22 Sep, 2011

Obama’s Contradictory U.N. Speeches – Truthdig

On Wednesday, President Obama gave a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. His message—that Palestinians should return to the peace negotiations of 1979—seemingly contradicted his speech from a year ago, when critics say he argued in favor of a Palestinian state. He’s not completely inconsistent, though. At least he remembered to wear the same […]

22 Sep, 2011

Palestinians justified in moving to UN — chinadaily.com.cn

The Palestinian move at the UN is going ahead despite pleas from the US and threats from Israel. The two countries have warned that doing so would set back Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for many years. But it is precisely because the many years of negotiations have resulted in nothing but frustration for the Palestinians that they […]

22 Sep, 2011

Just response to war on terror — chinadaily.com.cn

In the regional context, though not really successful, the US has tried using media power to exploit certain violent incidents to create misgivings between China and Pakistan as part of its strategy for creating a “de-link” between Beijing and Islamabad. It is evident from the above analysis that the US has not been successful in […]

21 Sep, 2011

BRIC nations sign Beijing Consensus – chinadaily.com.cn

BEIJING – The BRICS countries, including China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, signed the Beijing Consensus on Wednesday, stating that coping with the financial crisis and promoting long-term, steady and relatively rapid economic growth are their shared tasks. The consensus, signed at the second BRICS International Competition Conference, called on all countries and regions […]

21 Sep, 2011

Tourism To Be Vital Lifeline for a Future Palestine

Imtiaz Muqbil

The Palestinian people, who are expected to formally launch their bid for independence and statehood at the United Nations this Friday, see tourism as a major pillar of their future plans for economic development, jobs and income.

19 Sep, 2011

Imran Khan: ‘America is destroying Pakistan’ | The Guardian

“The war on terror is the most insane and immoral war of all time. The Americans are doing what they did in Vietnam, bombing villages. But how can a civilised nation do this? How can you can eliminate suspects, their wives, their children, their families, their neighbours? How can you justify this? “When I came […]

19 Sep, 2011

Battle Against Deadly Lifestyle Diseases Figures High On UN Agenda

Sep 15 2011 (UN News Centre) — The United Nations is set to launch an all-out attack next week on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), bringing together dozens of heads of State to promote the lifestyle changes needed to curb the soaring toll of a scourge that already causes over 63 per cent of all the world’s […]

19 Sep, 2011

Multi-Billion Dollar Value Of Volunteer Work in Focus at UN-Backed Conference

Sep 16 2011 (UN News Centre)  — Ways to measure the economic value of volunteer work that amounts worldwide to hundreds of billions and possibly trillions of dollars, will take centre stage on the final day of a United Nations-backed conference in Budapest tomorrow. Co-hosted by the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme and the International Federation […]

19 Sep, 2011

UN Rights Chief Lauds Australian Move On Identity For Transgender, Intersex People

Sep 16 2011 (UN News Centre) – The United Nations human rights chief today welcomed Australia’s decision to enable its citizens who are transgender or intersex, or who do not wish to identify themselves as either male or female, to have their sex and gender identity properly reflected on their passports. “By its action, Australia […]

19 Sep, 2011

Next Generation of Corporate Leaders Lacks Critical Thinking Skills – Study

Imtiaz Muqbil

This dispatch contains summaries to and clickable links to the following research reports, surveys and studies:
(+) Major Study Reveals Next Generation of Corporate Leaders Lacks Critical Thinking Skills to Successfully Take the Helm
(+) What’s on the Business Horizon for the Next Five Years? Fletcher/CSI Asked the Opinion of 34,000 Business People
(+) Generation X: Overlooked and Hugely Important finds New Study from the Center for Work-Life Policy
(+) Abroad101 Unveils 1st Annual Study Abroad Rankings
(+) Young Americans and Social Security: 66% Think Money is Safer under Their Pillow than with the Federal Government
(+) Global Spa Summit Research Finds Potentially Explosive, $106 Billion Wellness Tourism Market Held Back by Conceptual Confusion and Weak Promotional Models
(+) JWT Explores Trends in Social Good

19 Sep, 2011

Why does US block Palestine’s bid for entering UN – People’s Daily Online

Some analysts believe that even if the United States succeeds in keeping Palestine from acquiring the formal membership, it will still face a major diplomatic failure in history because this will make the efforts made by the United States since Barrack Obama took office to repair its ties with the Arab world in vain, and […]

