7 Aug, 2013

A Palestinian Speaks in Hiroshima: War is a way rich get richer at expense of the poor

Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh

Hiroshima, Aug 6, 2013 – I and Oliver Stone both spoke at Hiroshima on the anniversary of the first nuclear bombing in human history and we are slated to speak in two days at Nagasaki on the anniversary of the second nuclear attack. My speech is below. These remain the most starkest of acts of […]

7 Aug, 2013

Communist Party of China to maintain high pressure on corruption

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BEIJING, (Xinhua)  August 06, 2013  — For those questioning whether the Communist Party of China (CPC) is serious about its anti-corruption drive, the growing number of officials under punishment has shown the party’s zero-tolerance to such wrongdoing. Four court officials in Shanghai were suspended from their posts last week and investigated after alleged hiring of […]

7 Aug, 2013

Give Chinese overseas tourists a break

By William Daniel Garst

(China Daily), August 06, 2013 – If China’s media is to be believed, Chinese tourists visiting foreign countries have become the new “ugly Americans”. Hardly a day goes by without some report of boorish and culturally insensitive behavior on the part of Chinese traveling overseas. For example, some “rude Chinese tourist” stories published online go […]

6 Aug, 2013

ADB, Australia, Korea To Support New Transport Link in Mekong Delta

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5 August 2013 (ADB Media release)— The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will lend $410 million to Viet Nam to build sections of a second arterial highway connecting Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta and southern coastal regions. Lao Bao (Lao BaÒo) international checkpoint linking Viet Nam to Lao PDR. Photo: ADB “Viet Nam […]

6 Aug, 2013

Newly Expanded Colombo Port To Make Sri Lanka Into Competitive Shipping Hub

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COLOMBO, (ADB Media release) 5 August 2013 — The newly expanded Colombo Port formally opened for business today, a move that will allow Sri Lanka to regain its role as a leading South Asia trans-shipment hub. Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened the port, which was also attended by Xiaoyu Zhao, Vice-President at the Asian […]

6 Aug, 2013

British Company Launches “Chocolate Tourism”

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London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) August 05, 2013 – The $100 billion global chocolate and culinary tourism industries are being collided together by British company City Delights Ltd with their creation, ‘Chocolate Tourism: Delivered to you’. The revolutionary concept of City Delights is to capture the experience of tasting the very best local hand-made chocolates, but […]

6 Aug, 2013

Surveillance backlash: U.S. cloud computing industry could lose $22-$35 billion

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Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) August 05, 2013 – The United States is the international leader in cloud computing, dominating every segment of the nearly $130 billion industry. However, recent revelations about the extent to which the National Security Administration obtains data from third-parties through the PRISM program, may lead to significant changes in the global cloud […]

6 Aug, 2013

Glenn Greenwald: Is the U.S. Exaggerating Terror Threat to Silence Critics of Surveillance? | Alternet

For eight straight years, literally, Democrats, every time there was a terrorist alert or a terrorist advisory issued by the United States government in the middle of a debate over one of the Bush-Cheney civil liberties abuses, would accuse the United States government and the national security state of exaggerating terrorism threats, of manipulating advisories, […]

6 Aug, 2013

US gurdwara attack victim’s son bonds with repentant racist – Hindustan Times

Six weeks after a white supremacist gunned down Pardeep Kaleka’s father and five others at a Sikh gurdwara in the US last year, Kaleka was skeptical when a former skinhead reached out and invited him to dinner. But Kaleka accepted, and he’s grateful he did. Since then, the grieving son and repentant racist have formed […]

6 Aug, 2013

2nd World Hindu Economic Forum to be held in Bangkok, Aug 10-11

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Bangkok – The 2nd World Hindu Economic Forum will be held in the Thai capital during August 10-11, 2013 under the theme, “Making Society Prosperous – Strengthening Economy and Shaping Future.” World Hindu Economic Forum is an initiative to create and synergize positive and mutually beneficial networking among Hindu entrepreneurs, investors, industrialists, businessmen, professional, bankers, […]

6 Aug, 2013

China People’s Daily: Time to break the hegemony of western discourse

Edited and translated by Zhang Qian, People's Daily Online

(People’s Daily Online), August 05, 2013 – Reading the recent policy speeches of western leaders might create the impression that most of the content concerns the domestic economy, the management of which is indeed a current and pressing task. However, closer inspection reveals an ongoing insistence on promoting ‘western values’ to the world. What lies […]

6 Aug, 2013

Ex-spy ‘Falcon’: Surveillance state only just beginning to flex its muscles – CNN.com

