Vietnam, Laos' women unions boost ties - Tuoitrenews

Vietnam, Laos' women unions boost ties - Tuoitrenews:

Tuoitrenews

Vietnam, Laos' women unions boost ties Tuoitrenews A cooperative agreement for 2012-2017 period was signed on May 2 between the Women's Unions of Vietnam and Laos, on the occasion of the Vietnam visit of a Lao delegation led by the Lao Women's Union (LWU) President Sisay Leudetmounsone.

Why Lao companies struggle | Writer Thomas Wanhoff in Laos

Why Lao companies struggle | Writer Thomas Wanhoff in Laos: After 2 years now living in Laos, I still see one big problems: Many if not most Lao companies struggle because they still don't know (or don't accept) international business rules. One business rule is for example the old roman ...

Twitter makes subtle UI changes that could have a big impact on your Twitter.com experience

Twitter makes subtle UI changes that could have a big impact on your Twitter.com experience:
I mostly use Twitter.com to tweet (sue me, I don’t like running too many desktop apps) and I noticed that something changed overnight. I couldn’t quite place my finger on what changed, exactly, but I wasn’t the only Twitter user who noticed.
Fortunately, Twitter IM application maker Bonfire tells us what the social networking company seemingly won’t – at least for the time being.
Twitter has apparently made subtle changes with regards to the interaction part of the Twitter.com equation (retweets, replies and favorites), automatically expanding the relevant functions bar under all tweets on mouse-over and now consistently displaying the buttons in the same place wherever you are on Twitter.com.
See the ‘Expand’ and ‘Collapse’ buttons in the screenshot below. The changes appear to have been made shortly after Twitter gave its ‘Discover’ tab a big upgrade to provide more context for users.
One false note: looking at the chatter about the UI changes happening on Twitter, it appears some users are inadvertently favoriting tweets now.
Important: the ‘Classic RT’ function in one of the screenshots below is due to a Google Chrome extension I have installed, so you likely won’t see it.

“Expand”, “Collapse” – REALLY TWITTER, REALLY?
— Erika Styles ♔ (@DopeBieber1D) May 2, 2012

According to Bonfire, there is another subtle change to the Twitter.com UI currently rolling out that could have an even bigger impact.
When someone you follow mentions a user that you don’t follow at the start of a tweet, the interaction usually gets filtered out of your stream.
Twitter has changed that, according to Bonfire, now showing conversations your friends have with people you do not follow on Twitter.com.
Important note: we’re currently not seeing this ourselves so far, but if it’s true that Twitter is rolling out that particular change to users gradually, that means you’ll soon be seeing a lot more tweets than you used to.
For some, this would mean more clutter and even more issues with trying to stay on top of what happens on Twitter – it’s hard enough to filter relevant content out of a stream when you follow a lot of people as things stand now.
Others will probably welcome the changes because it allows for more interaction and discovering new interesting people to follow (which is what Twitter would likely be shooting for, if the latter UI change is indeed happening).
Again: the second change is unconfirmed for now, but the changes to the interaction side of Twitter.com are definitely visible to most if not all users now.
We’ve contacted Twitter to learn more. If you’ve noticed these UI changes – or seen others – do let us know in the comments.

Twitter Tools: 11 Free Apps and Services You Need Now

Twitter Tools: 11 Free Apps and Services You Need Now: Looking to get more out of the world's most popular microblogging service? Here are 11 free apps that deliver the goods.

Bing Takes on Google With Simple New Design

Bing Takes on Google With Simple New Design:
Microsoft’s search engine Bing has done some heavy spring cleaning as a part of an effort to de-clutter its search result pages — and the new design looks a lot like Google.
Bing rolled out a new look that is designed to help users get results faster than ever. But the seamless design bears a striking resemblance to Google Search’s simple layout. See below.

“Over the past few months, we’ve run dozens of experiments to determine how you read our pages to deliver the link you’re looking for,” Sally Salas, principal group program manager at Bing, said on its official blog. “Based on that feedback, we’ve tuned the site to make the entire page easier to scan, removing unnecessary distractions, and making the overall experience more predictable and useful.”