18 Sep, 2011

The Gender Dilemma: Women Leaders As Both Warmongers and Peacemakers

Imtiaz Muqbil

Originally Published: 18 Sept 2011 A group of eminent women from around the region met at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific last week to push for increased involvement of women in peace-building and combat sexual violence against women in conflicts. However, the meeting has only highlighted a view that as sexual violence […]

18 Sep, 2011

Op-Ed: Israel should support the Palestinian statehood push | JTA – Jewish & Israel News

While the Palestinians are unlikely to get the Security Council’s approval because of the U.S. veto, they will get the support of the General Assembly. Legally a General Assembly vote means little, but it doesn’t matter. As far as the world goes, Palestine will have achieved statehood. The new State of Palestine will be recognized […]

18 Sep, 2011

THE DAILY STAR : U.S. democracy is no model for Arabs

I know better now why most Arabs have totally given up on expecting anything positive or fair to emerge from the United States when it comes to the Middle East. Democracy is a great and noble venture and a most utilitarian governance system; but it also has a dark and ugly side that is very […]

18 Sep, 2011

Israel’s cluster bombs continue to kill and maim in Lebanon | The Electronic Intifada

Although Lebanon has been plagued by landmines since its 1975-1990 civil war and subsequent Israeli occupation, it faced unprecedented contamination levels from cluster munitions after Israel launched a 34-day war in July 2006. According to Human Rights Watch, Israel’s use of the weapons was the most extensive anywhere in the world since the 1991 Gulf […]

18 Sep, 2011

How civil society pushed Turkey to ditch Israel’s war industry | The Electronic Intifada

Here, the popular mood is similar to Egypt’s. For a long time, the Turkish government has been aware of the unpopularity of its support of the Israeli war industry and the occupation of Palestine. The people in Turkey have consistently shown overwhelming solidarity with Palestine, most notably with their mobilization for the 2010 Gaza Freedom […]

18 Sep, 2011

Time for people power to open Rafah crossing | The Electronic Intifada

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. International law is not against the opening of the Rafah crossing, and […]

18 Sep, 2011

US needs a wake-up call, says new Friedman book – Arab News

Faced with stagnating unemployment numbers, an historic credit downgrade by S&P, and partisan rancor over how to reduce the US debt, the two foreign policy columnists tap into public hunger for answers. “People are getting more and more concerned. When you see the polls, you find a large majority feels the country is on the […]

18 Sep, 2011

Fear incorporated – Listening Post – Al Jazeera English

Last week we looked at the performance of the US news media in decade following the 9/11 attacks. A big part of that story was the role the media played in creating a climate of fear in the US. This week we go a step further and look at the phenomenon of Islamophobia in the […]

17 Sep, 2011

Asia Times Online : To King Sarkozy, the spoils

To the sound of Apache helicopters patrolling the Mediterranean, and escorted by dozens of riot police, King Sarko felt the need to tell an unsuspecting world, “What we did was for humanitarian reasons. There was no hidden agenda.” But just in case – and with Tripoli’s top two hotels swarming with multilingual contractors/vultures – the […]

17 Sep, 2011

New General Assembly PresidentCall to Action on United Nations to ‘Rethink’ Way It Does Business

“We come together at a critical juncture,” said the incoming General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, as he opened the 193‑member body’s sixty-sixth session with a call to action on the United Nations to rethink the way it did business in the wake of ongoing global economic turmoil, popular protests that were upending once-stable Governments […]

17 Sep, 2011

Despite Increased Attempts to Stifle Dissent, Jewish Criticism of Israel’s Policies Grows – Media Monitors Network (MMN)

To the dismay of the organized American Jewish community, and despite its increasingly strident efforts to silence dissent, Jewish criticism of Israel’s policies continues to grow. Even the slightest hint of concern about the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli occupation is met with the harshest assault. In an article in the June 2011 issue […]

17 Sep, 2011

Leaked Documents Reveal Major Speculators Behind 2008 Oil Price Shock: Hedge Funds, Koch, Big Banks, Oil Companies | Truthout

As experts from Stanford University, Rice University, the University of Massachusetts, and authorities have concluded, rampant oil speculation was the prime driver of the record high prices for crude oil three years ago. Notably, the top speculators are noncommercial players, meaning they are companies that simply and buy and sell crude contracts with no interest […]

17 Sep, 2011

Can We Increase Gross National Happiness? | Truthout

When I first heard of Bhutan’s goal of maximizing its people’s happiness, I wondered if it really meant anything in practice, or was just another political slogan. Last month, when I was in the capital, Thimphu, to speak at a conference on “Economic Development and Happiness,” organized by Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley and co-hosted […]

