16 Nov, 2011
US tries ‘hip hop’ diplomacy in Pakistan – DAWN.COM
Considered by many Pakistanis to be public enemy number one, the United States on Monday turned to the musical descendents of rap group Public Enemy in an attempt to counter its highly unpopular image in the south Asian nation. As part of its cultural diplomacy programme, the US embassy brought the FEW Collective, a hip-hop […]
more…16 Nov, 2011
Singer crashes Obama summit with ‘Occupy’ song — chinadaily.com.cn
A popular Hawaiian recording artist turned a top-security dinner of Pacific Rim leaders hosted by President Barack Obama into a subtle protest with a song in support of the “Occupy” movement. Makana, who goes by one name, was enlisted to play a luau, or Hawaiian feast, Saturday night for leaders assembled in Obama’s birthplace Honolulu […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
Another war is coming? – People’s Daily Online
It is said that the U.S. Department of Defense has submitted a plan to attack Iran with military force. Will the United States and Israel really carry out military operations against Iran at this time or are they just bluffing to pressure Iran? After strictly, comprehensively and reliably assessing a great amount of information, the […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
The new emancipation – chinadaily.com.cn
In India and Indonesia, the rules of marriage are changing as well, steered by a rising middle class and women who will no longer tolerate inequality in marriage. Tiffany Tan has the stories. It’s a bit of a surprise to discover the person behind India’s biggest matchmaking site for divorcees is a single, attractive, 30-year-old […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
gulfnews : Witness to an age of transformation
“I’m from the second generation of people who settled in the Arabian Gulf Coast… my age could be 88 years or more,” he said. “At the time of my youth, the Trucial Coast was poor and undeveloped, with economy largely based upon fishing and pearl diving along the coast,” he said. “Our life was going […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
Norway massacre: court stops ‘arrogant’ gunman speaking
Behring Breivik also attempted to take advantage of his first public appearance since the attacks to make a speech. “I am a military commander in a resistance movement,” Behring Breivik said in a calm voice before questioning the legitimacy of the court to try him. “You have been mandated by those who support multiculturalism. That […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
Crony capitalism exposed – The Washington Post
Insider trading is illegal — except for members of Congress. A Wall Street executive who buys or sells stock based on insider information would face a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and quite possibly a federal prosecutor. But senators and congressmen are free to legally trade stock based on nonpublic information they have obtained through […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
For Israel, a tough call on attacking Iran – The Washington Post
A weird but wonderful feature of Israeli democracy is that even fateful decisions about national security — like whether to carry out a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities — are publicly debated and covered in the press as if they were questions about road building or water rates, complete with vote counts in the […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
Eurofighter loses ground against F-35 in Japan contract race – Telegraph
Defence analysts monitoring the three-way dogfight for the multi-billion contract say Tokyo has been impressed with the stealth technology of the Lockheed Martin F-35, which will enable it to carry out clandestine monitoring of Chinese, North Korean and Russian military assets in the region. It also remains indebted to Washington for the assistance the US […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
AFP: Japan should prioritise reducing debt, IMF chief says
TOKYO — IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Saturday said Japan should make reducing its mammoth public debt a priority, while adding that its recent unilateral currency intervention was “in the spirit” of the G7. Japan’s “priorities going forward are the swift implementation of reconstruction spending, and the adoption of a strong medium-term plan to reduce […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
Measure for measure – Indian Express
Airport searches are universally annoying — but the rest of us who want to travel have resigned ourselves to elaborate and intrusive screenings. The US Transportation Security Administration is especially relentless about this security theatre, now unfeasible to scale down — it is now simply a fact of our post-9/11 times. However, in India, our […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
American? Step aside – Hindustan Times
In our khichdi mix of a feudal culture and modernity, we usually deem the act of frisking to be insulting for the person being searched. True, the chance of a VIP having nefarious plans and walking into the immigration line in any Indian airport is extremely slim. But someone with a nefarious plan looking like […]
more…15 Nov, 2011
ADB urges Asia to help rescue eurozone – FT.com
By James Lamont in Mumbai The Asian Development Bank has called for India and China to be ready to help rescue the eurozone from its sovereign debt crisis to avoid a long-term downturn that will stunt the growth of Asian economies. Rajat Nag, the managing director of the Manila-based ADB, said the world’s two fastest-growing […]
