorists and individuals involved in serious crimes. The pact, approved by the Lower House last month, was passed Wednesday by the Upper House on the strength of backing by the Liberal Democratic Party and New […]

6 Jun, 2014

PM Modi must condemn Sadique Shaikh’s murder – The Times of India

Modi would like his ministers to be active on social networking websites. But this can only work if the general populace has the same right without being subject to arbitrary arrest and even hate crimes. Moreover, zealots may read the BJP victory as a signal to go ahead with such crimes. This interpretation must be […]

6 Jun, 2014

Year of the Whistleblower: 10 things we didn’t know before Snowden — RT USA

Welcome to the post-Snowden era, where everything you say or do can be monitored by secret services – regardless of a court of law. One year on,here are the top 10 revelations showing us how the world has been fundamentally transformed by state snooping. Read the rest: Year of the whistleblower: 10 things we didn’t […]

6 Jun, 2014

PressTV – Israel critics targeted as ‘anti-Semites’ in Canada

By Joshua Blakeney Since 2010, I have been Press TV’s Canadian correspondent based in Calgary, Alberta. I have been forced by the actions and statements of Canada’s ruling neoconservatives to hone in on the role Zionists and the organized Jewish community play in Canadian society. Canada’s current government has shifted this country from being a […]

6 Jun, 2014

Top US CEOs make 330 times more than average employees – RT Business

The average employee in the US will have to work 331 years to earn the annual salary of an average Fortune 500 CEO, according to the AFL-CIO’s 2013 Executive Paywatch. The ratio of CEO pay to worker pay has increased by more than 500 percent in the last thirty years. In 1983, the average CEO […]

6 Jun, 2014

Cruise operators accused of misleading travellers over Anzac centenary tours

The Australian and Turkish governments have accused tour operators of misleading travellers by continuing to advertise cruises that offer access to the Gallipoli Peninsula for the Anzac Day dawn service next year, marking the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings. The Turkish government has also told Fairfax Media no cruise ships will be able to […]

6 Jun, 2014

What You Should Know About Face Recognition Technology | Alternet

By Tana Ganeva June 4, 2014 – The NSA’s spying doesn’t stop at texts, emails, phone metadata, World of Warcraft, eavesdropping on foreign officials or archiving every phone call made by everyone in the Bahamas. The spy agency is also collecting millions of images every day to plug into face recognition technology, according to a […]

6 Jun, 2014

Glenn Greenwald to Publish Names of Americans NSA Spied On | Alternet

By Alyssa Figueroa May 29, 2014 – Those who have grown apathetic about the National Security Agency violating privacy rights, may soon find their interest renewed, as the political is about to get very personal. According to The Sunday Times of London, Glenn Greenwald will publish the names of Americans targeted by the NSA. “One […]

6 Jun, 2014

A Surveillance State Beyond Imagination Is Being Created in One of the World’s Freest Countries

By Noam Chomsky June 2, 2014 – In the past several months, we have been provided with instructive lessons on the nature of state power and the forces that drive state policy. And on a closely related matter: the subtle, differentiated concept of transparency. The source of the instruction, of course, is the trove of […]

6 Jun, 2014

5 Signs that America Has Gone Bonkers—and a Glimmer of Hope | Alternet

Imtiaz Muqbil

By Jim Hightower May 29, 2014 – It might appear that the U-S-of-A has gone bonkers. So let me clear up any confusion that you might have: Yes, it has! Yet, it hasn’t. More on that in a moment. First, though — whether looking at the “tea party” congress critters who’ve swerved our nation’s political […]

6 Jun, 2014

Australia’s rich get amnesty to declare offshore tax structures

One hundred of Australia’s richest people have taken advantage of a rare amnesty from the Australian Taxation Office – issued in March this year – to reveal their use of secretive offshore tax havens without severe punishment. There has also been a ”large number of expressions of interest” in addition to those 100 people, according […]

