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Singapore pulls in global chains - The city’s aspiration to be the regional base for global companies hit jackpot in the hotel sector last week, when Accor announced Singapore as its new Asian headquarters. With Accor, Singapore can lay claim to having more of the world’s largest hotel chains based in the city than any other Asian city. The list includes Starwood Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton International, Fairmont... (by Raini Hamdi and Wrisney Tan)

Fiume umano dalla Cina - Il numero di cinesi che lasciano il loro paese per vivere all’estero cresce di anno in anno, costituendo un ininterrotto fiume umano che, in alcuni casi, crea tensioni con le popolazioni dei paesi ospitanti. Annualmente, infatti, centinaia di migliaia di cinesi varcano - legalmente o illegalmente - le frontiere nazionali in cerca di fortuna, con il desiderio di aprire o espandere un’attività e farla fruttare grazie all’imprenditoria che li caratterizza... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Living in Israel - Middle East is an interesting thing. When you come to live here, you live through many stages of accepting it. In the beginning you think – what a wild place, what a strange place – high technologies together with old buildings, weird clothes, strange traditions and unusual food. Israel is a part of the Middle East, Israel is a developed country, with high level technologies, high level scientists and oriental food that is sold in small oriental shops but... (by Olga Tyomina)

The main aim of religion - What is the main aim of religion? The main aim of religion I to Unite people, to teach them how to live their lives in the best way. How not to do mistakes. How not to hurt other people. All religions have leaders – top leaders and smaller ones. Their functions are extremely important – to help people to find their way. Sometimes if a person loses himself he should have a possibility to ask for help, to ask someone for advice and support. If you are... (by Olga Tyomina)

Turquie: Abdullah Gül renonce à la présidence - Faute d'avoir réussi une seconde fois, hier, à obtenir le quorum des voix nécessaires devant le Parlement, le ministre des Affaires étrangères turc, Abdullah Gül, a annoncé qu'il jetait l'éponge pour la présidence de la République. «Après ça, ma candidature est hors de question», a affirmé le candidat soutenu par Recep Tayyip Erdogan, le leader du parti au pouvoir issu de la mouvance islamiste. Mais ce n'est que partie... (par Ragip Duran)

Bombers in Pakistan defy US over al-Qa'ida arrest - Suicide bombings in Iraq and Pakistan killed dozens of people and wounded Pakistan's interior minister yesterday in an apparent effort to show the al-Qa'ida network remained strong, despite the capture of one of its top figures. The US revealed on Friday that Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, 46, who is suspected of plotting the 7/7 bombings and other terror attacks in Britain, was captured several months ago while attempting to... (by Raymond Whitaker)

Bangladeshis Mark New Year - More than 3,000 Bangladeshis from all walks of life celebrated their New Year — Naba Barsha — on Friday at an open-air ground in a suburb close to the capital. Distinguished guests participating in the festivities included Prince Bandar ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, who had offered to purchase a major stake in the Rupali Bank in Dhaka for $450 million, Pakistani Ambassador Shahid Karimullah and Sri Lankan... (by Mohammed Rasooldeen)

Last week the Shoa day was celebrated in Israel - Last week the Shoa (שואה ) day was celebrated in Israel. The Catastrophe day. Day of the Holocaust victims memorizing. This is a day when every Jew and not only Jew stops for a minute and thinks…oh my G-d! How could it happen? Why did it happen? This is a day when at 10 o’clock in the morning the alarm is switched on for a minute. All traffic stops. Everyone stops. In the streets. In the offices. Everyone keeps silence. All Israeli... (by Olga Tyomina)

Beijing labourers dying in race for Olympic deadline - Labourers from poor rural areas of China, some in their teens and often lacking the most basic safety equipment, are working seven-day weeks for less than £20 to complete the facilities for next year's Beijing Olympics, an Independent on Sunday investigation has revealed. Six workers were killed late last month on an Olympics project, the construction of a subway tunnel. The state-owned company carrying out the project... (by Jordan Pouille)