more…14 Nov, 2011
Age of low-cost flights – The Japan Times Online
It appears that Japan is finally entering the age of low-cost flights. All Nippon Airways has set up a joint venture, Peach Aviation, with a Chinese investment fund and plans to set up another joint venture, AirAsia Japan, with AirAsia of Malaysia, a leading low-coast carrier (LCC) in Asia. Japan Airlines, now undergoing rehabilitation, has […]
more…14 Nov, 2011
Time the West stopped being obstinate – chinadaily.com.cn
For leaders and citizens of the G20 countries, this week’s summit in Cannes is about as welcome as a visit to an undertaker. For all its unwieldiness and amorphous sense of purpose, the G20 represents the beginnings of an understanding, as necessary as it is reluctant, that a global economy with new growth sources must […]
more…4 Nov, 2011
Too Big to Jail – Truthout
Can we all agree that a $1 billion swindle represents a lot of money, and the fact that Citigroup agreed last week to pay a $285 million fine to settle SEC charges for “misleading investors” demonstrates a damning admission of culpability? So why has Robert Rubin, the onetime treasury secretary who went on to become […]
more…4 Nov, 2011
Has a Hollywood actress made Palestine solidarity chic? | The Electronic Intifada
What does it mean when an Oscar-winning actress appears in British Vogue wearing a Palestine scarf, particularly amidst a media and film industry which generally demonizes the people of the Middle East? Either it was an intentional message of solidarity, or simply a deliberately-controversial fashion statement on the part of a celebrity known for her […]
more…3 Nov, 2011
Chinese firms boost overseas office rentals | chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING – As Chinese companies embark on a wave of overseas expansion, managers of office buildings overseas are seeing an increasing number of business opportunities amid a faltering economic recovery and are flying to China to seek potential Chinese tenants. Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings LLC, which manages the Empire State Building in New […]
more…3 Nov, 2011
Paedophile ring unravelled – SMH
A British woman and four men have been found guilty of various offences for their part in an international paedophile ring that committed “horrific” crimes against two young children in Britain and one in Australia. Melissa Noon and the four other defendants were convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court of a total of 16 offences. The […]
more…3 Nov, 2011
David Cameron backs Archbishop on top pay – The Independent
David Cameron has backed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s call for greater responsibility by high earners in the City, while playing down the idea of a “Robin Hood tax” on the banks. The Prime Minister said Dr Rowan Williams spoke “for the whole country” when he condemned the excesses of those at the top of society. […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
CIC buys stake in GDF Suez – chinadaily.com.cn
The China Investment Corp (CIC), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on Monday signed an agreement to pay GDF Suez 2.3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in exchange for a 30-percent stake in the French company’s exploration and production division. CIC chairman Lou Jiwei signed the agreement Monday in Beijing with Gerard Mestrallet, chairman and chief executive […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
China cuts tax to boost small businesses – chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING – China carried out major tax cuts on Tuesday designed to benefit the nation’s crisis-hit small and micro-sized firms – including street vendors – and also help curb inflation. The value-added tax (VAT) threshold for small enterprises increased to between 5,000 yuan ($791.14) and 20,000 yuan, in terms of monthly sales revenues, from the […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Mekong security agreement reached – People’s Daily Online
BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) — Four countries, including China, have agreed joint security operations on the Mekong River where 13 Chinese sailors were murdered last month. Officials from China, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos vowed to boost law enforcement on the river, according to a statement released after a meeting in Beijing on Monday. “The smuggling […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Why Taoism can change the world – People’s Daily Online
The closing ceremony of the international Taoism forum and a prayer meeting for world harmony concluded at Hengshan Mountain of Hunan province on Oct. 25. The forum has made the “Nanyue Declaration,” which states that “being simple and sincere can help people to secure a peaceful mind, and following the laws of nature will ensure […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Disaster victims to get dharma counselling – The Nation
Monks will start visiting flood victims at evacuation centres from tomorrow under a new initiative aimed at alleviating stress and depression. The project will seek to ease the emotional burden of the disaster through the use of dharma teaching and advice. “We have found that flood victims at evacuation centres are experiencing high levels of […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Why does Wal-mart continue to flout law? – People’s Daily Online
