China Tries in Vain to Keep Bellies Buttoned up

Beijing has been on a manners kick for the last few years, but on the hottest summer days, there is no stopping men of all ages and shapes from rolling up their shirts and exposing their tummies.

When temperatures soar, many Chinese men raise their shirts in an attempt to stay cool. The practice is increasingly considered rude but that hasn't stopped the "bang ye" -- or exposing grandfathers. (John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times / August 20, 2010)

By John M. Glionna

In the sweltering heat of summer, when the refreshing breezes desert the city, Hu Lianqun absent-mindedly reaches for a solution: He rolls up his shirt to expose his belly, often fanning himself with the garment to create his own air conditioning.

From the countryside to sophisticated urban centers such as Beijing, men of all ages, social standing and stomach sizes resort to a public display of skin, a hot-weather fashion faux pas that's the Chinese equivalent of knee-high black socks with shorts.

They're known as bang ye, or "exposing grandfathers"(despite their age range). In the hottest weather, bang ye seem to be everywhere, striding among the tall buildings in Beijing's business district, playing chess in parks, holding children's hands at the zoo and negotiating crowded alleyways.

There are precious few washboard abs among the lot. Still, many fail to notice that they're drawing smirks from fashion-conscious passersby. Most just don't care.

"I don't know, it just feels cooler," says Hu, perched on a park bench on a sultry weekday morning, the temperatures already into the 90s, the humidity soaring. "Look, you just shake your shirt to create a breeze. I don't see anyone laughing at me."

In the sports attire section of a nearby department store, Qi Tong scoffs at such reasoning.
"It lowers Beijing's standing as an international city," the 21-year-old says. "I go without a shirt sometimes at home, but never in public. If my dad reaches for his shirt when I'm out with him, I threaten to go home. It's just too embarrassing."

Says a shopper in the men's suits section: "I'd never do it. It's uncivilized."

In recent years, China has shown a keen awareness of its public image. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing's Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee railed against such bad manners as spitting, cursing, cutting in line, urinating in public, sleeping on park benches and loudly slurping food.

During this summer's World Expo, the mayor of Shanghai has urged residents to stop running red lights and strolling the streets in pajamas, a popular summer attire.

But male belly-baring has proved a tough habit to beat. Years ago, men often did the full Monty with their shirts, taking them off completely, as a way to beat the heat, prompting fashionistas to put their foot down.

In 2002, one Beijing newspaper even sponsored a campaign to drive home the point that going shirtless was gauche. Each day, the Beijing Youth Daily ran candid pictures of shirtless men, often with bellies bulging, in an effort to shame offenders into compliance.

But as on the catwalks of Paris, style evolves. In Beijing, it soon morphed into the rolled-up-shirt look. Some go even further to beat the heat, rolling up their pants legs.

Many defend the practice, insisting that history is also on their side: During the Cultural Revolution, when good manners were condemned as bourgeois, it was considered a compliment to be called a dalaocu, or "a rough old guy."

Chinese men haven't looked to their leaders for guidance on proper etiquette. Mao Tse-tung often scratched himself in public, and Deng Xiaoping, a notorious spitter, often kept a spittoon nearby when meeting with world leaders.

Although many men proclaim the health benefits of exposing their stomachs on hot days, one Eastern medicine practitioner says he doesn't want to be blamed for the practice.

"Exposing one's belly has nothing to do with Chinese medicine's theory about maintaining a person's health," says Yan Zheng, who has been practicing Chinese medicine for more than 40 years.

"People chose to expose their belly because they feel too hot in summer but feel embarrassed to take off their shirts completely."

Cai Keqing says he doesn't worry about embarrassment. Taking a break from his retail sales job, the 24-year-old slouches on a park bench, shirt hiked up, and smokes a cigarette.

He's heard all the arguments about skin-exposing men. "Right now, I couldn't care less about my public image," he says. "It's just too hot."

via latimes.com
Tommy Yang in The Times' Beijing Bureau contributed to this report.

Read full history - China Tries in Vain to Keep Bellies Buttoned up

China Tries in Vain to Keep Bellies Buttoned up

Beijing has been on a manners kick for the last few years, but on the hottest summer days, there is no stopping men of all ages and shapes from rolling up their shirts and exposing their tummies.

When temperatures soar, many Chinese men raise their shirts in an attempt to stay cool. The practice is increasingly considered rude but that hasn't stopped the "bang ye" -- or exposing grandfathers. (John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times / August 20, 2010)

By John M. Glionna

In the sweltering heat of summer, when the refreshing breezes desert the city, Hu Lianqun absent-mindedly reaches for a solution: He rolls up his shirt to expose his belly, often fanning himself with the garment to create his own air conditioning.

From the countryside to sophisticated urban centers such as Beijing, men of all ages, social standing and stomach sizes resort to a public display of skin, a hot-weather fashion faux pas that's the Chinese equivalent of knee-high black socks with shorts.

They're known as bang ye, or "exposing grandfathers"(despite their age range). In the hottest weather, bang ye seem to be everywhere, striding among the tall buildings in Beijing's business district, playing chess in parks, holding children's hands at the zoo and negotiating crowded alleyways.

There are precious few washboard abs among the lot. Still, many fail to notice that they're drawing smirks from fashion-conscious passersby. Most just don't care.

"I don't know, it just feels cooler," says Hu, perched on a park bench on a sultry weekday morning, the temperatures already into the 90s, the humidity soaring. "Look, you just shake your shirt to create a breeze. I don't see anyone laughing at me."

In the sports attire section of a nearby department store, Qi Tong scoffs at such reasoning.
"It lowers Beijing's standing as an international city," the 21-year-old says. "I go without a shirt sometimes at home, but never in public. If my dad reaches for his shirt when I'm out with him, I threaten to go home. It's just too embarrassing."

Says a shopper in the men's suits section: "I'd never do it. It's uncivilized."

In recent years, China has shown a keen awareness of its public image. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing's Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee railed against such bad manners as spitting, cursing, cutting in line, urinating in public, sleeping on park benches and loudly slurping food.

During this summer's World Expo, the mayor of Shanghai has urged residents to stop running red lights and strolling the streets in pajamas, a popular summer attire.

But male belly-baring has proved a tough habit to beat. Years ago, men often did the full Monty with their shirts, taking them off completely, as a way to beat the heat, prompting fashionistas to put their foot down.

In 2002, one Beijing newspaper even sponsored a campaign to drive home the point that going shirtless was gauche. Each day, the Beijing Youth Daily ran candid pictures of shirtless men, often with bellies bulging, in an effort to shame offenders into compliance.

But as on the catwalks of Paris, style evolves. In Beijing, it soon morphed into the rolled-up-shirt look. Some go even further to beat the heat, rolling up their pants legs.

Many defend the practice, insisting that history is also on their side: During the Cultural Revolution, when good manners were condemned as bourgeois, it was considered a compliment to be called a dalaocu, or "a rough old guy."

Chinese men haven't looked to their leaders for guidance on proper etiquette. Mao Tse-tung often scratched himself in public, and Deng Xiaoping, a notorious spitter, often kept a spittoon nearby when meeting with world leaders.

Although many men proclaim the health benefits of exposing their stomachs on hot days, one Eastern medicine practitioner says he doesn't want to be blamed for the practice.

"Exposing one's belly has nothing to do with Chinese medicine's theory about maintaining a person's health," says Yan Zheng, who has been practicing Chinese medicine for more than 40 years.

"People chose to expose their belly because they feel too hot in summer but feel embarrassed to take off their shirts completely."

Cai Keqing says he doesn't worry about embarrassment. Taking a break from his retail sales job, the 24-year-old slouches on a park bench, shirt hiked up, and smokes a cigarette.

He's heard all the arguments about skin-exposing men. "Right now, I couldn't care less about my public image," he says. "It's just too hot."

via latimes.com
Tommy Yang in The Times' Beijing Bureau contributed to this report.

