Rep. Ellison (D-MN) to Speak at D.C. Conference on U.S.-Muslim Relations

Govt. Officials, Scholars, Policy Experts to Convene Tuesday, May 5th WASHINGTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs Madelyn E. Spirnak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives Ahmed Shaheed, among many scholars and policy experts will discuss the future of U.S.-Muslim relations at a conference on Tuesday, May 5th in Washington, D.C.

The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), a non-profit think tank dedicated to studying Islamic and democratic political thought, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with an academic conference and banquet titled, "How to Improve U.S.-Muslim Relations: Challenges and Promises Ahead."

The conference will bring policy experts and academicians from around the world to discuss the challenges and promises ahead for the future of U.S.- Muslim relations, including whether the current administration's proposed policy changes indicate the beginning of a more positive relationship and what role Islam will play in the development of democracy in the Muslim world.

WHAT: CSID 10th Annual Conference, "How to Improve U.S.-Muslim Relations"

WHEN: Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

WHERE: Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

SPEAKERS: Keith Ellison, D-MN; Madelyn E. Spirnak, Deputy Asst. Secretary for Near East Affairs, Department of State; Ahmed Shaheed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rep. of Maldives; Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Visiting Professor at Harvard; Shibley Telhami, University of Maryland; John Esposito, Georgetown University, among many others.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives Ahmed Shaheed will also be awarded the prestigious "Muslim Democrat of the Year" award for his work in the past decade and a half to strengthen and promote democracy and human rights in the Maldives.

SEE: www.islam-democracy.org for full program and registration.

"We have brought together some of the well-known scholars, politicians, and activists, and thought leaders from the U.S. and the Muslim world to have a serious and genuine debate about how to improve relations and understanding between the U.S. and the Muslim world," said Dr. Radwan A. Masmoudi, President of CSID. "We hope that the conference will come up with actionable items and recommendations for the new Obama administration as it tries to establish dialogue and improve relations with the rest of the world."

Established in March 1999, CSID celebrates its 10th anniversary with this important conference, launching a new decade of work in creating a modern Islamic democratic discourse. The organization was founded by a diverse group of academicians, professionals, and activists from varied religious backgrounds, united by the conviction that Islam's relationship to democracy is in dire need of greater understanding and clarification to facilitate a more fruitful cross-cultural dialogue.

Source: sunherald.com

Hilton Hotels Announces Waldorf Astoria Collection In Asia

Just the other day, Hilton Hotels announced that it would be launching its first Waldorf Astoria Collection property in the Asia Pacific - The Beach House. The location of The Beach House is at the northern tip of Maldives. It is scheduled to join the Waldorf Astoria collection as soon as November 1, 2009.

The Beach House, which is owned by Sun Hotels and Resorts, is a luxurious and private resort and has been for several years. During these years it has already won several awards and been featured in the Conde Nast traveler Hot List. The Daily Telegraph UK also named The Beach House as the World’s Best New Hotel.

The Waldorf Astoria Collection, owned by Hilton Hotels, is a very distinctive selection of some of the greatest hotels in the world. Each of the hotels in the collection is celebrated for its own individual character, as well as its timeless architecture. Other hotels that have already been added into the Hitlon Hotels Waldorf Astoria Collection included Rome Cavalieri in Italy, Traianon Palacne Versailles in France, and the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in the United States.

The president of the Asia Pacific Hilton Hotels, Martin Rinck, said that The Beach House will be a great addition to the Waldorf Astoria Collection. It is known around the world for its amazing design and flawless atmosphere. He went on to say that Hilton was delighted to sign an agreement with Sun Hotels and Resorts to include this hotel. More information about The Beach House joining the Waldorf Astoria Collection will be released later on this year.

Source: self-catering-breaks.com

Angsana Velavaru launches Inocean Villas

Angsana Velavaru, located on the pristine South Nilandhe Atoll, is set to unveil new standards in resort living with the launch of its InOcean Villas in July 2009 - the first standalone collection of water villas in the Maldives not connected to an island. Perched in the middle of the Indian Ocean one kilometre away from the island of Velavaru, and boasting its own dedicated Italian restaurant, the InOcean Villas will be the first and only “floating resort” in the Maldives offering visitors a unique castaway experience.

Tropical Locations is offering 7 nights from £2245 per person in an InOcean villa including breakfast and return flights from Emirates from Gatwick or Heathrow via Dubai and seaplane transfers. The offer is valid stays between 01-15 July and 11 Aug - 15 Oct.