SEE ALSO: Despite Bing’s Rise, Google Still Dominates Search [INFOGRAPHIC]
In addition to faster page-load times and more relevant search results, Bing tightened the header and removed the “left rail” related-search section, making it easier to find the information and links you want.
It also enlarged the space between lines to increase readability and optimize the page for touch devices.
Bing said it is working on updating its search page even more in the future.
“We’re not finished, ” Salas wrote. “Today, we’re also testing out some new ideas for the homepage, including a larger version of the popular daily image. If you happen upon the homepage changes, please let us know what you think.”
What do you think of Bing’s new search results page? Do you think the site looks too much like Google? Let us know in the comments.

Afghan Conference: After the journey home, the challenges ahead

Afghan Conference: After the journey home, the challenges ahead: A new initiative seeks to improve the sustainable reintegration of former Afghan refugees with a focus on helping returnees to support themselves.

Cambodia village - Preăh Dák

Cambodia village - Preăh Dák: Editor's note: Walk through a typical Cambodian village, Preăh Dák, near Angkor Wat, and experience rural life with the local residents and their simple homes.

KENYA: Rights groups oppose move to sideline ICC

KENYA: Rights groups oppose move to sideline ICC:

NAIROBI, 2 May 2012 (IRIN) - Rights groups in Kenya have warned of a potential miscarriage of justice after the government moved to have the cases of four people charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court transferred to a region tribunal which has no experience in handling such crimes.

HIV/AIDS: New book tracks the epidemic to its origins

HIV/AIDS: New book tracks the epidemic to its origins:

MBABANE, 2 May 2012 (IRIN) - We've all heard the myths and hypotheses about the origins of the epidemic caused by the HI virus, but a new book, “Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic and How the World Can Finally Overcome It”, sheds more light on where it all began. It is a fascinating account of the medical detective work that traced the disease to Cameroon a century ago.

OPT: Blame game defers solution to Gaza's energy crisis

OPT: Blame game defers solution to Gaza's energy crisis:

GAZA CITY, 2 May 2012 (IRIN) - From factories to the fishing industry, the Gaza Strip economy is being affected by more than two months of fuel shortages and power outages, taking a toll on the livelihoods of its 1.6 million inhabitants.

AID POLICY: The myth and mystique of humanitarian space

AID POLICY: The myth and mystique of humanitarian space:

LONDON, 2 May 2012 (IRIN) - The phenomenon of ‘shrinking humanitarian space' is earnestly debated by aid workers. The often-heard complaint is that neutrality and independence is increasingly compromised by donors, peacekeepers and warring parties seeking to co-opt them, and they blame the growing toll of attacks on agency staff on the perception that they are no longer impartial.

Back to Square One

Back to Square One: Israeli Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran, an Arab citizen, recently set off a controversy when he stood – but did not sing – as the Israeli anthem was played at a court ceremony. For the far right, his silence was an act of betrayal.

[Qatar's] Volunteers feted on return from Cambodia trip

[Qatar's] Volunteers feted on return from Cambodia trip: The Rota volunteers with officials




The Gulf Times
Latest Update: Wednesday 2/5/2012 May, 2012



Qatar-based non-governmental organisation Reach Out To Asia (Rota) 
yesterday hosted a reflection event for some 15 volunteers, parents and
school officials to celebrate the success of its recent volunteer trip to Cambodia.
During the event, the volunteers showed pictures taken

PM approves Chut Wutty inquest [No one will be found guilty]

PM approves Chut Wutty inquest [No one will be found guilty]: By May Titthara and David Boyle

Wednesday, 02 May 2012

Phnom Penh Post


Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday signed off on the creation of a joint
committee to immediately begin investigating the shootings of activist
Chut Wutty and military police officer In Rattana, but publicly remained
silent about the high-profile case during a speech.
