17 Sep, 2011

Some real Shock and Awe: Racially profiled and cuffed in Detroit | Stories from the Heartland

Someone shouted for us to place our hands on the seats in front of us, heads down. The cops ran down the aisle, stopped at my row and yelled at the three of us to get up. “Can I bring my phone?” I asked, of course. What a cliffhanger for my Twitter followers! No, one […]

17 Sep, 2011

World Bank, IMF Face Shifting Development Paradigm – IPS ipsnews.net

Amid a global financial crisis that has shown little signs of reversing, next week’s fall meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are crucial in setting the tone for rebounding world markets, to which leaders of the Bretton Woods institutions offered optimistic, yet ultimately vague, solutions in speeches this week. Robert Zoellick, president […]

17 Sep, 2011

Erdoğan: Turkey Stands Hand-in-Hand, Shoulder-to-Shoulder With Libya – Tripoli Post

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, told Libya that Turkey stands hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with it. He also hailed the sacrifice of the Libyan people in order to obtain their freedom. After attending Friday prayers at Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square, in a joint news conference with Mustafa Abdul-Jalil at Tripoli’s Rixos Hotel, […]

17 Sep, 2011

Remembering the Sabra-Shatila Massacre – Tripoli Post

Not a mention of the anniversary of this serious incident has been reported by the media of the imperialist countries that spends hours on end of its air time and spaces in the press to remember the victims of 9/11. The Tragedy, of Sabra-Shatila refugee camp was not an isolated incident. To date, Israel continues […]

16 Sep, 2011

Japan: Over 730 ads for overstayers, fake marriages uncovered : DAILY YOMIURI

Many ads encouraging criminal behavior such as working illegally and entering into fake marriages have been carried by free newspapers aimed at foreigners, according to a police survey. The survey, conducted by the National Police Agency in May and June, said 736 harmful ads were found in papers distributed in commercial and entertainment districts around […]

16 Sep, 2011

China’s growth a world opportunity – chinadaily.com.cn

China’s path of development has been widely discussed as the newly emerging economic power has become an important global player and, together with other emerging economies, it is changing the current world political landscape. Some politicians in foreign countries fear China’s development might become a threat to the world, as it might become “more assertive” […]

16 Sep, 2011

China’s investments boost US economic recovery – People’s Daily Online

The rapidly growing amount of Chinese investments in the United States have not only helped the United States ease the impact of the U.S. debt crisis, create more job opportunities and emerged from the economic downturn, but also enabled Chinese enterprises to expand the U.S. market. Chinese enterprises already paid nearly 12 billion U.S. dollars […]

15 Sep, 2011

Facebook or Fakebook? ITU Report Urges “Caution” On User Numbers

Imtiaz Muqbil

A landmark report issued by the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today says that Facebook’s claims of having millions of users “should be treated with caution” because little is known about how those statistics are compiled or what they actually represent.

15 Sep, 2011

New Book Probes The Science Behind “Why We Like Music”

Hudson, NY (PRWEB) September 15, 2011 — How, when, and why did human beings develop brains and bodies with such marvelously precise and complex abilities to hear, make, and enjoy music? In her new book, Why We Like Music, Silvia Bencivelli investigates the fascinating new science of music in search of answers. Ranging widely through […]

15 Sep, 2011

Rising concerns about macro-economic issues challenging Australian SMEs

Sydney, NSW (PRWEB) September 15, 2011 — Recent research conducted by Bankwest has found that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) across Australia are facing more challenges compared to 12 months ago. The Bankwest Business Challenges Survey found that 80% of SMEs are finding it tougher with the biggest challenge cited as the general economic environment […]

15 Sep, 2011

‘Adult Dependents’ Cost UK Parents £34 Billion in Past Year – Research

London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) September 15, 2011 — Adult-children have cost their parents £34 billion in loans and financial gifts in the past year, according to new research(1) completed for Sainsbury’s Life Insurance. The findings reveal that that this generation of financially-strapped adults, dubbed the ‘adult-dependants’ by Sainsbury’s Finance, is still financially dependent on their […]

15 Sep, 2011

Survey: U.S.Pastors Want Taxmen Out of Churches, Churches Out of Politics

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) September 15, 2011 — Protestant pastors overwhelmingly agree government should not attempt to regulate pastor’s sermons through reevaluation of a church’s tax exemption, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research. The research, which was sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund, followed a related study conducted by LifeWay Research in October 2010 […]

15 Sep, 2011

An Online Invitation from the UN Foundation to Create a Peaceful, Healthy Tomorrow