Read full history - China Tries in Vain to Keep Bellies Buttoned up

Famous WWII Kiss Unveiled in Times Square

To celebrate 65th anniversary of VJ-Day

A 26ft statue depicting a famous New York Times Square kiss that celebrated the end of World War II has been unveiled to mark the 65th anniversary of the U.S. victory over Japan.

The towering colour sculpture immortalises Alfred Eisenstaedt's black-and-white photograph of an unidentified sailor kissing nurse Edith Shain in 1945.

The image captured an epic moment in U.S. history and became an iconic photo marking the end of the war after being published in Life magazine.

Kiss-toric moment: The sculpture immortalises Alfred Eisenstaedt's photograph of an unidentified sailor kissing nurse Edith Shain in 1945

On Saturday, Americans will gather for a 'kiss-in' at the base of the statue in the first national day of remembrance for the Second World War generation.

Around 6,000 buglers across the country will play the military funeral tune 'Taps' on the anniversary of V-J Day.

Shain died in June at age 91 before she could see her campaign for the commemoration completed.

Anniversary: Americans will celebrate VJ-Day with a 'kiss-in' at the statue in Times Sqaure, New York

She had become something of a celebrity because of the photo and wanted to leverage that fame into a worthy cause, said Warren Hegg, national supervisor for the 'Keep the Sprit of '45 Alive' campaign.

'It really became Edith's mission in life that there would be this national day, that every day someone thought about that day in August when a girl was kissed in Times Square, that people would think about it more deeply,' he added.

'She said we should have a day for all the ordinary men and women of that generation who did so many remarkable things and never were really recognized for that:

Unveiled: The state marks the first national day of remembrance for the Second World War generation

'The people who endured the Great Depression, saved Western democracy, and then went on and rebuilt the world.' 

The identity of the nurse in Eisenstaedt's photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Shain wrote to the photographer saying that she was the woman in the picture taken on August 14 at a time when she had been working at Doctor's Hospital in New York City.

Edith Shain was captured in a passionate clinch with a sailor on V-J Day by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945

Mrs Shain (aged 86 in this picture) holds the original image of her famous kiss as she unveils a smaller version of the commemorative statue in New York City five years ago

The identity of the sailor remains disputed and unresolved, although a man named Carl Muscarello has claimed it was him.

From then on the photograph also made its mark on Shain's life as the fame she garnered led to invites to war related events such a wreath layings, parades and other memorial events.

Shain, who died at her home in Los Angeles in June, leaves behind three sons, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Read full history - Famous WWII Kiss Unveiled in Times Square

Famous WWII Kiss Unveiled in Times Square

To celebrate 65th anniversary of VJ-Day

A 26ft statue depicting a famous New York Times Square kiss that celebrated the end of World War II has been unveiled to mark the 65th anniversary of the U.S. victory over Japan.

The towering colour sculpture immortalises Alfred Eisenstaedt's black-and-white photograph of an unidentified sailor kissing nurse Edith Shain in 1945.

The image captured an epic moment in U.S. history and became an iconic photo marking the end of the war after being published in Life magazine.

Kiss-toric moment: The sculpture immortalises Alfred Eisenstaedt's photograph of an unidentified sailor kissing nurse Edith Shain in 1945

On Saturday, Americans will gather for a 'kiss-in' at the base of the statue in the first national day of remembrance for the Second World War generation.

Around 6,000 buglers across the country will play the military funeral tune 'Taps' on the anniversary of V-J Day.

Shain died in June at age 91 before she could see her campaign for the commemoration completed.

Anniversary: Americans will celebrate VJ-Day with a 'kiss-in' at the statue in Times Sqaure, New York

She had become something of a celebrity because of the photo and wanted to leverage that fame into a worthy cause, said Warren Hegg, national supervisor for the 'Keep the Sprit of '45 Alive' campaign.

'It really became Edith's mission in life that there would be this national day, that every day someone thought about that day in August when a girl was kissed in Times Square, that people would think about it more deeply,' he added.

'She said we should have a day for all the ordinary men and women of that generation who did so many remarkable things and never were really recognized for that:

Unveiled: The state marks the first national day of remembrance for the Second World War generation

'The people who endured the Great Depression, saved Western democracy, and then went on and rebuilt the world.' 

The identity of the nurse in Eisenstaedt's photograph was not known until the late 1970s when Shain wrote to the photographer saying that she was the woman in the picture taken on August 14 at a time when she had been working at Doctor's Hospital in New York City.

Edith Shain was captured in a passionate clinch with a sailor on V-J Day by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945

Mrs Shain (aged 86 in this picture) holds the original image of her famous kiss as she unveils a smaller version of the commemorative statue in New York City five years ago

The identity of the sailor remains disputed and unresolved, although a man named Carl Muscarello has claimed it was him.

From then on the photograph also made its mark on Shain's life as the fame she garnered led to invites to war related events such a wreath layings, parades and other memorial events.

Shain, who died at her home in Los Angeles in June, leaves behind three sons, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Read full history - Famous WWII Kiss Unveiled in Times Square

Hydroelectric Dams Pose Threat to Tribal Peoples, Report Warns

Dams in Brazil, Ethiopia and Malaysia will force people off land and destroy hunting grounds, says Survival International

By John Vidal

Construction begins on the Gibe III hydroelectric dam in southern Ethiopia. Photograph: Xan Rice for the Guardian

Giant hydroelectric dams being built or planned in remote areas of Brazil, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Peru, Guyana and India will devastate tribal communities by forcing people off their land or destroying hunting and fishing grounds, according to a report by Survival International today.

The first global assessment of the impact of the dams on tribes suggests more than 300,000 indigenous people could be pushed towards economic ruin and, in the case of some isolated Brazilian groups, to extinction.

The dams are intended to provide much-needed,low-carbon electricity for burgeoning cities, but the report says tribal people living in their vicinity will gain little or nothing. Most of the power generated will be taken by large industries, it concludes.

At least 200,000 people from eight tribes are threatened and a further 200,000 people will be adversely affected by the Gibe III dam on the Omo river in Ethiopia. Ten thousand people in Sarawak, Malaysia, have been displaced by the Bakun dam,which is expected to open next year, and a series of Latin American dams could force many thousands of people off their land.

The authors say enthusiasm for large dams is resurfacing, driven by a powerful international lobby presenting them as a significant solution to climate change. Lyndsay Duffield, said: "The lessons learned [about the human impact of large dams]last century are being ignored, and tribal peoples worldwide are again being sidelined, their rights violated and their lands destroyed."

The report says the World Bank is one of the biggest funders of destructive dams, despite worldwide criticism in the 1990s for supporting such projects. Its portfolio now stands at $11bn, with funding up more than 50% on 1997.

The UN now subsidises dam building via the clean development mechanism (CDM), which allows rich countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in clean energy in poor countries. The watchdog group CDM Watch says more than a third of all CDM-registered projects in 2008 were for hydropower, making them the most common type of project vying for carbon credits.

Concern is growing over the role of China, now the world's largest builder and funder of big dams. The Three Gorges Corporation, firm behind the controversial Three Gorges dam, which has displaced more than a million people from around the Yangtze river in the last 20 years, has been contracted to build a dam on the land of the Penan tribe in Sarawak. China's biggest state bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, may fund Gibe III in Ethiopia, to be Africa's tallest. The Chinese government has financed the majority of dams built in China, which account for about half the global total of large dams.

The report says tribes have borne the brunt of the development over the last 30 years. In India, at least 40% of people displaced by dams and other developmentprojects are tribal, though they make up just 8% of the country's population. Almost all of the large dams built or proposed in the Philippines have been on the land of the country's indigenous people.

The report accuses banks and dam builders of consistently underestimating the number of tribal people affected. "There is an endemic tendency within the dam industry to significantly underestimate the number of people to be affected by their projects," it says.

"The World Bank's review of big dam projects over 10 years found that the number of people actually evicted was nearly 50% higher than the planning estimates."

