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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, April 20, 2000: With heads bowed, more than 1,100 Christians stood in Jerusalem to confess and repent two millennia of anti-Semitism in the name of Christianity. The two-hour service, held April 20, included Bible readings, hymns, talks, historical narratives, music and a 256-word confessional that moved many Christians and Jews to tears. The biblical passages in the narratives were read by eight clergy from different faiths, including Lutheran, Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches, from several countries including Canada, Estonia, Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands and Germany. The repentance service was part of a three-day conference as a "time to reflect, to repent, to get right with God and our elder brother, Israel," according to The Jerusalem Post. There was no mention in this article of plans for Christians to apologize to the American Indians, Hawaiians, ancient Pagan religions of Europe, or any other the other cultures or faiths persecuted or wiped out in the name of "proselytization."

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, April 30, 2001: While many parents across the nation are finding nonviolent and effective ways of disciplining their children, there are those who still believe in "Spare the rod, Spoil the child." One such institution called the House of Prayer church in Atlanta has attracted the attention of police, social workers and the media when it was discovered that two young boys of their congregation displayed welts and wounds to their teachers at school. After investigation, ten members of the House of Prayer were charged with child abuse and 41 children were removed from these abusive homes and placed in foster care. By taking parenting classes and abiding by conditions laid out by the court, the parents could get their children back. Sadly enough, parents have refused to relinquish the teachings of the House of Prayer. The church pastor advocates a literal interpretation of Proverbs 23.13 which states, " Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die." As a result of this case, debate has been kindled as to when corporal punishment becomes child abuse and the rights of parents to beat their children.

Source: News India Times

NEW YORK, April 28, 2001: The newly-built Sri Ranganatha temple in Pomona, New York, will have its Maha Samprokshanam, dedication, on May 27, 2001. After 14 years of persistent effort, the $2 million temple opened its doors in February for worship. Hundreds of Hindus, neighbors and local dignitaries attended the open house held on March 10th. The 6,000-sq. ft. main temple which is patterned after the famous Sayana Perumul Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam is situated on a 5-acre parcel. The Maha Samprokshanam will be held the last week in May 2001.

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NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 27, 2001 : At the current rate, it would take no less than 300 years to clear the New Delhi of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. There is a provision which says that the cops have to keep a constant tab on the population of Bangladeshi nationals. However, the police hardly ever take this task seriously and the "nil" report is forwarded to Ministry of Home Affairs. With the current population of around 16 lakh Bangladeshis, it will need a super-human effort from all the concerned agencies to clear the Capital of foreigners. "There are so many legal wrangles and procedures involved in deporting a foreigner from the Indian soil. It will take more than 300 years," a senior police official said.

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COIMBATORE, INDIA, May 1, 2001: Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Ashok Singhal suffered a massive heart attack on Tuesday and was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore. His condition is now stable but he will be under close observation for another 48 hours, Dr G Bhaktavatsalam, chairman of K G Hospital, said. Singhal was given thrombolysis and other blood-clot dissolving measures by a panel of heart specialists, he said. The VHP leader had suffered a earlier heart attack in 1992 while on a visit to Holland.

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COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, May 1, 2001: Joining a growing list of nations, including all in Europe, the Health Ministry of Sri Lanka banned all imports of raw and processed food which have been genetically modified. Importers are complaining that they will not be able to meet the requirements for scientific testing to find such genes as those associated with the Starlink corn, which has been found in other corn seed in America.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, April 27,2001: Nestled between the San Fernanda Valley and Malibu in the Santa Monica Mountains, lies a Hindu Temple where more than 3,000 people gather each weekend to worship. Originally built in 1984 and dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the site was chosen because the terrain is similar to the seven hills temple, Venkateswara Tirupati Temple, in India's Eastern Ghat. New activity and an expansion project has brought 14 artisans from India to create a new temple on the same location in honor of Lord Siva. Built in the traditional South Indian style, the new temple's construction is overseen by Indian temple designer, Muthiah Sthapathy. With careful consideration, the rules of vastu, the Indian art of placement, have been followed in the construction of both temples so that the energy stays uplifting. The Malibu Temple is a popular place of pilgrimage for East Indians travelling to the Los Angeles area.

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KATHUA, INDIA, April 28, 2001: Two rival groups, the Shiv Sena and Mandi Sher Singh, who have been fighting over the control of old Ashapurni Mandir, have been debarred from the religious place by police. The situation escalated to violence on April 28 where 8 people were injured after a clash of swords and rods. Meanwhile, the local people have appealed to authorities to set up a trust to run the affairs of the temple so that it can be re-opened for worship. They also advocated that the two rival groups not be allowed on the premises or allowed to dictate the affairs of the temple in any capacity.

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LONDON, ENGLAND, April 24, 2001: Pregnancy is notorious for bringing out food cravings in women, especially around the fourth month. In Britain, after completing a survey on 500 mothers-to-be, a British supermarket chain has concluded that the food of choice for 75% of these women was none other than the nutritious and delicious East Indian curry.