4 Jun, 2014

11 Ways to Reboot and Reform Thai Tourism

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The Thailand Travel Mart+ which opens today comes in the midst of a wider national transition which has seen the Thai tourism industry, the largest service industry, hit by its worst crises in decades. The upheaval is no act-of-God, but an entirely self-inflicted political catastrophe which disproves the current tourism slogan: “Amazing Thailand: […]

3 Jun, 2014

151 Days of Alcohol-related Blackouts | Alternet

by May Wilkerson I was a blackout drinker from the first time I ever got drunk at 16, and my blackouts would cut broad swathes of time right out of my memory, ranging from an hour to an entire night. After waking up the next day, I would search my immediate surroundings for physical clues. […]

2 Jun, 2014

World Cup 2014 in Brazil ready to welcome Muslim fans

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 02 June 2014 (04 Sha’baan 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE – GATEWAY TO MALAYSIA, THE MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION The Islamic Tourism Centre in Malaysia […]

1 Jun, 2014

Americans Say U.S. multinationals do poor job helping grow U.S. economy

by Frank Newport

PRINCETON, N.J. — (Gallup Polls) May 27, 2014 – Americans see large U.S. companies as having a more positive effect overseas than they do domestically. While 66% of Americans believe that large U.S. companies do a good job creating good jobs for citizens in other countries where they do business, far fewer, 43%, say the […]

31 May, 2014

Investigative Journo exposes the U.S-Israeli lies over the Iranian “nuclear threat”

Harpers magazine interview with investigative journalist Gareth Porter The claim of an Iranian nuclear-weapons program has been based on false history and falsified records. The description of the Iranian nuclear program presented in official documents, in commentaries by think-tank “experts,” and in the media bears no resemblance to the essential historical facts. One would never […]

27 May, 2014

Siem Reap to host 1st UNWTO-UNESCO global conf on tourism and culture

Imtiaz Muqbil

The world’s first ministerial-level conference on tourism and culture is to be held in Siem Reap, home of the World Heritage temple complex of Angkor Wat, between February 4-6, 2015. It will jointly organised by the UN World Tourism Organisation in cooperation with UNESCO. Announcing the event at the UNWTO’s regional meetings for Asia in […]

26 May, 2014

Damac launches Sharia-compliant hotel apartments

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 26 May 2014 (27 Rajab 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE — SUPPORT MALAYSIA IN ITS TIME OF NEED The tragedy of MH370 has led […]

24 May, 2014

Get the data: What the drones strike | Bureau of Investigative Journalism

The Bureau is publishing, for the first time, data showing the types of targets that have been reportedly attacked by CIA drones in Pakistan. The research is a joint project by the Bureau, Forensic Architecture, a research unit based at Goldsmiths University, London, and Situ Research in New York. The data feeds this interactive website […]

24 May, 2014

Most US drone strikes in Pakistan attack houses – Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Domestic buildings have been hit by drone strikes more than any other type of target in the CIA’s 10-year campaign in the tribal regions of northern Pakistan, new research reveals. By way of contrast, since 2008, in neighbouring Afghanistan drone strikes on buildings have been banned in all but the most urgent situations, as part […]

24 May, 2014

On Using ‘Anti-Semitism’ to Promote a Political Agenda in America

by: David Harris-Gershon Fifteen years ago, on a dirt road in rural Missouri, I was followed by two men in a beat-up Ford pickup for three miles, their middle fingers raised and their faces strained, screaming words I could not hear – words I did not need to hear. This was during my yarmulke-wearing days. […]

23 May, 2014

Man faces arrest in Goa for making anti-Modi comment – Hindustan Times

An anti-Narendra Modi comment on Facebook may now lead to the arrest of a 31-year-old shipbuilding professional, even as police in BJP-ruled Goa suspect a “larger game plan to promote communal and social disharmony in the state”. Civil society activists and the Opposition plan to picket outside the police headquarters on Saturday against what they […]

