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 […]
Hackers attempted to create a mysterious ‘insider presence’ at the organisation, which is investigating with the FBI. The International Monetary Fund’s computer system has been targeted in a cyber attack which sought to gain an ‘insider presence’ in the organisation’s network. An IMF spokesperson said on Saturday that the network […]
Atlanta (CNN) — Kulsoom Abdullah is a 35-year-old with a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering. But it’s her passion outside of work that has put her at the center of a debate — one that could affect athletic competitions worldwide, even the Olympics. Later this month, the International Weightlifting […]
Baghdad (CNN) — The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is distancing itself from statements made by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher that led to a government spokesman saying the congressman and his delegation are not welcome in the country. Embassy spokesman David Ranz issued a statement Saturday saying “congressional visitors do not necessarily […]
Can we make ourselves smarter? In recent decades, scientists have accumulated increasing evidence that our intelligence, at least as measured by the IQ test, is sharply constrained by genetics. Although estimates vary, most studies place the heritability of intelligence at somewhere between 50% and 80%. It’s an uncomfortable fact, but […]
Indonesia is making big in-roads into the international art scene. The value of pieces by Indonesian artists has been steadily increasing — a piece by S. Sudjojono sold for $385,000 at an auction in April, while a painting by Balinese artist Lee Man, “Bali Life,” was sold for $3.24 million […]