15 Mar, 2014

Zuckerberg tells Obama: Facebook slams US spying | The Australian

FACEBOOK chief Mark Zuckerberg yesterday said he had called US President Barack Obama to complain that the US government was undermining confidence in the internet with vast, secret surveillance programs. In a post on his own Facebook page, the founder of the huge social network expressed anger towards Washington, in what appeared to be a […]

14 Mar, 2014

Something Very Wrong with Official Story About Boston Bombings | Alternet

An exclusive WhoWhatWhy investigation has found serious factual inconsistencies in accounts provided by the only witness to the alleged confession of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Why does this matter? Because this witness is the sole source for the entire publicly accepted narrative of who was behind the bombing and its aftermath—and why these events […]

14 Mar, 2014

55 Things About America You May Not Know | InvestmentWatch

Is America the greatest nation on the planet? Before you answer that question, you might want to check out the statistics in this article first. The reality is that the United States is in a deep state of decline, and it is getting harder to deny that fact with each passing day. Mentally, emotionally, physically, […]

14 Mar, 2014

How palm oil could kill orangutans – The Hindu

Greenpeace has spent the last few years furiously campaigning against Indonesia’s palm oil companies, which have been the main drivers of massive deforestation across the once-thickly forested archipelago. The NGO is currently investigating linkages between the global consumer goods giant, Proctor and Gamble, and companies in its palm oil supply chain that are still involved […]

12 Mar, 2014

Arvind Kejriwal’s right fight – Vidya Subrahmaniam – The Hindu

With his decision to go gale speed at Mr. Narendra Modi, the convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, has buried his own ambiguous past, and, in a first for any anti-corruption campaign, chosen to fight the “right” rather than fight on the same side as the “right.” All of India’s anti-corruption mobilisations […]

12 Mar, 2014

Modi win will worsen communal mayhem, crony capitalism and mega-corruption – Sitaram Yechury – Hindustan Times

Recollect Steven Spielberg’s hallmark film Schindler’s List. While the businessman protagonist leveraged his support to the fascist regime to prepare a list of Jews and save them from Hitler’s horrendous concentration camps and certain death, he justifies his support saying, “war is the best time for business”. Notwithstanding occasional humanitarian expressions like this, at the […]

11 Mar, 2014

Four in 10 wealthy Americans “don’t feel good about the money they have to spend”

by Andrew Dugan

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 7 2014) Gallup Polls — While Americans’ average daily self-reported spending increased in 2013, many Americans nonetheless expressed anxiety about how much money they had to spend. Less than half (45%) said they felt “pretty good” about it. Lower-income Americans were least likely to feel good about their amount of disposable income, […]

11 Mar, 2014

UK Legoland hotel shuts over anti-Muslim threats | The Jakarta Post

Legoland in Britain will close its hotel this weekend after far-right extremists made threats against the theme park for agreeing to host a Muslim family fun day. The resort had been hired out by the Muslim Research and Development Foundation, and 1,000 Muslim families were due to attend. Legoland canceled the private event last week […]

11 Mar, 2014

Schools must teach students emotional resilience: Australian study

An alarming snapshot of the mental health of high school students has found one in three girls and a quarter of boys are depressed, with many turning to violence, alcohol and unwanted sex to cope with problems. The study of almost 4500 year 7 to 12 students, also revealed that 34 per cent of girls […]

11 Mar, 2014

Palestinian hotel at heart of legal battle – Al Jazeera Blogs

The Ayyads’ fight for Cliff Hotel is existential, literally. Ali Ayyad and his siblings have been battling in Israeli courts for over a decade to reclaim the property that’s been in the family for generations. Originally the family’s residence, the four-storey building overlooking occupied East Jerusalem was established in 1953. Turned into a hotel in […]

11 Mar, 2014

Narendra Modi’s turf flops on education, health – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: One key issue in the upcoming general elections is state governments’ track record, with Gujarat receiving the most attention because it is BJP PM designate Narendra Modi’s biggest publicity plank. Gujarat’s economic growth, its prosperity and its efficient administration are being showcased across the country. A closer look at two important aspects of […]

11 Mar, 2014

Cashed-up Chinese are pricing the young out of the Australian property market

We need the Chinese. But the growth of the Chinese middle class has been so explosive, and on such a scale, that it has the capacity to affect Australia in ways that will need to be controlled if some trends continue to accelerate. Notably home buying. There has never been a lower percentage of first-home […]