Transparency, public disclosure, and open debate will be stifled as America becomes the world’s first cyber-superpower. And politicians of both parties will go on fearing to resist lest they be blamed should a cyber-attack happen. Our surveillance state is only just beginning to flex its technological muscles. We have nothing to lose but our civil […]

6 Aug, 2013

Opinion: We’re living ‘1984’ today – CNN.com

CNN — It appears that the police now have a device that can read license plates and check if a car is unregistered, uninsured or stolen. We already know that the National Security Agency can dip into your Facebook page and Google searches. And it seems that almost every store we go into these days […]

5 Aug, 2013

Japan Tourism agency wants to make food, cosmetics duty-free | The Japan Times

The Japan Tourism Agency will propose adding food and cosmetics to the list of duty-free items for foreign travelers as part of its fiscal 2014 reform plan, agency sources said Sunday. The proposal is aimed at attracting travelers to mitigate the impact of the first stage of the sales tax hike planned for next April. […]

5 Aug, 2013

Ahead of Youth Day, UN chief hears concerns from young people worldwide

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United Nations, (UN News Centre) 5 August 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today held an interactive dialogue with young people across the world and launched an online United Nations Platform for Youth in conjunction with his Special Envoy on this issue. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas “Your generation is the largest the world has ever known,” Mr. […]

5 Aug, 2013

Punk Rockers break Myanmar’s silence on anti-Muslim attacks – The Hindu

Punk rockers draw double-takes as they dart through traffic, but it’s not just the pink hair, leather jackets or skull tattoos that make these 20-somethings rebels- It’s their willingness to speak out against Buddhist monks instigating violence against Muslims while others in Myanmar are silent. “If they were real monks, I’d be quiet, but they […]

5 Aug, 2013

U.S. foreign policy: You reap what you sow – pravda.ru

So the big picture these days is the lobbies, whose foot-soldiers are NATO and whose general command is the FUKUS Axis, centred on Washington using proxies to conduct their policies, funding and harbouring terrorists on their own lists of proscribed groups, using these to destabilize sovereign states. It is illegal, under international law. This is […]

5 Aug, 2013

Asian tourism market worth A$20 bln for Australia by 2020

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CANBERRA, August 4 (Xinhua) — The Asian region could collectively be worth more than 20 billion AU dollars (17.8 billion U.S. dollars) to Australia’s tourism industry by 2020, a media release by Tourism Minister Gary Gray quoted him as saying on Sunday. Gray said Tourism Australia would receive 12.5 million AU dollars (11.1 million U.S. […]

5 Aug, 2013

Regal Riverside Hotel Hong Kong Launches New Halal Kitchen

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Hong Kong – Regal Riverside Hotel has announced that its newly launched Halal kitchen in L’Eau Restaurant has been awarded the Halal Certificate by The Incorporated Trustees of The Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong. After several rounds of inspection and verification, the newly built kitchen has met the criteria for certification as Halal.  It […]

5 Aug, 2013

Truthdigger of the Week: Bradley Manning – Truthdig

Is there anything to envy about someone who sacrifices all the worthwhile possibilities of life for the chance to save the rest of us? In the future, American justice decrees, Manning will never know the pleasures and terrors of dating in what remains of his 20s. He won’t enjoy long walks and leisurely picnics, the […]

5 Aug, 2013

Bill Blum: The Surveillance State Is as Strong as Ever – Truthdig

The harsh treatment of whistle-blowers will likely continue into the foreseeable future in pace with the needs and expansion of the surveillance state itself. In the aftermath of last month’s defeat of a proposed amendment to the Patriot Act that would have placed new limits on the National Security Agency’s ability to track phone records, […]

5 Aug, 2013

Booz Allen Gets More Multi-million Dollar Surveillance, Reconnaissance Contracts

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MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– August 02, 2013 – Booz Allen Hamilton today announced it has now won four of the Full and Open Pillar contracts involving a range of full system lifecycle support activities for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic (SCC Atlantic). Most recently, the firm won a contract with a total ceiling […]

5 Aug, 2013

Turkish Immigrant Develops Prayer Mat for Knee Problems

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Muqbil

A compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 05 August 2013 (28 Ramadaan 1434). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story.

