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SOUTH ASIA DAILY NEWS CLIPS
 
June 15, 2004 
 
Breaking News 
 
India-Pakistan matches to be telecast in US (IANS/Yahoo): EchoStar Communications Corporation, a leading provider of advanced digital television
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Top Stories
 
Officials Worry After Second Temple Shooting (Daily Republic)
Pinpointing South Asian Needs (NY Daily News) 
New York City Muslim Families Face Increased Risk of Homelessness (New California Media) 
Embassy Row - New from India (Washington Times)
Number of US Hispanics, Asians rise after the census (Boston Globe/AP)
A 'Moderation' of Freedom (Washington Post - registration required)
India's House Speaker Leans Left (Chicago Tribune - registration required) 
Pakistan's Vow to Rein in Schools Goes Unfulfilled (Philadelphia Inq. - registration required) 
Pakistan Ends Five Day Battle on Afghan Border (Boston Globe/AP)
Pakistan Tells of Successes in Terror War (Newark Star Ledger/AP) 
In one girl's story, picture emerges on human trafficking (Boston Globe/AP)
Lesbian Film Sparks India Protest (CNN/Reuters) (San Diego Tribune/Reuters)
 
 
Business
 
Michigan Business School Opens India Center (Michigan Technology News)
High level of lead in children's trinkets (Chicago Sun Times)
 
 
Commentaries/Editorials/Letters to the Editors
 
Commentary:Spencer - Kerry pretends to know the answer on nukes (Philadelphia Inq.) 
Defense
 
India Test Fires Cruise Missle (Defense News/Agence France Presse - Subscription required) 
India Stages 155mm Gun Tests, Again (Defense News - Subscription required)
Terror Expert: Al-Qaeda Alive and Plotting (Defense News - Subscription required)
 
Political
 
N/A
 
 
Other
 
A Canadian Gate Where Illegal Immigrants Knock (NY Times - registration required) 
Good Luck Getting it To Roll Uphill - Stone's Throw form the Ideal  (Chicago Sun Times) 
Rebels Kill Kashmiri Lawmaker's Brother (Seattle P.I/AP) 
Christians Fear Some Backlash after Indian Elections (Christianity Today) 
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Top Stories
 
Officials Worry After Second Temple Shooting (Daily Republic)
 An atmosphere of fear invaded the normally peaceful confines of a local Sikh temple after bullets - for the second time in 14 days - slammed into a large, lit driveway sign, temple officials said Monday. Sometime early Sunday morning, the sign at the entrance to the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple at 2948 Rockville Road was shot at several times, with bullets punching holes through the plastic and steel structure and the light fixtures above it, temple founder Paul Randhawa said.  http://www.dailyrepublic.com/articles/2004/06/15/news/news2.txt
 
Pinpointing South Asian Needs (NY Daily News) 
South Asians in New York City are experiencing severe economic difficulties, higher rates of unemployment and increased levels of discrimination and harassment, a new report by an advocacy group contends. The 41-page report, "Unlocking the Golden Door," was launched by the South Asian Council for Social Services in August 2001 to assess the needs of that community. Included among 626 people surveyed are Indo-Caribs whose ancestors migrated to the Caribbean. The majority of those surveyed live in Queens. "Historically, South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans have come to Queens because of the affordability of housing, which, in turn, led to the development of an ethnic infrastructure of places of worship, businesses catering to ethnic preferences and social networks," the report said. http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/202562p-174800c.html
 
New York City Muslim Families Face Increased Risk of Homelessness (New California Media) 
Muslim families in New York City face unique problems in addition to those driving up homelessness citywide and beyond.  About 350,000 to 500,000 Muslims live in New York City. They are extremely diverse, representing more than 50 distinct national, racial, cultural, ethnic backgrounds, and sects. Nonetheless, they can be divided into three major communities: the South Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Afghani), the Arab, and the African-American. As part of the national trend, South Asian and Arab Muslims in New York City have suffered the most devastating 9/11 backlash.  Before Sept.11, 2001, some 120,000 Pakistanis were concentrated in two sections of Brooklyn. Their departure began after 9/11. Between 40 and 50 percent of all Pakistanis living here have been detained or deported or have left on their own. In silence and anonymity, the community has suffered humiliating treatment and havoc at the hands of U.S. law enforcement authorities. Their mass exodus has impacted thousands of the families economically and socially. http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=8d97fc54b4d71e3d9a15b011379ed304
 