11 Mar, 2014

Do politicians think we’re fools? – Karan Thapar – Hindustan Times

‘Do politicians think we’re fools?’ It was an odd question but then I’m used to Pertie springing surprises. This, however, was exceptional. “What’s prompted that question?” I felt I had to first understand his thinking. “Just look at what the government tried to do. Having failed to use Parliament effectively for five years they now […]

10 Mar, 2014

Australia’s First Islamic Museum Opens

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 10 March 2014 (09 Jumaada al-Awwal 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 […]

10 Mar, 2014

Islamophobic Hate Groups Become More Prominent in Germany – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Stachus is one of Munich’s nicest squares. It is rich in tradition and filled with pedestrians — and perfect for Michael Stürzenberger’s purposes. Hand balled into a fist, he paces back and forth and screams, “The Koran is the most dangerous book in the world.” Because a couple dozen people have come to demonstrate against […]

9 Mar, 2014

Australian supermarket chain reveals customers’ data is shared with third parties overseas – Sydney Morning Herald

Customers using the Coles Flybuys card or online shopping service are having their personal details sent to up to 30 other companies owned by the same corporation and to third parties in at least 23 other countries. Last week, Coles unveiled plans to invest $1.1 billion over the next three years building 70 new supermarkets […]

9 Mar, 2014

Italian campaigners call for housewives to be paid a salary | theguardian.com

If you happen to be one of the stars of the reality television franchise The Real Housewives, you can expect to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars as payment for every season of dirty laundry washed in public. If, however, you are an actual housewife and your daily chores are done quietly behind closed doors, […]

9 Mar, 2014

Has the NSA’s mass spying made life easier for digital criminals? – theguardian.com

Thousands of the world’s security professionals, most of them middle-aged white males, gathered in San Francisco last week for the annual RSA Conference. Traditionally, it’s the time of year vendors hawk their gear in halls containing a perturbing whiff of ammonia, research announcements provide relief from the festival of commerce, and government mandarins hobnob with […]

9 Mar, 2014

Xinhua Commentary: The West’s fiasco in Ukraine

by Xinhua writer Ming Jinwei

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) — For a brief moment, Western leaders might have stopped to congratulate themselves for their “accomplishments” in Ukraine. With their backing, Ukrainian opposition protesters successfully toppled the pro-Russian government, forcing out the president they loathe and dealing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. The West might have scored a major victory […]

9 Mar, 2014

How Governments Track “Targets”, Which Could Include YOU | American Civil Liberties Union

Most governments don’t have the resources to manufacture the surveillance technology that’s required to hack into the computers of unsuspecting citizens. In recent years, surveillance software firms have stepped in to fill that gap, proliferating into what has become a $5 billion industry. In the TED talk below, ACLU Principal Technologist Chris Soghoian discusses the […]

9 Mar, 2014

Stern Israeli airport security measures questioned – The Times of India

While standing in long lines, walking through scanners and removing belts and shoes are a fact of post-Sept. 11 travel worldwide, Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport seems to stand alone in the developed world with its security techniques, often leaving travelers dumbfounded. Though Israel denies profiling travelers, business executives, journalists and especially Arabs and visitors to Palestinian […]

9 Mar, 2014

Irish student union endorses Israel boycott | Haaretz

A motion supporting a blanket boycott of Israel was passed by students of the National University of Ireland on Thursday . The referendum results at the NUI Galway Students Union make it the first student body in Ireland to endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, campaign against Israel, according to the local news […]

8 Mar, 2014

Emerging Indian leader trashes “Gujarat growth model” myths – Hindustan Times

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday attacked BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s Gujarat model of development, claiming it is “overhyped” as he has seen “crumbling” infrastructure and “poor” healthcare facilities in the BJP-ruled state. Addressing the India Today Conclave, he claimed that during his visit he found that talk of all-round development is not […]

8 Mar, 2014

How to save the US – Simon Kuper – FT.com

It’s time to save America. The solution is obvious. The US needs to model itself on its most sanctified institution: the military. I speak from experience. In 2007 and 2008 I spent time on a US military base in a southern state, giving seminars to officers. Being a typical pinko anti-war European, I’d expected to […]

7 Mar, 2014

The full truth of UK police incompetence and corruption – The Independent

Had he lived, Stephen Lawrence would have been celebrating his 40th birthday this year. We do not know how his promising life would have turned out, but we do know that the decades since his murder have been a bleak, bleak tale of official incompetence interrupted only by the taint of corruption and racism. What […]