4 Aug, 2013

Chomsky: America’s Imperial Power Is Showing Real Signs of Decline | Alternet

Like Snowden, Manning committed the crime of revealing to Americans—and others—what their government is doing. That is a severe breach of “security” in the operative meaning of the term, familiar to anyone who has pored over declassified documents. Typically “security” means security of government officials from the prying eyes of the public to whom they […]

4 Aug, 2013

Shabnam Hashmi challenges Gujarat’s claim of being a model State – The Hindu

Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi has called for close scrutiny of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s claims, that his State is a ‘model for development’, in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. Speaking at a seminar here on Saturday, Ms. Hashmi said ground realities were far from the rosy picture Mr. Modi and his […]

3 Aug, 2013

Huge leak of tritium feared in Fukushima | The Japan Times

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday that an estimated 20 trillion to 40 trillion becquerels of tritium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant may have flowed into the Pacific Ocean since May 2011. The utility reported the estimate Friday to the Nuclear Regulation Authority after recently admitting that toxic water from the emergency cooling […]

3 Aug, 2013

Fasting to highlight plight of the Guantánamo hunger strikers | The Guardian

For the last week I have been fasting in solidarity with the men on hunger strike in the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, forgoing all food and taking only liquids. I began day one thinking about a book I had recently read: former detainee Ahmed Errachidi’s The General. Errachidi had worked as a chef in […]

3 Aug, 2013

China’s Economic Boom Creating Huge Ecological Pressure – UNEP report

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Kubuqi (China) /Bangkok, 02 August 2013 – China has surged ahead of the rest of the world in material consumption, creating intense environmental pressures, but the country also remains among the most successful in the world in improving resource efficiency, according to a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today. The […]

3 Aug, 2013

Climate change linked to violent behaviour | theguardian.com

Bring on the cool weather – climate change is predicted to cause extreme weather, more intense storms, more frequent floods and droughts, but could it also cause us to be more violent with one another? A new study from scientists in the US controversially draws a link between increased rates of domestic violence, assault and […]

3 Aug, 2013

Madrid’s chief rabbi: Gays are ‘deviants’ who need re-educating – Haaretz

Madrid’s chief rabbi, Moshe Bendahan, called gays “deviants” who should be re-educated and said same-sex marriages are “monstrous.” “Homosexuality is a deviation from nature,” Bendahan is quoted as telling the online news site Religion Digital in an interview published Wednesday. “It’s an anti-natural tendency and a sin. Contemplating allowing, consenting to what is known as […]

3 Aug, 2013

Breastfeeding: World’s most effective, inexpensive life-saver – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In 2011, more than 6.9 million children died before their fifth birthday. Over 98% of these deaths occurred in developing countries. India accounted for 1.6 million deaths. Pediatricians and public health experts say exclusive breastfeeding for six months can save many such children. According to the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF), breastfeeding is […]

3 Aug, 2013

Wikipedia will go ‘secure’ to beat NSA surveillance – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Just days after reports revealed that National Security Agency (NSA) in the US actively looked at what people read on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation announced on its website that it would implement HTTPS for logged-in users. The foundation, a non-profit organization, manages Wikipedia. The S in HTTPS stands for secure. Two days ago, Guardian […]

3 Aug, 2013

Bids called for “Beijing-Shenyang in two hours” high-speed rail link

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Beijing, (China Daily) 2013-08-02 – The long-overdue Beijing-Shenyang super high speed railway is expected to start construction with Xinghuo railway station as the starting point. A construction trading information website sponsored by Beijing municipal government published a notice on Tuesday calling for bids to build the line. The notice said the railway, with Xinghuo station […]

3 Aug, 2013

Beijing set to lure more visa-free transit tourists

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Beijing, 2013-08-03 – Beijing has vowed to step up promotion of its 72-hour visa-free policy, aiming to attract more foreign transit tourists following a drop in arrivals for overnight stays in the past six months. About 2.14 million tourists visited the capital during the first half of the year, a 14.3 percent decline compared with […]

3 Aug, 2013

Chinese FM calls for deepened, enriched China-ASEAN cooperation

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Bangkok, (Xinhua) August 02, 2013 – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on ASEAN countries to join hands with China to further deepen and enrich their cooperation following 10 years of strategic partnership. He made the remark at the opening ceremony of the High-Level Forum on the 10th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership […]

3 Aug, 2013

An artistic journey from New Delhi to Beijing – People’s Daily Online

Bharat Singh, 37, and his younger sister Gurjinder are busy creating a whale protection-themed statue. Molding of the stainless steel art work “Love”, which portrays two whales dancing around a mermaid, will be completed at the end of July. “Next month, we will bring it to the Ulsan International Whale Sculpture Exhibition in South Korea,” […]

3 Aug, 2013

Chinese Commentator: US crusade to “kill a chicken to warn monkeys”

By Chen Weihua (China Daily)

Washington DC, 2013-08-02 – It has become increasingly clear now why the United States government is so anxious to crack down on whistle-blowers, pursuing over 20 charges against Bradley Manning, a US soldier who gave secret government and military documents to WikiLeaks, hunting down former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden who revealed the NSA’s […]

3 Aug, 2013

Han Chinese Becoming Fluent in Uygur, Building Understanding, Culture

By Cui Jia in Urumqi (China Daily)