Survival International called for all hydroelectric dams on tribal peoples' land to be halted unless the tribes have given full consent. "In the case of isolated or uncontacted tribes, where consultation is not possible, there should be no development of hydroelectric dams on their territories," it said.

Danger dams

Ethiopia The Gibe III dam on the Omo river in Ethiopia threatens about 200,000 people from eight tribes in the Lower Omo valley. The dam will disrupt the annual flood the tribes rely on, destroying their livelihoods and leaving them vulnerable to famine. On the other side of the border in Kenya, 300,000 people who live on the banks of Lake Turkana will also be affected.

Brazil A series of dams is planned for the river Madeira. The Jirau and Santo Antonio dams will affect many tribes, including uncontacted groups known to live a few miles from one site. The Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingu river would be the third largest in the world, and would devastate a huge area. Kayapó Indians and other tribes of the area have been protesting against the dam since it was proposed in the 1980s.

Malaysia The Bakun dam in Sarawak, due to be completed this year, has displaced 10,000 tribal people, including many semi-nomadic Penan tribespeople. The relocated Penan now cannot hunt, and struggle to support themselves on tiny plots of land. Sarawak plans 12 more hydroelectric dams, which will force thousands more people to move.

Peru Six dams have been proposed which would flood land along the river Ene, home of the Asháninka, the largest indigenous group in Peru.

Guyana More large dams are planned for the north of Brazil and southern Guyana, including the controversial Upper Mazaruni dam which was stopped after protests but is likely to be revived.

India Large dams are planned in Northeast India including Tipaimukh dam to meet the growing energy needs of developing India.

Via The Guardian UK

Read full history - Hydroelectric Dams Pose Threat to Tribal Peoples, Report Warns

Hydroelectric Dams Pose Threat to Tribal Peoples, Report Warns

Dams in Brazil, Ethiopia and Malaysia will force people off land and destroy hunting grounds, says Survival International

By John Vidal

Construction begins on the Gibe III hydroelectric dam in southern Ethiopia. Photograph: Xan Rice for the Guardian

Giant hydroelectric dams being built or planned in remote areas of Brazil, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Peru, Guyana and India will devastate tribal communities by forcing people off their land or destroying hunting and fishing grounds, according to a report by Survival International today.

The first global assessment of the impact of the dams on tribes suggests more than 300,000 indigenous people could be pushed towards economic ruin and, in the case of some isolated Brazilian groups, to extinction.

The dams are intended to provide much-needed,low-carbon electricity for burgeoning cities, but the report says tribal people living in their vicinity will gain little or nothing. Most of the power generated will be taken by large industries, it concludes.

At least 200,000 people from eight tribes are threatened and a further 200,000 people will be adversely affected by the Gibe III dam on the Omo river in Ethiopia. Ten thousand people in Sarawak, Malaysia, have been displaced by the Bakun dam,which is expected to open next year, and a series of Latin American dams could force many thousands of people off their land.

The authors say enthusiasm for large dams is resurfacing, driven by a powerful international lobby presenting them as a significant solution to climate change. Lyndsay Duffield, said: "The lessons learned [about the human impact of large dams]last century are being ignored, and tribal peoples worldwide are again being sidelined, their rights violated and their lands destroyed."

The report says the World Bank is one of the biggest funders of destructive dams, despite worldwide criticism in the 1990s for supporting such projects. Its portfolio now stands at $11bn, with funding up more than 50% on 1997.

The UN now subsidises dam building via the clean development mechanism (CDM), which allows rich countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in clean energy in poor countries. The watchdog group CDM Watch says more than a third of all CDM-registered projects in 2008 were for hydropower, making them the most common type of project vying for carbon credits.

Concern is growing over the role of China, now the world's largest builder and funder of big dams. The Three Gorges Corporation, firm behind the controversial Three Gorges dam, which has displaced more than a million people from around the Yangtze river in the last 20 years, has been contracted to build a dam on the land of the Penan tribe in Sarawak. China's biggest state bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, may fund Gibe III in Ethiopia, to be Africa's tallest. The Chinese government has financed the majority of dams built in China, which account for about half the global total of large dams.

The report says tribes have borne the brunt of the development over the last 30 years. In India, at least 40% of people displaced by dams and other developmentprojects are tribal, though they make up just 8% of the country's population. Almost all of the large dams built or proposed in the Philippines have been on the land of the country's indigenous people.

The report accuses banks and dam builders of consistently underestimating the number of tribal people affected. "There is an endemic tendency within the dam industry to significantly underestimate the number of people to be affected by their projects," it says.

"The World Bank's review of big dam projects over 10 years found that the number of people actually evicted was nearly 50% higher than the planning estimates."

Survival International called for all hydroelectric dams on tribal peoples' land to be halted unless the tribes have given full consent. "In the case of isolated or uncontacted tribes, where consultation is not possible, there should be no development of hydroelectric dams on their territories," it said.

Danger dams

Ethiopia The Gibe III dam on the Omo river in Ethiopia threatens about 200,000 people from eight tribes in the Lower Omo valley. The dam will disrupt the annual flood the tribes rely on, destroying their livelihoods and leaving them vulnerable to famine. On the other side of the border in Kenya, 300,000 people who live on the banks of Lake Turkana will also be affected.

Brazil A series of dams is planned for the river Madeira. The Jirau and Santo Antonio dams will affect many tribes, including uncontacted groups known to live a few miles from one site. The Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingu river would be the third largest in the world, and would devastate a huge area. Kayapó Indians and other tribes of the area have been protesting against the dam since it was proposed in the 1980s.

Malaysia The Bakun dam in Sarawak, due to be completed this year, has displaced 10,000 tribal people, including many semi-nomadic Penan tribespeople. The relocated Penan now cannot hunt, and struggle to support themselves on tiny plots of land. Sarawak plans 12 more hydroelectric dams, which will force thousands more people to move.

Peru Six dams have been proposed which would flood land along the river Ene, home of the Asháninka, the largest indigenous group in Peru.

Guyana More large dams are planned for the north of Brazil and southern Guyana, including the controversial Upper Mazaruni dam which was stopped after protests but is likely to be revived.

India Large dams are planned in Northeast India including Tipaimukh dam to meet the growing energy needs of developing India.

Via The Guardian UK

Read full history - Hydroelectric Dams Pose Threat to Tribal Peoples, Report Warns

Dhaka for Inclusion of Border-Hat Deal with Delhi

By Nazmul Ahsan

Dhaka, Aug 9 : Bangladesh has set a couple of conditions for signing of the Border Haat agreement with India.

It wants the border hat trading be exempted from local tax levied by the Indian state government and establishment of bank branches or money changer booths to check smuggling, a top official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

The MoFA has asked the Indian government last week to include the provisions concerned in the final draft of the Border Haat agreement, sources said.

"We have asked the Indian government to include clauses like non application of local tax of Meghalaya State on border haat trading and establishment of either bank branches or a moneychanger's booths in the proposed haat to check possible smuggling," a top official in the MoFA said.

"The government will not proceed further for signing the proposed agreement with India until the latter addresses our concerns in the final draft agreement," he added.

The MoFA has contacted the Indian High Commission in Dhaka in this respect following a directive from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it is learnt.

Commerce ministry officials of the two nations prepared the draft deal in mid May last in Dhaka, agreeing to impose caps on trading and making the bazaars accessible only for the people who live in and around the area.

However, the PMO raised objections to the negotiated draft agreement as it missed the issue of local tax.

According to the negotiated draft of the proposed agreement, trading at the border markets will not be taxed or levied, and will not fall under purview of foreign trade policies and laws of the two countries.

"We now want the draft agreement say the border haat trade is exempted from both central and state taxes to avoid any uneven trading system as Bangladesh has no local tax compared to those of Indian states," a top official in the PMO said.

Presently, the Meghalaya State of Indian government has 6 to 8 per cent local tax imposed on trading that takes place within the state, sources said.

