BNP out to scuttle war crimes trial, PM threatens litigation
Source: The Daily Star. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday again issued a note of warning in parliament, saying her government would take “legal action” against those who were trying to impede the trial of crimes against humanity which took place during the 1971 Liberation War. The premier also urged the […]
Rumor: NFC coming to iPhone5
Source: Webpro News. Ed McLaughlin, head of emerging payments at MasterCard, has given some weight to rumors that Apple’s next iPhone will finally include near field communication technology. In a recent interview with Fast Company, McLaughlin said that he expected the use of contactless payment systems like MasterCard’s PayPass – […]
Space Radiation Blamed for Phobos-Grunt Crash
Source: Rianovosti. The recent crash of Russia’s Mars probe was caused by a glitch in the onboard computer system under the impact of space radiation, Federal Space Agency head Vladimir Popovkin said on Tuesday. “Two components of the onboard computer system were spontaneously rebooted and it switched […]
When it Comes to Cloud Computing, It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
Source: Huffington Post. Lauren States Vice President, CTO Cloud Computing, IBM It seems like everywhere we look someone is talking or writing about “the cloud.” The recent Consumer Electronics Show featured everything from 3D televisions to cars connected to the cloud. For someone like me, this is great to […]
More than 70 die in Egyptian soccer pitch invasion
By REUTERS ARABNEWS CAIRO: Seventy-three people were killed and at least 1,000 injured on Wednesday after a soccer pitch invasion in the Egyptian city of Port Said, a health ministry […]
Can Muslim states demilitarize politics?
By Shahid Javed Burki The Daily Star Can Muslim governments free themselves from their countries’ powerful militaries and establish civilian control comparable to that found in liberal democracies? This question is now paramount in countries as disparate as Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey. To predict how this struggle will play out, […]
Exclusive: Mortgage deal would give states enforcement clout
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1326407570.html(Reuters) – A proposed settlement to resolve mortgage abuses by top U.S. banks will give states broad authority to punish firms that mistreat borrowers in the future, according to documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday. Under the settlement, which states are currently reviewing to decide whether they will join, the […]
Utrecht university scraps Arabic, Portuguese and theology
Utrecht university is scrapping its bachelor courses in Arabic, Portuguese and theology, according to a letter from the dean to the humanities faculty on Tuesday. Wiljan van den Akker writes that it is no longer responsible to keep courses going that attract very few students, reports the NRC on Tuesday. ‘We will […]
Kolkata Book Fair cancels release of Taslima Nasreen’s book
Credit: Times of India: Taslima hits out after her book release was called off See photo KOLKATA: After Salman Rushdie, its Taslima Nasreen. If Rushdie’s video conference was not allowed to be held at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Kolkata Book Fair cancelled the release of Nasreen’s latest book, Nirbashan […]
A dragon dance in the Negev
Credit: Asiatimes on Line: Bedouins of the Negev will soon witness a Chinese-built railway line snake its way through the desert to the Mediterranean and Levant Basin oil and gas reserves. The “Med-Red” plan is symbolic of China’s bold Middle East advance on three tracks: Iran, Gulf states and Israel. […]
At least 80 killed as Europe cold snap sees temperatures plunge
At least 80 people have died from a severe cold snap in central Europe saw temperatures drop as low as -22F (-30C). A child runs past a wave protection […]
Pakistan rejects Nato report that it supports Taliban
Pakistan has rejected accusations laid out in a leaked Nato report that it was secretly supporting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. The Taliban also issued a denial that it is planning […]
Meet the UAE’s Single Bright Females
Until recent years, a woman’s identity was often based on her relationship to a man. Before she married, she carried her father’s name – meaning, this girl is a daughter of this man. Once she was married, she took her husband’s name – meaning, this woman belongs to this man’s […]
The Controversial Release of Suicide Mosquitoes
Credit: Spiegel on line: A British biotech lab has released huge numbers of genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to combat dengue fever. But locals, some say, were not adequately informed of the experiment — and now a debate has erupted over the potential dangers to humans. More:
Cooking becomes popular among male retirees
Kitchen no longer the domain of women as guys start to slice, dice Kyodo Men from the generation that worked hard to turn Japan into an economic powerhouse are increasingly turning to cooking classes as a retirement activity, even though housework was considered strictly women’s work back in their day. […]
Petrodollar pumping US policy on Iran, backfire looms
As tensions between the US and Iran heat up, author Michael T. Winter believes the main reason behind America’s harsh stance is Tehran’s move to seek an alternative to the […]
Fatwa to be issued against honour killings
Honour Killings, Domestic Violence and Misogyny Are Un-Islamic and Major Crimes Mississauga) Dozens of Canadian and the American Imams / the Islamic leaders affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada will be issuing a Fatwa on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 2:00 PM at the Jamia Riyadhul Jannah, 6680 […]
Christians ‘face deportation’ in Saudi Arabia
Dozens of Ethiopian Christians are facing deportation from Saudi Arabia after authorities raided a private prayer service in Jeddah, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group was reportedly arrested […]
Religious conflicts and civilizing the civilians
Khairil Azhar, Jakarta Post: Shortly after the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, a mob of Muslims hurriedly moved to Tugu Church in North Jakarta. They wanted to destroy the […]