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KOLKATA, INDIA, April 29, 2001: The police arrested 72 devotees and monks of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) who went on the rampage and clashed inside its Kolkata temple office on Saturday, according to this report from Times of India. An assistant commissioner of police and four constables were injured while trying to separate the warring sadhus. Some monks and devotees were also injured and furniture was damaged in the clash over "an old dispute," police said. About 150 devotees and monks of ISKCON's Mayapur temple in Nadia district arrived here on Friday night and tried to "evict the outsiders" in the ISKCON's Albert Road temple office. This led to heated exchanges and scuffles, police said. Though the nature of the "dispute" was not known to the police, but was likely over the "ritvik" issue in the organization which has to do with the succession of leaders since the founder's death and with who is authorized to initiate devotees. Police said tension had been brewing in the premises since Friday night. The arrested were lodged in the city police lock-up. A strong police contingent has been posted in front of the ISKCON temple office as a precautionary measure. The ISKCON organization denies any connection with Hindu religion.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, April 27, 2001: The international Jain Sangh, based in New Jersey, observed the 2,600th birth anniversary of Lord Mahivir, the 24th and last Thirthankar in the Jain religion. More than 700 people attended the April 8 celebration held at Knights of Columbus hall in South River, N.J. The program included prayers, pujas, a group pledge of tolerance and nonviolence, discourses and a cultural program. Among those who attended the fete was United States Representative Frank Pallone, Jr.

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NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 28, 2001: The president of India's 500,000-strong Federation of Farmers Association, P. Chengal Reddy, told a conference in Delhi that he believes India could increase its agricultural output by an additional 100,000,000 tons of food annually. He advocates better education of farmers in more productive methods. As well, he sees a great potential in export of some of India's 1,000 varieties of mangoes, 5,000 medicinal plants and 3,000 aromatic plants.

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NEW YORK, April 25, 2001: Under prompting from President Bush to restructure the Head Start Program, American educators, parents and community leaders are looking to two very different European models for guidance and ideas. It has been proposed that the Head Start Program provide earlier reading instruction and if that be the case, the French have dedicated dollars and energy in this direction since 1921. The pre-school curriculum taught in French schools focuses on communication and vocabulary in an effort to prepare children for first grade academics. Starting pre-school at age three, the program includes a hot lunch, nap-time, story telling, drawing, painting and dance. While the Americans are looking to the French for direction, the French are sending delegations to Italy to observe their artistic approach to learning. In stark contrast to the rather regimented French system, a municipal preschool in Reggio Emilia finds children sprawled on thick carpets working quietly on complex art projects in bright sunlit classrooms. Class sizes are small and teachers rarely use the word "no" in this environment. Classrooms have no alphabet cards or blackboards. The philosophy behind these pre-schools in Italy is to develop each child's joy of learning and desire to communicate. Back in America, the two systems of France and Reggio Emilia reflect the battle lines between American educators; those who want a structured academic pre-school and those who want children to develop at their own pace.

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PUNE, INDIA, April, 27, 2001: A model to predict earthquakes, developed by a California-based scholar of Chinese origin, Zhonghao Shaou, uses the concept of "earthquake clouds." The same concept is dealt with in detail in the 32nd chapter of Varahamihira's "Brihat Samhita." The greatness of the Ujjain-born scholar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer Varahamihira (505-587 CE) is widely acknowledged. The 32nd chapter of the manuscript is devoted to signs of earthquakes and correlates earthquakes with cosmic and planetary influences, underground water and undersea activities, unusual cloud formations and the abnormal behaviour of animals. "I find it rather odd that the description of earthquake clouds in Brihat Samhita matches the observations made by Zhonghao Shaou at the Earthquake Prediction Centre in Pasadena, California," said B. D. Kulkarni, head of the National Chemical Laboratory's Chemical Engineering Division. Zhonghao Shou, a retired chemist based near Caltech in California, has been using satellite imagery and other scientific tools to fine-tune his theory of "earthquake clouds" as precursors to earthquakes. Shou says he has predicted 39 quakes since 1990.

Source: The Daily Pioneer

NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 24, 2001: A Norwegian man arrested and jailed in India for smuggling heroin has made such a remarkable transformation through the Vipasana meditation program the jail offers that the Norwegian government is looking into instituting the same program in its jails. Vipasana is a Buddhist meditation method involving long hours of meditation and silence packed in a short period, such as ten days. It was instituted when Kiran Bedi was warden. Norway became aware of the man's transformation after his mother visited the jail and was astounded at her son's improvement. She told Tihar authorities that she had regained her son, whom she had lost to drugs. A Norwegian TV crew shot a film on the man and other foreigners in Tihar, many of whom had benefitted from the meditation and the jail's other innovative rehabilitation programs.