Two bazaars will be set up in the first phase - one in Sunamganj and another in Kurigram along India's Meghalaya frontier. The trading will be held once a week, said the negotiated draft agreement.

Besides, the draft said an individual will not be able to trade goods valued above $50 at the bazaar and the trading should be conducted in currencies of the two nations.

Officials in the MoFA said a meeting is required between central bankers of two countries to clarify the transaction modalities to prevent possible smuggling under the proposed haat as the draft agreement did not say anything about establishing bank or money exchange outlet to deal with the currencies of two countries.

Furthermore, the negotiated draft agreement said a committee comprising government officials and officers of border security forces of the two nations will manage the markets and will sit periodically to review its operation. The committee will be headed by the local administration.
"We have asked the Indian authority to keep provision for bank or money exchange outlet to deal with currencies in the proposed haats, while we have proposed Deputy Commissioner to head the committee," a top foreign ministry official said.

Farm and home made items produced in 10 kilometer radius of border bazaar will be allowed to trade in the bazaar, which will be set up within five kilometers of the frontier, instead of 10 kilometer as agreed earlier.

Dhaka and New Delhi agreed to set up border markets in January, 2009 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made her first visit to India.

India has been pressing the government to ink the deal as early as possible. Earlier, it asked the government to start the markets on the first day of the Bengali new-year - on April 14, 2009-- but the attempt fell through after concerns were raised that the proposed deal on the border bazaars did not adequate steps against smuggling.

Read full history - Dhaka for Inclusion of Border-Hat Deal with Delhi

Dhaka for Inclusion of Border-Hat Deal with Delhi

By Nazmul Ahsan

Dhaka, Aug 9 : Bangladesh has set a couple of conditions for signing of the Border Haat agreement with India.

It wants the border hat trading be exempted from local tax levied by the Indian state government and establishment of bank branches or money changer booths to check smuggling, a top official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

The MoFA has asked the Indian government last week to include the provisions concerned in the final draft of the Border Haat agreement, sources said.

"We have asked the Indian government to include clauses like non application of local tax of Meghalaya State on border haat trading and establishment of either bank branches or a moneychanger's booths in the proposed haat to check possible smuggling," a top official in the MoFA said.

"The government will not proceed further for signing the proposed agreement with India until the latter addresses our concerns in the final draft agreement," he added.

The MoFA has contacted the Indian High Commission in Dhaka in this respect following a directive from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it is learnt.

Commerce ministry officials of the two nations prepared the draft deal in mid May last in Dhaka, agreeing to impose caps on trading and making the bazaars accessible only for the people who live in and around the area.

However, the PMO raised objections to the negotiated draft agreement as it missed the issue of local tax.

According to the negotiated draft of the proposed agreement, trading at the border markets will not be taxed or levied, and will not fall under purview of foreign trade policies and laws of the two countries.

"We now want the draft agreement say the border haat trade is exempted from both central and state taxes to avoid any uneven trading system as Bangladesh has no local tax compared to those of Indian states," a top official in the PMO said.

Presently, the Meghalaya State of Indian government has 6 to 8 per cent local tax imposed on trading that takes place within the state, sources said.

Two bazaars will be set up in the first phase - one in Sunamganj and another in Kurigram along India's Meghalaya frontier. The trading will be held once a week, said the negotiated draft agreement.

Besides, the draft said an individual will not be able to trade goods valued above $50 at the bazaar and the trading should be conducted in currencies of the two nations.

Officials in the MoFA said a meeting is required between central bankers of two countries to clarify the transaction modalities to prevent possible smuggling under the proposed haat as the draft agreement did not say anything about establishing bank or money exchange outlet to deal with the currencies of two countries.

Furthermore, the negotiated draft agreement said a committee comprising government officials and officers of border security forces of the two nations will manage the markets and will sit periodically to review its operation. The committee will be headed by the local administration.
"We have asked the Indian authority to keep provision for bank or money exchange outlet to deal with currencies in the proposed haats, while we have proposed Deputy Commissioner to head the committee," a top foreign ministry official said.

Farm and home made items produced in 10 kilometer radius of border bazaar will be allowed to trade in the bazaar, which will be set up within five kilometers of the frontier, instead of 10 kilometer as agreed earlier.

Dhaka and New Delhi agreed to set up border markets in January, 2009 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made her first visit to India.

India has been pressing the government to ink the deal as early as possible. Earlier, it asked the government to start the markets on the first day of the Bengali new-year - on April 14, 2009-- but the attempt fell through after concerns were raised that the proposed deal on the border bazaars did not adequate steps against smuggling.

Read full history - Dhaka for Inclusion of Border-Hat Deal with Delhi

Wikileaks' 10 Greatest Scoops

Wikileaks, the whistleblowing website, has released 90,000 documents about American and British actions in Afghanistan since the start of the war. Here are its 10 greatest previous scoops.

By Tom Chivers

Guantanamo Bay operating procedures

The "Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta", the US Army manual for soldiers dealing with prisoners at Camp Delta, was released on Wikileaks in 2007. Human rights groups were concerned to discover that according to official guidelines, prisoners could be denied access to the Red Cross for up to four weeks. It also showed that inmates could earn "special rewards" for good behaviour and cooperation - and that one such "reward" was a roll of toilet paper.

Scientology

In 2008, Wikileaks published "the collected secret 'bibles' of Scientology", including some of internal workings and strange practices of the controversial Church. It showed that there were eight "levels" of "Operating Thetans", with Level Eight being the highest, that Scientologists can aspire to. It also instructed adherents to carry out difficult-to-understand "drills" including: "Find a tight packed crowd of people. Write it as a crowd and then as individuals until you have a cognition. Note it down." The drills were written by the Church founder L Ron Hubbard himself. Lawyers for the Church of Scientology attempted to force Wikileaks to take the information down, calling it the "Advanced Technology of the Scientology religion", but the site refused.

Climate Research Unit emails

More than 1,000 emails sent over 10 years by staff at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit were posted on Wikileaks after being accessed by a hacker. They appeared to show that scientists engaged in "tricks" to help bolster arguments that global warming is real and man-made. One said: "I've just completed Mike's Nature [the science journal] trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie, from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline." The report was described by sceptical commenters as "the worst scientific scandal of our generation". The head of the CRU, Professor Phil Jones, stepped down from his role in the wake of the leak, although following a House of Commons inquiry which found that he had no case to answer he was reinstated.

Australian internet blacklist

Last year, as the Australian government plotted a "great firewall of Australia" intended to prevent internet users in that country from seeing websites which the government deemed unsuitable, Wikileaks got hold of the proposed blacklist. It published them despite warnings from Bjorn Landfeldt, a University of Sydney professor involved in creating the list, that the list "constitute[d] a condensed encyclopedia of depravity and potentially very dangerous material" and "the concerned parent's worst nightmare" as children would inevitably seek it out. About half of the listed items were not child pornography or anything similar, but included Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, fringe religious sites, fetish, straight and gay pornography, and even a travel agent's website and one of a dentist in Queensland.

Trafigura's Minton Report

In 2009 the internet went crazy over oil trading company Trafigura's attempts to block publication of an internal study about the health effects of waste dumping in Africa. The draft report, written by scientific consultant John Minton, said that the chemical processes Trafigura used to clean the dumped gasoline was amateurish and would probably have left dangerous sulphur compounds untreated. It was said that these compounds could cause severe burns to the skin and to the lungs, permanent ulceration, corneal damage, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of consciousness and death to people who came into contact with it. The Guardian gained possession of the report, but Trafigura took the newspaper to court to gain an injunction. However, Wikileaks also had received the report, and within hours the information that The Guardian was legally prevented from publishing was all over Twitter.

