GO TO SOURCE SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A, February 24, 2001: Researchers at a California biotechnology company, StemCells Inc., have produced laboratory mice with human brain cells, marking a potential step toward developing treatments for human brain disease like Alzheimer’s but promising to fuel fresh debate over the evolving ethics of bioengineering. “We are not recreating a human brain. We’re really just…
GO TO SOURCE ZIMBABWE, AFRICA, February, 24, 2001: Whites were not the only race coming under attack in the racially-motivated parliamentary election campaign currently ravaging Zimbabwe. Asians, in particular, are being targeted, most notably through a hate-filled document sent to prominent businessmen in the community and believed to have originated from the offices of black economic empowerment organization, the Affirmative…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK, February 23, 2001: Human Rights Watch has criticized the Indian Government for discouraging debate over caste-based discrimination. The New York-based rights groups says Delhi is trying to avoid discussion of the issue at a major United Nations conference on racism in South Africa in August. Smita Narula, spokeswoman for the group, says Indian…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 20, 2001: A large number of food items passed off as vegetarian actually contain some non-vegetarian ingredients. Some manufacturers add crushed deer antlers to chyawanprash, an ayurvedic medicine. Animal-based enzymes are used for baking biscuits and some beer and whisky makers also use animal-derivatives to “ripen” their products. The vitamin A and D…
GO TO SOURCE AUSTIN, TEXAS, February 23, 2001: Vegetarians have always been faced with the challenge of finding cheese made without rennet. Derived from the stomach of young calves, the enzyme rennet was at one time the only coagulant that would produce cheddar or hard cheeses. Since 1989 a bio-engineered rennet called microbial chymosin was approved by the FDA and…
GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 22, 2001: Kumbha Mela, the 42-day-long religious fair, came to an end Wednesday with the last spurt of bathing fervor. Two-and-a-half million made their dip into the holy waters of the confluence of the three rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. “Initially, we were keen to come towards the beginning of the…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 22, 2001: The gigantic venture of India’s Census 2001, involving 2 million enumerators visiting 650,000 villages, 5,500 towns and scores of cities to collect crucial demographic and socio-economic data concerning over a billion people could have inspired unity. Instead, it has spawned its own set of controversies, relating once again to age-old caste…
GO TO SOURCE THANE, MAHARASHTRA, February 4, 2001: According to Dr. Vijay Bedekar, president of the Thane-based Institute of Oriental Study, the Vedas, Puranas and great epics had references to earthquakes and the devastation these natural disasters could cause. While there is extensive research about the quakes in the last 200 years, he said historical documents reveal studies about earthquakes…
Source: email: fgautier@satyam.net.in NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 24, 2001: Francois Gautier is releasing his new book, “A Foreign Journalist on India”, on March 2, 6:30pm, at the Park Hotel, in the presence of Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and L.K. Advani.
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 19, 2001: In some of the remote parts of Gujarat’s Kutch district, Muslims affected by the January 26 earthquake are refusing relief from an Islamic sect and turning to Hindu organizations instead. Muslim clergymen in Kutch have reportedly called for a boycott of a group of Ahmadiyas who are trying to propagate their…