After entering the Chinese market, multinational corporations need to make some adjustments according to the specific conditions of different regions, and mistakes in the early stages are understandable. However, Wal-Mart’s 13 stores in Chongqing have continued to make the same mistakes, and “inappropriate strategy of localization” is no excuse for their unethical and illegal practices. […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Top bosses’ riches are undeserved – SMH
Trade liberalisation has opened up opportunities for cheaper imports of many everyday items such as TVs, fridges, couches and cars. When goods are internationally traded it is harder for monopolies to survive. But many of our big purchases, groceries, electricity and home loans continue to be supplied by a limited number of domestic companies and […]
more…2 Nov, 2011
Truths, facts and facts on the ground – Al Jazeera English
In 1991, negotiations started officially and unofficially between the Palestine Liberation Organisation (and the Palestinians associated with it) and the Israeli government. At the time, Israel had occupied the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip for the previous 24 years. Today, 20 years later, Israel and President Obama insist that the only […]
more…13 Oct, 2011
Cagle Post » Willful Deafness When it Comes to Occupy Wall Street
The media have gone “Grampa with a telemarketer” on Occupy Wall Street. That hasn’t hindered the Occupiers from resonating with Americans. The protests have been growing. The movement has been growing. Occupy LA is down the street from my home. Their numbers have nearly quadrupled from the first week. They now count 253 tents at […]
more…11 Oct, 2011
Systematic Torture In Afghan Detention Facilities – UN Report
Oct 10 2011 — A new United Nations report released today cites evidence of the “systematic” torture and mistreatment of detainees in Afghan detention facilities, including of children, and provides recommendations which it hopes will spur the necessary reforms. The report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is the result of extensive interviews […]
more…11 Oct, 2011
Obama’s Israel problem | Jordan Times
What is it about Israel that reduces America’s president to Jell-O? Why, for that matter, are all American politicians so afraid to be critical of Israeli policies? Is it fear of being called an anti-Semite? Or is it the “Jewish vote”? On the face of it, Democrats don’t have that much to fear. Polls suggest […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Gulfnews : America’s misreading of the Arab Spring will backfire
The pending American veto at the UN Security Council against the Palestinian application for full membership to the UN and the Congressional move to block $200 million Dh734 million in financial aid to the Palestinian National Authority shows the extent to which US policy towards the Arab World is helplessly stacked in the pre-Arab Spring […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Facebook’s power should worry us all
If Facebook was a government agency, its power would be as undisputed as it would be frightening. For a single organisation to know as much as it does about the habits, interests and behaviour of 10 million Australians is unsettling. If a government department had so much up-to-the-minute information about who we know, where we […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Scipione slams ‘drink until you drop’ culture
NSW needs to debate the manner in which alcohol is advertised and marketed to ensure children and teenagers are not getting the wrong message about drinking according to the Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione. Deeply concerned about a prevalence of drinking to excess among young people, Mr Scipione warned that the ”drink until you drop” culture […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
China wins battle against ‘four evils’ – People’s Daily Online
China has investigated 7,165 places and arrested more than 17,000 involved the “four evils” since a campaign was launched. A crackdown was set to begin on the “four evils” on Aug. 22. The “four evils” include“black workshops” that make and sell bogus food and medicine, “black factories” that make counterfeit goods, “black markets” that sell […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Opinion: Is 3rd round of Quantitative Easing coming? – People’s Daily Online
The U.S. Federal Reserve had a meeting in Washington in August when officials of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were also having meetings there. The whole world turned their eyes to whether the Fed chairman Ben Bernanke would announce a decision about initiating the third round of Quantitative Easing monetary policy. The […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Rich, poor divide at heart of Wall Street protests – People’s Daily Online
The “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration, which has lasted three weeks, has spread to all parts of the Untied States. The Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg recently warned that street riots might occur in the Untied States due to the high unemployment rate. Apparently, it is the gloomy economy and high unemployment rate of the […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
US media blackout of protest is shameful – chinadaily.com.cn
