GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, Aug 21, 2001: India has assured Nepal that it will not build a dam that could flood the birthplace of the Buddha, Nepalese officials said on Sunday. Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, who arrived in the Nepalese capital on Friday seeking closer trade ties, wants to soothe anger in this Himalayan nation over the dam…
GO TO SOURCE SINGAPORE, Aug 20, 2001: South-east Asia has become the new theatre for terrorist operations by Muslim extremist groups, and experts warn this makes Singapore a possible target. They said that the number of supporters of Saudi billionaire-fugitive Osama bin Laden and his global terrorist network Al-Qaeda is growing in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. As…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 17, 2001: Divorce laws are about to change dramatically for Christian women. The Cabinet has accepted all recommendations of the Law Ministry on major changes in the Indian Divorce Act. The changes, which have been approved by the most prominent church groups, will be passed in Parliament next week. Under the new provisions,…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, Aug 22, 2001: Controversy has erupted in India over what opponents are calling the federal government’s bid to change the secular nature of the education system by introducing new syllabi glorifying Hindu culture and leaders and emphasizing Sanskrit, Vedic studies and astrology. The move has upset intellectuals and liberal political parties, including some allies…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 19, 2001: A National Commission for Children (NCC) will soon become reality as the Center is said to be giving final touches to the Commission, which will look into all the problems faced by the children. A Supreme Court or High Court judge is likely to head the Commission, which will be set…
GO TO SOURCE LOTHAL, INDIA, August 19, 2001: The Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat whose name means “mound of the dead” has conservationists worried. The ancient site is suffering the vagaries of weather and neglect by the institution that’s meant to preserve it: the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Harappan site was discovered by the ASI in 1954,…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, August 20, 2001: Various Christian organizations in Tamil Nadu on Monday took out a procession here to condemn the DMK’s action in putting up posters in several parts of the city, portraying the political party’s leader, former Tamil Nadu chief minister, Karunanidhi, as Jesus Christ. Recently, Karunanidhi had told newsmen that he had ordered the…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 20, 2001: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is making efforts to forge close ties with native American-Indian groups, saying the two have “many things in common.” RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan met with leaders of such groups during his recent visit to US and Canada at the invitation of the Center for World Indigenous…
GO TO SOURCE RAJASTHAN, INDIA, August 13, 2001: Tarun Bharat Sangh, a group of college activists, is committed to reclaiming regions the government had written off as “black zones” due to the severe water shortage. Lead by Rajendra Singh, the young activists got the villagers involved in making their own decisions about water, forests and other local resources. Previously, locals…
GO TO SOURCE UNITED KINGDOM, August 15, 2001: A study recently conducted by Belgian scientists on Monsanto Roundup Ready Soya has Greenpeace up in arms. Apparently, the study revealed a fragment of DNA in the genetically modified soya that cannot be identified. Greenpeace has appealed to the UK government to stop the sale of this soya. “No-one knows what this…