Asia

Muhammadiyah Bans Smoking

The country’s second-largest Islamic group has thrown its full weight behind efforts to rid Indonesia of its heavy smoking habit. After issuing a fatwa in March 2010 to tell its tens of millions of followers that it was religiously unacceptable to light up, Muhammadiyah is now set to declare all […]

ArabNews Editorial: Next move

It is now clear the Palestinians have no majority backing for full UN membership. The Security Council deadlock over the bid for UN membership, which was their ultimate diplomatic prize, has left the Palestinian leadership with only a few options. They have to decide whether to call a vote on […]

Palawan river now ‘global jewel’ of 7Wonders

Palaweños on Saturday greeted with fireworks the news that the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) has been named among the world’s new seven wonders of nature in a global poll. The minute the provisional winners were announced at dawn Saturday, fireworks exploded around the city to signal that the Underground River had successfully […]

Thai princess: King temporarily lost consciousness

By ASSOCIATED PRESS BANGKOK: Thailand’s ailing king — the world’s longest-reigning monarch — recently suffered a health problem that caused him to temporarily lose consciousness, his daughter revealed, linking the incident to stress over the country’s flood crisis. News that the health of 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej took what Princess […]

SEA Games Off to Golden Start in Indonesia

As the Southeast Asian Games opened with an extravagant ceremony at Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang on Friday, the real party began at a still-unfinished venue on Cipule Lake. Hours before the Rp 150 billion ($16.8 million) opening ceremony started, Indonesian athletes earned the country’s first two gold medals in rowing […]

Indian leader makes a case for Muslim unity

By SIRAJ WAHAB | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: A prominent Indian leader from Hyderabad who performed this year’s Haj said his party has created the right template for the success of Indian Muslims in democratic India. Speaking at a packed Al-Hayat Continental Hotel on Wednesday, Akbaruddin Owaisi, whose Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party […]

Coffee: an enduring Jordanian tradition

By Muath Freij JORDAN TIMES AMMAN – Since pre-modern times, coffee has been a symbol of Jordan’s heritage and a centrepiece of traditional Jordanian hospitality, according to Ahmad Abu Rumman. The tribal leader, who identified himself as a sheikh of the Ramamna tribe in the Muqablein neighbourhood, noted that serving […]