One of the best-kept secrets in the United States over the past two weeks seems to be the protest on and near Wall Street in New York. More than 1,000 people protested on the first day, September 17, marching and chanting slogans. Yet the demonstration, known as Occupy Wall Street, did not appear on the […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Israeli settlements a thorn – chinadaily.com.cn
When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas formally presented the application to the world body on Friday, disregarding the strong opposition from Israel and the United States, opponents predicted that the move would ignite a new round of violence in a region beset by decades of bloodshed. In the past week, however, the Palestinian response has been […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
Income divide causes fiscal crises in Europe, US – chinadaily.com.cn
The United States is facing three big difficulties currently. The first one is the high unemployment rate. At present, the unemployment rate of the Untied States runs high at nearly 10 percent. The second one is the high federal debt. The governmental debt keeps inflating, the debt ceiling keeps popping up and rising, and the […]
more…10 Oct, 2011
US protesters march against war – chinadaily.com.cn
Ten years of war took a heavy toll on all military families around the country. Pat Alviso, a Marines mom whose son Beto has been deployed four times — twice to Iraq, and twice to Afghanistan — said the war left deep scars on his son. “Every time we see him, he is different,” Alviso […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
Policy difficult to defend | Jordan Times
It cannot be easy for the new American ambassador Stuart Jones and other ambassadors in Arab capitals to defend their government’s political stands. They see that decision makers in Washington make it a point to alienate the Arab masses who used to be friendly to the American people. One answer to the question “why they […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
‘There is no sensible alternative to a two-state solution’ | Jordan Times
Against the backdrop of the expansion of settlements, I asked myself whether a two-state solution was feasible. The optimists still think it is – just. But time is running out. There are still Palestinians who, despite the wall that separates their villages from Israeli settlements (but often also from their land) and the daily restrictions […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
Occupy Wall Street exposes underlying US problems – People’s Daily Online
“Occupy Wall Street” is an ongoing series of demonstrations in New York City which has lasted for three weeks since September 17. The headquarters of the protest is based in Zuccotti Park, formerly “Liberty Plaza Park”, and was originally called for by the Canadian activist group Adbusters. The participants of the event are mainly protesting […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
Gulfnews : Asian languages in demand at Zayed University
While English remains the dominant language people learn in addition to their mother tongue, an ever-increasing number of students are learning Asian languages. A survey at Zayed University (ZU) showed Korean and Chinese as the most desired languages to learn. Asian languages look more appealing to ZU students this academic year than it was last […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
Plenty in Murdoch’s pockets despite missing bonus millions – SMH
The earnings of the News Corp executives are extreme examples of the types of remuneration that have angered investors around the globe. If any part of News Corp’s move from Adelaide to Delaware in 2004 was a desire to avoid scrutiny, rather than just reflecting that the centre of gravity of its business is now […]
more…9 Oct, 2011
States push for student visa change – Sydney Morning Herald
THE NSW government will join with Victoria to push for wider changes to visa restrictions after the federal government was accused of ”effectively strangling” the overseas student market. Only weeks after Canberra said it would fast-track student visas and give foreign students two years of post-study work – provided they graduated with a degree – […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Michael Moore: How I Became Anti-War | Truthout
I can’t quite remember when I turned against the idea of war, but I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that I didn’t want to die. From pretty much the sixth grade on, I was firmly, solidly, against dying. But up until then, I spent many years dying with verve in our […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
An Open Letter to Wall Street | Truthout
Now is the time to bone up on your coping skills, because three weeks is nothing. The people camped out on Wall Street are not leaving unless and until they are cleared out by force. They look all kinds of silly in their outfits, and some of their statements don’t make a whole lot of […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
It is Time to Keep Marching to Take Back America’s Dream | Truthout
Attendees at the Take Back the American Dream conference piled into buses at high noon Wednesday and took their stand on the grounds of the Capitol, joined by hundreds of other demonstrators, from grassroots activists to dozens of unemployed people. The above video tells the story better than words. The rally was dominated by the […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Fear of an Islamic Planet | Truthout
