Jakarta Globe: Lydia Tomkiw Historian Michael Laffan’s new book explores the influences of trade, travel and traditions on the spread of Islam in Indonesia. Historian, author and professor Michael Laffan studied Indonesian in high school in Australia before going on to study Arabic in college. Laffan wanted to connect the […]
by Armando Mombelli, swissinfo.ch Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey has officially announced her resignation, it emerged on Wednesday. During her years in government, Calmy-Rey’s style and actions have often spurred criticism, but Swiss diplomacy has gained in international visibility. The 66-year-old, who is also foreign minister, will not put herself up […]
Switzerland remains the most competitive country, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-2012. The report, published on Wednesday, cited Switzerland’s technological capabilities and the effectiveness of its labour market as reasons for its good results in the overall rankings. It also said that Swiss scientific research […]
By Hani Hazaimeh, JORDAN TIMES AMMAN – Since the unrest in Syria began in mid-March, hundreds of Syrian citizens have fled to the Kingdom seeking a safe haven for their families – some made it through the legal channels, but many others had to jump the fence between the two […]
Source: Jordan Times By Khaled Neimat AMMAN – Around 70 per cent of young Jordanians agree that the Kingdom is on the right track in terms of reform, a poll found. The survey also found that the majority believes the government of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit is doing its job […]
By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The director general of the department responsible for providing services to Umrah pilgrims at the Ministry of Haj has asked all pilgrimage service-providing companies to liaise with embassies and consulates to identify and repatriate dead pilgrims whose bodies are still being stored in […]
By YOUSUF MUHAMMAD | ARAB NEWS MADINAH: The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance will organize a two-day seminar in Riyadh in October on Saudi websites specializing in dawa. Assistant undersecretary of the ministry Abdul Mohsen Al-Asheikh said the seminar on Oct. 5-6 is aimed at evaluating dawa […]
A bacterium found in soil is a showing promise as a way of delivering cancer drugs into tumours. Spores of the Clostridium sporogenes bacterium can grow within tumours because there is no oxygen. UK and Dutch scientists have been able to genetically engineer an enzyme into the bacteria to activate […]
Volcanic rock rafts could have played a key role in the origins of life on Earth, a team of scientists suggests. Researchers say the buoyant rock pumice has the right properties to have provided the conditions for early life to emerge more than 3.5bn years ago. Pumice “rafts” are found […]
Australia’s economy bounced back in the last quarter as it looked to recover from earlier floods and cyclones. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 1.2% in the three months to the end of June from the previous quarter, the statistical bureau said. That compares with a contraction of 0.9% in the […]
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: A number of Saudi citizens have started shopping early for sacrificial goats after Eid Al-Fitr when prices are down before they shoot up during Eid Al-Adha, a local daily reported. As a precautionary measure, some citizens began buying little goats to raise them at home and […]
Driving from Cairo to Benghazi by car first of all we drive down the highway towards Alexandria. It was not difficult to guess that Gamal Mubarak, son of the now ‘retired’ President of Egypt. When driving along I was looking forward to see El Alamein. I was wondering whether I […]
Source / Courtesy: CNN Istanbul (CNN) — Turkey’s fiery prime minister ratcheted up rapidly-escalating tensions with Israel on Tuesday, comparing Ankara’s once-close middle eastern ally to a “spoiled boy” and announcing additional sanctions would soon be imposed. “We are completely suspending all of these, trade relations, military relations, related with the defense […]
Source:dailytimes Pakistan As a teenager, when I was supposed to be enjoying life, making friends, watching movies, playing games, socialising and talking about our little dreams, I was thinking of pleasing God and hating His perceived enemies “The only abnormality is the incapacity to love” — Anais Nin. According to […]
source:dailytimes-Pakistan A myriad curses afflict Pakistan. One of them is intolerance of views — religious and other. In this intolerant climate, the news of an innocent Ahmedi’s death at the hands of bigots points at the rot in our society. Naseem Ahmed was assassinated in Faisalabad late night on Saturday. […]
PARIS — As the stock and bond markets seem eerily similar to the dark days of 2008, Jean-Claude Trichet and Mario Draghi, the current and incoming chiefs of the European Central Bank, pointedly urged European leaders to move quickly to ensure that the euro zone’s debt crisis does not become […]
Source. Times of India A four-year-old Chinese girl has been filmed driving along the motorway. The child – who is called Jia Zheng by a man in the vehicle thought to be her father – is shown in control of the wheel as the footage is taken from inside the […]