GUINEA MILITARY KILLED AT LEAST 157 IN CRACKDOWN

CONAKRY'S BLOODSHED, DEATH TOLL RISES NEAR 200
JUNTA LEADER EXPRESSES REGRET ABOUT MASSACRE

CONAKRY, Guinea - A local human rights group in Guinea says a bloody military crackdown on anti-government protesters killed at least 157 people, hundreds more raped and butchered, and wounded more than 1,200 others in a brutal crackdown by government soldiers. The Guinean Human Rights Organization says the death toll continues to rise as aid groups discover more people gunned down. Witnesses say security forces fired into the air and then into the crowd of about 50,000 people in a stadium in Conakry. It was described as a bloody massacre where protesters were shot multiple times, stabbed with knives and bayonets and women were beaten and sexually assaulted.

Guinea's military ruler, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, admitted some soldiers lost control at the rally, which was staged to protest his expected bid for president. Captain Camara insisted he did not want the violence to occur. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Guinea and the security forces “to exercise maximum restraint and to uphold the rule of law, including respect for basic human rights.” The African Union and the French government condemned the military's use of force, also the European Union on Tuesday called for those responsible to be held accountable, “Guinea’s leaders should order an immediate end to attacks on demonstrators and bring to justice those responsible for the bloodshed.” they said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Krishna goes into the forest with His chums for pasturing the calves. There He slays the demon Aghasur who is the embodiment of the principle of cruelty. ... There are eighteen obstacles in the way of this exquisite consummation of bhava which belongs to Vraja. Those are apt to pollute pure love and give rise to offence. The SIXTH OBSTACLE has the forms of cruelty and violence. This is the demon Aghasura. It is possible for love to suffer gradual decay by the absence of kindness for all animate beings. This must be so in as much as kindness can never be a different principle from love for Krishna. There is no substantive difference between love for Krishna and kindness to individual souls.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja :

"Sri Krishna The Supreme God-Head - Eighteen Obstacles in the Way"

IN KOREAS, REUNIONS AMONG SEPARATED FAMILIES BEGAN

S KOREAN AND DPRK FAMILIES - SPLIT BY WAR
AND IDEOLOGY - MEET AT REUNION SESSIONS

SEOUL (Xinhua) - A group of 431 South Koreans are expected to meet their long-lost relatives in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday at Mount Kumgang resort during the second segment of ongoing family reunions. The first two-hour reunion session will be held in the afternoon. Then, the South Korean government will host a banquet for the families. The three-day event, arranged by the Red Cross offices of both sides, will also include four more reunion sessions. Most of the hundreds of thousands of South Koreans looking for lost family members in the North are 70 or older, meaning time is running out.

Most of the participants were in their 70s to 90s. The oldest one is Kim Yu-jung, 100 years old, who will meet her 75-year-old daughter in the DPRK, Yonhap news agency reported. The reunion program of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War began in 2000 after a historic inter- Korean summit between the two sides. About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the DPRK. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange e-mails. Thousands of South Koreans who applied to take part in reunions when the chance was first offered about a decade ago have died before their wish could be granted. The last reunions were held in October 2007. The program was suspended as ties between Pyongyang and Seoul soured after South Korea's conservative government under President Lee Myung-bak came to power in February 2008.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The inhabitants of Vrindāvana were well-wishers and intimate friends of the Yadu dynasty. ... Meeting after long separation, they were all jubilant; their hearts throbbed, and their faces appeared like freshly bloomed lotus flowers. Drops of tears fell from their eyes, the hair on their bodies stood on end, and because of their extreme ecstasy, they were temporarily speechless. In other words, they dove into the ocean of happiness. ... In this meeting at Kurukshetra, Kuntīdevī and Vasudeva, who were sister and brother, met after a long separation, along with their respective sons and daughters-in-law, children and other family members. By talking among themselves, they soon forgot all their past miseries.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"Krishna Book - Chapter 82 :
'Lord Krishna and Balarāma Meet the Inhabitants of Vrindāvana' "

