India: 23 People Per Minute Infected With Aids

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 9, 2001: Aids campaigners in India say that as many as 23 people a minute are being infected with the HIV virus. They say that the battle against AIDS in the country is still being inhibited by a lack of unity among the various charities and non-governmental organizations that have been set up…

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Guruvayur Temples Deluged with Elephantine Gifts

GO TO SOURCE GURUVAYUR, KERALA, December 9, 2001: After Jayalalitha, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, donated an elephant to her favorite deity here four months ago, there is a big rush to make the jumbo offering. The media glitz over Jaya’s offering spurred four more devotees, including a Malayalam actor, to offer elephants to Lord Krishna, taking the temple’s…

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George Harrison Made Eastern Spirituality Cool

GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK, December 9, 2001: This detailed article explores the influence of the Beatles and particularly George Harrison on the American spiritual landscape. “The evidence can be seen in every health club in America that offers yoga, every athlete who meditates before the game, everyone who shops at a holistic health food store, and every…

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A Claim to Help Choose Baby’s Sex Sets Off Furor in India

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 9, 2001: The advertisement in The Times of India offering a product from the United States, a kit that claims to improve the odds of picking your baby’s sex, seems sinister to women’s groups and government agencies here that are fighting discrimination against girls in a society with a powerful preference for sons.…

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Lutheran Priest Faces Expulsion for Praying with Other Faiths

GO TO SOURCE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, December 8, 2001: To the Rev. David Benke, the ceremony at Yankee Stadium a month ago was a blessing, an opportunity to join other religious and civic leaders in offering comfort to a nation raw from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. He joined the celebrities and politicians on stage to…

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Scientists to Study Near-Death Experiences

GO TO SOURCE SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM, November 30, 2001: Dr. Sam Parnia, a physician at Southampton General Hospital, has been given approval to conduct a large scale study on this experience. A pilot project on 63 patients who were revitalized after cardiac arrests revealed that four of these patients reported encounters with pre-deceased relatives or tunnel journeys. Patrick Tenney, a…

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Stony Brook University Celebrates Center’s Fourth Year

Source: Press Release STONY BROOK, NEW YORK, December, 3, 2001: Leaders of the Indian community, scholars, and artists gathered last Saturday to celebrate Stony Brook University’s Center for India Studies’ fourth year of bringing Indian culture and scholarship to the New York area. The evening’s program included the honoring of distinguished contributors to Indian art, education and community fellowship. The…

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Taiwan Buddhist Open World’s First Museum of World Religions

Source: Central News Agency TAIPEI, TAIWAN, November 9, 2001: Taiwan’s president, Chen Shui-bian, and 12 local and foreign dignitaries, including Swami Dayananda Saraswati, opened the Museum of World Religions” in suburban Taipei today. Chen said, “The inauguration of the museum is a pride and glory of the 23 million people of Taiwan, as it is the first of its kind…

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India to Allow Sale of Genetically Modified Cotton

GO TO SOURCE DELHI, INDIA, December 6, 2001: Following the illegal sale of genetically modified cotton seed in India, the government has now said it will soon allow the cotton crops to be sold commercially for the first time. The government has been studying the GM cotton for over a year. It is resistant to the bollworm, which causes considerable…

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Amnesty International Appeals to Bangladesh Government

GO TO SOURCE December 5, 2001: The Bangladeshi government must take urgent action to protect the country’s Hindu minority following weeks of grave human rights abuses, Amnesty International said today in a new report. Before the general election in October, the Hindu community was targeted, reportedly by supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for their perceived support for the…

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