23 May, 2014

Philippines, Indonesia sign ‘model’ maritime border accord – The Jakarta Post

Indonesia and the Philippines on Friday signed a maritime border accord, hailing it as a model for peacefully settling increasingly tense territorial disputes in the region. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the agreement, the result of 20 years of negotiations, showed that the escalating rows in the South China Sea could be resolved without […]

23 May, 2014

IRIN Asia – Laos “land grabs” drive subsistence farmers into deeper poverty

“Land grabs” in Laos are driving poor farmers, including ethnic minorities, off their land, away from livelihoods they know and into further poverty, activists and experts say. “When these lands [are given] to companies and converted to industrial agriculture or other uses, it destroys the foundation of rural people’s lives, livelihoods and knowledge systems, as […]

22 May, 2014

Most students believe they don’t get value for money at university: Survey – The Independent

The days of traditional university lectures may be over as new research shows students are boycotting them because they believe they can get all the information they need on the net. The finding emerges from a survey of 15,000 students which shows a large majority of those attending English universities no longer believe they get […]

22 May, 2014

Jobs, Government, and Economy Remain Top U.S. Problems

by Rebecca Riffkin

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 19, 2014 (Gallup media release) — Twenty percent of Americans name unemployment or jobs as the most important problem facing the country in May, up from 14% who mentioned these issues in April. Dysfunctional government (19%) and the economy in general (17%) also rank among the top problems. These three issues — […]

22 May, 2014

Gallup Polls: Americans’ Satisfaction With Direction of U.S. Remains at Low 25%

by Justin McCarthy

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2014, (Gallup media release) — Americans are as satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. as they have been for the past five months. One in four (25%) say they are satisfied with current direction of the country, while 74% express dissatisfaction. Americans’ satisfaction with the country’s direction […]

22 May, 2014

AirAsia CEO: “Visit Thailand to see what a coup that is not a coup looks like”

By Imtiaz Muqbil in Manila

Manila – AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes says he has seen no downward impact of the Thai martial law on flights to Thailand. On the contrary, he told delegates at the World Economic Forum on East Asia, AirAsia is promoting Thailand and encouraging people “to go and see what a coup that is not like […]

20 May, 2014

Chinese state councilor urges cooperation in Silk Road projects

By Pu Zhendong and Zhao Yanrong in Beijing, and Zheng Yangpeng in Boao, Hainan

(China Daily) 2014-04-11 – Asian countries should build trust and optimize development mechanisms in the spirit of regionalism to advance the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday. “China’s proposal for ‘The Belt and The Road’ is an open and cooperative proposal,” State […]

19 May, 2014

China to promote business services via favorable tax rates, investments

By Zheng Yangpeng

Beijing (China Daily) 2014-05-15 – China will boost its business service industries to restructure its economy, stimulate domestic demand and increase job opportunities, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting on Wednesday. The announcement is part of a broader central government effort to build up the nation’s long underdeveloped service sector […]

19 May, 2014

An open letter to Narendra Modi from Gopalkrishna Gandhi, The Hindu

All religious minorities in India, not just the Muslim, bear scars in their psyche even as Hindus and Sikhs displaced from West Punjab, and Kashmiri Pandits do. There is the fear of a sudden riot caused with real or staged provocation, and then returned with multiplied retribution, targeted very specially on women. Dalits and Adivasis, […]

19 May, 2014

Britain’s richest 1% own as much as poorest 55% of population – The Guardian

Britain’s richest 1% have accumulated as much wealth as the poorest 55% of the population put together, according to the latest official analysis of who owns the nation’s £9.5tn of property, pensions and financial assets. In figures that also lay bare the extent of inequality across the north-south divide, the Office for National Statistics said […]

19 May, 2014

Families paying the price of a new financial order – Sydney Morning Herald

Life just got a little squeezier for people in middle age. Already wedged between the demands of paid work, dependent children and ageing parents, changes forecast by this week’s federal budget have forced them firmly into the ”heavy lifting” corner. With educational expenses set to increase, the kids are likely to stay in the family […]