JERUSALEM MARRED BY YOM KIPPUR VIOLENCE

ARABS RIOT IN EAST JERUSALEM
ERUPTED AT TEMPLE MOUNT ON YOM KIPPUR

Jerusalem (AP) - While most of the capital enjoyed a calm and quiet Yom Kippur, disturbances continued to flare up across east Jerusalem throughout the holiday, beginning on Sunday morning, when some eighteen policemen and 15 rioters were wounded during riots on the Temple Mount and later in the alleyways of the Old City's Arab Quarter. Police said some 150 Muslim worshipers participated in the disturbance on the Temple Mount, which began when a group of Jewish visitors entered the compound with a police escort. Rioters hurled rocks at the visitors and policemen, lightly wounding two officers, and police responded with stun grenades while the visitors were escorted away. The riots died down, but the Temple Mount was subsequently closed off to visitors.

Yom Kippur prayers at the Western Wall later in the day were not affected by the riots. Residents criticized the conduct of the police officers. "Jerusalem police should deal with the Arab rioters and not violate the freedom of Jewish worshippers who want to pray," he said. A curfew was imposed midnight Saturday in Judea and Samaria, and will be lifted at midnight after the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During that period, Palestinian Authority Arabs will only be allowed to cross the pre-1967 border into areas solely controlled by Israel for unusual medical and humanitarian reasons. Each individual case will require the approval of the Civil Administration.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence of all the Veda and Vedanta. There, Krsna tells Uddhava: 'In the course of time, the Vedic message was lost in the great flood of universal destruction. Then I once again spoke this religious knowledge about myself to Brahma, who told it to his oldest son Manu. Then Bhrgu and the seven great sages received it from him.' (SB 11.14.3-4). This topmost religion related to the Lord himself has been kept intact to the present day through the institution of disciplic succession, the holy chain of the sampradaya. Outside of the sampradaya, it is difficult if not impossible to come into contact with these pure teachings.

Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaja :
"Sampradaya - Pranali"

MERKEL’S PARTY CLAIMS VICTORY IN GERMAN ELECTIONS

GERMANY'S MERKEL WINNING 2ND TERM
IN NEW LINEUP IN NATIONAL ELECTIONS SUNDAY

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to win a second term with the backing of a new center-right majority in the country's parliament. She claimed victory in national elections Sunday, with projections by public television stations putting her conservative party on a path to form a new center-right government and achieve Mrs. Merkel’s goal of ending the country’s “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats. Projections based on early returns from Sunday's general election show that Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, took 33.8% of the ballot.

Together with the 14.6% for Free Democratic Party, the CDU/CSU was shown getting around 48% of the votes, enough to secure a new coalition government. Merkel would remain chancellor, with FDP's Westerwelle taking up the posts of vice chancellor and foreign minister. "I am satisfied and happy," Merkel told supporters after the first results came in. "Today's results ensures a stable majority. We are going to do our job in a newly-formed government, with the CDU/CSU and the FDP." Guido Westerwelle, the leader of the Free Democrats, said his party is "ready to take up responsibility and help govern Germany." THE SPD won only 23.1%, posting the biggest drop in support ever by any German party. The real winner appeared to be the business-friendly Free Democrats, who won their highest score ever in a national election.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Now, we are blind, we are blind of power. Power. Power. And blind. Everybody wants to be politician. Nobody wants religion. Politicians. But what happens after? Politicians, they cannot establish peace. No country you see now ever enjoys peace. In future one can not. They must come to sadhus. You will not fight sadhus who have no material desires. Who has only desire to know the spiritual. "What is that spirit? And how can I know it? And till I know it I must serve mahatma, or a saint. As long as I get a glimpse of the light." So, if we do that then we can understand.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja :

"Lecture given in Zagreb, Croatia, on May 18th 2003"

72 DEAD, 23 MISSING IN PHILIPPINES STORM

PHILIPPINES FACES FLOOD RESCUE CHALLENGES AFTER
TROPICAL STORM PUMMELED IT WITH HEAVIEST RAINFALL

MANILA, (Reuters) - Officials in the Philippines said Sunday at least 72 people were killed and 23 are missing and nearly 300,000 people have been affected after a tropical storm tore through Manila and several northern provinces Saturday. The Philippine government declared a "state of calamity" after Tropical Storm Ketsana dumped nearly a month's worth of rain in just nine hours on the capital and more than 20 provinces. The toll will probably rise as waters recede and bodies are discovered. The storm packed sustained winds of 85 kilometers (53 miles) per hour with gusts as high as 100 kilometers.

