Source: Religion News Service WASHINGTON, D.C., July 20, 2001: Will the family dog have a heavenly home or be shut out from the streets paved with gold? Americans are split on whether pets will gain entrance to heaven when they die, a new ABC News/Beliefnet poll shows. Forty-three percent think pets will go to heaven while 40 percent think heaven…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 17, 2001: Nepal’s parliamentary Law and Justice Committee today approved the most controversial clause in the bill proposing an 11th amendment to the Muluki Ain, or civil code, that would now allow women to retain parental property even after marriage. The change is taking place after extensive research in all areas of the country…
Source: Hinduism Today HAWAII, USA, July 17, 2001: Several responses to a query sent out on HPI regarding German laws on children’s name has elicited several responses indicating there are no such laws. The issue arose when a Tamil father in a German town was told he could not give his new-born daughter anything other than a German name. It…
GO TO SOURCE LAOS, July 18, 2001: In the communist state of Laos, officials in have declared Christianity the “No. 1 enemy of the state.” Christians in droves are being forced to sign a declaration officially renouncing their faith. According to The Bible League, those who refuse to sign the document face prison sentences under very hard conditions. Laos ranks…
GO TO SOURCE MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, July 17, 2001: Thirty-five San Francisco Bay area organizations have gathered together to hold the “Hindu Sangam” on July 21. RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan will deliver the keynote address, Anup Jalota will lead bhajana and a Ramayana play will be staged over 300 children. A panel discussion for youth includes the topics of “Is Hinduism…
GO TO SOURCE INDIA, July, 17, 2001: Using the simple computer, or Simputer, and software that reads webpages aloud in native Indian languages, a group of Indian scientists and engineers has developed a handheld computer to help the poor and illiterate find out about aid projects targeted at them. The team has developed its own version of the web’s formatting…
GO TO SOURCE FRANCE, July 13, 2001: It all started in the year 2000 when a French court awarded damages to a mentally retarded boy because, “he had not been aborted.” Rulings since then have supported the decision made in the Perruche case. Three families with physically deformed children have brought their cases before the court. As a result France’s…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, July 10, 2001: Patients are being warned that herbal medications can increase the risk of serious complications during surgery. The preparations can speed up or slow down the heart rate, inhibit blood clotting, alter the immune system and change the effects and duration of anaesthesia. Scientists have found some preparations have an impact if taken…
Source: Vishnu Bisram, Trinidad NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 14, 2001: When a Queens, New York, judge ruled that the marriage between a Guyanese couple be considered legal and binding, even though the union was not registered in the county, the decision has marked a turning point for Hindu religious unions. The husband of the union tried to receive a…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 15, 2001: Four-year-old Preeti Shakya has been chosen as the new living goddess of Nepal, to spend her childhood revered as the source of prosperity for the mountain kingdom — a status she will hold until she reaches puberty. This BBC report is more detailed than earlier reports. The Kumari is revered by both…