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 14, 2011 — The United Nations Foundation today relaunched http://www.unfoundation.org as an enhanced online hub, providing instant access to UN Foundation initiatives and connecting people with the UN to help solve the world’s biggest challenges. Visitors to the site will have easy access to information about the campaigns powered by the […]

15 Sep, 2011

Latest Pointers and Trends from Google UK

LONDON, September 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Google UK head of mobile advertising, Simon Morgan, considers the most significant developments in the field of m-commerce and crunches the mobile numbers: Over the past year we’ve seen smartphones overtake PC sales for the first time. The number of people on the mobile web globally has doubled, reaching […]

15 Sep, 2011

Survey Shows Undergraduate Students Not Getting Value for Money

SLOUGH, England, September 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Influenced by a stagnant economy, high inflation, fewer job prospects and rising student fees, a survey of 1000 13 to 17 year-olds reveals a next-generation of undergraduate consumers for whom a university’s ‘value for money’ will increasingly impact their choices in higher education. Universities will need to compete […]

15 Sep, 2011

Asian Business Leaders Say Future Generation of Leaders Not Up to the Job

 SINGAPORE, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Corporate Executive Board (CEB) (NYSE: EXBD) today released findings that indicate leaders across Asia fear the rising class of business executives lack the experience and related skills essential to effective leadership.  

15 Sep, 2011

10,000 steps plus trips to the gym, it’ll make you and the boss happy

EMPLOYEES who walk 10,000 steps a day and work out in the gym three times a week can give their employer an extra $2500 worth of productivity a year, an Australian clinical trial has found. In addition, they can add five years to their lifespan in the process. The Body-Brain Performance Institute, in conjunction with […]

15 Sep, 2011

A Decade Since 9/11, Travel & Tourism Loses Sight of “Root Causes” of Terrorism

Imtiaz Muqbil

A decade after 9/11, the travel & tourism industry has lost sight of the “root causes” of terrorism. The costs and the price it is paying will rise even higher as geopolitical conflicts rage, the United States loses sight of its own core values and its global leadership ebbs.

14 Sep, 2011

Efforts Of Global Anti-Malaria Partnership Save A Million Lives In A Decade

Sep 13 2011 — (UN News Centre) Global malaria deaths have dropped by about 38 per cent over the past decade, saving the lives of more than one million people, mostly children, through the efforts of a United Nations-led global partnership that put emphasis on prevention and treatment, particularly the use of insecticide-treated nets, according […]

14 Sep, 2011

UN General Assembly Opens New Session With Plea For Unity To Tackle Global Crises

Sep 13 2011 (UN News Centre) – The General Assembly today opened its annual session with a fervent plea for cooperation in tackling looming crises from conflicts to climate change, and a nostalgic look back to a former secretary-general who died 50 years ago in the service of peace. “Moving forward the myriad of issues […]

13 Sep, 2011

U.S. in a Bind Over Palestine’s Bid for U.N. Recognition – IPS ipsnews.net

Barring some last-minute breakthrough that would revive negotiations or otherwise advance their national aspirations, Palestinian officials appear bent on seeking, at a minimum, recognition as a nonmember state from the U.N. General Assembly. That would allow “Palestine” to join a variety of international bodies and conventions and use them to oppose policies connected with Israel’s […]

13 Sep, 2011

THE DAILY STAR : A decade on, does the U.S. quite get it?

The security- and war-dominated, American-led over-reaction to 9/11 led to two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and increased political and technical support to Arab security services – exactly the two phenomena that led to the birth and growth of Al-Qaeda in the first place. It is critical to any useful analysis of Al-Qaeda terror to […]

13 Sep, 2011

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Ideology, facts and the push to the right

Capitalistic thoughts are now well-entrenched habits, which accept the inequity produced by free markets as a given. The belief in the success of trickle-down economics is delusional. Reminders about the prevalent extreme poverty, significant unemployment, massive under-nutrition and chronic hunger are mere annoyances and irritations. There is a split in the India question. Should India’s […]

13 Sep, 2011

Left-wing extremism ‘most violent movement’ in India: Chidambaram

The Home Minister said deficits in governance and development cannot be addressed unless trust deficit is addressed. “If villagers think that Naxals are their friends and the established government is their adversary, you cannot win the battle,” Mr. Chidambaram said. He said Left-wing extremism has killed ten times more people this year than those killed […]

13 Sep, 2011

All-pervasive rot – Arab News

One of the many unintended consequences of the Arab Spring has been the exposure of world powers in their true colors. Having long been in the business of Machiavellian realpolitik, Britain was the first to change horses midstream, effortlessly switching its patronage from the tottering Egyptian regime to the pro-democracy protesters when the Tehrir Square […]

