European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist
- 4 hours ago
- Europe
The European Union has responded angrily to Russia's entry ban against 89 European politicians, officials and military leaders.
Those banned are believed to include general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius, and former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
Russia shared the list after several requests by diplomats, the EU said.
The EU called the ban "totally arbitrary and unjustified" and said no explanation had been provided.
Many of those on the list are outspoken critics of the Kremlin, and some have been turned away from Russia in recent months.
'No Diet Coke for you': Islamophobia at 30,000 feet leads to viral United Airlines boycott
Muslim chaplain Tahera Ahmad’s Facebook post alleges discrimination, saying man next to her was served beer as airline says it will ‘get a better understanding
What happens when you ask for an unopened can of Diet Coke on an airplane? If you’re a Muslim woman, according to one report, you don’t get served.
And the man sitting next to you gets an unopened can of beer just fine.
Tahera Ahmad, a Muslim chaplain at Chicago’s Northwestern University, documented these allegations from onboard a United Airlines flight this weekend in an episode that almost immediately went viral – and led to pledges to boycott the airline.
On her Facebook page, Ahmad claimed a flight attendant was “clearly discriminating against me” after she asked for an unopened of soda for hygienic reasons and says was told, “Well, I’m sorry. I just can’t give you an unopened can, so no Diet Coke for you.”
German soldier who died fighting for UK in Battle of Waterloo should be removed from museum display and given dignified funeral, say historians
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China says South China Sea air defense zone depends on security
SINGAPORE |
China will take a decision on establishing an air defense identification zone around disputed waters in the South China Sea based on its assessment of the security situation, a senior Chinese military official said on Sunday.
Land reclamation work by China around disputed islands has led to speculation it will declare an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which will require overflying aircraft to identify themselves to Chinese authorities. The United States has expressed concern that China's actions threaten freedom of navigation and security in the Asia-Pacific.
Admiral Sun Jianguo, a deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, told a regional security forum that China's actions are peaceful and legitimate, calling on other countries to stop trying to "sow discord" over the matter.
Africa borrows on the open market
The decades when the continent couldn’t raise major funds on ordinary commercial markets are over, but there are still worries about over-indebtedness.
The nations of sub-Saharan Africa, in the post-independence euphoria of the 1960s, wanted to end the international division of labour under which they exported raw materials and imported manufactured goods. They diversified their economies through industrialisation and improved production capacity, but soon encountered the problem that none (except for South Africa and Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, both then governed by a white minority) could access international capital markets without the credit rating agencies’ approval. They could only use private funds guaranteed by states, bilateral funds lent by the Paris Club (1), and multilateral funds from the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB).At the same time, much-needed export revenue was shrinking, mainly because of a global fall in agricultural commodity prices (the index went from 155 in 1977 to 94 in 2002), while the cost of Africa’s imports climbed. In 1979 a rise in US interest rates — a unilateral decision to halt the depreciation of the dollar — significantly worsened Africa’s debt burden.
Can Modi save the Ganges River?
May 31, 2015
The river that has been the life blood of millions of Indians has been choking from pollution. While PM Modi tries to revive the Indian economy and infrastructure, will he be able to save the Ganges (Hindi Ganga), the holiest river of the Hindus? Or will the river be further sacrificed at the altar of progress and development?
On May 13, 2015, the Modi government announced a Special Ganga Protection Law which will make polluting the Ganga an illegal act, National Mission to Clean Ganga (NMCG). The cabinet has approved Namami Ganga, or in the name of Ganga, a comprehensive program to clean the river with unprecedented levels of funding (Rs. 20,000 Crores or $3 Billion).
The river is deeply intertwined with Hindu mythology and identity that its ongoing pollution invariably reflects the ills of modern Indian society. PM Modi’s ability to clean up the river may be a litmus test, perhaps, an unadulterated measure of his first term in office.
After all PM Modi conducted aarti at the ghats in Varanasi after his landmark victory a year ago.
Take me to the River
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