You can’t support democracy only when it produces results that you like. You have to support the whole deal, and that includes fusions of religion and politics, some more noxious than others. In his survey of the Arab world called The Arabs, updated in 1985, the journalist Peter Mansfield concluded in his final chapter that […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Occupy Your City and Make History | Truthout
The Occupy Wall Street protest is a full bore indictment against corporate greed and dysfunctional government. It’s a demand for nation building here at home. People young and old are taking the streets, sleeping in tents, donating pizza, even publishing their own Occupy Wall Street Journal newspaper, to let our government and corporations know that […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Something Big Is Happening: Occupy Together | Truthout
To paraphrase one of Bob Dylan’s songs of youthful protest, “Something’s happening here, and you don’t know what it is, do you Ms. Bellafante?” A New York Times writer, Ginia Bellafante, is but one of many establishment reporters and pundits who’ve been covering the fledgling “Occupy Wall Street ” movement — but completely missing the […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Economic “Experts” Got Crisis All Wrong | Truthout
It took bad thinking and bad policy by many players to get us into the state we’re in; rarely in the course of human events have so many worked so hard to do so much damage. But if I had to identify the players who really let us down the most, I think I’d point […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
The Week Politics Changed | Truthout
Washington – American politics reached a pivot point this week. A new story line will now define how voters and the media see what’s going on. Since Election Day in 2010, the prevailing narrative has been about a resurgent conservatism, a president on the defensive, big government under attack, the deficit as the dominant issue, […]
more…7 Oct, 2011
Got Class Warfare? Occupy Wall Street Now! | Truthout
Warren Buffet is certainly right in claiming that there is class warfare in the United States and the rich are winning. while at the same time claiming that his billionaire friends “have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress.”(16) What Buffet misses in spite of the best of intentions is that his billionaire friends […]
more…5 Oct, 2011
Abbas to Europe, Latin America over UN statehood bid – Jordan Times
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flew to Europe on Tuesday to kick off a week-long tour which will also take him to Latin America to shore up support for his UN membership bid, Agence France-Presse reported. The UN membership request, which Abbas formally presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 23, is being studied […]
more…5 Oct, 2011
Australian Reserve Bank officials in evidence cover-up
SOME of the Reserve Bank’s most senior officials were involved in covering up extensive evidence of corruption at the central bank’s subsidiaries, Note Printing Australia and Securency. An investigation has found top Reserve officials suppressed damaging information in 2007 and 2008 about the payment of secret commissions to middlemen hired by the Reserve firms to […]
more…4 Oct, 2011
How sleep can save your life – The Independent
Sleeping well is vital for physical, mental and emotional health. But there has been a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, with research showing that at any one time, one person in five feels unusually tired and one in ten has prolonged fatigue. “Sleep is nature’s way of providing us with […]
more…4 Oct, 2011
Why protecting the world’s wildlife is good for our wallets – The Independent
A new world body on wildlife and ecosystems protection being set up by the UN must avoid blaming developing nations, where most of the world’s biodiversity loss is occurring, says a top British scientist. Overconsumption by rich western nations is as big a driver of global environmental degradation as the rapidly growing populations of developing […]
more…4 Oct, 2011
Bloggers say Arab Spring has gone global – Africa – Al Jazeera English
TUNIS, Tunisia – New forms of activism that have evolved in the Arab world in 2011 are being picked up by activists in the West, speakers at the Third Arab Bloggers’ Meeting have affirmed. The meeting is the first since the uprisings began, and brings some of the most prominent bloggers in the region together […]
more…4 Oct, 2011
Waking up from the American Dream – DAWN.COM
Ronald Reagan’s slogan in his 1984 reelection campaign was “Morning in America.” Looking back at that moment from this distance, it feels as if it’s been downhill ever since. Having found my voice and vocation as a traveling writer who tries to listen patiently and compassionately to ordinary people in countries that are anything but […]
more…3 Oct, 2011
Senior PLO Official Saeb Erekat Says US Cannot “Blackmail” Palestine Over UN Bid
“Everyone who believes in the two-state solution should support (the UN bid), as preserving peace should come through accepting Palestine as a member of the UN,” the former chief Palestinian negotiator told a press conference. Palestinians’ right to self determination is “non-negotiable,” he said, slamming US pressure via financial sanctions. The UK newspaper The Independent […]
more…3 Oct, 2011
Palestine accuses US of delaying UN bid – chinadaily.com.cn
