Sunday, April 23, 2006

Go Global

Newzzz updates :

Religion around the world
Bit of Malay Culture Is Now Vanishing Under Muslim Rules
Introduced to Southeast Asia in the 13th century, Islam gradually supplanted Buddhism and Hinduism, but co-existed with ancient traditions over the centuries. Since the 1970s, however, fundamentalist Islam has spiked in multicultural countries such as Malaysia, with Muslim students and scholars galvanized by Iran emerging as an Islamic state. Political gains of Parti Islam parallel the increasing conflict between fundamentalist interpretations of Islam and traditional Malay culture. More ...

Circus : RSS chief's advice to Muslims about Krishna
So RSS Chief Sudarshan has asked Muslims to give respect to Krishna and treat him as one of the paighambars/ prophets. Mr Sudarshan, what world you live in? More ...

Anti-Christian Extremism Attacked
Newspapers in the Arab world have weighed in on recent attacks against Christian churches in Alexandria, addressing issues of extremism’s threat to Egyptian society. To overcome the forces of ignorance, hatred and sectarian sedition, leading newspapers call for concerted action on the part of government, religious and civil institutions to unify citizens against extremism that could lead to a “frightening collapse” of Egypt and possibly other nations in the region. More ...

Pakistan's Hindu Marriage "Ban" to be broken after 18 years!!!
The last traditional Hindu marriage was held about 18 years ago at the Neela Gumbad Mandir, between Jogindar and Mohlay. Mohlay’s brother, Pandit Bhagat Lal of the Neela Gumbad Mandir, said things had not been as hard for the Hindu community during the two wars with India, as they were after the Babri Masjid incident. He said several Hindus gave in to social pressure and converted to Islam or Christianity for better lives, which was why the community’s size had been decreasing. More ...

Tackling Terrorism - Varanasi,Jama Masjid Show the Way
After the blasts in Jama Masjid, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Shah Bukhari's statement acted as the glue of harmony and peace when he stated that "Emulate the people of Varanasi, who did not react in anger and defeated the plans of communal forces". The calm and usual chores followed in the city of Delhi, the city with rich syncretic traditions and heritage. More ...

Terrorism
'New Bin Laden tape' aired by TV
US, India agree to share data on fighting terrorism

Politics
Clever ploy Nepal king's offer throws spotlight on divided opposition
With Nepal's seven-party political alliance soundly rejecting King Gyanendra's offer that they name a new prime minister, the stage is set for a showdown. The opposition says the king's offer does not address their central concerns, and opposition leaders have pledged to continue the protests, now entering a third week. Many believe the opposition cannot embrace a king who has become so unpopular with the Nepalese public. More ...

US-China face-off in Latin America?
Not all Sino-Latin American experts see China's hunt in Latin America for secure supplies oil and other natural resources as necessarily a bad thing. In 2003, Riordan Roett of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, told Congress that it was "good for Latin America, and should be seen by Congress as complimentary to the dynamic relationship between the US and China." Roett added, "A counter plan by the United States in the region is most welcome." More ...

Sovereignty of Bangladesh in Danger (Bengali)

Dhaka again declines Delhi's transit proposal
Bangladesh yesterday reiterated its opposition to the Indian proposal for transit through it as the trade talks between the two countries in Dhaka ended on a gloomy note. Bangladesh experts said if the country accepts the transit proposal, in the long run it will lose advantage in trade with the next-door neighbour. More ...

India
Is India's rural poverty plan working?
Earlier this year, the Indian government launched a bold, multi-million dollar scheme to tackle rural poverty. It guarantees 100 days work a year for every rural household. It's manual work at the minimum wage. Critics say corruption and bad governance mean it is unlikely to work. So two months after the launch, I travelled in northern India to see if it is working. More ...

We don't need reservation, but do need social justice (Bengali)
10% a year : A distant dream in India? (Bengali)

West Bengal
Tata certificate to West Bengal (Bengali)
Farakka : A West Bengal perspective (Bengali)
Contract Farming : An Analysis (Bengali)