Thailande, l'ivresse ou le nirvana, il faut choisir - Les festivités du nouvel an bouddhiste, qui s'étendent du 13 au 18 avril en Thaïlande, sont, comme chaque année, l'occasion d'une campagne de sensibilisation contre l'alcool. L'année dernière, 482 personnes ont été tuées et 6 000 blessées sur les routes dans des accidents liés à l'abus d'alcool. Durant la campagne "Sept jours dangereux", les accidentés des années précédentes sillonnent le pays pour sensibiliser... (par le Courrier International)

Taliban beheads Afghan translator kidnapped with Italian journalist - The kidnapped translator for an Italian journalist was beheaded in southern Afghanistan yesterday, according to a spokesman for the Taliban. Ajmal Naqshbandi, a freelance journalist and translator, was kidnapped with Daniele Mastrogiacomo of the Italian daily La Repubblica, and a driver in southern Helmand province on 5 March. The driver was beheaded and Mastrogiacomo was freed on 19 March in... (by Noor Khan)

Two sides of one wall - What for do we need walls? We need walls to hold the roofs of our houses. We need walls to protect us from windy and cold weather. We need walls to protect our privacy. We need walls to separate us from other people. There is a wall; it is a very well-known one. Every day lots of people speak about it. They discuss the idea of its existence. Is it a good or a bad wall? If it is a necessary and life-important wall, or it is a useless waste of money? If this wall saves hundreds of lives or if it spoils lives of hundreds? (by Olga Tyomina)

A new government for Palestine - Last week a new Palestinian government was formed. It consists of representatives of resistance movements Fatah and Hamas. Leader of Fatah – Abu Mazen is an official leader of Palestinian Authority and president. Ismail Hanie will be Prime Minister. At the opening of the official ceremony of the swearing of the government of the national unity, the head of Palestinian Administration Abu Mazen said: “We are starting... (by Olga Tyomina)

Maoists join Nepal's government to prepare for vote on republic - Nepal's communist rebels have joined an interim government as part of a peace deal ending their decade-long insurgency. Six Maoists took an oath of office yesterday in a ceremony broadcast on national television. "This is the beginning of a new chapter in Nepal's history," said Girija Prasad Koirala, who was re-elected as Prime Minister for a sixth time earlier yesterday. "I urge all to leave behind minor... (by Binaj Gurubacharya)

Friday in Jerusalem - Jerusalem is the cradle of three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the streets of the city you can hear different languages, pilgrims from all over the world are coming here to their holly places. Jews are coming to the Crying wall – the remnants of the Temple, al-Aqsa Mosque the third holiest place for Muslims, and St. Sepulchere is often full of the Christians from all over the world. Friday is a very important and a very special day in Jerusalem. On this day... (by Olga Tyomina)

Le Sri Lanka replonge dans la terreur - Sur la côte est du Sri Lanka, ponctuée de check points, les tentes s'alignent par milliers. Dans cette région déjà meurtrie par vingt ans de guerre, la reprise des combats, ces derniers mois, entre le gouvernement et les séparatistes tamouls, a jeté sur les routes des dizaines de milliers de civils terrorisés. Des populations très majoritairement issues des zones contrôlées de facto par les Tigres de libération de l'Eelam tamoul (LTTE)... (par Pierre Prakash)

Dos muertos y cuatro heridos en Filipinas - Dos supuestos miembros del grupo Abu Sayyaf, ligado a Al Qaeda, murieron mientras que otros tres extremistas y un soldado resultaron heridos en un tiroteo en la isla filipina de Joló, informaron hoy fuentes militares. El enfrentamiento se produjo en las selvas próximas a la localidad de Indanan, unos 990 kilómetros al sur de Manila, ante nuevas operaciones militares destinadas a eliminar a Abu Sayyaf... (continua a leer este articulo)