Xinjiang, 2013-08-02 (China Daily) It was after 10 pm in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and Zhu Xiaomei had just finished her Uygur language evening class, which she has been attending after work for almost a year. A student reads a Uygur book at Xinzhou training school in Urumqi. Photos by Yao […]

3 Aug, 2013

South Africa: SABC Launches 24-Hour News Channel

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Thursday officially launched its 24-hour news channel. Officially launching the channel at the SABC studios in Auckland Park, President Jacob Zuma said it should take forward the constitutional right of citizens to have diversified news. Zuma said that South Africa’s Constitution allowed for freedom of expression, including freedom […]

3 Aug, 2013

Exposed: Facebook “likes” faked by ‘click farms’ in Bangladesh | The Guardian

How much do you like courgettes? According to one Facebook page devoted to them, hundreds of people find them delightful enough to click the “like” button – even with dozens of other pages about courgettes to choose from. There’s just one problem: the liking was fake, done by a team of low-paid workers in Dhaka, […]

3 Aug, 2013

Asia Times Online: How Britain turned tribe against tribe

In Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity, Mahmood Mamdani carries forward his pioneering, hefty contributions to (what I would call) an historical epistemology of world politics: this time by discussing (the European colonization of) not only Africa – his usual focus – but also India, the Malay States, and the Dutch East Indies. Mamdani […]

3 Aug, 2013

U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Drone Strike Killings in Pakistan: Bureau of Investigative Journalism

The Bureau is publishing in full a leaked internal document – titled Details of Attacks by NATO Forces/Predators in FATA – which contains the Pakistan government’s own estimates of how many people have died in specific CIA drone strikes. The summary report – obtained from three independent sources – covers the period January 13 2006 […]

3 Aug, 2013

Eugene Robinson: We Should Thank Edward Snowden

Washington, DC — Edward Snowden’s renegade decision to reveal the jaw-dropping scope of the National Security Agency’s electronic surveillance is being vindicated — even as Snowden himself is being vilified. Intelligence officials in the Obama administration and their allies on Capitol Hill paint the fugitive analyst as nothing but a traitor who wants to harm […]

3 Aug, 2013

Israel advises Sri Lanka on slow-motion genocide | The Electronic Intifada

Israel has been a major arms supplier to Sri Lanka’s government, as well as providing it with strategic military advice. With permission from the United States, Israel has sold Sri Lanka consignments of Kfir jets and drones. Israel has also supplied the Dvora patrol boats to Sri Lanka, which have been used extensively against Tamils […]

3 Aug, 2013

Israeli army plan aims to incite Christian-Muslim tensions | The Electronic Intifada

Leaders of Israel’s Palestinian minority have accused the Israeli authorities of intensifying efforts to push Christian and Muslim communities into conflict, as part of a long-running divide-and-rule strategy towards the country’s Palestinian citizens. The allegations have been prompted by a series of initiatives to pressure Christian school-leavers into the army, breaking the community’s blanket rejection […]

2 Aug, 2013

Sen. Ron Wyden On NSA Spying: It’s As Bad As Snowden Says | Alternet

Last month, disclosures made by an NSA contractor lit the surveillance world on fire. Several provisions of secret law were no longer secret and the American people were finally able to see some of the things I’ve been raising the alarm about for years. And when they did, boy were they stunned, and boy, are […]

2 Aug, 2013

10 of the Worst Terror Attacks by Extreme Christians and Far-Right White Men | Alternet

From Fox News to the Weekly Standard, neoconservatives have tried to paint terrorism as a largely or exclusively Islamic phenomenon. Their message of Islamophobia has been repeated many times since the George W. Bush era: Islam is inherently violent, Christianity is inherently peaceful, and there is no such thing as a Christian terrorist or a […]

2 Aug, 2013

WSPA report: As industrialisation grows, cows fading from European landscape

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LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As cows disappear from the landscape of Europe at an increasing rate, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA (http://www.wspa-international.org/)) believes the trend is detrimental to the health and welfare of dairy cows. And it is not necessarily financially beneficial for dairy farmers, states a new report released on 31, July 2013. The […]

2 Aug, 2013

Half of Chinese businesses fail within five years

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Beijing, 2013-08-01, (China.org.cn) – Half of Chinese businesses fail within the first five years and are likely to encounter a bottleneck in three to seven years, according to a report from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce released on Tuesday. By late 2012, China had a total of 13.2 million businesses. 6.53 million businesses, […]

2 Aug, 2013

Indonesia Assures No Spying On Foreign Leaders During APEC Summit In Bali

From Ahmad Fuad Yahya

JAKARTA, Indonesia Aug 1 (NNN-Bernama) — Indonesia has given an assuarance that its intelligence services will not spy on foreign heads of state during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Bali in October. Spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Julian Aldrin Pasha said Indonesia as host of the summit would act ethically […]