Reyad al-Malki, the Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA) foreign minister, told the “Voice of Palestine” radio that the US administration “is following the principle of procrastination and postponement in dealing with our bid in the Security Council.” On September 23, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the request for full membership of a Palestinian state in the […]
more…3 Oct, 2011
International community should help Palestinians and peace | Jordan Times
Instead of halting settlement construction, Israel has announced plans to add another 1,100 homes to the settlement of Gilo in occupied East Jerusalem. The announcement laid bare Israel’s real intentions. The European Union and the United States have condemned the Gilo project. China, Egypt, Russia and other major powers have added their voices to the […]
more…3 Oct, 2011
Rich people are being ‘demonized’ for flaunting their wealth. Poor dears! – The Washington Post
Admirers of the rich, led by pundits and politicians on the right — from Laura Ingraham to Larry Kudlow — have long derided the victimization claims of African Americans, women, gays and the unemployed, but now they’re raising their voices to defend the rich against what they see as an ugly […]
more…2 Oct, 2011
Rise in people seeking food handouts – The Independent
Britain has seen a sharp rise in the number of people receiving food handouts, according to a charity. FareShare, which redistributes surplus food from major manufacturers and supermarkets to social care charities, said its donations now go to 35,000 people a day, an increase from 29,000 last year. It follows the largest ever yearly rise […]
more…2 Oct, 2011
Invasion of the body scanners – Comment is free – The Observer
We seem to have swallowed the security nightmare of airports without much fuss. Someone uttered the magic words “international terrorism” and we accepted (in traditional British manner: grumbling passivity) that we must now queue for several hours, remove shoes and belts, pick up a few verrucas from the airport floor, submit to any indignity suggested […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Prison Planet.com » 12 Signs That Americans Who Love Liberty And Freedom Should Watch Their Backs
Just like the rest of the western world, America is being transformed into a “Big Brother” police state control grid. Nearly everything that you do is being watched and monitored. A whole host of organizations know that you are on this website right now. If you want to go to an NFL game next weekend, […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Libya and the Big Lie: Using Human Rights Organizations to Launch Wars
The claims of the Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR) were never supported or verified. The credibility of the United Nations must be questioned as well as the credibility of many humanitarian and human rights organizations that have virtually pushed for a war. At best the U.N. Security Council is an irresponsible body, but it […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
American Awakening Cometh: US Steelworkers Support the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protest Movement
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW), North America‘s largest industrial union with 1.2 million active and retired members, today issued the following statement in support of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement:
more…1 Oct, 2011
AJC Applauds Canadian Foreign Minister’s Support for Israel at UN
The foreign minister reiterated Canada’s firm opposition to the Palestinian bid for UN recognition of statehood without first reaching an agreement with Israel. “Our government’s position has been clear. The only solution to this issue is one that is negotiated by the parties themselves,” said Baird. AJC Executive Director David Harris, who, together with an […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Leading Palestinian IT Outsourcing Company ASAL Joins Cisco-Sponsored Delegation to USA
ASAL Technologies is the largest ICT company in Palestine and a premiere software solutions provider. ASAL’s clients include a large number of local, regional and international companies such as Cisco Systems, Intel, Volvo and Mellanox. “The Quality of the work is high and good relationships have been formed between or R&D team and ASAL’s team. […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Australian activists put Palestine travel ban on trial – The Electronic Intifada
They had no trouble boarding an Aegean Air flight from Athens which arrived at Ben Gurion Airport at 4:30am on Monday, 11 July. “I think we took them totally by surprise,” says Hale. “When they said, ‘What is the purpose of your visit to Israel?’ And we said ‘We don’t want to visit Israel, we […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Holiday to be boon for places overseas – chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING – Even as some travel destinations struggle to attract tourists, flocks of Chinese are expected to go overseas during the National Day holiday, according to the country’s top tourism think tank. The China Tourism Academy, a research institute, forecasts that 2.2 million Chinese tourists will travel overseas during the weeklong holiday that starts on […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Full-blown economic crisis unlikely in China – chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING – A global recession could be the biggest risk facing China, but a full-blown economic crisis is unlikely, given the nation’s relatively healthy balance sheets, said Huang Yiping, chief economist of emerging Asia at Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of Barclays PLC, on Thursday. “A global economic recession could cause a hard landing […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Study: Israeli Occupation Costs Palestinian Economy $7 Billion