BNP membership

The names, addresses and occupations of 13,500 members of the far-Right British National Party were released on to Wikileaks in 2008. The list included the names of several police officers, senior members of the military, doctors and professors. It came as senior military figures warned that the BNP's politics were "fundamentally at odds" with the values of the British military, and BNP figures said that the "establishment" was trying to "derail" the party. At least one person on the list was fired from their job after it was revealed that they were a member of the BNP.

Sarah Palin's email account

Ahead of the 2008 US Presidential Election, Republican candidate John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin had her private Yahoo email account hacked by Anonymous, an online group best known for an ongoing battle with the Church of Scientology. Two emails, her contact list and various family photos were posted to Wikileaks. The McCain campaign described it as a "shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law". It was found that Mrs Palin had been using the private account for official business, and it was alleged that this was to avoid American public record laws.

9/11 pager data

More than 500,000 pager messages sent in the United States on the day of the September 11 attacks were published to Wikileaks in November last year. Some were from federal and local officials, but most were from ordinary people. There was a debate over whether the release was legitimately in the public interest, revealing personal messages such as "I'm ok & love you..xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox". A Wikileaks spokesman defended the leak, saying that it represented "one more building block to getting a full picture of what happened on that day."

'How to stop leaks' document

In a delightful twist, a British military manual - the Defence Manual of Security, or Joint Services Protocol 440 (JSP440) - specifically dealing with how best to avoid leaks was leaked onto the site in October last year. It warned that the Chinese "[have] a voracious appetite for all kinds of information; political, military, commercial, scientific and technical" and that spying is no longer like "the novels of John Le Carre". Journalists are listed in the document as one of the "threats" to security, alongside foreign intelligence services, criminals, terrorist groups and disaffected staff. In an even more self-referential moment, a Pentagon document naming Wikileaks itself as a threat to national security was leaked - to Wikileaks.

Iraq Apache helicopter attack

Horrifying video footage showing 15 people including two Reuters journalists being shot dead by a US Army Apache helicopter gunman, taken from the helicopter's gun camera, appalled the world when it was released on Wikileaks.

The crew were heard laughing at the "dead b-----ds" and saying "light 'em up!" and "keep shooting, keep shooting".

The US military has refused to discipline the helicopter's crew, saying that there were "insurgents and reporters in an area where US forces were about to be ambushed.

"At the time we weren't able to discern whether (Reuters employees) were carrying cameras or weapons."

The brother of one of the dead Reuters journalists was sceptical: "My question is how could those highly skilled American pilots with all their hi-tech information not distinguish between a camera and a rocket launcher."

Read full history - Wikileaks' 10 Greatest Scoops

Wikileaks' 10 Greatest Scoops

Wikileaks, the whistleblowing website, has released 90,000 documents about American and British actions in Afghanistan since the start of the war. Here are its 10 greatest previous scoops.

By Tom Chivers

Guantanamo Bay operating procedures

The "Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta", the US Army manual for soldiers dealing with prisoners at Camp Delta, was released on Wikileaks in 2007. Human rights groups were concerned to discover that according to official guidelines, prisoners could be denied access to the Red Cross for up to four weeks. It also showed that inmates could earn "special rewards" for good behaviour and cooperation - and that one such "reward" was a roll of toilet paper.

Scientology

In 2008, Wikileaks published "the collected secret 'bibles' of Scientology", including some of internal workings and strange practices of the controversial Church. It showed that there were eight "levels" of "Operating Thetans", with Level Eight being the highest, that Scientologists can aspire to. It also instructed adherents to carry out difficult-to-understand "drills" including: "Find a tight packed crowd of people. Write it as a crowd and then as individuals until you have a cognition. Note it down." The drills were written by the Church founder L Ron Hubbard himself. Lawyers for the Church of Scientology attempted to force Wikileaks to take the information down, calling it the "Advanced Technology of the Scientology religion", but the site refused.

Climate Research Unit emails

More than 1,000 emails sent over 10 years by staff at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit were posted on Wikileaks after being accessed by a hacker. They appeared to show that scientists engaged in "tricks" to help bolster arguments that global warming is real and man-made. One said: "I've just completed Mike's Nature [the science journal] trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie, from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline." The report was described by sceptical commenters as "the worst scientific scandal of our generation". The head of the CRU, Professor Phil Jones, stepped down from his role in the wake of the leak, although following a House of Commons inquiry which found that he had no case to answer he was reinstated.

Australian internet blacklist

Last year, as the Australian government plotted a "great firewall of Australia" intended to prevent internet users in that country from seeing websites which the government deemed unsuitable, Wikileaks got hold of the proposed blacklist. It published them despite warnings from Bjorn Landfeldt, a University of Sydney professor involved in creating the list, that the list "constitute[d] a condensed encyclopedia of depravity and potentially very dangerous material" and "the concerned parent's worst nightmare" as children would inevitably seek it out. About half of the listed items were not child pornography or anything similar, but included Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, fringe religious sites, fetish, straight and gay pornography, and even a travel agent's website and one of a dentist in Queensland.

Trafigura's Minton Report

In 2009 the internet went crazy over oil trading company Trafigura's attempts to block publication of an internal study about the health effects of waste dumping in Africa. The draft report, written by scientific consultant John Minton, said that the chemical processes Trafigura used to clean the dumped gasoline was amateurish and would probably have left dangerous sulphur compounds untreated. It was said that these compounds could cause severe burns to the skin and to the lungs, permanent ulceration, corneal damage, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of consciousness and death to people who came into contact with it. The Guardian gained possession of the report, but Trafigura took the newspaper to court to gain an injunction. However, Wikileaks also had received the report, and within hours the information that The Guardian was legally prevented from publishing was all over Twitter.

BNP membership

The names, addresses and occupations of 13,500 members of the far-Right British National Party were released on to Wikileaks in 2008. The list included the names of several police officers, senior members of the military, doctors and professors. It came as senior military figures warned that the BNP's politics were "fundamentally at odds" with the values of the British military, and BNP figures said that the "establishment" was trying to "derail" the party. At least one person on the list was fired from their job after it was revealed that they were a member of the BNP.

Sarah Palin's email account

Ahead of the 2008 US Presidential Election, Republican candidate John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin had her private Yahoo email account hacked by Anonymous, an online group best known for an ongoing battle with the Church of Scientology. Two emails, her contact list and various family photos were posted to Wikileaks. The McCain campaign described it as a "shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law". It was found that Mrs Palin had been using the private account for official business, and it was alleged that this was to avoid American public record laws.

9/11 pager data

More than 500,000 pager messages sent in the United States on the day of the September 11 attacks were published to Wikileaks in November last year. Some were from federal and local officials, but most were from ordinary people. There was a debate over whether the release was legitimately in the public interest, revealing personal messages such as "I'm ok & love you..xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox". A Wikileaks spokesman defended the leak, saying that it represented "one more building block to getting a full picture of what happened on that day."

'How to stop leaks' document

In a delightful twist, a British military manual - the Defence Manual of Security, or Joint Services Protocol 440 (JSP440) - specifically dealing with how best to avoid leaks was leaked onto the site in October last year. It warned that the Chinese "[have] a voracious appetite for all kinds of information; political, military, commercial, scientific and technical" and that spying is no longer like "the novels of John Le Carre". Journalists are listed in the document as one of the "threats" to security, alongside foreign intelligence services, criminals, terrorist groups and disaffected staff. In an even more self-referential moment, a Pentagon document naming Wikileaks itself as a threat to national security was leaked - to Wikileaks.

Iraq Apache helicopter attack

Horrifying video footage showing 15 people including two Reuters journalists being shot dead by a US Army Apache helicopter gunman, taken from the helicopter's gun camera, appalled the world when it was released on Wikileaks.

The crew were heard laughing at the "dead b-----ds" and saying "light 'em up!" and "keep shooting, keep shooting".

The US military has refused to discipline the helicopter's crew, saying that there were "insurgents and reporters in an area where US forces were about to be ambushed.

"At the time we weren't able to discern whether (Reuters employees) were carrying cameras or weapons."