7 Mar, 2014

AIPAC, the Kremlin of U.S. Jewry – Gideon Levy | Haaretz

Like at similar conventions held in Romania by Nicolae Ceausescu, all they do is praise the great leader. Welcome to Bucharest in Washington, to the Kremlin of American Jewry, behold the yearly AIPAC conference. Only here can Netanyahu use his old tricks and gimmicks and be met with a full auditorium on its feet. “I […]

6 Mar, 2014

Chris Hedges: Suffering? Well, You Deserve It – Truthdig

OXFORD, England—The morning after my Feb. 20 debate at the Oxford Union, I walked from my hotel along Oxford’s narrow cobblestone streets, past its storied colleges with resplendent lawns and Gothic stone spires, to meet Avner Offer, an economic historian and Chichele Professor Emeritus of Economic History. Offer, the author of “The Challenge of Affluence: […]

6 Mar, 2014

PressTV – US denies senior Israeli officials entrance visas

The United States has refused to issue entrance visas to senior Israeli officers and agents, according to an Israeli newspaper. Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed on Tuesday that senior Israeli security personnel, including Mossad and Shabak officers, have been denied an entrance visa to the US. According to the report, in the past 12 months there […]

6 Mar, 2014

Europe sets new standards to monitor bankers’ pay and risk profiles

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Brussels, 4 March 2014, European Commission Press release – The European Commission has today adopted Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on criteria to identify categories of staff whose professional activities have a material impact on an institution’s risk profile (so-called ‘material risk takers’). These standards identify risk takers in banks and investment firms. This matters because […]

6 Mar, 2014

FREE Download: IPK reports record global tourism in 2013, more to come in 2014

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Berlin; March 5, 2014 (IPK International media release) – Spirits were upbeat in most global tourism destinations in 2013. Great numbers of new jobs were created and figures on pending tourism investments are high. Hence, again in 2013, tourism has proven to be one of the main growth drivers in an otherwise somewhat languishing world […]

6 Mar, 2014

First EU survey shows shocking level of violence, harassment directed at women

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Vienna / Brussels, 05/03/2014 – A new report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) presents results from the world’s biggest-ever survey on violence against women, revealing the extent of abuse suffered by women at home, work, in public and online. As well as demonstrating the wide prevalence of violence against adult women, […]

5 Mar, 2014

Transition: Ram Kohli, the man who shook up PATA

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Mr Ram Kohli, Chairman & Founder of Creative Travel India, passed away in the early hours of March 4, after suffering two major cardiac arrests from non-related procedures at a hospital. He is to be cremated on Wednesday March 5. In a message to their friends and colleagues worldwide, his sons Rajeev and Rohit said: […]

5 Mar, 2014

Singapore topples Tokyo as world’s most expensive city | CTV News

SINGAPORE (AFP) – The soaring cost of cars and utilities as well as a strong currency have made Singapore the world’s most expensive city, toppling Tokyo from the top spot, according to a survey Tuesday. Tokyo’s weakening yen saw it slide to sixth place, the position previously occupied by Singapore, in the 2014 Worldwide Cost […]

5 Mar, 2014

Malaysia Looking At Singapore’s Model To Promote National Unity, Religious Harmony

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SINGAPORE, March 4 (NNN-Bernama) — Minister in the Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Department Joseph Kurup says Malaysia is looking at Singapore’s model to further promote national unity and religious harmony among its citizens. “Overall, our national unity and religious harmony is quite good. Every religious festivity such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Christmas, Pesta Keamatan […]

5 Mar, 2014

Logging, tax avoidance top 2013 corrupt activities in Laos

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Vientiane, March 3, 2014 (Vientiane Times) – Logging and tax avoidance issues involved in by state officials topped corruption cases in 2013, officials in charge of anti-corruption announced. Director General of the Government Inspection and Anti-corruption Authority (GIACA)’s External Relations Department, Mr Xaykham Ounmixay, revealed the findings at a meeting last week. Over the past […]

5 Mar, 2014

New rules to make Chinese low-cost airlines more competitive

By Zhao Lei

Beijing, (China Daily) 2014-03-03 – Guidelines to enhance the development of low-cost airlines have been unveiled, in a move expected to provide a boost to the nation’s aviation sector. The guidelines will adjust the cap on budget airline fleets, encourage more rapid expansion and make it easier to set up low-cost carriers, the Civil Aviation […]

5 Mar, 2014

Travel fraudsters swindled UK holidaymakers out of £7m in 2013, and it’s getting worse – The Independent

The Internet and travel were made for each other, enabling millions of individuals to access flights, accommodation and holiday packages. But online tricksters are swindling at least £7 million a year from unwary travellers, according to a new report from National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). Nearly 5,000 cases of holiday booking fraud were reported in […]