Embassy Row - New from India (Washington Times)
India's new government plans to name its former ambassador to Britain to serve in Washington, according to Indian news reports.  Ronen Sen will replace Lalit Mansingh, who served as ambassador in Washington for two years until his retirement this spring. http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/embassy.htm
 
Number of US Hispanics, Asians rise after the census (Boston Globe/AP)
Explosive growth among Hispanics and Asians fueled a surge in the US population between 2000 and 2003 as the national count pushed closer to 300 million.  The number of Hispanics, the nation's largest minority group, rose 13 percent between April 2000 and July 2003 to 39.9 million, according to Census Bureau figures released yesterday. That far outpaced the 3 percent increase in the American populace during the same time, to 290.8 million. Asians were the next fastest growing among the large minority groups, up 12.6 percent to 11.9 million, while the black population rose nearly 4 percent to 37 million. About 4.3 million people listed themselves as of more than one race, up 10.5 percent from 2000. The population of Hispanics and, to a lesser extent, Asians, rose in nearly every state over the 1990s, due in large part to immigration.  http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/06/15/numbers_of_us_hispanics_asians_rise_sharply_since_census/
 
A 'Moderation' of Freedom (Washington Post - registration required)
Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, recently made a broad and seemingly heartfelt call for Muslims to raise themselves up through what he terms "enlightened moderation" [op-ed, June 1]. Decrying the influence of militants, extremists and terrorists, Musharraf insisted that political injustice lay at the heart of the vast suffering of Muslims around the globe. His path forward is for Muslims to disavow extremism in favor of socioeconomic progress and for the United States to take on a much bolder role in resolving political disputes in the Muslim world, particularly in places such as Palestine and Kashmir. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42030-2004Jun14.html
 
India's House Speaker Leans Left (Chicago Tribune - registration required) 
The new speaker of the House sounds like a free-market capitalist, proud of what his political party has accomplished in West Bengal state: The French have invested, and the Germans soon will follow. But Somnath Chatterjee is a leading member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. His party led the resurgence of leftist parties in the most recent Indian election, one of the larger surprises in a vote packed with them. Despite India's recent economic gains, leftist parties last month won more seats in Parliament than ever before. They also won some power: The new ruling government now depends on the support of the Communists, and Chatterjee, a respected, longtime parliamentarian, was named speaker of the Lok Sabha, or House of the People. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0406150225jun15,1,7360686.story
 
Pakistan's Vow to Rein in Schools Goes Unfulfilled (Philadelphia Inq. - registration required) 
A few months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Pervez Musharraf announced he would overhaul the Islamic religious schools that function as incubators for religious fanatics. "The day of reckoning has come," he said. But more than two years later, the religious seminaries known as madrassas continue to operate with little oversight, many still preaching hatred of the West. Critics say the slow reform is a prime example of Pakistan's halfhearted effort to eradicate extremism. "Madrassa reform means nothing," said I.A. Rehman, director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. "That is the greatest proof of the government's lack of sincerity: You arrest 20 terrorists and train 2,000 more." http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/
 
Pakistan Ends Five Day Battle on Afghan Border (Boston Globe/AP)
 Pakistan claimed successes yesterday on two fronts in its war on terrorism, ending an assault against Al Qaeda hideouts near the Afghan border and announcing the arrest of the alleged mastermind of attacks on Shi'ites.  The arrested man, Daud Badini, leads an Al Qaeda-linked militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and police say he is a brother-in-law of Ramzi Yousef, who is serving a life term in the United States for the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. Badini was among 11 terrorist suspects -- also including a nephew of former Al Qaeda number three leader, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed -- captured over the weekend in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city. http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/06/15/pakistan_ends_5_day_battle_near_afghan_border/
 