L'Iran aurait lancé sa première fusée spatiale - L'Iran a lancé avec succès sa première fusée spatiale", a rapporté, dimanche 25 février, la télévision publique iranienne, sans donner de détails sur sa portée et sa puissance. "Cette fusée est porteuse de matériels de recherche fabriqués par les ministères de la défense et de la science", a indiqué Mohsen Bahrami, chef du Centre de recherche... (click here to continue)

Riarmo nucleare asiatico - I recenti sviluppi dei programmi nucleari di Iran e Corea del nord, rievocano l’espressione “axis of evil” (asse del male) che il presidente statunitense G.W. Bush utilizzò durante il suo discorso sullo Stato dell’Unione del 29 gennaio 2002, riferendosi a un ipotetico complotto internazionale fra nazioni favorevoli al terrorismo e impegnate nello sviluppo di armi di distruzione di massa. Anche se con una successiva dichiarazione da parte dell’allora... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

Politics and liquor - a state with no beer - No one in India is going to take pity on politicians. Any kind of political office is a guarantee of prestige, and in a country given to high levels of corruption, extreme wealth. The one source of amazement in India is that they have a prime minister in Manmohan Singh who is so distinctly and obviously different from the rest of the political school he swims in. Truly the exception and along the way, probably the most intellectual and best educated head of government anywhere in the world today. But he is the... (by Michael Field)

Pakistán, al menos 15 muertos y 30 heridos tras atentado suicida - Un atentado, cometido al parecer por un suicida que se inmoló dentro de unos juzgados de la ciudad de Quetta, en la provincia suroccidental paquistaní de Beluchistán, causó 15 muertos -entre ellas un juez y seis abogados- e hirió a 30 más, informó una fuente policial. Las investigaciones preliminares indican que se trató de un atentado suicida cometido por un ciudadano afgano, cuyo... (haga click aqui para seguir leyendo el articulo)

Una tregua impossibile in Sri Lanka - La repubblica democratica socialista dello Sri Lanka è devastata da una guerra inter-etnica da oltre vent’anni. L’origine di questa guerra è però molto più antica e nasce dalle prime colonizzazioni dell’isola. Nel 2000 la Norvegia si prende carico di portare l’isola verso una pace duratura. Si arriva nel 2002 ad un cessate il fuoco, si spera che ciò porti maggiori contatti fra le due etnie. La tregua aiuta la ripresa dell’economia che registra nel 2003 la più... (di Stefano Bossotto)

Temples and silk - Before the sun rises over the Bay of Bengal, Chennai is almost gentle and heading out on the Bangalore road in the tidy by increasingly vulnerable Ambassador (that is, Morris Oxford) it was obvious a few people have discovered the joys of the pre-dawn. A gentle, cooling breeze wafts in and the land has yet to suck up the heat that, by 10 am will leave you roasting. Kancheepuramhar is about 60 kilometres out from Chennai and famous for its 2000 year old Hindu temples, and for its silk shops. Its odd how in the West Hindu temples are shown... (by Michael Field)

Nucleaire: l'exemple iranien déclenche un effet dominos au Moyen-Orient - Plusieurs signes indiquent le début d'une course au nucléaire dans les pays du Moyen-Orient. Des ambitions auxquelles l'Iran n'est pas étranger et qui inquiètent la presse arabe. L'histoire du Moyen-Orient retiendra-t-elle le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comme celui qui a réussi à changer l'équilibre nucléaire dans la région ? L'Iran poursuit son programme nucléaire civil, défie les Etats-Unis et l'Europe et fait peur à ses voisins", relève l'éditorialiste du quotidien panarabe Al-Hayat. (par Hoda Saliby)