5 Mar, 2014

New Zealand’s Maori king snubs Prince William | GulfNews.com

Wellington: New Zealand’s Maori king has refused to meet Prince William during a royal tour next month, with his office saying on Tuesday he is “not a carnival act” for visiting dignitaries. Prime Minister John Key expressed disappointment at the snub, which would have involved Prince William visiting King Tuheitia during his April 7-16 trip […]

4 Mar, 2014

UN Human Rights Council Says Global Demand for Change is Hitting the Streets

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) Mar 3 2014 – Noting that more and more people around the world were taking to the streets to lay claim to their rights, United Nations officials opened the latest session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva today with calls for the protection of members of civil society who […]

4 Mar, 2014

UN Marks First World Wildlife Day with Call to End Poaching, Environmental Crime

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) Mar 3 2014 — Senior United Nations officials are sounding the alarm that nature is under threat, marking today’s first ever World Wildlife Day with calls to protect biological diversity and halt environmental crimes. “Wildlife remains integral to our future through its essential role in science, technology and recreation, as […]

4 Mar, 2014

Unity Amidst Volatility: Thais-Help-Thais in full swing at “Thai Tour Thai” Travel Fair

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – Domestic travel is expected to be a major beneficiary of the Thai political unrest, especially during the upcoming school holiday months of April-May. More than 900 companies from all around the country exhibited at the “Thai Thiew Thai” (Thai Tour Thai) travel fair organised between Feb 27 – Mar 2 at the Queen […]

4 Mar, 2014

Close the EU to Israeli settlement products | Veterans News Now

In July 2013, the European Commission adopted guidelines announcing that the EU would no longer fund Israeli entities in the occupied Palestinian territories. A few years earlier, the European Court of Justice clarified that settlement products are not entitled to preferential treatment under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. These settlement products, however, often continue to be […]

4 Mar, 2014

Int’l Court of Justice orders Australia to cease spying on East Timor – Sydney Morning Herald

Australia has been ordered to cease spying on East Timor and its legal advisers, in a landmark decision by the International Court of Justice relating to a bitter dispute between the two countries over $40 billion of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea. The court also ruled that the Australian government must seal […]

3 Mar, 2014

Palestine PM invites more Indonesian tourists

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 03 March 2014 (02 Jumaada al-Awwal 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 […]

3 Mar, 2014

25 years after fall of the Wall, ITB Berlin fails to heed the lessons of history

Imtiaz Muqbil

This year marks 25 years since the fall of the Berlin wall, one of the most historic events in world history and a major conduit for the travel & tourism boom that followed. The anniversary would have been a great occasion to take stock of how the stupendous changes in global history have impacted on […]

3 Mar, 2014

FREE Download: India publishes National Transport Development Report to 2032

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New Delhi, (2 March 2014) Press Information Bureau — The High Level National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC), chaired by Dr. Rakesh Mohan, former Deputy Governor, RBI, emphasises the need for modernisation and expansion of all segments of the transport system. The Report is to be presented to the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh on March […]

2 Mar, 2014

Multi-billion dollar corruption threat looms over climate change funds, Transparency International warns

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28 February 2014, Transparency International Secretariat – Funds set up to manage the global response to climate change must act now to prevent the abuse of power, bribery and secret deals from disrupting the flow of billions of dollars set aside to address the issue, global anti-corruption coalition Transparency International warned today. Climate change will […]

2 Mar, 2014

In Pictures: The Great Bangkok Bounceback Begins

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – Six weeks of anti-government protests that severely crippled businesses in the central business district have now come to an end. All the protest stages erected at three major inner-city  intersections have  been dismantled, allowing normal traffic flow to resume and all the offices, shopping complexes, department stores, hotels and dozens of small and […]

2 Mar, 2014

Australian Immigration Minister has 66 spin doctors – Sydney Morning Herald

The Immigration Department employs a 66-strong team of spin doctors, dwarfing the 39 media and communications staff employed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the ministers on his frontbench. Last August, immigration employed 72 media staff, but the 66 officers who now work in the department’s media unit are supported by a further 33 personnel […]

2 Mar, 2014

Breaking the Australian government’s silence on stopping the boats – Sydney Morning Herald

Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison banged the “stop the boats” drum long and loud in opposition. So it seemed baffling, even outrageous, when they fell suddenly silent in government. But on the other side of the wall of silence, on the high seas and on Indonesian soil, they have been stopping the boats. When they […]