19 May, 2014

The internet generation will be a lot better at forgiveness than older people – The Guardian

Their private tutorials were supposed to be about the finer points of Aristotle’s philosophy, but “more words of love than reading passed between us and more kissing than teaching”. Héloïse d’Argenteuil was nearly 20 years younger than her teacher, the celebrated theologian Peter Abelard. And their 12th-century love affair became the stuff of legend – […]

19 May, 2014

Everyone should know just how much the U.S. government lied to defend the NSA – The Guardian

Intelligence director James Clapper’s infamous lie to Congress – in which he claimed just months before Snowden’s leaks that the NSA was not collecting data on millions of Americans – will certainly follow him for the rest of his career even if it never leads to his prosecution. But while Clapper almost certainly broke the […]

19 May, 2014

Management study: Female CEOs more likely than men to be fired – The Observer

The perception that high-achieving businesswomen are more vulnerable than their male counterparts to being abruptly fired – pushed off the “glass cliff” in the contemporary corporate vernacular – has been borne out by a new study from a global management consultancy. Researchers at Strategy&, formerly known as Booz & Company, found that women are forced […]

19 May, 2014

Qatar Airways to shift to new Doha airport hub on 27 May

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 19 May 2014 (20 Rajab 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story. ============ THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE — SUPPORT MALAYSIA IN ITS TIME OF NEED The tragedy of MH370 has […]

18 May, 2014

The Japan Times Editorial Blasts Plan to Open Casino Resorts

Japan’s government is considering legalizing gambling in Japan, one of the world’s last untapped markets for gambling. Two billionaire casino operators are pushing to open casino resorts and turn Japan into the third-largest center for gambling after the United States and Macau. Gambling will bring problems. The examples of the U.S. and the United Kingdom […]

18 May, 2014

American Pedophile posed as “teacher” to abuse dozens | The Jakarta Post

He was one of the most beloved teachers in the small world of international schools that serve the children of diplomats, well-off American expatriates and local elites. He was often the first to arrive in the morning, and the last to leave each day. He led students on class trips to exotic places, treating them […]

18 May, 2014

First book on MH370 mystery blames US war games – Brisbane Times

Seventy-one days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, the first book about the disaster will go on sale on Monday with a theory about what might have happened. And as the international search continues for the aircraft Irene Burrows, the Queensland mother who lost her son and daughter-in-law on the flight, said it was too […]

15 May, 2014

China urges Central, Eastern European states to realise the Silk Road dream

By ZHOU WA

Beijing, (chinadaily.com.cn), 2014-05-14 – Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on China and central and eastern European countries to combine their own development with the building of a New Silk Road Economic Belt and other proposals of major international cooperation. Wang met visiting national coordinators from the 16 central and eastern European countries during the […]

15 May, 2014

China travel boom reshapes spending patterns

By Wu Yiyao

Shanghai (China Daily) 2014-05-15 – Chinese consumers’ spending on dining, hotels and entertainment has surged more than 60 percent in the past three years because of increased overseas travel, a report said on Wednesday. UnionPay International, a unit of China UnionPay Co Ltd whose activities include cross-border transactions, surveyed Chinese consumers in more than 140 […]

15 May, 2014

Melbourne city centre aims to be smoke-free by 2016 – The Business Times

[MELBOURNE] Melbourne is pushing to become one of the first cities in the world to be completely smoke-free, officials said Thursday, with anyone wanting a cigarette required to use a designated shelter. Melbourne city councillor Richard Foster said there was overwhelming support to extend smoke-free areas following a test in one of the Australian city’s […]

15 May, 2014

Avoid the Protests: Bangkok’s Traffic-free River to the Rescue

Imtiaz Muqbil

As Bangkok struggles to stay afloat in the midst of the ongoing political uncertainty, it’s most important icon, the Chao Phraya river, is set to come to the rescue. Eight upmarket hotels have joined forces under an umbrella grouping known as the Bangkok Riverside Marketing Partnership to position their location as the primary Leisure and […]

