Japan has 47,700 centenarians

Number of centenarians hits new high in Japan TOKYO — The number of people aged 100 or older in rapidly greying Japan has hit a record high for the 41st consecutive year, the government said Tuesday. The health ministry said 37 out of every 100,000 people in the country are […]

Jihadis in Syria: Myth or reality?

source.  asia times on line. In a speech on June 20, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad identified three components of the unrest in his country: citizens with legitimate grievances and needs that must be addressed; criminal elements; and “radicals” seeking to destabilize the country. He accused external forces, outlaws, and radicals […]

MPs to boycott Pope’s Bundestag speech

Source: The Local As preparations are finalised for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany at the end of the month, a number of MPs have declared they will boycott his speech to parliament. Around half the members of the Bundestag from the socialist Left party will leave the German parliament […]

Editorial: ‘Ambon manise’

The Jakarta Post For the past decade the people of Ambon and the entire province of Maluku have been licking their wounds from a bloody sectarian conflict that sociologists said was a test of the country’s pluralism. So when riots erupted anew in this peaceful town on Sunday, claiming three […]

A call to action to the OIC

By REEM AL-HAKEEM, ARABNEWS It can be an effective instrument of peace and economic development Carnage and turmoil in some Arab countries, famine in Somalia, Gazans under siege and Al-Quds under threat from Israel, terrorist bombings in Pakistan and Afghanistan, natural disasters in Indonesia, poverty and power struggle in some African […]