Mining Boom Truly Over: Rio Tinto Posts First Ever Loss!

(News Article direct from Yahoo!7 News on 14 February 2013.)

RIO TINTO POSTS FIRST LOSS, PAYS NO MINING TAX. Rio Tinto has posted its first loss under its current corporate structure after recently writing $US14.4 billion off the value of some of its assets.

The world's third biggest mining company reported a $US3 billion loss for 2012, down from a $US5.8 billion profit the year before. However, the loss was due to $US14.4 billion worth of write-downs in the value of its aluminium and coal businesses.

Excluding those one-off write-downs, Rio recorded underlying earnings of $US9.3 billion, which is down 40 per cent on last year's underlying result, but slightly ahead of average analyst expectations which centred on a result around $US9.1 billion.

Islamic College in Australia forces Headgear on Teachers!

(News Article direct from The Adelaide Now on 13 February 2013.)

TWO female teachers from the Islamic College of South Australia have gone to court to fight against being unfairly dismissed based, in part, on their attire being considered inappropriate.

The teachers were sacked last year by the West Croydon school, which issued a warning to all female teachers - Muslim and non-Muslim - to wear a hijab head scarf or face the sack. One of the teachers has taken a case of unfair dismissal to the civil court while the other's claim is being heard by Fair Work Australia.

School principal Kadir Emniyet yesterday defended the school's policy, which he said he had discussed with all 42 teachers. He said "90 per cent of them are happy to adhere to the policy".

Tarlawgyi Shans Fight Back KIA Terrorists!

(Translation of news articles direct from EMG and Opposite Eye in February 2013.)

U San Wai the patron of Tarlawgyi Shan Village’s people militia is now demanding the army to provide the third batch of militia training for his village as the volatile situation there still requires his village to be armed and prepared to defend themselves against the terrorist KIA.

According to him the first batch of militia training was given in May last year mainly to the KIA returnees, who were forcefully-recruited by KIA Kachins against their will, and the Tarlawgyi village people militia has been formed with them as the core members.

The village militia was further strengthened by more youths who attended the second batch of militia training given by the army’s IB-37 from Myitkyinar in January this year.

Gaza University forcing Female Students to Wear Niqab!

(News Article direct from The Al Monitor on 1 February 2013.)

Gaza University students before the new dress code.

Al Aqsa University, a public university in Gaza (run by Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas since 2006), has introduced an Islamic dress code for women.

After being characterized for more than 20 years by political and intellectual diversity, female students are now bound to adhere to a strict dress code, including an abaya (cloak) and hijab (veil) while on campus. The decision has caused uproar and sparked heated debates.

Dr. Naaman Ulwan, an independent academic and advisor for cultural affairs at Al Aqsa University, revealed to Al-Monitor that he did not know about the decision ahead of its announcement on Jan. 26, 2013. Ulwan affirmed that even if such decision was approved, it certainly complies with the conservative society of Gaza that does not tolerate attire showing women’s curves.

Burma’s so-called Debt-Cancellation?

(Based on the press releases of Myanmar Finance and Revenue Ministry.)

Finance Minister Win Shein signing the debt agreement.

“MYANMAR (Burma) has hailed a deal with international lenders to cancel nearly $US6 billion ($A5.8 billion) of its debt.”

Above statement was the common theme of recent media headlines about Burma’s celebrated debt relief as an Obama’s reward for Thein Sein’s political and economic reforms in Burma. Following was another common statement describing that so-called debt relief by the World Bank and ADB.

“The former pariah state also cleared its arrears to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the help of loans from Japan, removing another key hurdle for the resumption of international aid.”

Lars Hedegaard Narrowly escapes Muslim’s Bullets!

(News Article direct from The Huffington Post on 5 February 2013.)

Danish free-speech advocate Lars Hedegaard.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A gunman tried to shoot a Danish writer and prominent critic of Islam on Tuesday, but missed and fled after a scuffle with his intended victim, police and the writer said.

Lars Hedegaard, who heads a group that claims press freedom is under threat from Islam, told The Associated Press he was shaken but not physically injured in the attack at his Copenhagen home.

Police said they were searching for the suspect, whom they described as a "foreign" man aged 20-25.

Dearborn Muslim Thugs Attack Christian Missionaries

(This post is News Article direct from The EXAMINER on 26 June 2012.)

Christian preachers under attack by Dearborn Muslim mob.

A disturbing video posted Tuesday by The United West shows a small group of sign-carrying Christians missionaries being attacked and stoned at the 2012 Arab Festival in Dearborn, Michigan.

Worse yet, the police took no action against the attackers, telling the Christians they were the problem, instead of the mob who engaged in numerous acts of assault and battery.

The 22-minute video shows a number of attacks made against the Christians by adults and children repeatedly hurling profanities in addition to rocks, garbage, water bottles and crates.

Muslim-Woman Threw Acid at London-Woman’s Face?

(News Article direct from London Evening Standard on 1 February 2013.)

Before and after acid-attack photos of Naomi Oni (2012).

Naomi Oni, 20, had finished work at a Victoria's Secret store in east London in December and was only five minutes from home when a woman wearing a niqab threw a chemical substance at her, the London Evening Standard reports.

The store assistant had just got off the bus and was talking to her boyfriend Ato Owede, 23, on her phone when she felt someone walking behind her in Lodge Avenue in Dagenham at around 12.40am.

She said:“I’d been working a late shift and was talking to my boyfriend about what we were going to do for New Year when I saw this Muslim woman wearing a niqab covering her face. I thought it was a bit strange at that time of night, but she didn’t say anything and I kept on walking.

Ship-building Industry in Burma: Tiny but Growing?

(Part of this post is News Articles direct from Xinhua and Myanmar Shipyards.)

It was in late December 1980 when I had the taste of a dirty, noisy, and stinky shipyard called Dala Dockyards across the wide Rangoon River from the City of Rangoon.

I’d just graduated from RIT (Rangoon Institute of Technology) as a brand spanking new mechanical engineer and like most of my graduating classmates I tried to become a marine-engineer hoping that eventually I would end up on a sea-going ship outside Burma.

At that time in Burma under Evil Ne Win’s despotic Socialist-military rule the dollar was the king and anyone who could earn USD was top of the society that had been at dogs for nearly 20 years on the Socialist road to ruin.