2 Aug, 2013

E-payment launched for online booking of India’s Presidential Residence tours

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Presidents Secretariat, 01-August, 2013 – ‘E-payment gateway for e-management of visitors’ – a system for online collection of registration charges for booking of Rashtrapati Bhavan tours was launched on August 1, 2013 by Mrs Omita Paul, Secretary to the President. Nominal registration charges for Rashtrapati Bhavan tours will be applicable from September 1, 2013. The […]

2 Aug, 2013

U.S. National “Back to Church” Campaign Launched for Sunday, Sept. 15

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Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) August 01, 2013 – According to a Gallup poll released in May, a whopping 75 percent of Americans think the USA would be a better place to live if more people were religious–even though many of those surveyed reported they don’t attend church themselves. One suggestion being offered to help? Come […]

2 Aug, 2013

Fast friends: Japanese PM hosts ‘iftar’ party for Muslim nations

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Tokyo, Aug 1, 2013, (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted on Wednesday an “iftar” dinner party, inviting ambassadors and diplomats from around 40 Muslim countries to the prime minister’s office in Tokyo with the aim of deepening mutual understanding. In opening remarks at the dinner, Abe expressed a desire to visit more Muslim nations […]

2 Aug, 2013

Bali advised to reject World Tobacco Asia 2014 convention

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Denpasar, 2013-08-01, (Bali Daily) – The Bali Tobacco Control Initiative group from Udayana University’s public health department has called on the government to reject the World Tobacco Asia (WTA) conference, slated to be held in Nusa Dua next year. “The conference in Bali is against our commitment to encourage people to live healthily without cigarettes. […]

1 Aug, 2013

PressTV – Israel, an “unsustainable and apartheid” entity

The story “hangs there,” a week now, no one will touch it other than the Times of Israel, their answer to “Veterans Today”, a publication run by former spies. American reporting of the talk carefully edited out General Mattis’ references to Israeli settlements and his use of the word “apartheid” entity. This wasn’t just any […]

1 Aug, 2013

Chinese tourists told to curb “improper behavior”

By Zheng Xin

Beijing, (China Daily) 2013-08-01 – Chinese authorities are aware of the serious consequences of improper behavior by fellow countrymen overseas and are working to provide better education for those abroad in the hopes of improving the tarnished image. A government-organized teleconference on Wednesday called on authorities to guide people to abide by public order and […]

1 Aug, 2013

China’s restaurants re-engineer, taste renewed growth

By Wang Zhuoqiong

Beijing, 2013-07-31, (China Daily) –  The growth slowdown in the country’s catering industry is over, with double-digit expansion to return in the current half-year, according to the China Cuisine Association. Growth will hit 10 percent from July to December, with industry revenue of 2.6 trillion yuan ($424 billion), the association said in a report on Monday. […]

1 Aug, 2013

China struggles to retain talent

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NANNING (Xinhua) 2013-07-30 – China’s continued loss of talented individuals is being widely discussed following a report from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) indicating that a record number of Chinese mainland students have applied to the university. The university said in a July report that a record 12,000 students from the mainland have applied […]

1 Aug, 2013

Long-living Japanese society needs better ‘quality of death’ | The Japan Times

A quarter of a million bedbound elderly people are kept alive in Japan, often for years, by a feeding tube surgically inserted into their stomach. A few months ago, my 96-year-old grandmother became one of them. Feeding tubes are so common in Japan that my family wasn’t initially consulted about the procedure, which is effectively […]

1 Aug, 2013

It’s time for conservatives of Japan to get over the war | The Japan Times

“And why shouldn’t we?” With a thumping Upper House election victory behind them, this question is likely on the minds of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his political allies as they contemplate a visit to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the day Japan commemorates the end of World War II. If they do visit […]

1 Aug, 2013

Panel plans strategy for overseas Japanese language education | The Japan Times

A panel of experts discussing ways to increase the number of Japanese language learners overseas proposed Wednesday promoting “Cool Japan” pop culture and online services to provide more opportunities for speaking the language. The panel stressed the importance of drawing young people to Japanese through popular culture, such as manga, anime, fashion, music and food. […]

1 Aug, 2013

Single Window Clearance Planned To Promote India for Shooting Movies

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New Delhi, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, 31-July, 2013 – The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be working to mainstream a synchronized ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)’ for obtaining permissions for films shooting in India for both Indian and foreign film producers. This would lead to institutionalization and standardized benchmarks for each critical stakeholder involved […]

