SWISS MADE: Author “sets the story straight” with new book
by Catherine McLean, swissinfo.ch April 13, 2013 – 18:13 As far as most people around the world are concerned, the Swiss excel at three things: banking, chocolate and watches. Author […]
Author Archives
Rafiq A. Tschannen
Rafiq A. Tschannen is a Swiss national. He converted to Islam and joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at the age of 16 after reading the German translation of the Holy Qur'an. He worked in 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, first as Finance Director in the private industry and later as Chief Executive Officer of NGOs and International Governmental Organizations. He is now devoting his time to The Muslim Times as Editor for Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Switzerland and as Associate Chief Editor.
Exclusive: G20 to Consider Cutting Debt to Well Below 90 percent/GDP-Document
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Financial leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies will consider next week in Washington a proposal to cut their public debt over the longer term to well below 90 percent of gross domestic product, a document prepared for the meeting showed. The proposal, prepared by the co-chairs […]
Americans spend 9.14 billions of hours on government paperwork every year!
Source: NY Times: Dozens of government agencies impose significant paperwork burdens, but one stands above all others: the Department of the Treasury. That department accounts for 6.7 billon annual hours, which is nearly 75 percent of the total. No other agency accounts for more than 6 percent. The Department of […]
Pope Francis tasks cardinals with studying reform of Catholic Church
Source: CNN Rome (CNN)— Pope Francis has appointed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to look into ways of reforming the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Saturday. The group, which includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston, will examine ways to revise the Vatican constitution, Pastor Bonus, […]
Plane overshoots runway in Bali, ends up in sea
Source: CNN (CNN)— A Lion Air flight carrying about 100 people overshot a runway while landing at Bali International Airport on Saturday and ended up in water, officials said. Only one person so far is confirmed as having suffered injuries, Lion Air spokesman Edward Sirait told a news conference in […]
New immigrants are younger, more skilled
Source: The Local. Germany is able to attract immigrants who are both younger and better qualified than the majority of its own citizens, a report released on Friday by the German Foundation for Integration and Migration, showed. More:
The TTP threat and elections
Source: ET We would all like to believe that the ballot is more powerful than the bullet, and that the pen is mightier than the sword. They are, but only in the long run. In the heat of battle, a pen is rather useless. Similarly, the positive effects of the […]
Riyadh to be connected to five cities by train service
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS Sunday 14 April 2013 Last Update 14 April 2013 9:51 am A train will connect Riyadh with five cities by 2014, with a capacity of more than […]
Strong Saudi film presence in Gulf Film Festival
DUBAI: MOHAMED EL HEBEISHY ARABNEWS Sunday 14 April 2013 The opening ceremony of the Gulf Film Festival 6th edition took place in the weekend with the screening of Saudi film ‘Wajda.’ The Kingdom’s first film directed by a female director, Haifa Al-Mansour, tackles the role of women in Saudi society. […]
Robert Fisk: The war has reached Damascus, but for now it is not a warzone The Independent’s Middle East correspondent returns to the streets of Damascus
Damascus under siege? Certainly. But at war? I’m not so sure. The shells swish high over the city, from Mount Qasioun to Deraya, soaring far over the 18th-century Azem Palace and the mosque built on air, the glorious Umayyad with its fragile 8th-century mosaics, last resting place of Saladin, the […]
Mobiles become weapons as tactics change in Syria’s new phoney war – Heavy casualties are reshaping the nature of the conflict. Robert Fisk reports from Damascus
A man was stopped at a government checkpoint on the highway north of Deraa and his mobile phone taken. The soldier found an SMS message which said: “I am in the hospital. The shooting has started.” Assuming that the man was a rebel signalling his whereabouts to his comrades, the […]
Taller, now faster – Dubai gives police Lamborghinis
DUBAI: The city that boasts the world’s tallest building is equipping its police with $400,000 Lamborghini sports cars that Dubai’s deputy police chief says are in keeping with the Gulf […]
Delhi Peace Symposium: Religious leader praise Ahmadiyya community’s efforts to promote Peace
Press Release: AMC Delhi Peace Symposium Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Delhi organized peace symposium at Chinmay Mission, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 13th April’ 2013 to promote the values of peace, […]
Fighting rages across Syria’s borders
Story Summary In Homs, Syrian forces battled rebels near the border with Lebanon as part of a counteroffensive aimed at regaining control of territory. Meanwhile, fighting between rebels and opposition forces also broke out in the eastern city of Qamishli on the Turkish border, ending a de facto truce in […]
Hosni Mubarak retrial collapses within minutes in Egypt as judge steps aside
Official refers ex-president’s trial to another court after previous judgment prompted concerns he is a Mubarak sympathiser Patrick Kingsley in Cairo guardian.co.uk, Saturday 13 April 2013 11.34 BST The retrial […]
U.S. visa waiver bill stymied over Arab Americans entering Israel
The legislative effort being pushed by AIPAC would allow visa-free entry for Israelis, but the government is unable or unwilling to reciprocate, insisting on the right to refuse entry to certain U.S. citizens due to security concerns. By JTA | Apr.13, 2013 | HAARETZ ISRAEL A legislative effort led by […]
What happened to being just ‘Pakistani’?
The Muslim Times Editor for Pakistan Credit: Xpress Tribune April 13, 2013 Posted byZaid Ahmed Abro The day Pakistanis unite and truly sacrifice for Pakistan, only then will they have Quaid’s Pakistan. PHOTO: REUTERS Today, my country, Pakistan is more divided than the subcontinent was in the 1960s amongst Hindus and Muslims. […]
Swiss-Russian talks: Russian minister outlines position on Syria
April 12, 2013 – 19:24 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that attempts to “delegitimise” the Syrian leadership would have disastrous consequences, and hit out against those trying to […]
Palestinians lay foundation stone for museum
Associated Press ARABNEWS Thursday 11 April 2013 L BIRZEIT, West Bank: The Palestinians have started construction in the West Bank of what organizers say will be the world’s largest museum […]
Madinah boy wins Qur’an contest
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS Saturday 13 April 2013 A boy from Madinah has won the top prize in the Kingdom-wide Crown Prince Salman Prize for the Memorization of the Holy Qur’an […]