A woman carries a photograph

Pol Pot’s nephew questioned about leaders in government

Pol Pot’s nephew questioned about leaders in government: By Bridget Di Certo

Tuesday, 01 May 2012

Phnom Penh Post


Nuon Chea’s defence counsel yesterday attempted to implicate Finance
Minister Keat Chhon and Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong for their
alleged roles during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, but the line of
questioning they took with Pol Pot’s nephew was repeatedly blocked by
the presiding judge.



Michiel Pestman quizzed

Two trucks transporting illegal timber detained in Kratie

Two trucks transporting illegal timber detained in Kratie: KRATIE, 2 May 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – Authorities in Kratie have detained two
trucks full of illegal timber after they set off from the Tong Min
Economic Land Concession Company.Prak Sombor, Forest
Administration chief in Chhlong district, said one truck was stopped in
Snoul district and the other in Chhlong. The company is located in
Sombor district’s Kbal Domrey commune."The trucks were

What can young Cambodians do to preserve our Kingdom's classical culture? - Phnom Penh Post

What can young Cambodians do to preserve our Kingdom's classical culture? - Phnom Penh Post:

What can young Cambodians do to preserve our Kingdom's classical culture? Phnom Penh Post I have to say that from my point of view, young Cambodians are more interested in pop-culture than fine arts. Modern trends like K-pop music and styles could be a big concern in the future.” “Although I do not have a strong interest in classical art, ... and more »

Teaching the Cambodian genocide to a new generation - 89.3 KPCC (blog)

Teaching the Cambodian genocide to a new generation - 89.3 KPCC (blog):

89.3 KPCC (blog)

Teaching the Cambodian genocide to a new generation 89.3 KPCC (blog) Born into the Killing Fields under the Khmer Rouge, Prach Ly escaped to Long Beach, CA to become one of the first Cambodian rappers. On a recent evening, about three dozen Cambodians gathered in an auditorium at Long Beach City College for an event ... and more »

EU calls for independent probe on Cambodia fatal shootings

EU calls for independent probe on Cambodia fatal shootings: The European Union (EU) has called for an independent probe into shootings in a remote area of Koh Kong, south Cambodia last week in when an environmental activist and a military policeman died. In a .....

Email gaffe for Cambodia KRouge judge

Email gaffe for Cambodia KRouge judge: A judge in Cambodia's Khmer Rouge war crimes trial faces calls to be disqualified after an email gaffe.

Cambodia: WFP Helps Children Dream | WFP | United Nations ...

Cambodia: WFP Helps Children Dream | WFP | United Nations ...: Since time immemorial, it has been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Mothers say eating a healthy meal in the morning helps improve one's performance in school. But what exactly is the impact of WFP ...

CambodiaWatch-Australia: CAMBODIA: Opposition leader Mu ...

CambodiaWatch-Australia: CAMBODIA: Opposition leader Mu ...: I wrote in my last article in this space of the accumulating circumstances that compel a change in the current leadership of Cambodia. In Cambodia, the rich are getting richer while one-third of the population lives on less than ...

Suspect Arrested as Murder Mystery Deepens

Suspect Arrested as Murder Mystery Deepens: Cambodian police take a logging security guard into custody in a new case development.

Tibetan Land Seized For Chinese Migrants

Tibetan Land Seized For Chinese Migrants: Chinese authorities take land from three Tibetan nomadic villages in a remote province in northwestern China.

Cambodia Lodges Dam Protest with Laos

Cambodia Lodges Dam Protest with Laos: The Xayaburi hydropower project on the Mekong River stirs up controversy among Laos's neighbors.

Press Freedom Levels Up in Asia

Press Freedom Levels Up in Asia: But a new poll shows China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma languishing in the "not free" category.

North of the Border, It’s Everyone’s Mexican Food

North of the Border, It’s Everyone’s Mexican Food: Gustavo Arellano, a journalist and Orange County native, is perhaps the greatest (and only) living scholar of Mexican-American fast food.