Corée du Nord: l'enfant terrible de Kim Jong-il - Tous les Nord-Coréens ne vivent pas en ermites. Kim Jong-nam, fils de Kim Jong-il, préférerait couler des jours tranquilles à Macao plutôt qu'au royaume de son père, «Soleil éternel» de Pyongyang. Selon le quotidien de Hongkong South China Morning Post, Kim junior, 35 ans, serait installé dans l'ancienne colonie portugaise depuis trois ans. Il aurait établi sa famille dans une villa sur une petite île, préférant pour lui-même... (par Pascale Nivelle)

Rained off - It rained hard last night and in the process further saturated the reputation of the grandly named M.A. Chidambaram (MAC) Stadium, headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the Madras Cricket Club - the other MCC. And, as it happens, the MCC is my home for three weeks and, somewhat unexpectedly, I have found myself cheek-by-jowl with the upper pantheon of India cricket, headed by Saint Sanchin Tendulkar himself. The squad was divided into India Red, India Green and India Blue and for four days... (by Michael Field)

Bangladesh, electoral commissioners quit after court ruling - On January 31, Bangladesh’s acting electoral commission chief Mahfuzur Rahman and his four deputies resigned, paving the way for the country’s caretaker government to appoint new commission members as demanded by the main alliance of opposition parties. The resignations followed a ruling the previous day by the High Court division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ordering the electoral commission to suspend all its activities for three months. The High Court asked the electoral... (by Eva Cheng)

Il nuovo “antisemitismo” - Da tre mesi circa ha preso il via la spedizione militare in Libano, guidata dall’Italia (sic!), promossa al rango di “superpotenza” dalla cosiddetta “comunità internazionale”, un’ambigua definizione di stampo dalemiano (degna del peggior machiavellismo dialettico) dietro cui si annida l’immenso strapotere dell’apparato bellico-industriale neoimperialista che fa capo all’economia ed alla società anglo-americana, a cui siamo asserviti e subalterni... (di Lucio Garofalo)

Future news off the streets - The news is all good; I will live at least 90 years, I will have multiple sources of income, have many women and am blessed with magnetic sex appeal. That is the hot news off Wallajah Road this morning. Today is Gandhi Day and most of the shops are closed in honour of the founding father. The sale of alcohol is banned for the day. It had the other blessing too that it was possible to walk the streets without the ever present likelihood of being flattened... (by Michael Field)

Bangladesh, crimini a porte chiuse - Qualche giorno fa, in un quartiere di Dakka, la capitale del Bangladesh, due bambine, Moni Mala e Madhabi Majhi, rispettivamente di quindici e dieci anni, sono cadute dal sesto piano di un palazzo. La semplice caduta non è la spiegazione migliore, infatti, in realtà, non si sa ancora se si siano buttate loro stesse nel tentativo di scappare dalla casa in cui lavoravano come domestiche, oppure se siano state spinte dalla... (di Alessandro Di Maio)

La démission du chef d'état-major israélien menace le gouvernement d'Ehud Olmert - Défaite sans gloire. Celle du chef d'état-major israélien Dan Haloutz qui a attendu pas moins de six mois après l'échec de la guerre du Liban pour rendre publique sa démission hier, annonce des jours difficiles pour les deux plus hauts responsables israéliens. Désormais, le Premier ministre Ehud Olmert et son ministre de la Défense, Amir Peretz sont en première ligne face aux nombreuses voix qui... (par Jean-Pierre Perrin)

Saddam, preso e ucciso - Era il 13 Dicembre 2003 quando l’ex governatore statunitense in Iraq, Paul Bremer, informò il mondo della cattura di Saddam Hussein. <<Ladies and gentlemen, we got him>>, queste le parole di Bremer che quel giorno accompagnarono per il mondo il video di un vecchio ex raìs visitato da un dottore e fino a poco tempo prima rintanato in un buco sotterraneo a 10 miglia dalla città di Tikrit. Le immagini di un Saddam tranquillo, dignitoso, vestito con un cappotto blu di stile occidentale e accompagnato.. (di Alessandro Di Maio)

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