13 Sep, 2011

No end in sight 10 years on — chinadaily.com.cn

The War on Terror has lasted longer than World War I and World War II and terrorism still has not been completely eradicated despite the combined might of the US’ hard and soft power. Al-Qaida has not been destroyed and has indeed spread to more regions in the world, such as Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan. […]

13 Sep, 2011

China’s new voice is heard — chinadaily.com.cn

For Western audiences, traditional Chinese instruments are most often associated with Peking Opera and the occasional martial arts film. But with the release of Viva Girls’ debut album, Inspiration, in the United States, the all-female Chinese classical pop group hopes to redefine the sound and scope of Chinese instrumental music. The album was to be […]

13 Sep, 2011

Will China have to face down the US? – People’s Daily Online

Verbal attacks on China before presidential elections, as seen in recent years, are leading the public to thinking that China should be regarded as an opponent or even an enemy. If this thinking becomes mainstream in the US, we cannot rule out the possibility that China might be forced to become an enemy of the […]

13 Sep, 2011

Countdown to a World of Seven Billion People

New York, New York (PRWEB) September 12, 2011 — Earth’s population will reach seven billion on 31 October, a milestone that offers unprecedented challenges and opportunities to all of humanity, according to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Working with a wide group of governments, organizations, corporations and individuals, UNFPA is taking the lead in […]

13 Sep, 2011

Private Sector Role In Climate Change Fund For Poorer Countries Focus Of UN Meeting

Sep  9 2011 (UN News & Information Service) — The role of the private sector in financing a $100-billion annual fund to help developing countries limit and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and adapt to the effects of climate change takes centre stage at a United Nations meeting in Geneva next week. “Nothing short of […]

13 Sep, 2011

Climate Change Threatens to Increase Hunger in the Pacific – Asian Development Bank

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Climate change threatens to increase hunger and malnutrition among the Pacific region’s poorest people unless there is action soon, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The region is already experiencing the harsh effects of climate change, including worsening coastal erosion, floods, drought, and storm surges. These are reducing […]

12 Sep, 2011

New WHO study introduces five smart approaches to governance for health in the 21st century

Baku, 12 September 2011 —  The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe today announced the findings of a comprehensive study that explores current thinking and innovative practices related to governance for health in the 21st century. The study also makes recommendations on how governments can strengthen governance for health through collaboration. Ministers of health […]

12 Sep, 2011

Asian “Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2011” Awarded by Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Five social entrepreneurs from Cambodia, Japan, the Philippines and Pakistan will be awarded by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship as Asian Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2011. Joining a global network of leading social entrepreneurs from over 50 countries, the founders of these organizations will be actively participating in the Annual Meeting of New […]

12 Sep, 2011

The Free World must not use fear and rage to fight terrorism – Haaretz

A general War on Terror makes no more sense than a general War on Illness. We all want terror to stop – and we all want illnesses to be vanquished. But anyone who would declare war on illness would be looked at as totally irrational: You can research cancer (actually, many different forms of it), […]

12 Sep, 2011

End of innocence: a world-changing event – Ramesh Thakur

Terrorism is an extreme denial of the most basic human right, namely to life, and it creates an environment in which people cannot live in freedom from fear and enjoy their other rights. But the threat of terrorism can be used by governments to enact laws that curtail civil liberties and political freedoms. Without new […]

12 Sep, 2011

Cagle Post » 9/11 And Its Great Transformations

Cheney, as much or more than anyone else in the post-9/11 period, used the loopholes in our system, the lack of nerve in Washington and fear created by that day to transform this nation slowly into something we would not have recognized as recently as the late 90s or dawn of the 2000s. We became […]

12 Sep, 2011

Chris Hedges: A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe – Truthdig

Because few cared to examine our activities in the Muslim world, the attacks became certified as incomprehensible by the state and its lap dogs, the press. Those who carried out the attacks were branded as rising out of a culture and religion that was at best primitive and probably evil. The Quran—although it forbids suicide […]

12 Sep, 2011

Let’s Put 9/11 Behind Us and End the Blank Check it Has Become for America’s Endless Wars | AlterNet

Ask yourself this: ten years into the post-9/11 era, haven’t we had enough of ourselves? If we have any respect for history or humanity or decency left, isn’t it time to rip the Band-Aid off the wound, to remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness? No more invocations of those attacks to explain otherwise inexplicable wars […]