15 May, 2014

Break the silence: world war is beckoning – By John Pilger

Why do we tolerate the threat of another world war in our name? Why do we allow lies that justify this risk? The scale of our indoctrination, wrote Harold Pinter, is a “brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis”, as if the truth “never happened even while it was happening”. Every year the American […]

15 May, 2014

Ex-UK drugs company executive accused of running bribery network in China – The Independent

A former executive at the British drugs company GlaxoSmithKline has been accused of running a “massive bribery network” in China in which hospital staff were paid to use the firm’s medical products and boost sales. Mark Reilly has been charged with bribery and fraud for allegedly instructing his subordinates to pay off health officials, forcing […]

13 May, 2014

Writer Amos Oz calls Israeli vandals ‘Hebrew neo-Nazis’

Israel’s best known writer, Amos Oz, says that Israelis behind a wave of hate crimes against Muslims and Christian are “Hebrew neo-Nazis,” Haaretz newspaper reported on its website Saturday. It quoted the award-winning author as saying terms such as “price tag,” widely used to describe attacks on Palestinians and others by Jewish extremists, are sanitised […]

13 May, 2014

Asia’s Growing Imbalance Chasm: Excessive Prosperity, Grinding Poverty

By Karl Wilson

Sydney (China Daily), 2014-05-12 – Asia’s affluent middle class is rising rapidly as wealth in China is set to overtake Japan’s by 2015. No matter how you try to measure it, Asians are becoming wealthier. Fly into any capital city in the region and at once you will be struck by the display of wealth. […]

13 May, 2014

The UK APD reform “victory”: The Real Story

Imtiaz Muqbil

When the Pacific Asia Travel Association holds its various board and annual general meetings in Xuhai this week, one of the key issues will be an extension of the three-year contract for PATA CEO Mr. Martin Craigs. In the last few weeks, a slew of announcements has emerged from PATA to indicate that the association […]

12 May, 2014

Myanmar’s Peace Paradox – Situation Getting Both Better and Worse

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – While businessmen have rushed into Myanmar to tap the profit potential, the country’s almost overnight shift from military dictatorship to quasi-democracy has created a slew of problems ranging from land grabs, more communal violence, higher drug production and terrorism related to business conflicts. The role of foreign aid has also come under scrutiny […]

12 May, 2014

Kyrgyzstan looks to tourist season with optimism

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 12 May 2014 (13 Rajab 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE — SUPPORT MALAYSIA IN ITS TIME OF NEED The tragedy of MH370 has […]

11 May, 2014

Israel’s Aggressive Spying in the U.S. Mostly Hushed Up – Newsweek

Always lurking, former intelligence officials say, was the powerful “Israeli lobby,” the network of Israel’s friends in Congress, industry and successive administrations, Republican and Democratic, ready to protest any perceived slight on the part of U.S. security officials. A former counterintelligence specialist told Newsweek he risked Israel’s wrath merely by providing routine security briefings to […]

10 May, 2014

Code of conduct vital to protect corporate whistleblowers

He was the first gaijin ”salaryman” who rose through the ranks to become the chief executive of a major Japanese company. But within a matter of months he was out the door – and then he blew the whistle on almost $US2 billion in corporate malfeasance. Now he has thrown his weight behind a push […]

10 May, 2014

Radioactive cesium-137 from Fukushima 1.5 times Tepco estimate | The Japan Times

VIENNA – The total amount of radioactive cesium-137 released into the atmosphere and seawater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is estimated at between 17,500 and 20,500 terabecquerels, a study by a Japanese research team showed Friday. The team’s finding on the cumulative amount of cesium-137 is nearly 1.5 times more than […]

10 May, 2014

Japanese women’s group launches bid to deny sex to pro-war men | The Japan Times

A women’s group has started a campaign vowing to swear off sex with any man who is pro-war, to protest Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to reinterpret the pacifist Constitution. The campaign was launched a week ago, on Constitution Day, on a website that encourages women to pledge “not to have sex with men who […]