1 Aug, 2013

135 U.S. Civil Rights Groups Call for End to Racial Profiling

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(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/31/2013) – The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) yesterday joined other civil rights leaders at a news conference to support the reintroduction of the End Racial Profiling Act of 2013 (ERPA). Introduced earlier this year in the Senate, this bill would eliminate profiling based on race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion by federal, state, local, […]

1 Aug, 2013

Spiffy (and Safe) Ways for a Single Female To Enjoy Bangkok

Punam Mohandas

BANGKOK – About the one thing you’ve gotta keep uppermost in mind as a single lady traveller through Thailand is the all-important S. Huh? Tsk, tsk, sunscreen of course, what were you whackos thinking?! There is actually this kindred spirit among the backpackers, where we pass on sunscreen tubes like a baton in a relay […]

1 Aug, 2013

“Just Metadata?” Think Again – American Civil Liberties Union

By Matthew Harwood, Media Relations Associate, ACLU One of the most disingenuous arguments in the aftermath of the NSA spying revelations is that the American people shouldn’t be concerned about the government hoovering up its sensitive information because it’s only metadata–or a fancy way of saying data about the data. “This is just metadata,” Senate […]

1 Aug, 2013

Sikhs plan rites to mark Wisconsin Gurdwara shooting – Indian Express

A year after six Sikh worshippers were shot dead by a white supremacist in a shooting rampage inside a Wisconsin Gurdwara, the community will commemorate the first anniversary of the incident with a series of events including solemn religious observances and candlelight vigil. “In the spirit ‘of Chardi Kala’ (a Punjabi term that refers to […]

31 Jul, 2013

Chinese Commentator: American cyber, hot and cold warring mentality has to go

By Xu Peixi

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhuanet) (china.org.cn) – In Aesop’s fable about the wolf and the lamb, the wolf wants to eat the lamb yet does not want to convey an unreasonable or greedy self-image. Keeping this in the back of its head, the wolf invents a series of excuses ranging from “you muddle the water from which I […]

31 Jul, 2013

Illegal Chinese tour firms face crackdown

By JIN HAIXING

Beijing, 2013-07-30 (China Daily) – Tour agencies with one-day packages will have to log on through an electronic code with bus operators, according to a plan unveiled last week by the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development. The move targets unqualified tour companies. Tour guides and bus drivers have to keep the itinerary and special code […]

31 Jul, 2013

Corruption Crackdown: 2,290 Chinese officials disciplined for “excessive extravagance”

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Beijing, 2013-07-31 (China Daily) – More than 2,000 Party and government officials have been punished as of late June for breaking new Party rules against extravagance and excess formality, an official from China’s top anti-graft agency said on Monday. A total of 2,290 officials violated the guidelines, said Xu Chuanzhi, head of the department responsible […]

31 Jul, 2013

Asia Times Online: Israel Using Arms Sales to Advance Political Clout

Israel has been using arms sales and other forms of military-security assistance to pursue its wider foreign policy objectives. Such activities of Israel should not only be looked from commercial point of views as they also have political incentives. Because of its limited political, economic and diplomatic leverage, Israel has used arms sales and other […]

31 Jul, 2013

The Important Things the U.S. DOESN’’T Have Money For, And The Crazy Things It DOES Have Money FOR

In an age of “belt tightening” and “budget cuts”, you would think that government officials would be trying to spend our money wisely. Unfortunately, when it comes time to cut spending our politicians tend to do everything that they can to protect their own interests and their own pet projects, but they don’t seem to […]

31 Jul, 2013

How digital photography is ruining travelling – Sydney Morning Herald

As a group, we travellers have become obsessed with taking photos when we’re away, with recording every moment on film. It used to be that the Japanese were made fun of for their compulsion to take photos, but the rest of us have caught up. Digital photography has a lot to answer, its ease and […]

31 Jul, 2013

What Martin Indyk’s appointment as US special envoy tells us – Al Jazeera

There is a sense that Kerry is sincere in seeking to broker a solution to the conflict, yet this way of proceeding does not raise hopes. Perhaps, there was no viable alternative. Israel would not come even to negotiate negotiations without being reassured in advance by an Indyk-like appointment. And if Israel had signalled its […]

31 Jul, 2013

UN: Int’l Day Of Friendship Chance To Build Trust, Inspire Development Efforts

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United Nations,  Jul 30 2013, (UN News Centre) – Marking the International Day of Friendship, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the global community to use the potential of friendship to strengthen common bonds and inspire efforts for peace and sustainable development. “The International Day of Friendship is an important opportunity to confront the […]

