One of Italy’s most upmarket coastal resorts has slapped a ban on the opening of kebab shops, Chinese takeaways, Indian restaurants and other purveyors of “ethnic food”. Forte dei Marmi, a leafy beachfront retreat for politicians, artists and writers on the Tuscan coast, has rebutted accusations that the prohibition is […]
The world has become a smaller place and information flows in breath-taking quantities. Yet there is a paucity of conversations between people of different nations. Relying by and large on media reports of the “other,” our understanding of nations and their people is scarily lopsided. Even as citizens in a […]
TOKYO — The Transportation Ministry has imposed new restrictions on air traffic controllers after a Haneda Airport controller caused a security panic last month by posting the flight details of Air Force One. In line with the restrictions, air traffic controllers will be forbidden from posting job details on blogs, […]
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Passport Department (Jawazat) has plans to issue iqamas (residency permits) to expatriate workers on arrival at the airport, the department’s chief said. “This can be achieved by setting up an integrated electronic system,” said Lt. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, adding that the […]
(CNN) — A man accused of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States was too disorganized to have been a part of the scheme, a friend said. Manssor Arbabsiar is accused of conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon […]
The Home Office has quickly rejected a call from the government’s official drug advisers to decriminalise the personal possession of all illegal drugs, including heroin and cocaine. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has said it would be better if the tens of thousands of people caught […]
by BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: An engineer working for the Tawafa Establishment for South Asian Pilgrims has developed an electric heater that can boil up to 1,000 liters of water to make tea and other hot drinks. While commending the efforts of Abdul Aziz Mahboub, electrical engineer […]
Source/Credit: Dawn.com The killing of 13 Shia Muslims in Quetta today is a grim reminder of how intolerant Pakistan has become when it comes to religious freedom. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s report ‘State of Human Rights in 2010’, 418 people have been killed in various attacks on Muslim sects, including 211 in […]
By RFI France has launched the country’s largest-ever solar energy farm, with an array of panels spread over about 200 hectares in the mountainous southern Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region. It has roughly the same surface area as the nearby principality of Monaco, an independent state. With a production capacity of 90 […]
By RFI French prosecutors have dropped the sexual assault case brought against former IMF chief Dominque Strauss-Kahn by French writer Tristane Banon. They said they had prima facie evidence that a sexual assault took place, but the case was too old to prosecute. More: http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/ 20111013-banon-alleged-sexual-assault-case-against-strauss-kahn-dropped
Source: Dawn Author: Nilofar Ahmed SOME time after the migration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his followers to Madina, the Makkans banned the entry of the believers in Makkah, even for the purposes of Haj or umrah. The Muslims yearned to visit the Kaaba to perform the pilgrimage. After about […]
Source: Dawn.Com It was bound to happen. When you have a vaguely worded law with so many loopholes, and a clergy hell bent on defining religion in asphyxiating, rigid boundaries, its supporters and enablers were bound to get scorched themselves. The law was eventually going to come and bite them […]
Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Bekasi municipality has officially banned the religious practice of the Ahmadiyah sect on Thursday, a move pluralists deemed as the legitimation of a violation of the spirit of the Constitution. The head of the Bekasi Agency for State Unity, Politics and Community […]
Brian J. Gavriloff / Edmonton Journal Kelly McParland What would we do without health studies, which provide a steady source of evidence that no matter what you do in pursuit of good health and fitness, it’s wrong? Here’ what I’ve: Multivitamins will kill you: All those vitamins you’re dutifully taking […]
China has urged the Obama administration to block a controversial currency bill aimed at putting pressure on the country to appreciate the yuan. The bill is a protectionist step that “gravely violates World Trade Organization rules,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said yesterday after the US Senate approved it in […]
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been named the most powerful person in the art world, according to a poll compiled by ArtReview magazine. But Mr Ai, who was released in June after being detained for more than 80 days by Chinese authorities, told the BBC he does “not feel powerful […]
Source/Credit: US Dept. of State SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am very pleased to be welcoming the foreign minister of Bangladesh. Minister Moni has been here in Washington meeting with officials and civil society and discussing the program and agenda that Bangladesh is following. We have certainly watched with great interest […]
Source/Credit: Religion Dispatches By Joseph Laycock Last weekend, pastor Robert Jeffress found himself in political quicksand when he called Mormonism a cult. Scholars of Mormonism along with evangelicals and progressive Christians responded that Mormonism is a legitimate faith and not a cult. But by debating whether Mormonism is a cult, […]
Source/Credit: CNN Tokyo (CNN) — An extraordinarily high level of radiation was detected in one spot in a central Tokyo residential district Thursday, prompting the local government to cordon off the small area, local officials said. Radiation levels were higher in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward than in the evacuation area around […]