Source: RSS Press Release

NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 14, 2001: RSS leader Shri Mohan Bhagwat, denied today that R.K. Gupta, one of the persons caught taking bribes in a clever scam by the web site Tehelka, was not associated with the RSS. He said, "The reports say that Shri Gupta described himself as "National Trustee" of the RSS. I have to clarify that RSS is not a trust and hence neither Shri Gupta nor anybody else can be a Trustee of the RSS. Shri Gupta, though known to some of our workers in Delhi, has no position in the RSS. He is neither a member of any central or provincial organizational unit nor is he any office bearer in the RSS. In the report it is also alleged that Shri R. K. Gupta floated a society named 'Friends of India Society International' and that he was its sole trustee. Our inquiry from our contacts in England inform us that the 'Friends of India Society International' is not a trust nor is Mr. Gupta its trustee."

GO TO SOURCE

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, March 14, 2001: The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) which had taken away eight temple construction workers with them on February 26 on the charge that they were being underpaid and exploited, has strongly denied allegations of desecrating the Sri Venkateswara Temple here and has instead leveled a counter-allegation that the management of the temple was trying to exploit the religious sentiments of the expatriate Hindu community. Phil Davey CFMEU media liaison officer denies that the sanctity of the temple was compromised at any stage on February 26. "There was no disrespect at any point by the union members towards the Hindu faith in general and that temple in particular," Davey told IANS. He said that they did go to the accommodations with shoes on, but removed them after it was pointed out as inappropriate. Davey produced documents, which say that the temple has been issued by Workcover (an Australian government organization) with an infringement notice and a fine of Australian US$275 for not ensuring health and safety welfare of its employees."

GO TO SOURCE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 11, 2001: Studies have recently indicated that there is a definite correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence. Police departments now teach their officers to be on the look-out for animal cruelty as battered women and children may also be part of that household's scenario. Victims are often prevented from leaving an abusive relationship when threats are directed at their pets. Three shocking incidences are cited in this heart-wrenching article: a wife at a battered women's shelter received an audiotape from her husband with howls from her tortured dog, an ex-husband microwaved his wife's kitten, and a father fried his children's goldfish. Politically both animal welfare advocates and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence have pulled together in their fight against violence and identifying potential abusers.

GO TO SOURCE

KOLKATA, INDIA, March 13, 2001: This website by Subhas Chakraborty is an authoritative source of information on attacks and harassment of Hindus in Bangladesh. Says the editor, "The staunch bias against minorities (including Buddhists, Hindus and Christians) is evident in all walks of life in Bangladesh. Certain sections in Bangladeshi society want to insure that this bias remains intact and expands to all sections of Muslim society in that country. It is no wonder that oppression and repression of the Hindus and other minorities in that country continue without any break. We have since received details of some recent incidents of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh from our local representatives there. Twenty-two such cases are documented in our reports."

GO TO SOURCE

HOUSTON, TEXAS, March 10, 2001: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America issued a press release today strongly condemning the destruction of statues in Afghanistan by the Talibans. The release says, "It is an act of savagery finding parallels only in the vandalism forced by tyrants and barbarians of the past, fortunately not so prevalent in modern times since the times of Nazis. But such intolerant bigoted acts of Talibans have made our expectation of peaceful coexistence of different religions by respecting the pluralism somewhat short-lived. It has awakened all of us to the new ground realities of ever-lurking threat to humanity at large and the precarious gap between savagery and civility if left unchecked. Destruction of the statues of Lord Buddha in Bamiyan is an attack on the diversity inherent in nature. Today statues are being destroyed by Talibans; who knows what is going to be their next target?"

Source: The Daily Pioneer

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, March 11, 2001: Secret human cloning experiments that were conducted in Australia in 1999 implanting a cell containing human DNA into an empty pig's egg, have drawn protests from a prominent church group. Cloning a human being is illegal in Australia and carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment. The resulting cloned embryo survived for 32 days before it was terminated. The report comes just days after a group of American and Italian scientists said that they plan to produce the world's first cloned baby by the end of the year, possibly in Israel. The Telegraph quoted bioethicist Nick Tonti-Filippini as saying the baby-cloning project was one step further than the Australian experiment. "It has never been publicly admitted that we have already done human cloning in Australia," Tonti-Filippini said.

Source: Anchorage Daily News

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, March 7, 2001: India's Special Olympians, a team of handicapped individuals competing in special sports, landed in Alaska recently. Appealing to a crowd honoring a reception for the crew, a representative for the Cultural Association of India solicited volunteers to cook for the hungry athletes. Apparently the flight from India offered no familiar food in the form of rice and curry for the team. Collaborating with the Hilton hotel, the Asian community pulled together to provide the Olympians with plenty of spicy home-cooked delicacies with lots of rice. The Special Olympics serve to provide a sense of self-esteem to physically- and mentally-challenged individuals.

Source: Hinduism Today

PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS, March 12, 2001: The independence day of Mauritius falls on March 12, and this year the President of India is the island nation's guest of honor for the celebration. Manon Mardemootoo reports, "Considerable energy is now being focused by our government on making Mauritius a 'cyber Island.' India has pledged a US$21 million line of credit and is helping us set up our cyber cities. The excellent ties between the two countries, the strong cultural and privileged links maintained over the centuries, the double tax treaty, closeness, direct flights to Indian Cities, and now to Chennai, besides the strong will of the two governments, are all helping towards boosting the IT sector. Positioned between East & West, our bilingual and special position among the French-speaking, African organizations and the Commonwealth of Nations should facilitate business through Mauritius in the IT sector."