Academia Becomes Occupied With Occupy Movement

Academia Becomes Occupied With Occupy Movement: While academics across the country have embraced the Occupy movement as participants, a smaller number are working to turn the sprawling movement into publishable data.

After Leadership Defeat, Livni Resigns From Israeli Parliament

After Leadership Defeat, Livni Resigns From Israeli Parliament: Tzipi Livni, who recently lost the leadership of her centrist Kadima Party and her position as leader of the opposition, resigned from the Israeli Parliament on Tuesday but said that she was not quitting public life.

Terror Defendant Convicted in Plot to Bomb New York Subways

Terror Defendant Convicted in Plot to Bomb New York Subways: Prosecutors said a Queens man was stopped just days before he and two of his former high school classmates planned to stage suicide attacks.

Fewer Americans form households after recession, hampering economic recovery

Fewer Americans form households after recession, hampering economic recovery:
It had been a long road, but when Sabrina Torres received her master’s degree in 2010, she was sure it would eventually pay off in a good job that would allow her to afford an apartment.
She is still waiting. The American University graduate’s financial struggles have prevented her from living on her own, making her part of a dramatic slowdown in household formation that is both a consequence of the economic downturn and a continued obstacle to overcoming it.
Read full article >>

‘It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With The New Politics of Extremism’ by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein

‘It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With The New Politics of Extremism’ by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein:
Reading this book is a little like quaffing a double espresso on an empty stomach — it’s a jolt. For this reader it was a welcome jolt. Others will find it less palatable.
Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein have been Washington fixtures for three decades. They are two of the brightest, best informed and most scholarly students of our politics. They started out together as graduate students of political science at the University of Michigan, and decades ago took up residence at the Brookings Institution (Mann) and the American Enterprise Institute (Ornstein). Both have cultivated Democratic and Republican senators and House members to help them figure out the workings of the legislative branch. They acknowledge holding liberal views themselves, but throughout their careers they have tried to uphold a scholarly, non-partisan standard. Republicans once took them as seriously as Democrats did.
Read full article >>

DHS inspector general to investigate Secret Service scandal in Colombia

DHS inspector general to investigate Secret Service scandal in Colombia:
The top watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security told lawmakers Monday that he plans to launch a separate probe into the sex scandal involving the U.S. Secret Service after keeping close tabs on the agency’s ongoing internal investigation for the last three weeks.



Acting Inspector General Charles K. Edwards
informed congressional offices Monday that he has launched an investigation to determine how well the Secret Service responded to the April 12 incident in Cartagena, Colombia that implicated at least 12 Secret Service personnel and 12 members of the U.S. military. Edwards said the probe also will focus on the conclusions reached by the agency’s separate investigation, the sufficiency of the disciplinary measures taken against personnel involved and how effectively the Secret Service is handling issues of diversity, recruitment and discipline.


The Secret Service is one of more than 20 agencies and offices that comprise DHS.


In a message sent Monday, Edwards sought to assure lawmakers that he has been kept abreast of the agency's ongoing investigation, noting that Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan first informed him of the incident on April 13, the day after agency officials identified an initial 11 personnel to be sent home from Colombia.


Edwards said his office “determined that the USSS was best positioned to immediately initiate the investigation with the full understanding that they would keep OIG [Office of Inspector General] informed as the investigation progressed,” according to Edwards's letter. “We have maintained close contact with the USSS, coordinating with them as their internal investigation continued. During the past two weeks the USSS has been completely transparent and forthcoming with specific details and findings of their investigation.”


Edwards’s decision to further investigate the situation should meet the demands of Republican lawmakers who requested a separate, independent probe to determine what occurred in Colombia before President Obama arrived for the Summit of the Americas, and whether what unfolded was an aberration or a reflection of a larger cultural pattern at the Secret Service.


Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Monday evening that while she maintains confidence in Sullivan and his ongoing investigation, “It is always difficult for an organization to investigate and reform itself, which is why the IG's involvement is so important.”