10 Sep, 2011

Empire of Chaos: How 9/11 Shaped the Politics of a Failing State | AlterNet

Shortly after the attacks, the historian Immanuel Wallerstein suggested the American hegemony could go down one of two paths. The first was managing a soft decline. The other was a crash landing. It’s not hard to see which path we’ve been on since 9/11. via Empire of Chaos: How 9/11 Shaped the Politics of a […]

10 Sep, 2011

Time to “Come to Grips With Some Irrefutable Truths”

Prof Chandra Muzaffar

How do we overcome, or at least reduce, the negative impact of the 9-11 episode? Both the centres of power in the West and certain elements in the Muslim world should be prepared to come to grips with some irrefutable truths.

10 Sep, 2011

Honoring 9/11 by Upholding Freedom

Farhana Khera, President & Executive Director, Muslim Advocates

We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, a moment that will define our generation as one that upheld our values, or succumbed to fear. Now, more than ever, we need all Americans to come together, united against hate and fear, and to stand up for freedom.

10 Sep, 2011

The Day “America” Changed for the World

Jim Dator

The difference between the way the American media and the media of all the rest of the world portray these events is stunning. If it weren’t for overseas trips, online news, and personal correspondence via the internet, many of us would never be able to understand what is going on if all we had was American news and publications to guide us.

10 Sep, 2011

An American-Palestinian Reflection on 9/11

Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh, Ph.D.

On this sad anniversary, there are a lot of “what if” scenarios being discussed and healthy reflections around the world. For example, what if the US and Israel obeyed international law? What if we did not illegally invade and occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? What if Israel was forced to comply with UN resolutions on withdrawal from illegally occupied areas and forced to allow the ethnically-cleansed Palestinians to return to their homes and lands? In short what if we did not send the message that might makes right but rather that rights make things right?

10 Sep, 2011

Imtiaz Muqbil’s TEDx Talk: How the World Can Attain “Peace Through Tourism”

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Sawasdee khrap, Namaskar, Sat Sri Kal and Salaamualaikum Thank you for inviting me here today. The TEDx theme requires speakers to present ideas worth spreading. So in the interests of meeting my 18 minute time limit, let me just get stuck into it. My topic today is “Peace Through Tourism”. In my website introduction to […]

10 Sep, 2011

Noda apologizes for gov’t response to Fukushima | Majirox News

FUKUSHIMA (majirox news) — Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda apologized Sept. 8 for the national government’s inadequate response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. Noda bowed deeply in apology before a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, telling him that a visit to the radiation-spewing plant earlier in the day had showed him the enormity of […]

10 Sep, 2011

Sea radiation ‘3 times higher than thought’ : The Daily Yomiuri

The total amount of radioactive substances released into the sea as a result of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is believed to have been three times the initial estimate by the plant’s operator, according to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. A team led by senior researcher Takuya Kobayashi estimated the […]

10 Sep, 2011

When attacked, US ‘will come and get you’: Panetta | DAWN.COM

WASHINGTON: America’s response to 9/11 shows that “you don’t mess” with the United States and that when attacked, “we will come and get you,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday. Panetta — who as former CIA director oversaw the raid that killed Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden on May 2 –said the hijackers underestimated […]

10 Sep, 2011

Plain packets would cut number of women smokers, says report – The Independent

Wrapping cigarettes in plain packaging and banning the sale of colourful, branded packs could help to reduce tobacco consumption among smokers, especially young women who smoke, a study has found. Researchers found a marked reduction in tobacco consumption among a group of 48 smokers who were given dummy, plain packs of cigarettes to use over […]

10 Sep, 2011

Google emits around 1.5m tonnes of CO2 per year, about the same as the UN – The Independent

Google’s carbon footprint is larger than those of 61 states and islands, it has been revealed after the company released its environmental figures for the first time yesterday. The internet giant said it emits around 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year, approximately the same amount as the United Nations. But it says that its […]

10 Sep, 2011

Our legacy of 9/11 was a dictatorial and dysfunctional government – Andreas Whittam Smith, The Independent

Ten years after 9/11, it is time to establish how it was that the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was able to take us to war on his own say-so. The answer, which couldn’t be foretold beforehand, was that Mr Blair would govern more like a president than a prime minister. Under British constitutional arrangements, there […]

10 Sep, 2011

Perhaps Israelis need humiliation to respect others – Haaretz

The Israeli response that has followed the harassment of Israeli Turkish Airlines passengers who experienced detention and intrusive body searches upon their arrival at Istanbul airport on Monday, borders on hysteria and hypocrisy. The incident was blown out of all proportion and immediately became an additional and unnecessary chapter in the friction between Turkey and […]