GO TO SOURCE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 13, 2001: Battery Dance Company will be the first American performing arts ensemble to tour India after the tragic earthquake of January 26th. A special send-off performance is scheduled for Sunday, March 25th, 3:00 p.m. at City Center, Studio 4, 130 West 56th Street, New York. The Company will give performances in Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi and the City of Ahmedabad, which was devastated by the earthquake. Battery and its partner, the Indo-American Arts Council, will meet with members of the arts communities in each city in a series of town meetings to discuss the strengthening of artistic collaboration and exchange between India and the U.S. The Indo-American Arts will also deliver over US$100,000 in relief funds collected at an art auction fundraiser in New York to help build new homes for the people of Gujarat.

GO TO SOURCE

NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 8, 2001: Today the Rajya Sabha introduced legislation to ban smoking in public places. The bill, introduced by Health and Family Welfare Minister C.P. Thakur, seeks to put a total ban on advertising of cigarettes and other tobacco products and to prohibit sponsorship of sports and cultural events by the manufacturers, as well as sale of tobacco products to minors. It also proposes to regulate the contents and language of specified warnings and require nicotine and tar contents to be displayed. It is estimated that the treatment of tobacco related diseases and the resulting loss of productivity cost the country US$2.9 billion annually, far surpassing any benefits accrued from revenue and employment generated by the tobacco industry.

Source: The Times Of India News Service

LUCKNOW, INDIA, March 7, 2001: UP chief minister Rajnath Singh announced that the historic Allahabad city would be renamed "Tirth Raj Prayag." Prayag is the ancient name of the city. The announcement was made at a function attended by sadhus and sants to congratulate the chief minister for the success of the recent Kumbh Mela there. The name change follows "Bombay" returning to "Mumbai," "Madras" to "Chennai" and "Calcutta" to "Kolkota."

GO TO SOURCE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 6, 2001: This recent article discusses the attempts of the Tibetan people to preserve their culture as new immigrants to the United States. Tibetan children enrolled in a Sunday language course in Manhattan have never seen Tibet, nor have many of their parents, exiles who were born and raised in refugee settlements in India or Nepal. Young Tibetans struggle to maintain the culture of a homeland many have never seen, while also trying to adapt to a new culture. Tibetan leaders complicate the issue by expressing mixed feelings. Many believe the culture will not survive if Tibetans scatter across the globe. In just a decade, the number of Tibetan exiles in this country has increased tenfold. It is still a small group, with the largest concentration of about 2,000 people in New York City. The Immigration and Naturalization Service considers Tibetans stateless, but it has opposed most asylum requests from those who lived for most of their lives in Nepal or India. The agency's position is that an applicant must prove that he or she suffered or fears persecution in the country of last residence. U.S. Judges generally decide that India and Nepal treat Tibetan exiles well, and few asylum applications have been granted. Canada, on the other hand, grants most asylum requests from Tibetans. Judges there feel that a Tibetan who does not have citizenship in India or Nepal runs the risk of one day being deported to China, which now controls Tibet. "If you have no status in a country, you don't have a right to remain," said a Toronto lawyer. "And the Tibetans really don't have a home."

GO TO SOURCE

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, March 11, 2001: The Hindu community in Australia's premier harbor city is up in arms after the left-wing Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) stormed the Sri Venkateswara Temple here in Helensburg, taking eight construction workers with them on the charge they were being underpaid and exploited. The Hindu Council of Australia (fax: 011 61 2 9544 4957) will hold a protest rally on March 25 against the move. The head of the temple management committee, Perumal Janarthan, denied the charges and blamed the trade union of being insensitive to Hinduism. The protesters will meet at Sydney Town Hall and march to the Parliament House. "We have made it clear that we are not constructing a five-star hotel but a Hindu temple and workers are not here to earn wages but to perform their religious duties as volunteers," Janarthan told IANS. The workers were living by the religious tenets followed by those involved in temple construction and provided all facilities, he said. "We have been spending about US$10,256 on each worker every year for meals, clothes, accommodation, airfares and other expenses," he said. The workers are believed to have been taken to Wollongong by CFMEU, who are affiliated to the opposition Labor Party, and the action has taken on political overtones. Australian Hindus are seeking support from Hindus in other countries.

Source: The Hindu

LONDON, ENGLAND, March 7, 2001: A plan to build 2,108 quake-proof houses in Gujarat, proposed by the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir -- the biggest Hindu temple outside India ---has been launched by Prince Charles, bringing instant sponsors. Swami Atmaswarupdas, temple chief, said 6,500 volunteers of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanatha had rushed to the aid of the quake victims within hours of the devastating quake. Meals were provided daily for 20,000 victims, and 850,000 food packets, 1.5 million water pouches, 63,000 blankets and 169,000 articles of clothing had been distributed so far.

GO TO SOURCE

BODH GAYA, INDIA, March 9, 2001: Authorities in eastern India have ordered an investigation after teen-age Tibetan leader Ugyen Thinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa Lama, was accused of wearing his shoes when he visited the sanctum of the Mahabodhi Temple in the state of Bihar. The Karmapa is one of the highest-ranking monks in Tibetan Buddhism, recognized by both Beijing and the exiled Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama, and is considered by his followers to be the reincarnation of his predecessor. Bhadant Anand, the general-secretary of the All India Monks' Association, demanded the Karmapa be punished for "trampling'' upon the Vajrasana, the place where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. Although there is no restriction on wearing shoes inside a temple in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a 1949 law that governs the Mahabodhi Temple bans footwear inside the complex. Those defying the law may be fined $2.20, according to the law. The Karmapa was defended by Tenzing Lama, the monk-in-charge of the Tibetan monastery in Bodh Gaya, who said: "It is the heart and not the shoes that is important.''