By Vyt Karazija There is a travellers’ glitch that happens so often in Bali that it is almost an industry cliché. Departing flights to Australia often leave just after midnight, so passengers need to be at the airport late in the evening of the day before the day and date shown on their itinerary. Inevitably, [...]

The war in Iraq is ending and all US troops are coming home, US President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address, vowing continued US support of the Iraqi people. “As we take the fight to Al-Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people,” Obama told lawmakers. “But make no mistake: [...]

LONDON ~ Former British prime minister Tony Blair will face a public grilling on Friday over his decision to wage war on Iraq, seven years after a bloody conflict that still divides his country. Blair is the star witness in a long-awaited inquiry that commentators hope will finally resolve questions about the intelligence that justified [...]

By Joshua M. Z. Stanton Even as a Jew in New York, I know what it is like to be Muslim in France.While studying abroad in the French city of Strasbourg in 2007, I decided to grow a bushy beard. Little did I know that in France only traditional Jewish and Muslim men don anything [...]

By Lisa Schirch Afghan President Hamid Karzai will unveil new reconciliation efforts with the Taliban at this week’s London Conference on Afghanistan’s political future. After US President Barack Obama’s announcement of another troop surge last month, Afghans have been asking: “Where is the diplomatic surge to address the root causes of Afghanistan’s turmoil?” Last month, [...]

By Wajahat Ali Haiti is experiencing unimaginable suffering from its devastating earthquake, with more than 150,000 dead and one to three million individuals displaced. Individuals, groups and governments from around the world have stepped in to do what they can. United by their religious tradition of charity, Muslims have emerged as effective partners in aid [...]

By Hannah Black A couple of days ago I was talking to a friend about the KungFu yoga class (yes, you read that correctly) I’d just joined, and I realised I was talking about how strong the energy in the room was. “Hold on a minute,” my brain screamed at me. “Brakes on, rewind, forget [...]

Recent years have seen an increasing concern in chemicals’ harmful effects on health that has pushed some to switch to organic food. Paolo Righetti, a 45-year-old Swiss national and co-owner of the Bali Buddha chain of health-food stores and restaurants, spoke with Carla Albertí de la Rosa about the importance of awareness and how Bali [...]

By Elizabeth Henzell The news on ABC’s Just In is not pleasant. Stabbings in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, and the sad story of a father who drowned while attempting to save his two sons and their friend from a rip on a New South Wales surf Beach is heartbreaking. However, I read with joy the [...]

Twitter users responded snarkily to the name of Apple’s latest innovation the iPad, pushing the phrase “iTampon” to a number two “trending” topic on the microblogging site. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new gadget on Wednesday amid high expectations, and Twitter users followed his announcement online, with both “Steve Jobs” and “Official Apple iPad” [...]

LONDON ~ The law of probabilities backs theories that we are not alone in the Universe, although an encounter with an advanced civilisation may shock our species, scientists at a conference said here this week. “There is no firm evidence that life exists elsewhere, but there is a very firm probability (for it),” said Baruch [...]

CANNES ~ Pioneers in the development of the first MP3 players this week unveiled ground-breaking technology aimed at offering new content to music lovers during the MIDEM music industry trade fair. The new MP3 file format, called MusicDNA, offers a wide range of additional content to music lovers about favourite artists and bands – including [...]