10 May, 2014

Jewish fanatics scrawl “Jesus is garbage” graffiti on Jerusalem church

Vandals sprayed anti-Christian graffiti on a Jerusalem church on Friday, despite Israeli police stepping up security around religious sites ahead of a visit by Pope Francis later this month. “Price tag… King David for the Jews… Jesus is garbage” was spray-painted in Hebrew on the wall of St George’s, a Romanian Orthodox church near an […]

10 May, 2014

Why the Israel-Palestine peace talks collapsed, by Richard Falk: Al-Ahram Weekly

It has been painfully obvious ever since the Oslo Accords in 1993 that there is something fundamentally deficient about the double role played by the United States in relation to such negotiations. How can it be trusted when American officials declare over and over again that the country will forever remain the unconditional ally of […]

10 May, 2014

Boko Haram’s Deluded Understanding of Faith and Women

By Haris Tarin As a man who was brought up by remarkable women and who today has strong women in my life, I say enough. Enough justification of criminality and medieval behavior against women in the name of my faith. Enough subjugation of women for cultural and political agendas in the name of my faith. […]

10 May, 2014

Palestine Chief Negotiator Erekat: “With Status Quo on Its Side, Israel Happily Rejects Peace”

Palestinian reconciliation can be rejected only by those who aim to perpetuate the status quo. This is precisely what the government of Israel has been doing during nine months of negotiations: killing 61 Palestinians, advancing more than 13,000 units in Israeli settlements, conducting almost 4,500 military Operations on Palestinian land, demolishing 196 Palestinian homes and […]

10 May, 2014

Silence aids Israeli aggression | The Electronic Intifada

by Tristan Thomas When I was pulled aside for questioning at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv a few weeks ago, I was relatively unconcerned. It had happened on a previous trip, and this time I was more prepared. Before I traveled, I had heard many stories of people being denied entry because of their […]

10 May, 2014

US states should act against Israel’s denial of entry to Americans | The Electronic Intifada

On 13 September 2012, an Israeli soldier pointed his gun at an American college student and ordered her to board a bus back to Jordan. The student, Yara Karmalawy, was attempting to travel to the occupied West Bank and present-day Israel as part of a university-sponsored trip with other students from the University of California, […]

10 May, 2014

Israelis’ Independence Day Rallying Cry: “Death to Arabs” | Mondoweiss

Hundreds of Palestinian cars displaying flags slowly crawled along the highway toward Lubya while Israeli vehicles headed to Independence Day celebrations waved their respective flags. As traffic came to a standstill, many busloads of Palestinians exited and walked along the shoulder of the highway toward the march. A large group of Israelis in a nearby […]

10 May, 2014

Ron Paul: Why the U.S. is No Longer Number One | The Lone Star Watchdog

The American government pursues many of the same flawed policies as the Chinese. For example, because of the increase in regulations, subsidies, and bailouts, many American businesses are putting more resources into manipulating the political process than producing goods and services desired by consumers. Many big businesses even lobby Congress and the federal bureaucracy for […]

9 May, 2014

If India’s Narendra Modi wins… by Siddharth Varadarajan – Al Jazeera English

What can India and the world expect if Narendra Modi, the self-styled “Hindu nationalist” who is front-runner in the elections, ends up winning a plurality of seats when results are declared on May 16? If he is forced to form a government with allies, the argument goes, Modi would not have the freedom to pursue […]

9 May, 2014

Outgoing UN Rapporteur Richard Falk on Israel: It’s apartheid – Al-Ahram Weekly

The outgoing UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 5/1 his last report on the dire conditions under which the Palestinian people have to live. Falk’s final presentation addresses Israeli settlements in the West Bank […]

9 May, 2014

Israel Won’t Stop Spying on the U.S. – Newsweek

Israel’s espionage activities in America are unrivaled and unseemly, counterspies have told members of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees, going far beyond activities by other close allies, such as Germany, France, the U.K. and Japan. A congressional staffer familiar with a briefing last January called the testimony “very sobering…alarming…even terrifying.” Another staffer called […]

