Germans want more direct democracy
A new study says that Germans are becoming less and less interested in traditional, party-based democracy, and want more referendums and more direct influence in political issues. Read More…
Israel orders three settler buildings destroyed
Defence Minister Ehud Barak has ordered Israeli forces to demolish three buildings in a wildcat West Bank settlement outpost within 45 days, media and his office said on Sunday. The move comes after the state told a court on Friday it would remove the buildings, which are part of the […]
Westerwelle makes surprise trip to Libya
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle made a surprise trip to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya on Monday. The symbolic trip was kept secret for security reasons. Read More…
Israel’s top 10 nature reserves
ISRAEL21c lists the country’s top 10 nature reserves and national parks to visit. Fancy an outdoor adventure in Israel? Whether it’s woodlands, wetlands, sand dunes, or cliffs – Israel has it allIt’s no simple task to identify the top 10 nature reserves and national parks in a country with about […]
World Economic Forum on East Asia opened in Indonesia
The World Economic Forum on East Asia was officially opened in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta on Sunday by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in which he stressed the importance of Asian strength in helping the world in sustaining a strong and sustainable economic growth. Yudhoyono said that Asia’s moment has […]
16 suspects arrested in alleged plot to poison Indonesian police with cyanide
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities say 16 suspects have been arrested who were plotting to kill police with cyanide. Col. Boy Rafli Amar, a national police spokesman, said the suspects were arrested since Friday in the capital Jakarta, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Java towns of Bandung and Pekalongan. The alleged […]
Indonesia Will Be in the Top 10 economies
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia will be in the top ten countries with the strongest economy within the next decade. “Our GDP is almost Rp1 trillion. We have a balanced budget thanks to wise fiscal measures. The debt ratio to the GDP is 26 percent, the lowest in history,” […]
Concerns about high folate levels
Increased folic acid from supplements, fortified foods not likely to affect B12 deficiency Taking folic acid supplements or eating fortified grain products is unlikely to worsen problems related to low levels of vitamin B12, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and five other institutions in the United […]
Political Islam
IN order to understand the logic — or the lack of it — behind terrorism, one needs to first understand the interplay of governance structures and radicalisation. Islam has widely been used throughout the Islamic world to mobilise the masses. The ruling elite has utilised it for political purposes ranging […]
Ethics and international affairs
Three events have been reported in the international press that have aroused moral controversy; the bombing of Muammar Gaddafi’s residence in Tripoli, the killing of Osama bin Laden when he was unarmed, the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn for attempted rape when it could be that there was partial consent. How […]
New quakes rock New Zealand’s Christchurch
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) – A series of powerful earthquakes, including one of magnitude 6.0, rocked New Zealand’s stricken city of Christchurch on Monday causing further damage. More buildings came down and there was severe disruption to electricity and water supplies, with Christchurch still recovering from the destruction of the […]
What next for Pakistan
On Sunday 22 May, TTP terrorists attacked the Mehran navy air base in Karachi. In an 18-hour assault, 10 militants stormed the military facility, destroying two US made surveillance planes and killing 12 soldiers. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, linking it to Osama Bin Laden’s death. The incident […]
Elections and Islam in Nigeria: the roots of communal clashes
The world’s attention is focused on ongoing revolutions in the Arab World, and the possible role that Islamic movements may play. This is mostly so with regard to transitions from authoritarian regimes. Debates rage on how to curb Sharia law in Western European capitals and the American Mid-West, places where […]
The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Based at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) is dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and conservation – and the application of that knowledge to contemporary design projects. The goals of the program are […]
More work for NGOs despite Arab spring clean
by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch Swiss non-governmental organisations working in North Africa and the Middle East welcome changes underway in the region, but warn that not all problems will be solved. The NGOs say that while more democracy is on the cards, constitutional changes and more social justice are needed to […]
Women driving: Differentiate between luxury and need
By ALI AL-KHISHAIBAN | AL-RIYADH The acceptance or rejection of new ideas in Saudi society is subject to different criteria. These ideas have to go through cultural and social filters before they are accepted or rejected. An example would be riding bicycles, an idea rejected more than 50 years ago […]
Local muftis alone should issue fatwas
By ABDULLAH AL-JAMILI | AL-MADINAH Renowned scholar Sheikh Attieh Salim was one day delivering his religious lessons in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, when a man stood up and asked him a question that required fatwa (religious edict). Before answering, the sheikh asked the man: “Where are you from?” The […]
Protesters call for end to bloodshed in Syria
By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – The Islamist movement on Sunday held a protest in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman in solidarity with the popular uprising against the Baath regime in Syria. Several leaders from the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, joined activists […]
King outlines vision for Jordan’s future
AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday outlined the vision for Jordan’s political reform, which culminates in the formation of governments on the basis of parliamentary majority and political party manifestos. In his address to the nation yesterday, the King highlighted the importance of national unity, stressing that […]