Pakistan Tells of Successes in Terror War (Newark Star Ledger/AP) 
Pakistan claimed successes yesterday on two fronts in its war on terrorism, ending an assault against al Qaeda hideouts near the Afghan border and announcing the arrest of the alleged mastermind of attacks on Shi'as.  The arrested man, Daud Badini, leads an Qaeda-linked militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and police say he is a brother-in-law of Ramzi Yousef, who is serving a life term in the United States for the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.  http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1087283514305050.xml
 
In one girl's story, picture emerges on human trafficking (Boston Globe/AP)
She was taken to an embroidery factory in Thailand. She and dozens of other children were made to work 14 hours a day for food and clothing. They received no wages. "It's called slavery," Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday in recounting Khan's fate as he released the State Department's annual report on human trafficking. He said the practice affects 600,000 to 800,000 persons each year. "We're talking about women and girls as young as 6 years old trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation, men trafficked into forced labor, children trafficked as child soldiers," Powell said. In trying to encourage governments to confront trafficking problems, the State Department holds out the possibility of sanctions against those which fall short. On this year's list of offenders are Bangladesh, Burma, Cuba, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Venezuela.
 
Lesbian Film Sparks India Protest (CNN/Reuters) (San Diego Tribune/Reuters)
Police officers will be posted outside dozens of cinemas, including many swanky multiplexes, that are showing the Hindi film "Girlfriend" in Mumbai, New Delhi, the northern towns of Lucknow and Varanasi and the central town of Bhopal. "We are mounting a close watch on theatres showing 'Girlfriend' in view of the incidents in other parts of the country," said Delhi police spokesman Ravi Pawar. On Monday, nearly 100 student activists of the Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena smashed window panes, tore up posters and burnt effigies at a theater showing "Girlfriend" in Mumbai, the capital of India's hugely popular Bollywood industry.
 
Business
 
Michigan Business School Opens India Center (Michigan Technology News)
 Seems everyone is opening development centers in India these days, including the University of Michigan Business School. Starting this week, scholars will study managerial issues and emerging practices in how to use global resources and open new global markets. The research will focus on how global companies can tap the Indian intellectual capital pool. Topics include services outsourcing, manufacturing outsourcing, the Indian economy, India-U.S. business interaction, and market opportunities at the bottom of the economic pyramid – in third and fourth world countries.
 
High level of lead in children's trinkets (Chicago Sun Times)
... "It's very much of a concern," Dr. Helen Binns, director of the lead evaluation clinic at Children's Memorial Hospital, said of the findings. "There is no need to have these necklaces be on the market, where they have the potential to poison children. And their sale is geared to young children." The machines in stores typically are owned by vending-machine companies. Owners of machines sampled by the Sun-Times said they are getting rid of suspect pieces, most of them made in India or China. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-lead15.html
 
 
Commentaries/Editorials/ Letters to the Editors
 
Commentary:Spencer - Kerry pretends to know the answer on nukes (Philadelphia Inq.) 
During the Cold War, the United States regularly modified its nuclear arsenal to reflect its evolving relationship with the Soviet Union. These modifications helped keep the Soviets from using their nukes against us. But today, even acknowledging that nuclear weapons still have a role to play in our country's defense has become politically charged. Kerry's comments - coming before any new weapon has been suggested, let alone designed - hardly advance this debate. Worse, these comments come at a time when the world seems to be growing more dangerous by the day. China has begun a nuclear modernization program. India and Pakistan have tested nuclear weapons. Iran and North Korea have edged closer to becoming nuclear states. And even non-state actors - terrorists, such as Osama bin Laden - can become nuclear players if they find a seller. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/8923884.htm?1c
 
 
Defense
 
India Test Fires Cruise Missle (Defense News/Agence France Presse - Subscription required) 
India on June 13 test-fired the BrahMos cruise missile developed jointly with Russia, which can hit a ship with a conventional warhead, a defense official said.  The missile was launched from a testing site at Chandipur on the Bay of Bengal in the eastern state of Orissa, the official said.  The BrahMos, which has a range of 280 kilometers (173 miles), has been tested repeatedly since its first launch in June 2001. www.defensenews.com
 