9 May, 2014

FREE Download: Report Says Marketers Overwhelmed by Technology Vendors

by Ayaz Nanji

May 5, 2014 – Most marketers (63%) at midsize companies say they have too many marketing technology vendors to manage effectively, according to a recent report from DNN Software. Just over half (53%) of marketers say their organization manages five or more technology vendor relationships, and 15% say their company manages 10 or more. The […]

8 May, 2014

The 10 worst city tourism videos – theguardian.com

Bad acting, sexual innuendo and a parrot riding a tricycle – from Astana to Cincinnati to Singapore, come and marvel at the funniest and most baffling promotional tourism videos for cities Read the rest: The 10 worst city tourism videos | Cities | theguardian.com.

7 May, 2014

Hindutva redux in Uttar Pradesh – The Hindu

Not surprisingly then, Mr. Modi’s own rhetoric has gradually, almost inevitably, changed from livelihood talk and lofty promises of highways and bullet trains to issues around Pakistan and alleged Muslim appeasement. From insinuating a Pakistani connection in the case of Arvind Kejriwal (AK-49 for his 49 days as Delhi Chief Minister) to alleging a pink […]

7 May, 2014

Modi-run govt will be a bullying one: Salman Rushdie | The Indian Express

During his address, Rushdie described Modi as a “highly divisive figure”, a “hardliner’s hardliner” and voiced concern that the attacks on freedom of expression and literary works could worsen. He said for India, democracy should not mean just conducting free and fair elections but also ensuring the right to free speech. “If freedom of expression […]

6 May, 2014

Chinese tourists now get 24-hour travel passes to visit North Korea

By Yang Wanli

The first group of 35 Chinese cyclists enter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea via Tumen port in Jilin on Friday, after Tumen opened a one-day tour taking visitors to the DPRK. During the six-hour tour, the cyclists visited the Nanyo railway station and a statue of Kim Il-sung. [Photo/Xinhua] 2014-05-05, (China Daily) – Tumen […]

6 May, 2014

Another shooting at Dayton, Ohio, medical complex — RT USA

A suspected gunman is in custody on Monday after police say he opened fire and injured one man at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical complex in Dayton, Ohio. The gunman, 59-year-old Neil Moore, is a retired employee of the VA hospital. At approximately noon local time, witnesses heard gunfire in the basement of the […]

6 May, 2014

Malaysia will need to rebuild image in China after MH370, experts say

By Zheng Xin

Beijing, (China Daily), 2014-05-05 – The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has led to a decline in the number of Chinese tourists to Malaysia during the May Day holiday, the China National Tourism Administration said. Many travel agencies have changed the once popular “Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand” itinerary to a “Singapore-Vietnam-Thailand” one due to the negative impression […]

6 May, 2014

The banksters too big to jail – Sydney Morning Herald

Australian Funds manager Mike Mangan of 2MG keeps a passing eye on some of the less salubrious aspects of banking in his newsletter for clients. His current missive deals with banks that are not just too big to fail, but “too big to jail”. More worryingly, he suggests some of them might also be “too […]

6 May, 2014

China sees huge market for senior-services providers, including travel

By He Dan

Beijing, China Daily. 2014-05-05 – China’s aging population has created a huge market for senior-services providers from both home and abroad. Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the third China International Senior Services Expo, which kicked off in Beijing on May 4. The market value of nursing care […]

6 May, 2014

With India’s Election, A Reminder of Horrors of 2002 Gujarat Riots – NYTimes.com

AHMEDABAD, India — Gulbarg Society, a complex of 18 bungalows and two apartment blocks once occupied by upper-middle-class Muslims in the largely Hindu neighborhood of Chamanpura, is now a cluster of doorless burned shells. Inside the complex, Qasim Allah Noor Mansour, 70, sat on a patio, catching his breath after chasing away a homeless boy […]

