Booklet helps South Asians understand Christianity
The South Asian Forum has launched a new booklet to dispel some of the myths surrounding Christianity.

The booklet, Jesus Through Asian Eyes, contains answers to 15 questions about the faith that are frequently asked questions by South Asians.

These include: Is Christianity a Western religion? Isn’t it better to follow the religion of my family? Would I have to leave my family and culture to follow Christ? What do Christians mean by calling Jesus the Son ... Read More

A time to scribble and revel
PERHAPS nowhere else, for now, is the printed word in such rude health as in South Asia. The region’s writers have much to cheer. Readers have a raging appetite for text on a page, and they are happy to spend money for it. (Most gratifying, at least for a journalist, is to see the old-fashioned newspaper industry flourish as literacy levels rise and a middle class grows.) Advertisers and sponsors are hungry to reach book ... Read More

Floods bring chaos to India and Pakistan
More than a million people have been displaced and at least 16 killed as floods in India's Orissa state submerged entire villages, officials say.

Heavy monsoon rains submerged about 2,600 villages across 19 districts.

Meanwhile more rain has been forecast in Pakistan's southern Sindh province where, officials say, 199 people have died over the last two weeks.

Millions have been affected by floods there and the UN has begun relief work.

The United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef, ... Read More

Niko Resources: Ottawa’s corruption test case in Bangladesh
Greg McArthur

By Bangladeshi standards, the red-brick compound of A.K.M. Mosharraf Hossain is a country estate. A four-foot wall encircles the property in the capital city of Dhaka. The only way inside is past a guard booth and a metal gate that leads to the politician’s roundabout driveway.

But there was no problem gaining admission on May 23, 2005, when two representatives from Niko Resources (NKO-T48.93-0.06-0.12%) , a Canadian natural gas company, arrived at the ... Read More

An Indo-Pak bond in science in the making
A team of six senior Indian scientists visited Pakistan last week seeking to establish a connection between the scientific community from either side of the Line of Control to work together on common problems like infectious diseases and crop production.

Scientists visit neighbour to work together on infectious diseases

The quiet tour under the banner of Indian National Science Academy (INSA) took place with the approval of the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Science and ... Read More

Top-level India-Pakistan military contact mooted
Sensing a strategic shift in the thinking among important stakeholders in both India and Pakistan, an India-Pakistan dialogue this week advocated military contact at the highest level to remove the distrust that has bogged down bilateral relations.

Participants at the two-day dialogue organised by BALUSA— a joint initiative to improve bilateral relations— in collaboration with the Delhi-based Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation noted an attempt in both countries to shift from the animosity and mistrust of ... Read More

*Normalisation of Indo-Pak ties ‘Compelling Necessity,’ Pak PM
DAVOS, Jan 29 (Agencies): Hopeful of normalisation of Indo-Pak ties, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has described it as a “compelling necessity” and said his Interior Secretary will soon visit India to take forward the talks on outstanding issues between the two countries. During a meeting with Minister of State for Planning, Science and Technology and Earth Science, Ashwani Kumar, here on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Gilani expressed hope for normalisation ... Read More

Bihar court acquits 11 Nepali Maoist leaders
Patna, Feb 3 (IANS) A Bihar court Friday acquitted 11 Nepali Maoist leaders, including a former minister and six MPs, on a state government petition seeking to withdraw criminal cases against them.

The government Wednesday filed a petition in the court of additional district judge in Patna for the withdrawal of cases against the arrested Nepali Maoists, government lawyer Jai Prakash Singh said.

The state government initiated the move to withdraw the criminal cases following a ... Read More