UAE, Saudi among world's top website censors - project

by Neeraj Gangal

The UAE ranks high among countries that have blocked most websites, a recent report has revealed.

Internet users in the country reported the eleventh highest rate of blocked websites from among the countries in the world, according to the Herdict project.

Herdict is a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. It seeks to gain insight into what users around the world are experiencing in terms of web accessibility. As on June 12, 11am UAE time, UAE users reported that 509 different webpages were flagged as “inaccessible”, the Herdict Web project statistics revealed.

China is the most reported country when it comes to website censorship, according to the report. From among the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia ranked at No.4. and Bahrain at No.6 in the top 10 slots.

A noteworthy aspect of the report is that the Western countries were equally vigilant about restricting websites. Germany was ranked at No.2, US at No.3, France at No.7, Australia at No.8 and the UK at No.9.

According to the www.herdict.org website, Herdict is a portmanteau of 'herd' and 'verdict' and seeks to show the verdict of the users (the herd).
Speaking to the UAE’s The National newspaper, Jillian York, the social media manager for the project said that the websites that were found by UAE users to have been blocked ranged from pornography and dating websites to religious pages.

“But then, you also get some sites where you’ve got to wonder why they’re blocked – like Flickr.”

Top 10 countries that reported the most-restricted sites as on June 12, 11am, UAE time:

1. China (4,969)
2. Germany (6,972)
3. United States (5,162)
4. Saudi Arabia (2,364)
5. Iran (990)
6. Bahrain (1,004)
7. France (1,530)
8. Australia (911)
9. United Kingdom (1,237)
10. Philippines (909)

UN chief condemns Iranian president's speech at anti-racism conference

GENEVA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Monday Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the Durban Review Conference on racism.

"I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian president to accuse, divide and even incite," Ban said in a statement.

"This is the opposite of what this Conference seeks to achieve. This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism," he said.

"We must all turn away from such a message in both form and substance. We must join hands and work together to achieve a constructive, substantive agenda to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," he added.

The Durban Review Conference, which opened Monday in Geneva, is a follow-up meeting to the World Conference against Racism, held in 2001 in Durban, South Africa.

In his speech to the conference, the Iranian president referred to Israel as "the most cruel and repressive racist regime in Palestine."

He also said the state of Israel had been created "on the pretext of Jewish suffering" from World War II.

Dozens of European diplomats walked out of the conference room to show their protest as Ahmadinejad gave his speech.

The United States, Israel, Canada, Australia and several other European countries had already chosen to boycott the meeting even before it started due to concern that it could be used as a forum to criticize Israel.

In a separate statement on Monday, the UN's high commissioner for human rights also condemned Ahmadinejad's speech.

"I utterly deplore the speech of the president of Iran delivered this afternoon at the Durban Review Conference against racism," said Navi Pillay.

"I condemn the use of a UN forum for political grandstanding. I find this totally objectionable," she said.

But she reiterated her objection to some countries' boycotting the conference.

"The best riposte for this type of event is to reply and correct, not to withdraw and boycott the conference," she said in the statement.

Indonesia joins race to host 2018, 2022 World Cup

The Indonesian football federation officially expressed interest in staging one of the tournaments to FIFA late Tuesday, becoming the sixth potential host to show interest ahead of Monday's deadline.

England, Japan, Qatar, Russia and a joint Spain-Portugal candidacy have already declared intentions to bid.

Other contenders including Australia, a combined Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg proposal, Canada, China, Mexico and the United States are expected to enter the first stage of a two-year selection process before the cutoff.

Though its team is currently No. 14 in the FIFA world rankings, Indonesia fulfills one major requirement of hosting the world's most-watched sports event - it has a stadium capable of holding at least 80,000 spectators for th opening match and final.

The government-owned Bung Karno Stadium in the capital Jakarta has a capacity of 88,000 and staged the 2007 Asian Cup final, when Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0.

Indonesia has previously made World Cup history.

It became the first Asian nation to play at a World Cup, at the 138 tournament in France under its colonial name of the Dutch East Indies. The team lost 6-0 to eventual runner-up Hungary in a first-round match at Reims.

