Day: June 5, 2011

For the Jobless, Little U.S. Help on Foreclosure

The Obama administration’s main program to keep distressed homeowners from falling into foreclosure has been aimed at those who took out subprime loans or other risky mortgages during the heady days of the housing boom. But these days, the primary cause of foreclosures is unemployment. As a result, there is […]

Is there life on Mars? We may soon find out

Forty years ago, space engineers launched a probe that would play a pivotal role in changing our understanding of our place in the cosmos. On 30 May 1971, Mariner 9 was dispatched to Mars on an Atlas Centaur rocket and in November that year slipped into orbit around the Red Planet. […]

Amending Taif Accord Possible But

Amending the Taif Accord turned to be the main subject of debate in Lebanon this week, following the call made by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi to modify in the interest of the country, given its gaps which were proven by experience. The patriarch called for an amendment of the Taif […]

Lebanon to form new govt. in days’

After three months of deadlock over the lineup of the next Lebanese cabinet, President Michel Sleiman says the country’s next government would be formed in a few days. On Saturday, leading Lebanese daily As-Safir said Sleiman’s latest talks over the issue with prime minister designate Najib Mikati had been hopeful. […]

Resurgence of the veil

DURING the first half of the 20th century, millions of Muslim women decided to abandon the head coverings their mothers had used; in the second half of the century, millions of Muslim women resumed wearing the veil. How and why these fluctuations of personal habit affected so many across the […]

If These Walls Could Speak

In Muntok, Bangka-Belitung, there is an old colonial-style building with an Indonesian flag waving out front. Set in a modest neighborhood, the building is clean, reasonably well-maintained, but quite unremarkable. Inside, you’ll find a few framed photos of Sukarno, the country’s first president. Those photos are the only indication of […]

Is this the Asian century?

Last month, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report in its annual meeting held in Vietnam entitled “Asia 2050 — realising the Asian century.” In a breath-taking sweep of economic trends and visions it describes two possible scenarios — first an “Asian century,” which is expected, and the other […]

Seculars: Religious education intolerant

Ynet-Yesodot survey reveals state religious schools praised for moral education but perceived as segregating themselves from Israeli public The state religious education is perceived as segregating itself from the Israeli public, although it “teaches tolerance towards fellowmen,” a Ynet-Yesodot survey reveals. The survey was conducted by the Panels research institute […]

From Guantanamo to Makkah

By NASIM CHOWDHURY | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Grand Mosque in Makkah is a very long distance in every sense of the word from Camp Delta, the infamous US Navy detention center at the base at Guantanamo Bay, but life has its ironies and this one involves the journey made […]

Panel announces suggested political reforms

By Hani Hazaimeh AMMAN – The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) on Saturday handed its recommendations on measures to reinvigorate political life in the country, including new elections and political parties laws, to the government, its chairman, Taher Masri, said. Masri, Senate president and a former prime minister, said that the […]