by Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch Pressure by the international community can have a moral, supportive role but external factors cannot bring about change to the Syrian crisis, says a Swiss expert. Mohammad Reza-Djalili, a political scientist who specialises in the Middle East, says the five-month crisis has entered a crucial new […]
By GALAL FAKKAR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: A visit to the old Balad district of Jeddah during the Ramadan evenings has the potential to bring back nostalgic memories of the Hijazi traditions to a domestic tourist, local residents say. “Despite the steamroller effect of a modern lifestyle in most parts […]
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Friday launched the largest expansion of the Grand Mosque in history, which will increase the mosque’s capacity to more than 2.5 million worshippers and cost SR80 billion. Before laying the foundation for the […]
By Zhou Siyu (China Daily) BEIJING – China will start shipments of food aid to northeast African countries by the end of this month to ease famine caused by severe drought in the region, an official from the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday. The shipments from Tianjin port will be […]
When they see what a mess we’ve made of our planet, extraterrestrials may be forced to take drastic action. Photograph: PR Having failed with drowning polar bears, global superstorms, rising sea levels and a myriad of other manufactured hoaxes, global warming alarmists have invented a new threat to try and […]
Are you ready for another war? Now that Barack Obama and most of the other major leaders of the western world are publicly calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, we are getting dangerously close to war with Syria. It is not going to happen next week, and […]
Source: NY Times August 18, 2011 The Question-Driven Life By DAVID BROOKS Rift Valley, Kenya We are born with what some psychologists call an “explanatory drive.” You give a baby a strange object or something that doesn’t make sense and she will become instantly absorbed; using all her abilities — […]
Source: The New York Times The smallest room in the house can be a dangerous place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year about 235,000 people over age 15 visit emergency rooms because of injuries suffered in the bathroom, and almost 14 percent are hospitalized. More than […]
Source: Voice of America In India, anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare has begun a 15-day hunger strike in public after being released from prison. His demands for a tough law to fight endemic graft have gathered huge support across the country and put the government on the defensive. Rose petals and […]
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly overrating mortgage-backed securities, whose meltdown led to the 2008 financial crisis, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. The sources confirmed to CNN that Justice Department attorneys interviewed current […]
Foods that are healthy for your eyes When it comes to foods for the eyes, carrots are right on top of everyone’s list. However, this rich source of vitamin A is not the only ingredient of a healthy eyediet.Vitamin A prevents night blindness and focal drying of the […]
Source/Credit: AFP/Friday:19.8.2011/ JAMRUD, Pakistan (AFP) – A suicide bomber struck a crowded Pakistan mosque on Friday, killing 43 people and wounding more than 100 during Ramadan prayers, in the country’s deadliest attack for three months. Blood was splattered across the mosque’s main hall and walls, while the building’s doors and […]
BEIJING – Amid doubts over the prospects of a harmonious China-US relationship, the world’s two largest economies delivered strong messages of cooperation during US Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit to Beijing. “In facing a complicated and fast-changing world, cooperation is the only correct choice for the two countries,” Chinese Vice- President […]
Muslim history is full of glorious examples of large hearted tolerance not only between Muslims but also in dealing with non-Muslims. Muslim rule in Spain provides perhaps the most outstanding example of progressive tolerant society, ready to open its arms to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, driven by persecution […]
Jakarta Globe: Bogor’s controversial mayor says he has a new reason not to allow the GKI Yasmin church to open — the name of the street on which it is built has an Islamic name. Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto — who continues to defy […]
Jakarta Post: The expression “Alhamdulillah” is sprinkled throughout Muhammad Nur Maulana’s sermons during episodes of Islam Itu Indah (Islam is Beautiful). The Makassar ustad’s (teacher) show airs every morning on TransTV. His other signature expression — widely imitated by viewers — is “Jamaah… Oh… Jamaah [congregation]”, to which listeners respond […]
Jakarta – Lying across train tracks is not normally associated with good health, but for a growing number of Indonesians it has become an effective alternative to conventional medical therapy for easing aches and pains. One particular track in western Jakarta, the capital, has become popular with those who are […]
Bleeding boarders make it harder to condemn Israel’s leaders for refusing to utter the words ‘negotiation on the basis of the ’67 borders.’ The planning, time, place and methodology of the attacks in the south indicate that the intention was not just to kill Israelis, avenge Palestinian deaths, or speed […]
Source/Credit: Hudson New York Islamic mosques are being built more often in France than Roman Catholic churches, and there now are more practising Muslims in the country than practising Catholics. Nearly […]