9 Sep, 2011

China to help firms investing abroad – chinadaily.com.cn

XIAMEN, Fujian – Chinese firms need a more “open and convenient” global investment climate and the government will introduce measures to help companies invest internationally, the country’s top commerce official said on Thursday. The government will launch more measures to aid companies investing overseas and create a win-win situation for both China and other countries, […]

9 Sep, 2011

New western colonialism emerges in Libya – People’s Daily Online

France has long viewed its active interference in Libya’s military conflicts as “investments in the future.” Even the United States, which was unwilling to take the lead in interfering in the conflicts, has changed its attitude and dispatched a high-level delegation led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the conference in Paris to discuss […]

9 Sep, 2011

The unlearnt lessons of 9/11 today – People’s Daily Online

A decade after 9/11, it appears that those sentiments of rage and revenge are the ones that have won out. A quick glance at any newspaper or news website tells you that the level of violence in the world is on the rise, not decreasing. Certainly, rage is an appropriate emotional response when something as […]

9 Sep, 2011

9/11 marked turning point in world landscape – People’s Daily Online

East Asia is a priority for the America’s “back to Asia” strategy. Apart from showcasing “muscles” in the region, the United States is more inclined to adopt the so-called “smart power.” It sows seeds of discord to stir up trouble, lets other nations make trouble or even backs up both opposition sides at the same […]

8 Sep, 2011

A Decade Since 9/11: Compendium of Commentaries to Help “Awaken” Travel & Tourism

Imtiaz Muqbil

This dispatch contains a compendium of commentaries and analysis that challenge conventional wisdom and offer alternative perspectives on the aftermath of 9/11. A brief excerpt is reproduced, with links to the full story.

8 Sep, 2011

Libya’s Next Fight: The West | Truthout

While Libyans fought against brutality, guided by a once distant hope of freedom, democracy and liberation from the grip of a clownish and delusional dictator, NATO calculations had nothing but a self-serving agenda in mind. In his brilliant and newly released book, “Postmodern Imperialism: Geopolitics and the Great Game,” Eric Walberg astutely charts NATO’s role […]

7 Sep, 2011

Asia Times Online : Was there an alternative?

By Noam Chomsky We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the horrendous atrocities of September 11, 2001, which, it is commonly held, changed the world. On May 1, the presumed mastermind of the crime, Osama bin Laden, was assassinated in Pakistan by a team of elite US commandos, Navy SEALs, after he was captured, unarmed […]

7 Sep, 2011

What a Difference a Decade Makes: Ten Years of “Homeland Security” | Truthout

On August 5, 2002, President George Bush declared, “We’re fighting … to secure freedom in the homeland.” Strikingly, he did not use the word “nation,” or “republic,” but instead adopted a term, with its Germanic overtones of blood, roots and loyalty going back generations, for a country that is not the ancestral home of most […]

7 Sep, 2011

America, Protect Your Own Interests, Not Israel’s – Media Monitors Network

“The Palestinians’ bid for statehood in the United Nations is not in the United States’ interests,” a U.S. State Department official said to me in a closed meeting a few months ago. “Therefore, the United States cannot support the Palestinian move.” What a sham. Last month, this same State Department sent out messages to over […]

7 Sep, 2011

UN Panel of Inquiry shows Israel is an ‘Untouchable’ Rogue State – Media Monitors Network

After months of waiting, the UN’s panel of inquiry has come up with a report reviewing Israel’s May 31, 2010 raid on a Turkish-based flotilla that was trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of Gaza. The report assailed Israel for the way in which the nine passengers were killed and scores of others […]

7 Sep, 2011

The Future of the Libyan revolution – by Dr. Mohamed Elmasry

My two personal contacts with Libya have been at airports and both were shocking. The first was at Tripoli airport seven years ago. The airport was in a very bad shape considering I was at the capital of an oil rich country. I wondered then why few billion dollars were not spent on the facility. […]

7 Sep, 2011

For the Love of Israel: Congresswoman’s Misguided War on the UN – By Ramzy Baroud

From an Israeli point of view, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the ideal American politician. Although many in the US government aspire to her level of commitment to Israel, few can measure up to a dedication that extends beyond the very interests of her own country. “Lawless extremists infest Congress like crabgrass besets lawns. House Foreign […]

7 Sep, 2011

The Hindu : “Print media expanding its presence in South Asia”