BETHLEHEM, Sept 30 (NNN-Ma’an) — A Palestinian Authority ministry and national research institute released a joint study Thursday which estimates that the Israeli occupation cost the Palestinian economy around $7 billion in 2010. “Without the occupation, the Palestinian economy would be almost twice as large as it is today,” the PA Ministry of National Economy […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Social network websites ‘pose a challenge’ – People’s Daily Online
Networks such as Facebook and Twitter pose new problems for social management, Wang Chen, minister of the State Internet Information Office, said in a keynote speech at the 4th UK-China Internet Roundtable. “Many people are considering how to prevent the abuse of these networks following violent crimes that took place in some parts of the […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Covert agreements with US be made public — DAWN.COM
ISLAMABAD: PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif asked the government on Friday to disclose terms of engagement with the United States under which the so-called war on terror was being fought. He said at a press conference that the nation had the right to be informed about the covert agreements. According to official estimates, he said, […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
Anti-US protests in Pakistan follow defiant declaration – DAWN.COM
Charges by a top US general that Pakistan’s spy agency had supported this month’s attack on the US mission in Kabul has added to anti-American sentiment in a country where a poll in June showed that almost two-thirds of the population considered the United States an enemy. “The prevailing view in Pakistan is that because […]
more…1 Oct, 2011
America’s Dangerous Game at the UN
An American veto would be neither a big deal nor a bad thing. It would unequivocally confirm the sad and humiliating reality, now almost universally recognized, that the United States of America is enslaved to Israel, paying tribute and taking orders. By doing so, an American veto would definitively disqualify the United States from playing […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
International star Natacha Atlas announces Israel boycott – The Electronic Intifada
International singer and songwriter Natacha Atlas has announced publicly that she is canceling a planned concert in Israel and will boycott the country “until this systemised apartheid is abolished once and for all.” In a statement on her official Facebook page, Atlas wrote: Read the rest International star Natacha Atlas announces Israel boycott | The […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
Palestinian olive trees destroyed in West Bank attack – Jordan Times
HEBRON, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Dozens of Palestinian olive trees were destroyed in an attack near the city of Hebron, local residents said on Thursday, calling it an act of revenge carried out by Israeli settlers. The Israeli military confirmed that “about 40” trees were burnt and uprooted in the village of Shuweikeh, south of […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
Census count finds decreasing white population in 15 states – The Washington Post
A Census Bureau analysis of the 2010 count showed that the number of non-Hispanic whites rose over the decade from 194.5 million to 197 million, but the 1.2 percent growth rate fell far short of the national increase of 9.7 percent. Non-Hispanic whites are now 64 percent of the population, down from 69 percent a […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
US ‘threat’ unites Pakistan – DAWN.COM
US accusations that Pakistan is supporting Afghan insurgents have triggered a nationalist backlash and whipped up fears of an American invasion, drowning out any discussion over the army’s long use of jihadi groups as deadly proxies in the region. The reaction shows the problem facing the United States as it presses Pakistan for action: Strong […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
Oil, Palestine and a Pathan cabbie | Opinion | DAWN.COM
Thousands of Pathans from Pakistan drive taxis in the Gulf states. They are mostly scrupulously honest and hardworking individuals. Unlike other expatriates from Asian countries who submit tamely to the occasional road rage of a brash petrodollar rich Arab youth, the hardy Pathans would offer stiff resistance. For this they were sent home occasionally only […]
more…30 Sep, 2011
Tony Blair: Time to go? – Opinion – Al Jazeera English
There is always something for Tony in what Tony does, and nowadays he’s trying to renew his tenure as the International Quartet’s point man on Palestine. The Quartet, composed of the US, EU, UN and Russia, is supposedly responsible for making pace between Israel and the Palestinians. If I remember correctly, Blair negotiated his salary […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
Juan Cole: Palestine Vote Showcases the Decline of American Power – Truthdig