India Stages 155mm Gun Tests, Again (Defense News - Subscription required)
The Indian Army will choose among three foreign contenders for a $2 billion purchase of about 400 155mm self-propelled howitzers after field trials in the Rajasthan desert later this month, an Indian Defence Ministry official said.  The candidates are the Swedish SWS Defense AB FH77B05 L52, the Israeli Soltam TIG 2002 and the South African Denel G5/2000 gun. All three failed to meet India’s accuracy specifications in last year’s trials; all three improved their guns to compete again this year, said an Indian Army official from the artillery directorate. www.defensenews.com
 
Terror Expert: Al-Qaeda Alive and Plotting (Defense News - Subscription required)
.....  For more than 20 years, suicide terror has been used by organizations with strategic aims. Whether human, truck or bicycle bomb, the acts are not the random work of individual fanatics, Pape has found.  Destruction against civilians or government or military personnel are designed to coerce modern democracies to make concessions, often territorial.  In Lebanon, Israel, Sri Lanka, Kashmir and Chechnya, suicide terror has been employed by groups with territorial ambitions tied to self-determination.  Suicide terror campaigns in each of these places was waged against a state with a democratic government, with moderate success, Pape found. www.defensenews.com
 
Politics 
 
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Other
 
A Canadian Gate Where Illegal Immigrants Knock (NY Times - registration required) 
..... Explaining how he had wound up on the shores of Grand Island, Mr. Richardson said that the night before, while at a party in Canada, a man he knew only as "Chris" had offered him $300 in United States currency to drive the raft across a narrow channel separating Canada from Grand Island, the records say. Once there, he was to place a rock on a parkway that runs along the river as a signal. After a car arrived to pick up his passengers, he was to guide the raft back to Canada, where he was to be paid. All nine people from the raft were detained in federal custody. It was later determined that one of the children was an American citizen. Smuggling humans is a lucrative business, with passage from India or Pakistan into the United States costing as much as $40,000 for each adult, Mr. Woodside said. "There are very few people who cross on their own," he said. "There's always someone helping them get in the raft or on the train and somebody here waiting for them on the other side." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/nyregion/15border.html
 
Good Luck Getting it To Roll Uphill - Stone's Throw form the Ideal  (Chicago Sun Times) 
News Item: "Mobs of hardline Hindus hurled stones and damaged cinema halls in India Monday to stop the screening of a Bollywood film about a relationship between two women, saying it violated Indian culture."It takes a village
 
Rebels Kill Kashmiri Lawmaker's Brother (Seattle P.I/AP) 
Suspected rebels attacked the home of a Kashmiri lawmaker Tuesday, killing his brother and wounding another relative in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. Unidentified assailants shot and killed Mohammad Rajab, brother of Congress party lawmaker Abdul Rashid Dar, in the village of Dangerpora, a police officer said on customary condition of anonymity. The rebels also shot and wounded his cousin. The lawmaker was not at home at the time of the attack, the officer said. Dangerpora is 35 miles north of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state.  Dozens of separatist militant groups are fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan. More than 65,000 people have been killed in the conflict since 1989. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Kashmir%20Attack&searchdiff=0&searchpagefrom=1
 
Christians Fear Some Backlash after Indian Elections (Christianity Today) 
India's general election was expected to tighten the grip of Hindu nationalists on the world's largest democracy and lead to escalating persecution of religious minorities. Instead, the results, announced in May, are being hailed with headlines reading "shock and awesome." Despite pre-election polls predicting a comfortable victory for the incumbents, the secularist Congress Party, long out of favor, clobbered the rightist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee. But Joseph D'Souza, , president of the All India Christian Council (AICC), says religious minorities aren't completely safe yet. He expects a backlash of anti-Christian persecution from Hindu militants in the BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, and Gujarat.  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/007/6.15.html
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