The newspaper industry is invested with the resilience of 400 years, and the belief that it is in a crisis is misleading, Jacob Mathew, president, WAN-IFRA, said on Tuesday. Speaking at the inaugural of WAN-IFRA India 2011, 19th annual conference held here, Mr. Mathew said the print media was expanding its presence in the South […]

6 Sep, 2011

Croatia Chalks up Summer Success but Mexico Lifts Crown for Growth

Croatia is the only destination to feature in Post Office® Fastest Growing Currencies summer top ten for three years running · Mexico hits the holiday top spot with growth of 144 per cent · Thailand recovers from troubles but Egypt’s currency sales slump With demand fuelled by low-cost all-inclusive deals and direct BA flights to […]

6 Sep, 2011

China’s ODI up 21.7%, 5th worldwide — chinadaily.com.cn

XIAMEN – China’s outbound direct investment (ODI) surged 21.7 percent year-on-year to $68.81 billion in 2010, growing for the ninth straight year and recording an average annual growth rate of 49.9 percent, according to a government report issued Tuesday. Non-financial ODI climbed 25.9 percent to $60.18 billion last year, while the country’s overseas investment in […]

6 Sep, 2011

US dollar depreciation will not fix debt dilemma – People’s Daily Online

As the U.S. debt dilemma evolves, market players speculate that the United States will try to solve its debt issue by depreciating the U.S. dollar once again. Will the United States launch the third round of quantitative easing? The Chairman of U.S. Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke has postponed the answer to this question until the […]

6 Sep, 2011

No end in sight for crisis of Western capitalism – People’s Daily Online

Recently a series of shocking incidents have happened successively in the West. The US credit rating was downgraded for the first time in a century. The European sovereign debt crisis keeps worsening. A shocking terrorist attack hit in Norway. A serious riot of a kind not seen since the early 1980s broke out in England. […]

5 Sep, 2011

San Francisco Chinese Medicine College President to Speak at WFCMS International Congress on Sustainable Harvest of Ingredients

Addressing the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) at its 8th International Congress in London next month, Lixin Huang, president of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) will present an overview of the San Francisco Chinese medicine college’s groundbreaking work on issues of sustainability in Chinese herbal medicine, as well as the […]

5 Sep, 2011

The Axis of Evil – 10 years on | DAWN.COM

It’s nearly a decade since President Bush first used the term Axis of Evil to describe Iran, Iraq and North Korea. So widely reported, it provoked a flurry of other axes. A couple of months later, US diplomat, John Bolton tagged on Libya, Syria and Cuba to the mix in his “Beyond the Axis of […]

5 Sep, 2011

US harms self, others with trade protectionism – People’s Daily Online

Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily judged that it would impose high tariffs on a part of steel wheel hubs and galvanized steel wires imported from China to offset the subsidies given by the Chinese Government to the exporters. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Commerce also imposed anti-subsidy duties on the drill pipes and […]

5 Sep, 2011

It’s time to end the war on terror — Slate Magazine

Days after 9/11, President Bush declared a war on terror that would “not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” At first, his rhetoric served as an empowering battle cry for an enraged, disillusioned public. Ten years later, his words are a poignant reminder of the thousands of […]

5 Sep, 2011

The true cost of 9/11 – By Joseph E. Stiglitz, Slate Magazine

The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks by al-Qaida were meant to harm the United States, and they did, but in ways that Osama Bin Laden probably never imagined. President George W. Bush’s response to the attacks compromised America’s basic principles, undermined its economy, and weakened its security. The attack on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 […]

5 Sep, 2011

The price we paid for the war on terror – The Washington Post

We stopped investing in our infrastructure — think what $3 trillion could do for roads, research, education or even private investment, if part of that sum had simply been left in taxpayers’ pockets — and we missed the chance to rethink our national energy policy. After Sept. 11, the president could have declared an emergency […]

5 Sep, 2011

Dozens of Israelis questioned at length upon landing in Turkey – Haaretz

Some 40 Israelis on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul were separated from the rest of the passengers upon arrival in Turkey on Monday and were questioned at length by Turkish police, marking a highly unusual event against the backdrop of a deepening diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel. Turkish police […]

5 Sep, 2011

Turkey citizens routinely humiliated at Israel’s airport – Haaretz

Foreign Ministry officials told Haaretz on Monday that over the past year, there were dozens of complaints on the part of Turkish citizens who claimed they were humiliated by Israeli security personnel at Ben-Gurion airport. The officials also said that almost every Turkish citizen who arrives at Ben-Gurion airport undergoes a routine procedure of extensive, […]