MONTH THAT WAS
Britain won’t be Christian nation by 2030: Report
Jesus resting place found in Jerusalem!
18 lakh dead listed as ‘active’ voters in US
London: Britain may no longer be a Christian country by 2030 as the number of non-believers is set to overtake the number of Christians, IANS cited a ‘Daily Mail’ report as saying.
Christianity is losing more than half a million believers every year, while the count of atheists and agnostics is going up by almost 750,000 annually.
Research by the House of Commons Library found that while Christianity has declined, other religions have seen sharp increases. In the last six years, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 percent to 2.6 million; Hindus by 43 percent and Buddhists by 74 percent. But the number of Sikhs and Jewish believers fell slightly.
A group of MPs and peers - Christians in Parliament - claimed public policy was promoting "unacceptable" discrimination against Christians. The group’s chairman, former Tory justice minister Gary Streeter, warned that believers were having their faith "steamrollered" by a "secular and hostile state". It found that in 2010 there were around 41.1 million Christians in Britain - down 7.6 percent over the past six years.
Christianity is losing more than half a million believers every year, while the count of atheists and agnostics is going up by almost 750,000 annually.
Research by the House of Commons Library found that while Christianity has declined, other religions have seen sharp increases. In the last six years, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 percent to 2.6 million; Hindus by 43 percent and Buddhists by 74 percent. But the number of Sikhs and Jewish believers fell slightly.
A group of MPs and peers - Christians in Parliament - claimed public policy was promoting "unacceptable" discrimination against Christians. The group’s chairman, former Tory justice minister Gary Streeter, warned that believers were having their faith "steamrollered" by a "secular and hostile state". It found that in 2010 there were around 41.1 million Christians in Britain - down 7.6 percent over the past six years.
Jesus resting place found in Jerusalem!
Washington: Archaeologists have stumbled upon a coffin bearing engravings inside a first-century Christian tomb in Jerusalem which they believe could prove that the site is the final resting place of Jesus, PTI reports. The burial chamber located below a modern condominium building has been dated to before AD 70, so if its engravings are indeed early Christian, they were most likely made by some of Jesus’ earliest followers, the excavators said.
Using a remote controlled camera connected to a robotic arm, the excavators found that one of the limestone boxes, also known as ossuaries, bears an inscription in Greek that refers to "Divine Jehovah", raising someone up.
A second ossuary has an image that appears to be a large fish with a stick figure in its mouth. The excavators believe the image represents the story of Jonah, the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a fish or whale and then released.
Together both the inscription and the image of the fish represents the Christian belief in resurrection from death, "Live Science’ reported.
While images of the Jonah story became common on more recent Christian tombs, they do not appear in first century art, and iconographic images like this on ossuaries are extremely rare, the researchers said.
The researchers, who published their findings online in ‘The Bible and Interpretation’, however, acknowledged that the discovery and their interpretation may become controversial.
This tomb was originally uncovered in 1981, but the excavators were forced to leave by Orthodox Jewish groups who oppose the excavation of Jewish tombs. The tomb was then resealed and buried beneath the condominium complex in the neighbourhood of East Talpiot.
Almost two decades later, the researchers got a license to go back into the tomb. However, because of the condos on top of it and the threat of protests from Orthodox Jewish groups, they took an unconventional route into the tomb.
They inserted a robotic arm, developed for this project, carrying high definition cameras through holes drilled in the basement floor of the building. The cameras photographed the ossuaries inside from all sides.
Using a remote controlled camera connected to a robotic arm, the excavators found that one of the limestone boxes, also known as ossuaries, bears an inscription in Greek that refers to "Divine Jehovah", raising someone up.
A second ossuary has an image that appears to be a large fish with a stick figure in its mouth. The excavators believe the image represents the story of Jonah, the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a fish or whale and then released.
Together both the inscription and the image of the fish represents the Christian belief in resurrection from death, "Live Science’ reported.
While images of the Jonah story became common on more recent Christian tombs, they do not appear in first century art, and iconographic images like this on ossuaries are extremely rare, the researchers said.
The researchers, who published their findings online in ‘The Bible and Interpretation’, however, acknowledged that the discovery and their interpretation may become controversial.
This tomb was originally uncovered in 1981, but the excavators were forced to leave by Orthodox Jewish groups who oppose the excavation of Jewish tombs. The tomb was then resealed and buried beneath the condominium complex in the neighbourhood of East Talpiot.
Almost two decades later, the researchers got a license to go back into the tomb. However, because of the condos on top of it and the threat of protests from Orthodox Jewish groups, they took an unconventional route into the tomb.
They inserted a robotic arm, developed for this project, carrying high definition cameras through holes drilled in the basement floor of the building. The cameras photographed the ossuaries inside from all sides.
Navi Mumbai cops have no space to lock up criminals!
Thane: Though Navi Mumbai has been growing vertically and crime rate is also up, there is no space for policemen who are finding it hard to stash their weapons or even lock up criminals when they are caught, as they have been operating out of a rented residential apartment. Needless to say, it is completely ill-suited to the department’s needs. Way back in 2009, Ashok Chavan, the former Chief Minister of the state, had laid the foundation stone for the planned building that would house the Kharghar police station. The building was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010 by the City and industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO).
However, CIDCO has failed to even start the construction work of the proposed police station, located near Kharghar square on the Sion-Panvel highway. In the absence of a permanent building to accommodate them, police officials have been facing a host of problems. The residential building lacks a custody area, a records room, an arms and weapons room, not to mention lack of space to operate in.