The brother of one of the dead Reuters journalists was sceptical: "My question is how could those highly skilled American pilots with all their hi-tech information not distinguish between a camera and a rocket launcher."

Read full history - Wikileaks' 10 Greatest Scoops

China UFO Sightings, Back-To-Back, Alarm Residents

A second China UFO sighting has residents on edge, just seven days after an unidentified flying object shut down a Chinese airport.
The new UFO sighting took place in Chongqing in eastern China on July 15. Witnesses told Shanghai Daily they saw the same thing: "four lantern-like objects forming a diamond shape that hovered over the city's Shaping Park for over an hour."
Like the one before it, there has been no official explanation to date for this latest incident.
Last week, flights were diverted in Hangzhou -- also in eastern China -- after a mysterious object was seen hovering in the sky, People's Daily reports.
State-run Xinhua News Agency quoted a head of air traffic control as saying, "No conclusion has yet been drawn" about the UFO by the airport.
China Daily reported that a source with knowledge of the matter said there was a military link but made no further comment.
UFO sightings in China are not as common as some places, and there have been only a handful of well-publicized incidents in the last several decades.

WATCH video of last week's China UFO sighting below:

Read full history - China UFO Sightings, Back-To-Back, Alarm Residents

China UFO Sightings, Back-To-Back, Alarm Residents

A second China UFO sighting has residents on edge, just seven days after an unidentified flying object shut down a Chinese airport.
The new UFO sighting took place in Chongqing in eastern China on July 15. Witnesses told Shanghai Daily they saw the same thing: "four lantern-like objects forming a diamond shape that hovered over the city's Shaping Park for over an hour."
Like the one before it, there has been no official explanation to date for this latest incident.
Last week, flights were diverted in Hangzhou -- also in eastern China -- after a mysterious object was seen hovering in the sky, People's Daily reports.
State-run Xinhua News Agency quoted a head of air traffic control as saying, "No conclusion has yet been drawn" about the UFO by the airport.
China Daily reported that a source with knowledge of the matter said there was a military link but made no further comment.
UFO sightings in China are not as common as some places, and there have been only a handful of well-publicized incidents in the last several decades.

WATCH video of last week's China UFO sighting below:

Read full history - China UFO Sightings, Back-To-Back, Alarm Residents

India's 'Lost' Jews Seek A Place In Israel

By Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Arriving from India, a woman and her baby walk past Israeli flags as they arrive at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in November 2006. They were joining members of the Bnei Menashe community, from India's northeastern state of Mizoram, who have migrated to Israel.

Every year, Jews from around the world migrate to Israel, a process known as aliyah, a Hebrew word meaning "ascent." But for the Bnei Menashe community of India, who believe they are descendents of one of the 10 lost tribes of ancient Israel, the road has been long and fraught with difficulty.

While almost 2,000 members of the group have been allowed to come to the Jewish state from their home near India's border with Myanmar (formerly Burma), many more are waiting, their migration frozen by disagreement over whether or not they are really Jews.

Now an Israeli, Tzvi Khaute wears a kippa, or Jewish skull cap, but still greets his family in his native Kuki, a dialect spoken in the remote northeastern corner of India, where he is from.

Khaute's family home in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba is decorated with both reminders of India and the symbols of his present life — Jewish religious books and framed sayings in Hebrew.

He remembers the feeling of awe when he arrived in 2000 at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv.

"It is a dream come true," he says. "Not only my dream, it is the dream of our forefathers. There was the longing and the yearning always to make aliyah, to reach the Holy Land."

I think we have a historical responsibility, a moral responsibility, to reach out to them and to facilitate their return.

- Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel

The Bnei Menashe — also known as the Kuki or Shinlung people — are of Tibeto-Burmese origin and have come to believe they are the descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel, sent into exile by the Assyrians in the 8th century B.C.

The story goes that when Christian missionaries encountered the tribe in the late 19th century, they found similarities between some of their own biblical stories and the Bnei Menashe's mythology.

Most of the Bnei Menashe converted to Christianity. But in 1951, one of their leaders had a dream that his people's ancient homeland was Israel. And some of the Bnei Menashe began embracing the idea that they were Jews.

Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based organization that works with "lost" Jews around the world, has been instrumental in bringing the Bnei Menashe to Israel.

"Initially I didn't believe the whole lost tribe bit," says Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel. "But I was very taken by them on a personal level, on a human level, by their sincerity, by their desire to become part of the Jewish people. So I thought we should help them. So I became involved, through the bureaucracy then, in arranging for groups to start coming in an organized fashion."

He says he is now convinced that the Bnei Menashe are Jews who were sent into exile 2,700 years ago.

There might be billions of lost tribes out there by now.

- Shalva Weil, an anthropologist, explaining the large numbers of people worldwide who could claim lineage to the 10 lost tribes of ancient Israel

"I think we have a historical responsibility, a moral responsibility, to reach out to them and to facilitate their return," he says.

But some say the Bnei Menashe's historical narrative is far from clear cut.

Shalva Weil, an anthropologist at Hebrew University and one of the world's leading experts on the Bnei Menashe, says its members are not a cohesive group.

"It's a very new kind of religion that is developing in northeast India which combines elements of Israelite identity," Weil says.

"But some people who are in correspondence with me say they are Christians, but they believe they should go and live in the state of Israel. Some people say they are Jewish. Some people believe they are both Christian and Jewish at the same time. Many don't believe they are the tribe of Menashe at all," Weil says.

All the Bnei Menashe who come to Israel undergo an orthodox conversion.

Freund says he is trying to bring around 7,000 of them to Israel.

Still, Weil says there could be millions of people who could claim they are Bnei Menashe and who ultimately would want to come to Israel. Allowing the group to come in based on their link to a lost tribe could also pose a larger challenge for the Israeli government's immigration policy.

"There might be billions of lost tribes out there by now. Because 28,000 were dispersed by Sennacherib and Shalmaneser, kings of Assyria. Through natural increase, this could be half the world today," Weil says.

The project has also run into criticism, because during the initial wave of their immigration many Bnei Menashe were sent to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The previous Israeli government under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stopped the Bnei Menashe migration. Advocates say they are hopeful the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu will allow in a new wave.

Read full history - India's 'Lost' Jews Seek A Place In Israel

India's 'Lost' Jews Seek A Place In Israel

By Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Arriving from India, a woman and her baby walk past Israeli flags as they arrive at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in November 2006. They were joining members of the Bnei Menashe community, from India's northeastern state of Mizoram, who have migrated to Israel.

Every year, Jews from around the world migrate to Israel, a process known as aliyah, a Hebrew word meaning "ascent." But for the Bnei Menashe community of India, who believe they are descendents of one of the 10 lost tribes of ancient Israel, the road has been long and fraught with difficulty.

While almost 2,000 members of the group have been allowed to come to the Jewish state from their home near India's border with Myanmar (formerly Burma), many more are waiting, their migration frozen by disagreement over whether or not they are really Jews.

Now an Israeli, Tzvi Khaute wears a kippa, or Jewish skull cap, but still greets his family in his native Kuki, a dialect spoken in the remote northeastern corner of India, where he is from.

Khaute's family home in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba is decorated with both reminders of India and the symbols of his present life — Jewish religious books and framed sayings in Hebrew.

He remembers the feeling of awe when he arrived in 2000 at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv.

"It is a dream come true," he says. "Not only my dream, it is the dream of our forefathers. There was the longing and the yearning always to make aliyah, to reach the Holy Land."

I think we have a historical responsibility, a moral responsibility, to reach out to them and to facilitate their return.

- Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel

The Bnei Menashe — also known as the Kuki or Shinlung people — are of Tibeto-Burmese origin and have come to believe they are the descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel, sent into exile by the Assyrians in the 8th century B.C.

The story goes that when Christian missionaries encountered the tribe in the late 19th century, they found similarities between some of their own biblical stories and the Bnei Menashe's mythology.