30 Jul, 2013

Beijing plans $81b shantytown renovation project

By ZHENG JINRAN and OU HAILIN

Beijing (China Daily), July 30, 2013 – For Zhang Yingfen, 79, who lives in a small house with her 83-year-old husband and three other family members, plans to renovate shantytowns inside Beijing’s Fourth Ring Road seem to promise a great improvement in quality of life. Her one-story house of 18 square meters in Liuhaodi is […]

30 Jul, 2013

Shooting down a drone isn’t so hard to do – DAWN.COM

Numerous Pakistanis have good reason to act boldly against drone strikes. Think of tribal belt civilians who have lost family members (or homes, limbs, or livelihoods), or who have been traumatised by the telltale humming of drones. Some of these people have sought legal assistance. Several months ago, a Pakistani court sided with them and […]

30 Jul, 2013

Path to Happiness Starts in Childhood – Sydney Morning Herald

Australians spend millions in self-improvements, therapies, diets, makeovers and quick fixes to make themselves happier. But are they actually chasing the things that will make them happy? It’s not surprising happiness is the subject of research. The jewel in the academic crown is the Grant Study, which has been tracking the lives of Harvard men […]

30 Jul, 2013

India Launches App to Apply for Passports

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NEW DELHI, July 30 (NNN-Bernama) — Have an android or iOS platforms phone? Then tracking passport application will be just a matter of pushing some buttons with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Monday launching a mobile application. In the next couple of months, people in India will be able to even apply for passport […]

30 Jul, 2013

London’s Recovery: Post-Olympic Legacy or Promotion?

Issued by Tarsh Consulting

London, 30 July 2013 (JacTravel Media Release) – One year on from the Olympic Games, much ballyhoo has been made about the legacy of the Olympics and a resurgence of tourists to London this summer is cited as a positive impact of staging the Games. However, research by online travel wholesaler JacTravel suggests that the […]

30 Jul, 2013

As Egypt Tourism Suffers, Rest of Africa Projected to Boom

STR Media Release

30 July 2013, LONDON— Latest analysis by STR Global, leading provider of data on the hotel industry, reveals that despite high levels of inflation and political uncertainty, Africa is proving that it is a growing tourist and business destination as hotels in a number of key markets are reporting performance increases for year-to-date (YTD) June […]

30 Jul, 2013

A Blow for the Press, and for Democracy – NYTimes.com

The case has real-world consequences not only for journalists but for all Americans. It is part of a troubling trend that includes unprecedented numbers of criminal investigations involving leaked information; the obtaining of reporters’ phone records; and even one government claim that a journalist “aided and abetted” a leak. Mr. Risen says investigative reporting that […]

30 Jul, 2013

Former whistle-blowers struggling | The Japan Times

This is what life looks like for some after revealing government secrets — blowing the whistle on wrongdoing, according to those who did it; jeopardizing national security, according to the government. Heroes or scofflaws, they had to get on with their lives — as Edward Snowden eventually will. The former NSA contractor, who leaked classified […]

30 Jul, 2013

Commentary: Lessons for Indonesia from Egypt | The Jakarta Post

Egyptians can forget about freedom and democracy now. The military, very much back in the saddle after it ousted president Mohamed Mursi this month, is fighting his Muslim Brotherhood party, the winner of Egypt’s first post-Mubarak elections, in the streets. Egypt could have been Indonesia, so many people would argue. But the reverse is also […]

30 Jul, 2013

An Article Every American Should Read

The late professor Morgenthau was a leader in his attempts to reveal the essence of real politics and to explain the search for peace in global relationships. Perhaps he never imagined that America, the most powerful force in moral and intellectual history, could become a nation devoid of the most basic tenets of global political […]

30 Jul, 2013

Australia to be first country to have Ambassador for disability-inclusive development

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Canberra, 29 July 2013, Minister for International Development Media Release – Minister for International Development, Melissa Parke, today announced the Government’s decision to establish a new Australian Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development. Minister Parke said the ambassador will advocate for people with disability in developing countries to have access to the same opportunities as others and […]

30 Jul, 2013

Cyber Crime, Data Theft Among Top Concerns For Tax Professionals

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PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)– July 29, 2013 – Handling sensitive consumer data such as social security numbers and bank account information is a core part of a tax professional’s job, yet many feel inadequately protected from cyber crime-related risks, according to a recent poll of National Association of Tax Professionals’ (NATP) members. The survey of 633 tax professionals […]

30 Jul, 2013

China debates internationalizing its education system

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Beijing (China.org.cn) July 26, 2013 – With high school graduates emerging as a conspicuous group pursuing study abroad in recent years, the internationalization of fundamental education has come into the spotlight. Statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that in 2011, 76,000 high school graduates enrolled in undergraduate programs overseas, and the number has increased […]

