How Israel can return to the Middle East
HAARETZ: Israelis are so estranged from their region that the wider Middle East is another world to us. …. It barely exists in our consciousness. We are focused on the […]
Yeshivat Maharat, Orthodox Yeshiva, Set To Ordain Three Women
Source: Tablet: The first graduating class at Yeshivat Maharat may not have the title, but they do have jobs at Orthodox synagogues On June 16, three Jewish women will be […]
S&P revises U.S. credit outlook to ‘stable’ from negative
(Reuters) – Standard & Poor’s on Monday removed the near-term threat of another credit rating downgrade for the United States by revising its outlook to stable from negative, citing an improved economic and fiscal outlook. The change effectively means there is less than a one-third chance of a downgrade in […]
Supposed to transfer just €62.40, but instead making it a huge €222,222,222.22 order.
Source: The Local The labour court in the state of Hesse heard that the man was supposed to transfer just €62.40 from a bank account belonging to a retiree, but instead “fell asleep for an instant, while pushing onto the number 2 key on the keyboard” — making it a […]
Minorities and Nawaz Sharif
Source: The Express Tribune By Yaqoob Khan Bangash Published: June 10, 2013 Last year, I was invited to a Christmas programme by the Lahore College of Theology. At that superb programme, […]
Robert Fisk: The Lebanese army fears rise of the Sunni Muslim Salafists As Shia Hezbollah fighters rush to Assad’s aid
The Lebanese army claims there is a “plot” to drag Lebanon into the Syrian war. The ‘plot’ – ‘al-moamarer’ – is a feature of all Arab states. Plots come two-a-penny in the Middle East. What the military authorities really fear is that Sunni Muslim Salafist groups – perhaps paid by […]
Turkish police mass near Istanbul park protest area
(Reuters) – Hundreds of Turkish riot police gathered on Tuesday on a major avenue leading up to Istanbul’s Taksim Square where protesters have been staging demonstrations against plans to redevelop a park, a Reuters witness said. Broadcaster NTV and other media outlets said the police were preparing to remove barricades […]
Civil activists ask: Are you posting too much or too little on social media? (In 5 star hotel, paid for by USAID)
BEIRUT: Journalists, activists, bloggers and marketers gathered Saturday in Beirut to discuss the best ways for groups to make their voices heard through social media. An all-day conference at the […]
Syrian opposition to name hajis
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 The Kingdom has decided to give Syria’s opposition National Coalition the right to process applications of Syrians wishing to perform Haj to Makkah, […]
Haj 2013: Fewer pilgrims likely
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 The Haj Ministry is currently planning to considerably reduce the number of foreign and domestic Haj pilgrims this season, a reliable source has […]
World-class Madinah pilgrim city to house 200,000 faithful
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR ARABNEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 A state-of-the-art pilgrim city will be established in Madinah on an area of 1.6 million square meters along Hijrah Road with […]
British report reveals Israel’s arms exports to Pakistan
Dawn: Israel has exported security equipment over the past five years to Pakistan and four Arab countries, Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted a British government report as saying. In addition to […]
Science is the last best hope for religion in the modern world
Huff Post: Religion in America is in trouble, and science can help save it. Conventional wisdom suggests otherwise, saying that science is more likely to kill religion than rescue it. I’m convinced that science is the last best hope for religion in the modern world. The God Wars pit those who […]
A quiet waiver for Pakistan from the Obama administration
CS Monitor: On Sept. 13, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quietly, and without explanation, issued a “national security” waiver on conditions for Pakistan military aid. While in years past the Obama administrationasserted that Pakistan had made progress in combating terrorism, thereby meeting aid conditions set by Congress, that apparently simply wasn’t possible after recent events: Osama bin […]
The God I Don’t Believe In
Huff Post: Rabbi Richard A. Block. The most refined condensation of Jewish thinking about God is found in our liturgy, whose prayers address a personal God with whom we can communicate, collectively and individually. When all is said and done, there are three Jewish prayer themes: Wow! Help! and Thanks! […]
People Are Overly Confident in Their Own Knowledge, Despite Errors
ScienceDaily: Overprecision — excessive confidence in the accuracy of our beliefs — can have profound consequences, inflating investors’ valuation of their investments, leading physicians to gravitate too quickly to a diagnosis, even making people intolerant of dissenting views. Now, new research confirms that overprecision is a common and robust form […]
Pakistan: CJ takes suo motu notice of ‘blasphemous content’ on internet
Dawn:ISLAMABAD: The top judge of Pakistan on Monday took suo motu notice on “ever increasing blasphemous material circulating on the internet,” indicated by a British national of Pakistani origin, said a press release issued by the Supreme Court. Barrister Amjad Malik, the applicant, prayed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would […]
A 20-Minute Bout of Yoga Stimulates Brain Function Immediately After
Source: Science Daily Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha yoga significantly improved participants’ speed and accuracy on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly […]
Switzerland: Somali girls with hijab permitted to come back to school
Two Somali girls are again allowed to attend school lessens after country-wide criticism- with their hijab. One teacher from the Primary School in Au-Heerbrugg had previously sent the girls home. […]
Unity and fun at Islamic Heritage Festival on Saturday at Penn’s Landing
Source: articles.philly.com Halal Hustler T-shirts and Muslim Princess tote bags were for sale, as were funnel cakes and fried chicken. At the Islamic Heritage Festival on Saturday at Penn’s Landing, […]