GUNS - KIDS - Need to Educate both children and the parents
By: Surjit Singh Flora

A 12-year-old boy is facing 19 charges, including robbery and possession of a loaded weapon after police allegedly found him riding his bicycle with a handgun tucked into his pants on Thursday. A Durham Regional police officer confronted the boy, who jumped off his bike and reached into the waistband of his pants. The officer drew his own gun and ordered the youth to show his hands. The ... Read More

A marriage made in heaven
by George Abraham

When Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik got married recently, there were celebrants from two nations that have been at war for all of their history. The wedding of the Indian tennis star to Pakistan’s accomplished cricketer can only be described as a marriage made in heaven. If a baby were to come along in the not too distant future, it would be the most productive engagement between the two Himalayan nations – ever.

One ... Read More

Where is the Sikh community heading to?
By: Surjit Singh Flora

Sikhism is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with more than 23 million followers, according to several online resources. It originated in the Punjab region of northern India in the early 15th century. The word Sikh means "disciple" or "learner" in Sanskrit. Founded on the teachings of the guru Nanak, the faith grew in the region during the time of this first guru (teacher) and nine subsequent Sikh gurus. The teachings ... Read More

Sikhs must learn from recent violence
By Surjit Singh Flora,

Guest Columnist

This weekend the Sikh community celebrates the Khalsa festival, a time to educate Canadians about our faith and to ensure our culture is kept alive by new generations of Canadian-born Sikhs.

But the fighting going on at Sikh temples — Gurdawaras — is tarnishing the image of the entire faith.

Last Sunday, a meeting at the Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Centre turned into a riot, with machetes, axes and hammers pulled ... Read More

Land without checkpoints feels free to Tamil refugees
FARAH FAROUQUE

At home in Melbourne: Sanmugam Sarpatheepan (right) and Kanapathippillai Thajaparan, who chose to flee Sri Lanka and were rescued with other Tamils by the customs ship Oceanic Viking. Photo: Pat Scala

''IT FEELS like freedom, now,'' says Sanmugam Sarpatheepan.

Around him are the markers of his new life; the modest home in Melbourne's west is well maintained but has few personal touches, except for a couple of unwashed teacups in the kitchen.

Mr ... Read More

A 'Common Front' for The Marginalized in India
BANGALORE, India -- Popping out of an auto rickshaw, Manohar Elavarthi unloaded a backpack stuffed with protest posters. Soon he would be rushing to a street demonstration, one that would bring together low-caste Dalit activists, Gandhians, cross-dressers and members of domestic workers unions.

Elavarthi aspires to be the first openly gay man elected to a major political office in India, like Harvey Milk in the United States. Elavarthi is credited with being the first gay figure ... Read More

McDonald's Plans More Stores in India
By ERIC BELLMAN

MUMBAI -- McDonald's Corp. is planning on bringing the Chicken Maharaja Mac to more of India.

Much of India's retail sector is struggling, with many of the malls thrown up to take advantage of the nation's recent red-hot growth struggling to resuscitate sales and traffic. But McDonald's has been largely unaffected by the slowdown and is planning on accelerating its rate of expansion on the subcontinent, according to Amit Jatia, managing director of ... Read More

Cricket Vs. The Taliban
Tunku Varadarajan

Will a glorious sport rescue Pakistan from the Islamists?

As Pakistan fights for its survival against the barbarian Taliban--who would turn that fragile quasi-democracy into an Islamist state so extreme as to obliterate all girls' schools from the face of the land--its people find themselves possessed of a weapon with which to vanquish the forces of darkness. I speak here not of drones or tanks or helicopter gunships, but of the glorious game of ... Read More

In Indian Airline’s Troubles, a Cautionary Tale
By HEATHER TIMMONS and VIKAS BAJAJ

NEW DELHI — Kingfisher Airlines of India promised passengers the royal treatment — flight attendants so comely they were called “flying models,” full meals even on short flights and curbside valets to carry their bags.

But how the mighty have fallen.

Short of cash and unable to pay its bills, the company has had to take on debt from India’s government-owned banks, pledge assets in exchange for loan guarantees, postpone delivery ... Read More

The End of the Affair? Washington's Cooling Passion for New Delhi
Sumit Ganguly and S. Paul Kapur

One of the signature features, and generally acknowledged successes, of the George W. Bush administration's foreign policy was the close relationship forged between the United States and India. For decades, due to Cold War politics and mutual antagonism over India's quest for nuclear weapons, the U.S.-Indian relationship had languished. The Bush administration, however, identified India as a potential strategic partner early on and chose to build on the goodwill the ... Read More