30 Jul, 2013

World Economic Forum Business Leaders Back Middle East Peace Talks

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Geneva, Switzerland, 29 July 2013 (WEF Media Release) – The World Economic Forum’s Breaking the Impasse Initiative (BTI), an effort of over 300 Palestinian, Israeli and international business and societal leaders, welcomes and supports the steps announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry for a resumption of direct peace talks between the Israelis and […]

30 Jul, 2013

UN Survey Focuses On How Persons With Disabilities Cope During Disasters

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United Nations, Jul 29 2013 (UN News Centre) – A United Nations online survey launched today seeks to provide insight into how to reduce risk and help persons with disabilities around the world cope with and prepare for disaster events. The first-ever survey of its kind, produced by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction […]

30 Jul, 2013

19 Aug Deadline for Unique Award Recognising Innovative Disabled-Friendly Practises

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Bangkok – Airports, convention centres, hotels, museums and other travel & tourism-related organisations in the Asia-Pacific region which have delivered innovative products and services to cater to people with disabilities (PwDs) are invited to apply for the ESCAP-Sasakawa Disability-Inclusive Business Award. Designed to support the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, the […]

29 Jul, 2013

Ramadan in Turkey in the eyes of an Indonesian

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil & Sana Muqbil

A compilation of stories of interesting events and developments in the world of Islam for the week ending 29 July 2013 (21 Ramadaan 1434). Pls click on any of the headlines to go to the story.

29 Jul, 2013

Remarkable inventions amongst finalists of Australia’s 7th National Disability Awards

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Canberra, 25 July 2013,  Media Release, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers – Australia’s first ever fully accessible theatre performance for deaf, blind, sighted and hearing audiences, an apprenticeship employment program for people with disability and an iPad and iPhone application that personalises care needs for use by all people with disability are among the […]

29 Jul, 2013

Airport Security Without the Hassle

The New York Times Editorial Board

July 27, 2013 – The chance of dying in an airplane is vanishingly small. The chance of being killed by a terrorist in an airplane is smaller still. Mark Stewart, a civil engineer who studies probabilistic risk, has put the odds at one in 90 million a year. Looking at these figures dispassionately, one might […]

29 Jul, 2013

India Pledges More Policy Stimulus for Real Estate Sector

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Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, 27-July, 2013 – Dr Girija Vyas, Minister for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has stated that the Government will continue to play a pioneering role in providing policy stimulus to real estate sector. She was delivering a keynote address on theme of “Reality Favours the Brave – Surviving […]

29 Jul, 2013

U.S. Poverty Levels “Spreading Everywhere,” According to Urban Institute

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Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) July 28, 2013 – The Urban Institute Center for Research recently released a series of maps charting the progression of poverty in the United States since 1980. Using census data for all of the country’s large metropolitan areas, the maps illustrate that poverty is spreading everywhere — up 29 percent in […]

28 Jul, 2013

Chinese Online Giant Alibaba Plans Big Expansion in Lifestyle Services

By Shen Jingting and Meng Jing

Beijing, July 26, 2013, (China Daily) – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to boost its presence in China’s online market, and is adding services to ease consumers’ daily lives, from ordering food to booking movie tickets. Online shopping has become a new way of life for many Chinese consumers looking for greater […]

28 Jul, 2013

U.K. Visa bond scheme to go ahead despite Cameron’s promise – The Hindu

Despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s assurance to exempt India from the controversial visa bond scheme following a diplomatic row between New Delhi and London, the British government has reportedly decided to go ahead with it though the Home Office insisted that it was meant to target only “high-risk” applicants. An official told The Hindu that […]

28 Jul, 2013

Robert Fisk on Egypt: The Near Future Does Not Look Good – The Independent

One point that stood out – and it may be unfashionable to say so – is that the Brotherhood supporters were generally poor and looked poor in their grubby abayas and plastic sandals. Some of the Tahrir demonstrators, who were truly revolutionaries against Mubarak in 2011, trooped over the Nile bridges waving posters of General […]

28 Jul, 2013

Take our economies off their stimulants and they aren’t really growing at all – The Independent

In the UK, yesterday’s figures showing 0.6 per cent growth in GDP for the last quarter are terribly weak. As my colleague Ben Chu points out elsewhere in the paper, the economy is still 3.3 per cent smaller than it was in early 2008. In normal times, based on averages going back to the Second […]

27 Jul, 2013

Vietnamese President to U.S. President: Mutual Respect Needed in Guiding Future Ties

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WASHINGTON DC, (Vietnam News Agency) – Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang used the word “respect” four times in a keynote speech outlining his country’s future relations with the United States. Speaking at the Centre of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on July 25 during his just-concluded official visit to the US, he said: “What we […]