The United States, castigated by its critics as recently as a decade ago as a “hyper-power,” is now so weak and isolated on the world stage that it may cast an embarrassing and self-defeating veto of Palestinian membership in the United Nations. Beset by debt, mired in economic doldrums provoked by the cupidity and corruption […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
Michael Moore: Arrest Wall St. Bankers, Not Wall St. Protestors – AlterNet
MICHAEL MOORE: Well, it’s highly ironic that now over 100 of the protesters have been arrested and not a single banker, a CEO from Wall Street, anyone from corporate America — nobody, not one arrest of any of these people who brought down the economy in 2008. Who created schemes, financial schemes that not only […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
100 Days of Solidarity to End the U.S. Occupation of Iraq | | AlterNet
Despite the fact that there is a Bush-era agreement with the Iraqi government to leave, despite the fact that the majority of Iraqis and Americans don’t support a continued U.S. presence, and despite the fact that Congress is supposedly in an all-out austerity mode, strong forces – including generals, war profiteers and hawks in both […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
How Face Recognition and Digital Fingerprinting Are Creeping Into the U.S. Workplace | | AlterNet
FaceIN uses two cameras to map a worker’s face, converting the width of their cheekbones, depth of their eye sockets, nose shape, and other unique facial features into an ID code. Every day after that, workers punch in by standing in front of a machine that recognizes them after a two-second face scan. Unlike the […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
Palestine in Criminal Court Triggers Western, Israeli Fears – IPS ipsnews.net
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27, 2011 (IPS) – If Palestine fails to achieve full statehood recognition at the United Nations, the only other viable option is to get “enhanced” observer status with the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N.’s highest policy making body. But that proposed new status has already triggered Israeli and Western fears that Palestinians […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
Australia must learn about its neighbours or suffer 100 years of solitude
Despite this reliance on Asia, most Australians do not know that much about it, especially compared with the North Atlantic. We can name small US states and dank British towns. We know American movies are made in Hollywood and San Francisco’s Silicon Valley is home to some of the world’s biggest information technology firms. But […]
more…29 Sep, 2011
Mecca for the rich: Islam’s holiest site ‘turning into Vegas’ – The Independent
Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising official policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
Western debt crisis shows 10 contradictions – People’s Daily Online
Of the 10 contradictions above, the primary one is the contradiction between the super-high social welfare level and political system of the West. If the West does not solve the “ultra-democracy” issue of its political system and the “advocacy of super high social welfare” issue of its culture, the 10 contradictions will hardly be solved […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
China needs caution in expanding economic presence in Europe – People’s Daily Online
China has to be cautious while expanding in Europe Emotionally, China is willing to give a hand to the European countries in difficulties. However, practically, China has to comprehensively consider many factors including the investment return, security, risk and national interests and therefore has be cautious while expanding in Europe. China certainly can buy some […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
South Africa should support boycott of Israel – Al Jazeera English
South Africa has been cast into a situation where it has to choose between supporting a Palestinian proposal at the UN, or supporting the Israeli-US mafia which has been trying to intimidate states into opposing the Palestinian bid. For a country – and a ruling party – which have had good relations with the Palestinian […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
Boomers Greed Led To Global Financial Crisis
The most privileged, most profligate generation in human history – my generation, the baby boomers (most often defined as those born 1946 to 1964) – drove the world for the past decade to this moment of reckoning, running up a gigantic bill that has now come due. Responsibility for this bill lies mainly with the […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
The fear factor is a mover and a shaker
IT’S not something economists emphasise. Indeed, they prefer not to think about it because it reminds them of the limits of their so-called science. But the peregrinations of the economy are as much about psychology – moods and feelings – as about tangible economic forces. When you view the economy from outside, what you see […]
more…28 Sep, 2011
Hotels expect 50% drop / Survey predicts huge income losses for Fukushima properties : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE
Hotels and traditional inns in Fukushima Prefecture are expected to see their income drop by about 50 percent in the year following the March 11 disaster from the corresponding period in the previous year, according to a survey by an industry association. Following the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power […]
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