Most of the Bnei Menashe converted to Christianity. But in 1951, one of their leaders had a dream that his people's ancient homeland was Israel. And some of the Bnei Menashe began embracing the idea that they were Jews.

Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based organization that works with "lost" Jews around the world, has been instrumental in bringing the Bnei Menashe to Israel.

"Initially I didn't believe the whole lost tribe bit," says Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel. "But I was very taken by them on a personal level, on a human level, by their sincerity, by their desire to become part of the Jewish people. So I thought we should help them. So I became involved, through the bureaucracy then, in arranging for groups to start coming in an organized fashion."

He says he is now convinced that the Bnei Menashe are Jews who were sent into exile 2,700 years ago.

There might be billions of lost tribes out there by now.

- Shalva Weil, an anthropologist, explaining the large numbers of people worldwide who could claim lineage to the 10 lost tribes of ancient Israel

"I think we have a historical responsibility, a moral responsibility, to reach out to them and to facilitate their return," he says.

But some say the Bnei Menashe's historical narrative is far from clear cut.

Shalva Weil, an anthropologist at Hebrew University and one of the world's leading experts on the Bnei Menashe, says its members are not a cohesive group.

"It's a very new kind of religion that is developing in northeast India which combines elements of Israelite identity," Weil says.

"But some people who are in correspondence with me say they are Christians, but they believe they should go and live in the state of Israel. Some people say they are Jewish. Some people believe they are both Christian and Jewish at the same time. Many don't believe they are the tribe of Menashe at all," Weil says.

All the Bnei Menashe who come to Israel undergo an orthodox conversion.

Freund says he is trying to bring around 7,000 of them to Israel.

Still, Weil says there could be millions of people who could claim they are Bnei Menashe and who ultimately would want to come to Israel. Allowing the group to come in based on their link to a lost tribe could also pose a larger challenge for the Israeli government's immigration policy.

"There might be billions of lost tribes out there by now. Because 28,000 were dispersed by Sennacherib and Shalmaneser, kings of Assyria. Through natural increase, this could be half the world today," Weil says.

The project has also run into criticism, because during the initial wave of their immigration many Bnei Menashe were sent to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The previous Israeli government under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stopped the Bnei Menashe migration. Advocates say they are hopeful the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu will allow in a new wave.

Read full history - India's 'Lost' Jews Seek A Place In Israel

The End of Yunnan’s ‘Sudden Death’ Summers

Beijing, Jul 16 : For 30 years until last summer, children and adults were dropping dead from cardiac arrest, often mid-conversation, in the remote mountain villages of China’s Yunnan province that fringes northeast India. This summer, after a five-year investigation spread from the Yunnan highlands to Beijing laboratories, one of China’s greatest medical mysteries stands nearly solved.

“The villagers were dying suddenly...many had no symptoms before they suddenly fainted and died. It became a very serious political concern,’’ recalled Robert Fontaine, an epidemiologist with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked with the Chinese to investigate the deaths in land so remote that the villagers don’t speak standard Chinese.

“In some villages, we could almost predict the week when the deaths would start,’’ said Fontaine at a media talk this week in Beijing to share the findings of his investigation. The sudden deaths sprung during the monsoon and peaked every July and August. The highest deaths were reported among 8-40 year-olds and women.

Sketching the last hours of the dead was not easy because many deaths were not witnessed, but a pattern slowly emerged. Most of the suddenly dead villagers had drunk surface water, eaten mushrooms, climbed a hill or suffered emotional stress. Most suffered chest pain and palpitations while dying. Autopsies found several had a heart lesion.

The investigators were reluctant to blame mushrooms. Yunnan is famed for supplying the world with mushrooms and locals are armed with the traditional knowledge of picking non-toxic varieties.

But laboratory tests on mushrooms and mice helped nab the elusive serial killer behind over 400 deaths since 1978 in Yunnan villages thousands of kilometres apart. The killer was a nearly unknown little white mushroom called trogia that lives on rotting wood and has no market value.

For decades during every rainy summer, the rural Yunnanese had picked and sold mushrooms and saved the worthless trogia for their own meals. Mushrooms concentrate heavy metals from the soil. Trogia was found to soak up high levels of barium, which can affect the heart muscles, nerves and emotions especially in people with an underlying heart condition. But the sudden deaths also struck people with healthy hearts.

Fontaine says that finals experiments are still continuing to isolate its toxins. But the problem has ‘virtually disappeared’ this summer, after Yunnan villagers were warned the killer was from their own forest kitchens.

Read full history - The End of Yunnan’s ‘Sudden Death’ Summers

The End of Yunnan’s ‘Sudden Death’ Summers

Beijing, Jul 16 : For 30 years until last summer, children and adults were dropping dead from cardiac arrest, often mid-conversation, in the remote mountain villages of China’s Yunnan province that fringes northeast India. This summer, after a five-year investigation spread from the Yunnan highlands to Beijing laboratories, one of China’s greatest medical mysteries stands nearly solved.

“The villagers were dying suddenly...many had no symptoms before they suddenly fainted and died. It became a very serious political concern,’’ recalled Robert Fontaine, an epidemiologist with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked with the Chinese to investigate the deaths in land so remote that the villagers don’t speak standard Chinese.

“In some villages, we could almost predict the week when the deaths would start,’’ said Fontaine at a media talk this week in Beijing to share the findings of his investigation. The sudden deaths sprung during the monsoon and peaked every July and August. The highest deaths were reported among 8-40 year-olds and women.

Sketching the last hours of the dead was not easy because many deaths were not witnessed, but a pattern slowly emerged. Most of the suddenly dead villagers had drunk surface water, eaten mushrooms, climbed a hill or suffered emotional stress. Most suffered chest pain and palpitations while dying. Autopsies found several had a heart lesion.

The investigators were reluctant to blame mushrooms. Yunnan is famed for supplying the world with mushrooms and locals are armed with the traditional knowledge of picking non-toxic varieties.

But laboratory tests on mushrooms and mice helped nab the elusive serial killer behind over 400 deaths since 1978 in Yunnan villages thousands of kilometres apart. The killer was a nearly unknown little white mushroom called trogia that lives on rotting wood and has no market value.

For decades during every rainy summer, the rural Yunnanese had picked and sold mushrooms and saved the worthless trogia for their own meals. Mushrooms concentrate heavy metals from the soil. Trogia was found to soak up high levels of barium, which can affect the heart muscles, nerves and emotions especially in people with an underlying heart condition. But the sudden deaths also struck people with healthy hearts.

Fontaine says that finals experiments are still continuing to isolate its toxins. But the problem has ‘virtually disappeared’ this summer, after Yunnan villagers were warned the killer was from their own forest kitchens.

Read full history - The End of Yunnan’s ‘Sudden Death’ Summers

Britons Love it Hot And Spicy

London, Jul 15 : The zooming sales of chillies in Britain show that Britons increasingly prefer hot and spicy food.

Chilli farmers have increased their output following demand from foodies.

Salvatore Genovese, a farmer, sends out a million Naga chillies from his farm in Blunham, Beds, every week.

Salvatore said the Naga chilli variety is 20 times hotter than a vindaloo curry and it is becoming a mainstream ingredient.

“It's amazing how quickly the UK has developed a chilli culture. It's a far cry from meat and two veg or when fish and chips was our favourite dish,” Daily Express Thursday quoted him as saying.

Read full history - Britons Love it Hot And Spicy

Britons Love it Hot And Spicy

London, Jul 15 : The zooming sales of chillies in Britain show that Britons increasingly prefer hot and spicy food.

Chilli farmers have increased their output following demand from foodies.

Salvatore Genovese, a farmer, sends out a million Naga chillies from his farm in Blunham, Beds, every week.

Salvatore said the Naga chilli variety is 20 times hotter than a vindaloo curry and it is becoming a mainstream ingredient.

“It's amazing how quickly the UK has developed a chilli culture. It's a far cry from meat and two veg or when fish and chips was our favourite dish,” Daily Express Thursday quoted him as saying.