Collins is the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Governmental Affairs Committee, which is also investigating the matter, in addition to at least three other congressional committees. The Secret Service is due to deliver its initial findings on the Colombia scandal on Tuesday to the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees.




Read full article >>

Bin Laden’s last stand: In final months, terrorist leader worried about his legacy

Bin Laden’s last stand: In final months, terrorist leader worried about his legacy:
A few months before Osama bin Laden’s death, Web sites linked to al-Qaeda ran excited commentary about a proposed new killing machine dubbed the “human lawn mower.” The idea was to attach rotating blades to the front of a pickup truck and drive the contraption into crowds.
Read full article >>

Afghans rally against U.S. over children’s deaths

Afghans rally against U.S. over children’s deaths:
KABUL — Scores of Afghans launched an anti-American protest in Afghanistan on Tuesday over the killings of three children during a gun battle between U.S.-led forces and Taliban insurgents.
The children were killed after the Taliban attacked a group of U.S. forces and Afghan police who were meeting with local residents in the Shah Joy district of southern Zabul province Monday, provincial officials said.
Read full article >>

Rupert Murdoch not fit to run a major company, British panel says

Rupert Murdoch not fit to run a major company, British panel says:
LONDON — Rupert Murdoch “is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company,” a British parliamentary committee said Tuesday in a scathing report on News Corp.’s handling of the phone hacking scandal.
Read full article >>

Obama goes negative on Mitt Romney with ‘Swiss bank account’

Obama goes negative on Mitt Romney with ‘Swiss bank account’:
President Obama’s campaign is out with a new TV ad in three key states hitting former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for having a Swiss bank account, the leading edge of what will likely be an extended attack on Romney’s finances and record during the general election campaign.
Read full article >>

Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney spokesman, resigns

Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney spokesman, resigns:
Richard Grenell is resigning from Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign less than two weeks after being hired.
The foreign policy spokesman came under fire for some crude (and since deleted) tweets about various prominent women. He also drew criticism from some social conservatives for being openly gay.
Read full article >>

Virginia Poll: Obama Opens An 8-Point Lead

Virginia Poll: Obama Opens An 8-Point Lead:
From swing state to firewall?

A new poll of Virginia shows President Obama opening up an 8-point lead in the state, after two polls earlier in April showed likely Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with small leads. Now the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows Obama with a 51 percent to 43 percent lead over Romney, as the numbers reveal a large gender gap among women and a GOP base not yet rallying behind the presumptive nominee.
Below the top-line results, President Obama's approval rating has improved slightly in PPP's last poll of the state, taken in December. Obama's rating now stands at 50 percent to 46 percent, up from the previous 48 percent to 47 percent split. Romney has improved as well, as 38 percent of Virginia registered voters now see his favorably, against 52 percent who see him in a negative light, up from this December rating of 33 percent to 52 percent.

Beyond that, the two numbers that jump out are the split among women voters and how those Virginians who voted for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in the 2008 presidential election. Obama and Romney split men evenly, but the president sees 55 percent support from women, while Romney only gets 38 percent. The split seems to be a result of the nationwide gender gap that appeared clearly in polling after the Obama administration instituted new federal rules requiring health insurers to provide contraception to women free of charge. Republicans fought back against the rules, claiming they violated religious freedom by requiring insurers like the Catholic Church to provide something that went against its religious tenets.

As TPM has reported, the focus on social issues may have soured GOP-leaning and independent women on Republicans (at least temporarily) in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, leading to an even more pronounced gap among women voters.

But there also seems to be a base issue as well. Among the Virginia voters who went for President Obama last time around, only 6 percent defected to Romney, with an additional 3 percent still undecided. But among those who went for McCain last time around, 12 percent now say they will vote for Obama. That goes along with a slight problem with Republican voters generally -- 20 percent of those GOPers polled said they have an unfavorable view of the former governor, some possible residue from the extended Republican primary fight.


The PPP poll of Virginia used 680 automatic dial interviews with registered voters, conducted April 26-29. The sampling error is 3.8 percent.