1 Mar, 2014

Expert condemns ‘appalling’ DrinkWise campaign – Sydney Morning Herald

A public health expert has condemned as “appalling” a new series of online advertisements, funded by alcohol industry body DrinkWise Australia, that try to instruct young Australians “how to drink properly”. Professor Mike Daube, the director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute and the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, said the campaign […]

1 Mar, 2014

Mayday: How Qantas went from national icon to corporate tragedy

It is a story of senior executives who felt like jilted lovers, prematurely leaving the airline with Avgas still in their veins, and still wanting to prove they had what it took to run an airline as complex as Qantas. It is also the saga of the rise of a major challenger to Qantas’ once […]

1 Mar, 2014

One in three UK strippers ‘are students paying for their education’ – The Independent

Nearly a third of women working in strip clubs are students, often from middle-class families, says a new study. And some started stripping even before starting their courses to help pay for the “high cost of education”, according to the study published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education. “The core reasons for entry […]

1 Mar, 2014

From the Protocols of the Tycoons of Zion – Haaretz

Why, and for what, are they paid in the neighborhood of a million shekels a month? Is it for their amazing, incomparable talent? Do we support them with salaries and cushion them with bonuses because they toil especially hard? They take it because it’s given to them, and those who give are also happy take […]

28 Feb, 2014

Yahoo webcam users’ ‘intimate’ images intercepted by British spies, Snowden files reveal – The Independent

British agents spied on millions of people through their webcams using a program likened to the surveillance system in George Orwell’s 1984, according to leaked secret documents. The surveillance agency GCHQ used a hacking program codenamed Optic Nerve to view British citizens in their homes as they used the Yahoo! webcam chat system, the classified […]

28 Feb, 2014

Hindu nationalists are gaining power in India – and silencing enemies – The Independent

Hindus don’t have a reputation for religious extremism, but over the past 25 years an increasingly aggressive movement has grown and started flexing its muscles. The list of authors who have faced ruinous lawsuits, had books banned or lives threatened in India is growing alarmingly long. (Not all of the bans relate to Hindu groups; […]

26 Feb, 2014

Israeli Arab teacher strip-searched before boarding plane with her Jewish students | Haaretz

She stood in the middle of Eilat Airport’s small departures hall, and her eyes said it all. An impressive, well-dressed woman with an assertive face, only her burning eyes betrayed the insult she felt. “I’m so ashamed,” she said, and the tears began to fall. But shame is the last thing Ezies Elias Shehadeh should […]

26 Feb, 2014

Denmark set to lose millions following halal slaughter ban | Arab News

Denmark is likely to lose millions of dollars in trade and tourism revenues following its ban Monday on slaughtering animals in accordance with Islamic standards. Halal (Islamically slaughtered) beef and poultry products are imported in large quantities by Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf countries. In fact, around 55 percent of Danish exports to the Kingdom […]

26 Feb, 2014

‘Never forget the spirit of 1986 EDSA People Power’ | Manila Bulletin

Manila (PNA) – Vice President Jejomar C. Binay yesterday called on the Filipino people to remain vigilant in making sure that the spirit of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution is never forgotten. Speaking to reporters after leading the wreath-laying ceremonies at the People Power Monument in Quezon City in commemoration of the 28th anniversary […]

26 Feb, 2014

Asia Times Online: Israeli activists shed light on what really happens at the checkpoints

The case of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy who, fresh from surgery, collapsed through exhaustion at a checkpoint due to a processing delay has highlighted the hardships facing sick Gazans returning from treatment in Israel. Omar’s family had managed to obtain the necessary permits that allowed him to cross the Erez checkpoint to Jerusalem, through the […]

26 Feb, 2014

Jan 2014 Airport Stats Released: LCCs, Phuket Prove Saviours for Thai Aviation Sector

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – International passenger movements at Bangkok’s secondary airport at Don Muang as well as at Phuket airport reported increases in January 2014 over January 2013, helping to offset a 4.3% decline in international passenger movements at Thailand’s main gateway airport, Suvarnabhumi. Don Muang now serves Air Asia, Thai Air Asia, Nok Air and a […]

26 Feb, 2014

Crisis-hit Thai tour & travel agents told to upgrade in preparation for upturn

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – Thailand’s inbound tour operators have been urged to upgrade their own products and services and update themselves with improvements in other Thai travel products and services in preparation for a post-political crisis business upturn. Committee members of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) told the wider membership at that monthly February meeting, […]