Indonesia was quickly knocked out of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup being played in South Africa. It advanced through the Asian first round when oppoent Guam withdrew, then lost 11-1 to Syria in a two-legged series in November 2007.

FIFA began the process of choosing the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts two weeks ago. It will issue official bid forms next month, which must be returned by March 16.

Candidates capable of providing around 12 stadiums eac holding at least 40,000 fans can apply for either the 2018 or the 2022 tournament, or for both.

FIFA said no South American country can apply for either tournament because Brazil is hosting the 2014 edition. African countries can bid only for the 2022 event because South Africa is hosting next year.

The hosts will be chosen by FIFA's 24-man executive committee in December 2010.

If successful, Indonesia would be the second World Cup host from Asia. The 2002 tournament was played in Japan and South Korea.
Source : The Associated Press

City Developments issues S$100 mln of Islamic notes

City Developments (CTDM.SI), Singapore's second-largest developer, said on Thursday it sold S$100 million ($66.45 million) worth of Islamic notes to fund its shariah-compliant businesses. The 3.25 percent Islamic Trust Certificates are due in 2010.

CIMB is the sole dealer for the Islamic note issue. A property pioneer since 1963, City Developments Limited (CDL) is a listed international property and hotel conglomerate involved in real estate development and investment, hotel ownership and management, as well as the provision of hospitality solutions.

With a global presence in gateway cities across Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand/Australia, CDL has more than 250 subsidiaries and associated companies together with 5 listed companies on notable stock exchanges.

Backed by a track record of over 22,000 luxurious and quality homes to its name, CDL’s properties are synonymous with prestige, good value, outstanding quality and a choice investment.

CDL is one of the biggest landlords in Singapore with over 4 million square feet of lettable office, industrial, retail and residential space. It also owns one of the largest land banks amongst private developers with over 4.5 million square feet that has the potential of being developed into more than 9 million square feet of gross floor area.

CDL strongly advocates a “Safe and Green” culture and has strict adherence to its Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) policy which was instituted in 2003. CDL was the first private property developer in Singapore to be awarded the ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) certification by the Building and Construction Authority for its commitment to raising environmental standards in its projects and incorporating eco-friendly features into its developments. CDL also received the OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certification for establishing an EHS policy to monitor the environmental impact of its operations and improve workplace safety.

In managing its investment properties, CDL was also the first private property developer in Singapore to be awarded the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) certifications for 14 of its commercial buildings.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc (M&C), the London-listed international hotel arm of CDL, is a dynamic hotel group that owns and operates over 110 hotels in 18 countries around the world, with a number of them being located in major gateway cities. CDL also has a dedicated subsidiary, the Hong Kong-listed City e-Solutions Limited, which provides technology solutions for the global hospitality industry.

Beyond its business operations, CDL believes in giving back to the community. It remains committed to an extensive range of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes aimed at caring for the needy, raising awareness about the environment, nurturing the youth and promoting the arts. For its sustained commitment and outstanding contributions to the community and the environment, CDL was conferred the prestigious President’s Social Service Award and President’s Award for the Environment in 2007. It has also been listed on the coveted FTSE4Good Index Series since 2002, for meeting globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.

Indonesia dan New Zealand to resume FTA talks in March

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The negotiation on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Indonesia and New Zealand is expected to be resumed in March 2009 after the signing of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA agreement in February, 2009.

"We hope that the negotiation could be resumed soon after the signing of ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTAB. Hopefully it could be done in March," Director General for International Trade Cooperations of the Trade Ministry Gusmardi Bustami here on Saturday.

Gusmardi denied allegation that there had been such a tension between the two countries which caused a cancellation of the negotiations concerned. "It is not true there is no friction. We have agreed to continue the talks between the two countries` trade ministers."

According to him, the follow up negotiation between the two countries would focus on the details of agreements ever made by the two trade ministers.

In the meantime, ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA launched in November 2004 will expire at the end of this year.

In the agreement, Indonesia will scrap import duty for 10,397 post tariff or 93.17 percent of the total post tariff as of 2009 till 2020. As many as 645 others are to have their tariff lowered, while other 117 will be subject to an exception.

Australia will abolish all kind of import duties from ASEAN as of 2009 till 2015 and at least 91,77 percent of the total post tariff will be lowered in 2009-2010 period, while New Zealand will remove 97,4 percent of the total post tariff at a stage of 80 percent in 2009 and 90 percent in 2012.