Read full history - Britons Love it Hot And Spicy

Asian Flood Alert Systems Make 'significant Progress'

By Navin Singh Khadka

Floods in the region affect millions of people each year

A number of South Asian countries and China have made significant progress to improve the region's flood warning system, officials have said.Countries plan to exchange rainfall and river flow data in order to provide advance warning of potential floods.

The idea is a decade old, but has not yet been implemented. Officials now say that a recent meeting in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, made headway as all participating countries were positive about sharing the information.

The gathering involved representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Pakistan, while delegates from India attended the meeting as observers.

The region is home to some of the world's most flood-prone river basins, such as the Ganges, Bramhaputra, Meghna and Indus.

Monsoon floods in these rivers wreak havoc in most South Asian countries during this time of the year. Millions of people are affected, with heavy losses of lives and properties every year.

'Minimising losses'
Experts say that if countries located upstream of these vast river systems monitored rainfall and river levels and passed on the information to downstream countries, timely flood warnings could be issued to minimise such losses.

 
Living with floods has become a way of life for many in the region

Monsoon chaos sweeps South Asia

"We believe after this recent meeting, there will be proper co-operation in the region and we as the most flood-affected country will benefit," said Salim Bhuiyan from Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

"If works happen as has been discussed, we will get information well in advance and that will give us adequate time to alert our people about possible floods," he said after the meeting.

Nearly 40 hydrological stations are being installed within the five participating countries, allowing them to share flood related information via a website.

Two of the stations will be in Chinese-controlled Tibet, to monitor the Yarlung Tsangpo that enters the Indian territory as the Bramhaputra, a major river that often floods north-east India and Bangladesh.

"The two stations will be in Nuxia and Nxughesea of China," explained Mandira Shrestha, a hydrologist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which has been co-ordinating the nations' regional flood forecasting.

"Their role will be crucial to collect information for possible flooding in the river that affects millions of people downstream every year," she added.

But officials from participating countries - particularly Bangladesh, which shares most of its rivers with upstream India - say India's role will be equally important for the regional flood forecasting initiative.

ICIMOD officials say they have been trying to get India fully on board but it has been an uphill task.

"We have approached the Central Water Commission of India (one of the most powerful bodies on water issues) but have not heard from them yet," said Ms Shrestha.

Building bridges
Indian officials say their national policy does not allow them to share their river discharge data in multilateral forums.

  Life above the floods

"As per the Government of India policy, river discharge data is restricted and we will not go in a common data pool," says N Y Apte, a scientist with the Indian Meteorological Department, who took part in the Kathmandu meeting as an observer representing his government.

"We are developing our own data observation system and we do not want any instrumentation from the ICIMOD or any other agency, we are procuring our own instruments as per our own requirements."

Mr Apte, however, added that river discharge data could only be exchanged with neighbouring countries on the basis of bilateral agreements.

"Based on such agreements we have been, for example, giving Bangladesh flood warnings."
But Bangladeshi officials say such bilateral agreements have not been of much help.

"Through our joint river commission (of India and Bangladesh), we have been receiving some flood related information from Indian authorities," says Mr Bhuiyan.

"But they are from only those places that are very near to our border areas."

He said that this provided too little time to act: "That means we can issue flood warnings only 24 hours in advance which is not sufficient to alert our people and help them evacuate."

Officials from the participating countries, however, welcomed India's willingness to share meteorological information through its website.

Secured funding is another reason that has made them hopeful, as the first phase of the regional project had suffered from budgetary constraints.

"Finland has agreed to provide the necessary funds for five years, which means we now can start procuring equipment - mainly for the hydrological stations," says Ms Shrestha.

Experts believe the importance of such stations will grow, as rainfall patterns in the region are becoming erratic. Some places get unusually heavy rains over a short space of time, while others reel under drought.

A number of international research studies have suggested that climate change may be making Monsoon increasingly unpredictable. However, some local studies have disputed these findings.

Read full history - Asian Flood Alert Systems Make 'significant Progress'

Asian Flood Alert Systems Make 'significant Progress'

By Navin Singh Khadka

Floods in the region affect millions of people each year

A number of South Asian countries and China have made significant progress to improve the region's flood warning system, officials have said.Countries plan to exchange rainfall and river flow data in order to provide advance warning of potential floods.

The idea is a decade old, but has not yet been implemented. Officials now say that a recent meeting in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, made headway as all participating countries were positive about sharing the information.

The gathering involved representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Pakistan, while delegates from India attended the meeting as observers.

The region is home to some of the world's most flood-prone river basins, such as the Ganges, Bramhaputra, Meghna and Indus.

Monsoon floods in these rivers wreak havoc in most South Asian countries during this time of the year. Millions of people are affected, with heavy losses of lives and properties every year.

'Minimising losses'
Experts say that if countries located upstream of these vast river systems monitored rainfall and river levels and passed on the information to downstream countries, timely flood warnings could be issued to minimise such losses.

 
Living with floods has become a way of life for many in the region

Monsoon chaos sweeps South Asia

"We believe after this recent meeting, there will be proper co-operation in the region and we as the most flood-affected country will benefit," said Salim Bhuiyan from Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

"If works happen as has been discussed, we will get information well in advance and that will give us adequate time to alert our people about possible floods," he said after the meeting.

Nearly 40 hydrological stations are being installed within the five participating countries, allowing them to share flood related information via a website.

Two of the stations will be in Chinese-controlled Tibet, to monitor the Yarlung Tsangpo that enters the Indian territory as the Bramhaputra, a major river that often floods north-east India and Bangladesh.

"The two stations will be in Nuxia and Nxughesea of China," explained Mandira Shrestha, a hydrologist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which has been co-ordinating the nations' regional flood forecasting.

"Their role will be crucial to collect information for possible flooding in the river that affects millions of people downstream every year," she added.

But officials from participating countries - particularly Bangladesh, which shares most of its rivers with upstream India - say India's role will be equally important for the regional flood forecasting initiative.

ICIMOD officials say they have been trying to get India fully on board but it has been an uphill task.

"We have approached the Central Water Commission of India (one of the most powerful bodies on water issues) but have not heard from them yet," said Ms Shrestha.

Building bridges
Indian officials say their national policy does not allow them to share their river discharge data in multilateral forums.

  Life above the floods

"As per the Government of India policy, river discharge data is restricted and we will not go in a common data pool," says N Y Apte, a scientist with the Indian Meteorological Department, who took part in the Kathmandu meeting as an observer representing his government.

"We are developing our own data observation system and we do not want any instrumentation from the ICIMOD or any other agency, we are procuring our own instruments as per our own requirements."

Mr Apte, however, added that river discharge data could only be exchanged with neighbouring countries on the basis of bilateral agreements.

"Based on such agreements we have been, for example, giving Bangladesh flood warnings."
But Bangladeshi officials say such bilateral agreements have not been of much help.

"Through our joint river commission (of India and Bangladesh), we have been receiving some flood related information from Indian authorities," says Mr Bhuiyan.

"But they are from only those places that are very near to our border areas."

He said that this provided too little time to act: "That means we can issue flood warnings only 24 hours in advance which is not sufficient to alert our people and help them evacuate."

Officials from the participating countries, however, welcomed India's willingness to share meteorological information through its website.

Secured funding is another reason that has made them hopeful, as the first phase of the regional project had suffered from budgetary constraints.

"Finland has agreed to provide the necessary funds for five years, which means we now can start procuring equipment - mainly for the hydrological stations," says Ms Shrestha.

Experts believe the importance of such stations will grow, as rainfall patterns in the region are becoming erratic. Some places get unusually heavy rains over a short space of time, while others reel under drought.

A number of international research studies have suggested that climate change may be making Monsoon increasingly unpredictable. However, some local studies have disputed these findings.

Read full history - Asian Flood Alert Systems Make 'significant Progress'