25 Feb, 2014

Job vacancy trends reveal growing North-South divide in EU labour market

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Brussels, 24 February 2014, European Commission Press release – Vacancy trends in the European labour market indicate a widening gap in job opportunities between Northern and Southern countries. The latest issue of the European Vacancy Monitor (EVM) reveals a shortage of labour supply in countries such as Austria, Denmark Sweden, Estonia and Latvia, while competition […]

25 Feb, 2014

Amazing search engine graphics chart Chinese Spring Festival migrant movements

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Beijing, (People’s Daily Online) February 20, 2014 – On January 26, 2014, search engine giant Baidu launched “Baidu Migration”, an online map tracking the movement of Chinese people migrating to other parts of the country for the Spring Festival. This map uses location-based technology to track its 200 million registered users. The data is gathered […]

24 Feb, 2014

Call for entries: World Trade Organisation 2014 Essay Award for Young Economists

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Geneva, 24 Feb 2014 – The WTO invites young economists to submit papers for the 2014 WTO Essay Award for Young Economists by 1 June 2014. The Award aims to promote high-quality research on trade policy and international trade co-operation among young economists and to reinforce the relationship between the WTO and the academic community. […]

24 Feb, 2014

China plans tax refunds to lure overseas tourists

By ZHENG XIN

Beijjing, (China Daily) 2014-02-22 – Overseas tourists may be able to claim tax refunds at shopping malls in Beijing as the city strives to boost inbound tourism. Local authorities are working on a plan, according to the Beijing Tourism Development Commission. Zhou Zhengyu, head of the commission, said at a news conference on Friday that […]

24 Feb, 2014

FREE Download Exec Summary: German Convention Board Study of MICE industry megatrends to 2030

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Frankfurt, 24 Feb 2014 – GCB media release – The German Convention Bureau has released the findings from “Meetings and Conventions 2030: A study of megatrends shaping our industry.” According to Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the German Convention Bureau: “The meetings industry is an economic driver for nations all over the world. As an […]

24 Feb, 2014

London Jews Host Islam Awareness Week

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 24 February 2014 (24 Rabee’ al-Thaani 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 […]

24 Feb, 2014

Report: 50 soccer fields of forest lost every minute of every day for 12 years

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WASHINGTON, February 20, 2014—The World Resources Institute (WRI), Google, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and a group of more than 40 partners on Thursday launched the Global Forest Watch (GFW), a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better manage forests. For the first time, Global Forest Watch unites […]

24 Feb, 2014

The five attributes Google seeks in its job applicants – Sydney Morning Herald

Last June, in an interview with Adam Bryant of The New York Times, Laszlo Bock, the senior vice president of people operations for Google – ie, the guy in charge of hiring for one of the world’s most successful companies – noted that Google had determined that academic results weren’t very important. ‘‘[Grade point averages] […]

24 Feb, 2014

Judith Butler cancels Jewish Museum talk over Israel controversy | Haaretz

Literary theorist Judith Butler pulled out of a talk she was scheduled to give at New York’s Jewish Museum amid protests over her support for boycotting Israel. Butler, who teaches comparative literature and critical theory at the University of California, Berkeley, was set to speak at an event on March 6 about the writer Franz […]

24 Feb, 2014

Yes to a boycott – Yossi Sarid | Haaretz

You be the judge of me, before they come to put me on trial: If I oppose, with all my heart and soul, the settlements that jeopardize our peace and well-being, then why should I support their businesses of my own free will? Isn’t it bad enough that my legally paid taxes are now going […]

23 Feb, 2014

Everest climbers to face tighter controls after brawl with Sherpas – The Independent

Nepal is to enforce tighter controls on Mount Everest to ensure the world’s highest peak is safe for climbers, officials said on Friday. The announcement comes after three Europeans abandoned their ascent to the 8,850 metre (29,035-foot) summit in the peak climbing season last April, after a brawl with around 100 Sherpas sparked safety concerns. […]

22 Feb, 2014

Modi’s rise a defeat for freedom in India – DAWN.COM

In voting Modi to power, the bargain India’s citizenry and corporate world would probably be making — with what consequences in the long term no one can quite predict — is the privileging of economic growth and “good governance” over intellectual freedom and the long-standing secular consensus of a Hindu-majority but multi-faith country (often denounced […]

22 Feb, 2014

Asia Times Online: Egypt back to her old ways

LONDON – A catchy new tune is circulating in Egyptian social media pages. The song, which gives a symbolic description of current events, is sung by an artist who is known for his strong leanings towards the revolution of January 25, 2011. Yasser Elmanawahly stayed true to his ideals even when they clashed with those […]

22 Feb, 2014

Bhutanese Prince to Thailand: Some Gross National Happiness May Help

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – Bhutan’s Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck has indicated his support for a suggestion that Thailand may find it useful to apply the principles of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) national development philosophy as a way out of its present political impasse. The Prince was addressing a media gathering at an event marking the 25th […]

22 Feb, 2014

NSA’s Fake War On Terror | TheSleuthJournal

NSA spying is longstanding. It’s ongoing abroad and at home. It has nothing to do with national security. It’s unrelated to uncovering terrorist plots. Homegrown ones virtually don’t exist. Alleged ones are hatched. They’re fake. Claiming dozens were foiled in time is false. Read the rest: NSA’s Fake War On Terror | TheSleuthJournal.