However, CIDCO has failed to even start the construction work of the proposed police station, located near Kharghar square on the Sion-Panvel highway. In the absence of a permanent building to accommodate them, police officials have been facing a host of problems. The residential building lacks a custody area, a records room, an arms and weapons room, not to mention lack of space to operate in.
76 farmers committed suicides in Vidarbha
Nagpur: Despite Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s relief package, there has been an alarming rise in farmers’ suicides in cotton belt of Vidarbha region in the year 2011, claimed Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS).
31-member Parliamentary Committee, headed by Vasudev Acharya, visited the Vidarbha region, to study the issue and impact of special packages.
The panel visited Wardha, Yavatmal and Nagpur.
VJAS convener Kishor Tiwari said here that in Yavatmal district alone, 76 farmers committed suicides in 2011, against 35 in 2010, despite special package and loan waiver for them.
He has demanded immediate intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office, considering the grave situation, the VJAS has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to provide a long-term solution to the crisis and integrated solution to Vidarbha’a agrarian crisis, 2,332 farmers had committed suicide since 2000 in Yavatmal district alone.
Of them, only 714 were found eligible for the compensation.
Despite special package and loan waiver, nothing has changed on ground and dry land farmer has very little hope of getting a remunerative price in order to make agriculture a sustainable activity, he claimed.
31-member Parliamentary Committee, headed by Vasudev Acharya, visited the Vidarbha region, to study the issue and impact of special packages.
The panel visited Wardha, Yavatmal and Nagpur.
VJAS convener Kishor Tiwari said here that in Yavatmal district alone, 76 farmers committed suicides in 2011, against 35 in 2010, despite special package and loan waiver for them.
He has demanded immediate intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office, considering the grave situation, the VJAS has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to provide a long-term solution to the crisis and integrated solution to Vidarbha’a agrarian crisis, 2,332 farmers had committed suicide since 2000 in Yavatmal district alone.
Of them, only 714 were found eligible for the compensation.
Despite special package and loan waiver, nothing has changed on ground and dry land farmer has very little hope of getting a remunerative price in order to make agriculture a sustainable activity, he claimed.
18 lakh dead listed as ‘active’ voters in US
Washington: At least 18 lakh dead people are listed as active voters on electoral rolls in the US, which is scheduled to hold presidential and congressional elections in November, according to a new study, media reports.
Not only of every eight active voter registrations in the US are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate, and more than 27.5 lakh people have names appearing in more than two states, but also at least 18 lakh dead people are still figure in the electoral list, said the study conducted by the non-partisan Pew Centre. "Voter registration in the US largely reflects its 19th-century origins and has not kept pace with advancing technology and a mobile society. States’ systems must be brought into the 21st century to be more accurate, cost-effective, and efficient," the Washington-based think-tank said in the report entitled ‘Inaccurate, Costly and Inefficient’.
Pew Centre said its research estimate that at least 51 million eligible US citizens are unregistered, or more than 24 per cent of the eligible population.
"Approximately 24 million – one of every eight – active voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as active voters. Approximately 2.75 million people have active registrations in more than one state", it said.
Further, about 12 million records have incorrect addresses, meaning either the voters moved, or errors in the information make it unlikely any mailings can reach them. The study identified approximately 12.7 million records nationwide that appear to be out of date and no longer reflect the voter’s current information.
Not only of every eight active voter registrations in the US are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate, and more than 27.5 lakh people have names appearing in more than two states, but also at least 18 lakh dead people are still figure in the electoral list, said the study conducted by the non-partisan Pew Centre. "Voter registration in the US largely reflects its 19th-century origins and has not kept pace with advancing technology and a mobile society. States’ systems must be brought into the 21st century to be more accurate, cost-effective, and efficient," the Washington-based think-tank said in the report entitled ‘Inaccurate, Costly and Inefficient’.
Pew Centre said its research estimate that at least 51 million eligible US citizens are unregistered, or more than 24 per cent of the eligible population.
"Approximately 24 million – one of every eight – active voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as active voters. Approximately 2.75 million people have active registrations in more than one state", it said.
Further, about 12 million records have incorrect addresses, meaning either the voters moved, or errors in the information make it unlikely any mailings can reach them. The study identified approximately 12.7 million records nationwide that appear to be out of date and no longer reflect the voter’s current information.
Obese police officers face salary cut in Britain
British police officers must prove their fitness in annual tests or have their pay docked after a survey found that 53 per cent were overweight and one in 100 was morbidly obese, a review concluded.
The government commissioned report into police pay and conditions suggested that officers who failed a fitness test three times should be disciplined and could lose 8 percent of their salary, as much as 3,000 pounds (64,700) for some.
It follows a survey of more than 11,500 staff on London’s police force which found that 44 percent were overweight, 19 percent obese and 1 per cent morbidly obese, the report said.
The review, which comes as the government seeks to make cuts of some 20 percent to police budgets as part of austerity measures, recommended other wide-ranging changes which would allow officers to be sacked, cut starting salaries, raise the pension age and require staff to have better qualifications.
The government commissioned report into police pay and conditions suggested that officers who failed a fitness test three times should be disciplined and could lose 8 percent of their salary, as much as 3,000 pounds (64,700) for some.
It follows a survey of more than 11,500 staff on London’s police force which found that 44 percent were overweight, 19 percent obese and 1 per cent morbidly obese, the report said.
The review, which comes as the government seeks to make cuts of some 20 percent to police budgets as part of austerity measures, recommended other wide-ranging changes which would allow officers to be sacked, cut starting salaries, raise the pension age and require staff to have better qualifications.
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