During the negotiation, Australia will target the opening of Indonesian automotive products, while New Zealand will open beef market and diary products.

For automotive, Indonesia will render a different treatment between Australia and Japan. The agreement on automotive sector with Australia will take into account the agreement between Indonesia and Japan.

"Little bit different, because what is asked by Australia like passenger car we have to allow it in 2020 and not in 2018 like that with Japan," Gusmardi said.

Indonesia asked the two countries to accelerate the abolition of tariff for textile product and garment which is currently standing in a range of 5 to 17.5 percent from 2009 or 2010 for Australia and 7.75 to 19 percent for New Zealand starting 2017 or 2018.

In addition, Australia also provided an investment in agribusiness to review and arrange the capacity of development working programs as well as to push an investment in meat sector and diary products.

New Zealand also offered a facility like the sending of 100 Indonesian workers under a working holiday scheme, job opportunity for 100 cooks, 20 slaughters for halal certified meat and 20 teacher assistant for Indonesian language.

Global financial community turns towards Middle East

Continuing with the financial community's interest in the MENA region, NASDAQ OMX is hosting its first ever Middle East Investor Conference on 20 November in Dubai.

As the single largest exchange entity worldwide, NASDAQ OMX offers a full suite of capital raising solutions to publicly traded companies around the world.

The event, held jointly with the NASDAQ Dubai, will provide the Middle Eastern investor community with the opportunity to meet with and learn more about the strategies of several leading listed companies, as well as learn more about NASDAQ Dubai's exciting new equity derivatives initiative. The regional potential for exchange-traded funds will also be discussed.

The NASDAQ OMX Middle East Investor Conference further supports this growing interest by bringing together private and institutional investors with regional businesses within a networking and information exchange forum.

NASDAQ OMX has been hosting investor programs in Europe and Asia for over 13 years and they have grown to become the largest institutional investor programs for U.S. equities in Europe. In 2008 alone, the NASDAQ OMX international investor programs will have hosted over 130 NASDAQ-listed companies.

In addition to the conference discussion panels and many high level-networking opportunities, investors from the Middle East will be offered access to the senior management of many leading companies in the form of private one-to-one meetings.The day will conclude with an Opening Bell Ceremony for The NASDAQ Stock Market. It marks the first time a global exchange has opened its market remotely from Dubai.

The Bell Ceremony will take place at the DIFC Gate and will be broadcast live in New York's Times Square and around the globe.

Presentations will be made by the senior management of 28 companies, from across the

These participating panelists, will not only be in the optimal position to secure investment funds to fuel their continued growth, but as well, serve as corporate ambassadors for the region by building strategic relationships with business leaders, key investors, and with local and international business media.

Being such an integral facilitator of both financial jurisprudence as well as global liquidity, both at the corporate and investor levels, it is no wonder that NASDAQ OMX has turned its focus to one of the remaining economic dynamic regions of the world.

The GCC countries continue to enjoy growth and liquidity due to a spate of profitability in recent years, coupled with budget surplus supported by high oil and commodity prices, and an economic diversification policy that has decreased the reliance on oil-based income, according to reports.

NASDAQ Dubai is a strategic union that will offer investors everywhere greater exposure to Middle Eastern companies, while simultaneously positioning MENA region businesses for a broader pool of capital raising possibilities.

The rebranding NASDAQ Dubai is instrumental in putting the spotlight on MENA based companies and helping them attract investor interest and raise capital.

In addition to a more liquid financial context, comparatively speaking, the GCC continues to house companies that are seeking expansionary and operational financing.

Investors cashing in on the opportunity to pick up equities and other securities at a fraction of their market values mere months ago, and with growth potential, are answering the call.

Many multinationals that have set up establishments in the UAE in recent years, a number of local and regional companies have also established their presence on the MENA corporate horizon, with grand ambitions and the desire to raise the necessary capital to achieve them.

Finally, the events of this week-the NASDAQ Dubai rebranding, the Middle East Investor Conference, and the opening bell ceremony - all indicate the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Dubai and New York, and other global exchange capitals.
Source : Sukuk.net