Ranging in size from 175 to 290 square metres, each of the spacious 20 InOcean Villas, 11 Premier InOcean Villas and three Sanctuary InOcean Villas will offer guests a sense of unparalleled seclusion. Upon entry, guests will be greeted by a panoramic view of the Indian Ocean through the sliding glass doors along the living, sleeping and bath areas. Reminiscent of stylish city lofts and accented with contemporary coral designs, each two-storey villa comes with a spacious outdoor deck, an infinity pool of at least 21 square metres, and a hammock suspended over the water.

Emphasis is placed on the generous use of outdoor space, without compromising the sense of privacy, and the Premier and Sanctuary InOcean Villas also feature an extended deck into the ocean, complete with a cosy pavilion for relaxation or yoga practice. The villas are ideal for both couples and families with children over 12 years of age.

Guests will be able to indulge in luxurious, Asian-inspired massages deftly delivered by the resort’s skilled Angsana Spa therapists in the comfort of their own villa. In the evening, guests can choose to savour a hearty Maldivian curry in their villa, or walk to Azzurro, the gourmet Italian restaurant and bar offering an extensive international wine selection showcased in floor-to-ceiling wine racks.

Source: traveldailynews.com

Press freedom declining around the world: study

Press freedom declined around the world last year, deteriorating for the first time in every region, according to a study released by Freedom House.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), meanwhile, unveiled its list of "10 worst countries to be a blogger," naming Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Tunisia, China, Turkmenistan and Egypt to its "dishonor roll."

Out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the Freedom House study, 70, or 36 percent, were rated "free," 61 (31 percent), were rated "partly free" and 64 (33 percent) were rated "not free."

Freedom House, which is funded by the US government and private groups and has been conducting an annual study of press freedom since 1980, said that 72 countries were rated free the previous year.

It said that while press freedom had declined in 2008 for the seventh year in a row, last year marked the first time it had deteriorated in every region.

"The journalism profession today is up against the ropes and fighting to stay alive, as pressures from governments, other powerful actors and the global economic crisis take an enormous toll," executive director Jennifer Windsor said.

Freedom House said gains in South Asia and Africa were "overshadowed by a campaign of intimidation targeting independent media, particularly in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa."

It said Israel, Italy and Hong Kong slipped from free to partly free status in 2008.

Among the worst-rated states were Belarus, China, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, the Palestinian territories, Rwanda and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

In Asia, Cambodia fell to not free status because of increased violence against journalists, while Hong Kong slipped to partly free as Beijing exerted growing influence over the media.

China's media environment remained "bleak" while media in Taiwan faced assault and growing government pressure.

"China should have had a better record in 2008 and upheld its promise to ensure press freedom during the Olympics, but instead it chose to remain the world's largest repressor of media freedom," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, managing editor of the study.

South Asia saw improvement in Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan suffered setbacks.

Myanmar also got poor marks from the CPJ.

"With a military government that severely restricts Internet access and imprisons people for years for posting critical material, Burma is the worst place in the world to be a blogger," it said.

Freedom House said the biggest drop in press freedom occurred in Central and Eastern Europe with journalists murdered in Bulgaria and Croatia, assaulted in Bosnia and denied judicial protection in Russia.

The Middle East and North Africa continued to have the lowest level of press freedom.

Restrictions on journalists and official attempts to influence coverage during the Gaza conflict led to Israel's downgrading to partly free status.

Freedom House said press freedom fell in Senegal, Madagascar, Chad, South Africa, Tanzania and others in sub-Saharan Africa while Comoros, Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia showed improvement.

It said Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua registered major declines while Guyana regained its free rating and Haiti and Uruguay saw significant improvement. Mexico?s score dropped because of increased violence.

Western Europe boasted the highest level of press freedom although Italy slipped into the partly free category with free speech limited by courts and libel laws and concerns over the concentration of media ownership.

The reports from Freedom House, which was created in 1941 by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of then US president Franklin Roosevelt, among others, and CPJ were released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on Sunday.

Source: WASHINGTON (AFP)

Whales Shark Awareness Programme was presented by Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme in association with Liveaboard Association of Maldives and Divers Association of Maldives.

MWSRP has succesfully conducted the 1st Whale Shark Awareness Programme for Liveaboards and Divers of Maldives on 16th April 2009 at Dhoshineynaa Maalam Dharubaaruge.. The Objective was to share the knowledge and expertise which they gain from the research which they have been doing about Whale Sharks living in the Maldivian Waters. Dr. Brent & Mr. Richard of MWSRP shared there knowledge of the research at this event.

In addition, the Official Website of DAM www.dam.org.mv was launched by the Chief Guest (Legendary Diver) Mr. Sarudhaaru Dhonbe

Source: www.visitmaldives.com