6 May, 2014

Number of children in Japan drops for 33rd year | The Japan Times

The number of children 14 and under has fallen for the 33rd consecutive year to a record low of 16.33 million as of April 1, the government said Sunday, reflecting the continued downward trend in the Japan’s birthrate. The number of children in Japan fell by 160,000 from the previous year, and has declined by […]

6 May, 2014

Cathay Pacific female uniform too revealing, says union

Cathay Pacific flight attendants want the Hong Kong airline to redesign their uniforms because they are too revealing and may provoke sexual harassment, a union said on Monday. Female cabin crew members say the white blouses are too short and the red skirts too tight, leaving them uncomfortable at work, the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight […]

5 May, 2014

Jakarta to host first Global Forum on Islamic Tourism

Imtiaz Muqbil

Jakarta – Tourism industry officials and executives from 57 countries of the Islamic world and beyond are to meet in Jakarta between 2-3 June 2014 for the first International Forum on Islamic Tourism. It is being organised by the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in line with the commitment made at eighth Islamic […]

5 May, 2014

Astana hosts first Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Shamsi

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 05 May 2014 (06 Rajab 1435). Pls click on any of the headlines below to go to the story. ============ THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE — SUPPORT MALAYSIA IN ITS TIME OF NEED The tragedy of MH370 […]

5 May, 2014

Kedarnath shrine reopens for devotees – The Times of India

Sacred portals of the Kedarnath temple were reopened to devotees amid elaborate rituals early this morning, about a year after the Himalayan shrine was marred by flash floods that had left hundreds of people dead and many others stranded. Chief priest of the shrine (Rawal) Bhima Shankar Ling presided over the rituals as its gates […]

5 May, 2014

Why 2002 Gujarat riots still matter – By Karishma Vyas, Al Jazeera

The Gujarat riots are a crucial election issue. Not only because of the human rights concerns, but because Modi and the BJP have campaigned hard on a platform of good governance. The obvious question that arises is if Modi could not compel Gujarat’s security forces to clamp down on communal violence for weeks, how effective […]

5 May, 2014

Gunman kills 3 in Arkansas shootings – theguardian.com

Police said on Sunday a gunman who shot and killed three people and injured four in north-east Arkansas was an acquaintance or friend, but a motive was unknown. Sergeant Doug Formon of Jonesboro police said the shooter was 40-year-old Porfirio Hernandez, who recently had been released from a mental-health treatment facility. A 38-year-old man and […]

4 May, 2014

UAE: Not-so-great Britain? How the London hotel hammer attack hurt ‘Brand UK’

Two consecutive attacks on UAE nationals visiting London in recent weeks have left several scars: horrific physical ones (such as those left on the victims of the atrocious Cumberland Hotel “Hammer Attack”) as well as reputational scars which are worsened by increasing questions on whether or not London is still the popular tourist destination that […]

4 May, 2014

A Palestinian’s Open Message to the Jews: Even the holocaust began with “innocuous” graffiti on walls

By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Jerusalem

The shocking absence on the part of Jewish leaders and intellectuals in Israel and abroad to the growing Jewish terrorist campaign against the Palestinian community in the occupied territories and Israel proper is raising many eyebrows among observers and intellectuals. Once again, we observe not only total inaction but a deafening silence among Jews toward […]

3 May, 2014

Amount of money stolen via phone fraud soaring | The Japan Times

The number of reported cases in which fraudsters use the phone to trick people into parting with cash continues to increase. According to National Police Agency sources, the amount of cash swindled this way in the first three months of the year soared 41 percent from a year earlier to roughly ¥13 billion. That outstripped […]

3 May, 2014

Asia Times Online: How the US created, and lost, Afghan war

To understand how America’s battle in Afghanistan went so wrong for so long, a (hidden) history lesson is in order. In those early years after 2001, driven by the idee fixe that the world was rigidly divided into terrorist and non-terrorist camps, Washington allied with Afghan warlords and strongmen. Their enemies became ours, and through […]