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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Brazilian government officials said Wednesday that they would crack down on cattle ranchers in the Amazon after new data showed that deforestation there had increased by 26 percent in the nine months that ended in April, compared to with the same period a year before. The data showed to that […]
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil’s environmental agency gave final approval on Wednesday for a giant hydroelectric power plant in the Amazon rain forest that has been at the center of a protracted battle between the government and environmentalists over the fate of indigenous people. After three decades of planning, the […]
URUAÇU, Brazil — When the Chinese came looking for more soybeans here last year, they inquired about buying land — lots of it.Even as Brazil, Argentina and other nations move to impose limits on farmland purchases by foreigners, the Chinese are seeking to more directly control production themselves, taking their […]
BEIRUT: Response teams are trying to put out a massive fire that erupted on the premises the Beddawi oil refinery in north Lebanon Sunday which led to the injury of one individual. The fire, which erupted on the premises of the oil refinery near the port city of Tripoli, quickly […]
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and cauliflower, contain a chemical called Sulforaphane. This chemical is belongs to family of anti-cancer chemicals made by many plants. This particular chemical has recently been shown to stop cancerous cells from dividing while having no such effect on normal cells. This […]
In the past few years, massive amounts of land in Africa have been bought by foreign organisations. A new report from the US-based Oakland Institute says that in 2009 alone, foreign investors bought or leased nearly 60 million hectares of land in Africa – an area about the size of […]
Near-complete results from Turkey’s election show the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won a third term. With 99% of ballots counted the AKP had 50% of the vote, which local media said translated to 326 seats in parliament. But that would be 41 seats short of […]
Just over five months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot and critically wounded at a congressional event in Tucson, the public got its first glimpse of the Arizona congresswoman via her Facebook page Sunday. Her office posted two clear photos of a smiling Giffords posing outside her Houston rehabilitation hospital last month. […]
Fashion-conscious young Muslim women are well aware that in western societies, covering up is often considered more scandalous than baring all. Jane Paulick reports Sport-minded Muslims like to quote the Prophet Mohammad, who said, “Teach your children swimming, archery and horse-riding.” As far as the former is concerned, the difficulty […]
By SARAH EL DEEB CAIRO — An Egyptian security official says authorities have detained an alleged Israeli agent and are interrogating him on suspicion he tried to recruit protesters during the popular uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The official said Sunday the alleged spy entered Egypt and posed as […]