Day: June 4, 2011

Bangladesh to swing away from secularism back to Islam

Bangladesh, in a dramatic U-turn from secularism, will adopt Islam as the state religion and allow religion-based political parties to function. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday came out in favour of retaining Islam as the state religion, moving away from/flouting the secular provisions in the constitution that were incorporated […]

Try These 17 Brain-Boosting Foods

A good diet improves your health, but also boosts your energy. Create a shopping list of these must-have endurance foods recommended by Dr. Mike Moreno, author of The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor’s Plan Designed for Rapid Results. 1. Beef, extra lean: improves memory, alertness and attention span. 2. Beets: helps relay signals […]

Syrian city holds mass funerals

Residents bury dozens of people killed by security forces during marches on “Children’s Freedom Friday” in Hama Most shops are closed in the central Syrian city of Hama as funerals are held for scores of protesters shot dead by security forces a day earlier, local residents say. The Syrian Observatory […]

Saudi king brokers Yemen ceasefire

Ruling party officials and opposition tribesmen agree to a one-week truce, news agencies report King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is said to have mediated a one-week ceasefire between pro- and anti-government forces in Yemen, amid unconfirmed reports that Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, was travelling to the kingdom for […]

Dams generate hopes and fears

by Julia Slater, in Lucerne, swissinfo.ch Concerns about both climate change and safe energy supply in the post-Fukushima world have given a new impulse to one of Switzerland’s specialities: hydroelectricity. About 900 experts in dams from all over the world converged on Lucerne this week for the annual symposium of […]

Islamic studies funding on the hot seat

JENNIFER O’BRIEN, QMI AGENCY LONDON, Ont. – A UWO-affiliated college is caught in the crossfire of a decision to accept money from two Muslim groups — one local, one international — to help fund a new chair in Islamic studies. Critics contend there’s a link there to violent jihadism and […]

Success: Seeing the future in clear water

Duo faced long struggle before finding a market for stormwater-treatment technology. As university students, Greg Yeoman and Mike Hannah worked hard and played the same way. Weekends and holidays usually involved some sort of beach-centred activity: surfing, fishing or scuba diving. It was that time at the beach that sparked […]

IMF to eat Belarus alive

The government of Belarus applied to the International Monetary Fund for a stabilization loan. The work of the IMF mission will last during June 1-14. Belarus is not ready either for large-scale liberalization in the currency sphere, or for a considerable reduction of state spending. Those were the requirements, which […]

Russia goes back to Soviet five-year plans?

The subject of five-year plans has surfaced in Russia again. The initiative belongs to the Institute of Social, Economic and Political Research chaired by Senator Nikolai Fyodorov. The institute develops the pre-election program of United Russia, as well as of the All-Russian People’s Front. Like with the People’s Front, the […]