22 Feb, 2014

Small-scale fish farmers not benefitting from big-scale fish profits, UN reports

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21 February 2014, Bergen/Rome (Food and Agriculture Organisation media release) – The booming world fish trade is generating more wealth than ever before, but countries must help small-scale fishers and fish farmers benefit too, FAO said today. Global fishery production from wild capture fisheries and aquaculture is expected to set a new record in 2013 […]

22 Feb, 2014

How China Can Cause The Death Of The Dollar And The U.S. Financial System

The death of the dollar is coming, and it will probably be China that pulls the trigger. What you are about to read is understood by only a very small fraction of all Americans. Right now, the U.S. dollar is the de facto reserve currency of the planet. Most global trade is conducted in U.S. […]

21 Feb, 2014

European Data Protection Chief: Enforcing EU law essential for rebuilding trust with US

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Brussels, 21 February 2014, EDPS Press release -The strict enforcement of existing European data protection laws is an essential element for restoring trust between the EU and the USA said the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) today. Peter Hustinx, EDPS, said: “The rights of EU citizens to the protection of their privacy and personal information […]

21 Feb, 2014

Malaysian Airports Offering Airline Incentives for Flights to Emerging Destinations

Tan Sri Bashir, Managing Director, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

Kuching – In the Hollywood movie, The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks, the comfort and beauty of JFK International Airport is not enough to satisfy the Krakozhian traveler Viktor Navorski who needs to get into New York city to fulfill his mission. Airports are ultimately only the gateway and not the destination. Kuching is preparing to […]

21 Feb, 2014

Routes Asia 2014: Boosting air links the first step towards reimaging Kuching

Dato’ Rashid Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Sarawak Tourism Board

The reimaging of Kuching as a destination was part of the 5 Year Tourism Industry Transformation Program which began in 2010 with one thought in mind – to improve the visitor experience in a very niche market that is to position Sarawak as a home of adventure with elements of culture and nature. Sarawak, which […]

21 Feb, 2014

Netanyahu has turned me into an ‘anti-Semite’ – Roy Isacowitz – Haaretz

I’ve spent the last couple of days battling to come to terms with the fact that I’m an anti-Semite. It’s not an easy thing to accept for someone who has been Jewish since birth, has lived in Israel for over 40 years and who likes to believe that he doesn’t have a racist bone in […]

20 Feb, 2014

Visa-free Japan dominates Thailand Travel Fair 2014

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK- A strong 64-company Japanese presence at this year’s Thailand International Travel Fair has provided ample proof that ease of access is the primary driver of travel & tourism. Japan waived visa requirements for Thai visitors last year, triggering a 74% surge in Thai arrivals to 450,000 in 2013, according to Kazuhiro Ito, Executive Director […]

20 Feb, 2014

Economic impact of political unrest: Thai Airways passengers down 9% in Jan

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – In another strong indicator of the economic impact of the ongoing Thai political unrest, Thai Airways international has reported a 9.4% decline in total passengers carried in January 2014 over January 2013. The figures, released today, tallied almost entirely with the total visitor arrivals reported earlier this week by the Ministry of Tourism […]

20 Feb, 2014

Idyllic tourism islands facing backlash for aiding corporate secrecy, corruption, money-laundering

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19 February 2014, (Transparency International media release ) – Have you ever wondered why the Cayman Islands has more registered companies, 93,000, than people, 54,000? It might be because it can take as little as 24 hours to set up a company and you don’t even have to tell anyone outside the government who the […]

20 Feb, 2014

Snowden Documents Reveal Surveillance, Pressure Tactics Aimed at WikiLeaks and Supporters – The Intercept

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Top-secret documents from the National Security Agency and its British counterpart reveal for the first time how the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom targeted WikiLeaks and other activist groups with tactics ranging from covert surveillance to prosecution. The efforts – detailed in documents provided previously by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden – […]

19 Feb, 2014

Thai Princess to Inaugurate Awards for Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia

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BANGKOK, 19 February 2014 (NNT) – Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn yesterday evening (Feb 18) graced an international reception held in honor of the visiting permanent secretaries of education from 11 Southeast Asian countries, at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok. The top education officials in the region are in Bangkok for a meeting to […]

19 Feb, 2014

Sydney Airport 20-year Master Plan Approved

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Canberra, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Media Release, 18 February 2014 – Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss announced that he has approved Sydney Airport’s 2014 Master Plan.  Sydney Airport submitted the plan to the Deputy Prime Minister in December 2013. Mr Truss said the Master Plan […]

19 Feb, 2014

Gallup Polls: More Americans Now View Afghanistan War as a Mistake

by Frank Newport

PRINCETON, NJ -February 19, 2014 – Gallup Polls – For the first time since the U.S. initially became involved in Afghanistan in 2001, Americans are as likely to say U.S. military involvement there was a mistake as to say it was not. Gallup first asked Americans about U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in November 2001, just […]

19 Feb, 2014

Gallup Polls: Majority of Afghans Suffering in 2013

by Mohamed Younis

WASHINGTON, D.C. February 19, 2014, (Gallup Polls) — As Afghans prepare to elect a new president and international forces start to withdraw, their hopes for the future are as grim as ever. The majority of Afghans (55%) rate their lives poorly enough to be considered “suffering,” the highest percentage Gallup has measured in the world […]

19 Feb, 2014

Pulitzer-winning NYT journalist to speak on how the “American Dream” is unravelling

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Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) February 18, 2014 – Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Hedrick Smith will visit Georgia State University on Wednesday, March 12 to discuss how America has moved from an era of middle class prosperity and power to an unequal economy that is unraveling the “American Dream” for millions of middle-class families. […]

18 Feb, 2014

Alcohol trade ‘must act on UK drink problem’ or face government action – The Independent

The UK drinks industry has been ordered by the Home Office to produce plans to tackle the sale and promotion of cheap super-strength beers and cider by the summer or face government action. Crime Prevention minister Norman Baker said that some alcohol producers and sellers have tried to ignore the Home Office’s demands for a […]

18 Feb, 2014

Loneliness twice as unhealthy as obesity for older people, study finds | theguardian.com

Loneliness can be twice as unhealthy as obesity, according to researchers who found that feelings of isolation can have a devastating impact on older people. The scientists tracked more than 2,000 people aged 50 and over and found that the loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during the six-year study than the least […]

18 Feb, 2014

Unemployment Rises to Top Problem in the U.S. – Gallup Polls

by Rebecca Riffkin

WASHINGTON, D.C. February 17, 2014 (Gallup Polls) — Americans have a new No. 1 problem. Nearly one in four Americans mention jobs and unemployment as the most important problem facing the country, up from 16% in January. The government and politicians had topped the list since the government shutdown in October. Prior to last fall, […]

18 Feb, 2014

Australian Police post warning about online romance scams

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Canberra, 17-02-2014 – (ACBPS media release) – The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) is warning the Australian community about the risks associated with online romance scams. Each year hundreds of thousands of Australians visit online dating and social websites hoping to find love. Unfortunately it is has also become a target for scammers. […]

18 Feb, 2014

The new Brand USA: Our Sinister Dual State – Chris Hedges – Truthdig

We live in what the German political scientist Ernst Fraenkel called “the dual state.” Totalitarian states are always dual states. In the dual state civil liberties are abolished in the name of national security. The political sphere becomes a vacuum “as far as the law is concerned,” Fraenkel wrote. There is no legal check on […]

18 Feb, 2014

Value of Design and Creativity On Show at First Singapore Design Week, 10-16 March

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Singapore, Feb 17, 2014 – (ACN Newswire) – The inaugural Singapore Design Week (SDW) from 10 to 16 March 2014 will bring together a collection of over 50 local and international design activities at the National Design Centre and other venues. Organised by the DesignSingapore Council and supported by design associations and partners, the SDW […]

17 Feb, 2014

Nigeria Plans Major Investment in Airport Development

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 17 February 2014 (17 Rabee’ al-Thaani 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 […]

17 Feb, 2014

January 2014 Thai tourism stats show impact of political unrest

Imtiaz Muqbil

BANGKOK – Visitor arrival figures for January 2014 released earlier today confirm the extent of the damage being caused by the ongoing political unrest in Thailand. The total arrivals of 2,319,821 were virtually the same as 2,318,447 in January 2013, meaning that a growth level of probably more than 20% that may otherwise have materialised […]