The tropical storm swept houses away, and hundreds of vehicles were stalled in floodwaters around Manila, more than 80 percent of the capital was under water that swallowed whole houses and buses. Some residents were stranded on rooftops waiting for rescue. Power and water supply failed in some areas. Roads were rendered impassable, making rescue efforts challenging. There are also reports of widespread blackouts. Hundreds of travelers are stranded in airports and along water routes.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

What relish can there be for material enjoyments when we are exposed to hunger, thirst, disease, decrepitude, emaciation, growth, decline and death. The universe is tending to decay - grass, trees, animals - , spring up and die. Mighty men are gone leaving their joys and glories. Beings still greater than these have passed away - vast oceans have dried - mountains have been thrown down, the polar star displaced, the cords that bind the planets rent asunder, the whole earth deluged with flood -in such a world what relish can there be for fleeting enjoyments? Living in such a world are we not like frogs jumping in a dried up well? .

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura :
"Vaishnavism Real & Apparent - Two Minds: Material and Spiritual"

POPE RECALLS COMMUNIST-ERA EVILS IN CZECH VISIT

POPE BENEDICT XVI HOPES TO BRING FAITH TO
SECULAR CZECHS, THE COUNTRY'S MOST ATHEIST REGION

PRAGUE - Pope Benedict XVI recalled the evils of the communist era Saturday as he began a three-day pilgrimage to the Czech Republic, and he urged the fiercely secular nation to rediscover its Christian roots. At a welcome ceremony at Prague's Ruzyne International Airport, the 82-year-old pope spoke of how the communist regime overthrown in 1989 ruthlessly persecuted the Roman Catholic Church. "I join you and your neighbors in giving thanks for your liberation from these oppressive regimes," Benedict said, hailing the collapse of the Berlin Wall two decades ago this autumn as "a watershed in world history." "Nevertheless, the cost of 40 years of political repression is not to be underestimated," the pope said. Under communism, the church was brutally repressed.

"A particular tragedy for this land was the ruthless attempt by the government of that time to silence the voice of the church. Now that religious freedom has been restored, I call upon all the citizens of this republic to rediscover the Christian traditions which have shaped their culture," The Pope added. However most Czechs seemed his visit as irrelevant - and some were openly hostile. "It's just a waste of money, at a time of economic crisis, when our salaries are going down, the visit is a useless investment.", said a woman. In the Czech Republic, "the practice of religion is reduced to a minority, Czechs are getting less religious every year, they are more interested in horoscopes or other kinds of magical predictions," said the pope's spokesman.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Consciousness or matter? A fossil or God? Before the First World War, I was a student of law in the university. In my senior year I studied philosophy under a professor named Mr. Stevenson. He gave four ARGUMENTS AGAINST ATHEISM, one of which I find very useful: "CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE STARTING POINT OF EVERYTHING." Whatever you say presupposes consciousness. Any statement presupposes consciousness. ... This is Berkeley's theory. Everything is an idea in the ocean of consciousness. ... This point can never be refuted.

Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhara Maharaja:
"Subjective Evolution of Consciousness - Chapter Five: A Floating World of Experience"

IRAN ADMITS TO SECRET SECOND NUCLEAR PLANT

IRAN REVEALS IAEA SECOND URANIUM
ENRICHMENT PLANT WHICH WAS CONCEALED

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has admitted to running a secret second uranium enrichment plant, pre-empting President Obama and Gordon Brown who were due to reveal its existence to the world later today. Diplomats say Iran has revealed the existence of a second uranium enrichment plant. The diplomats say Iran Tehran sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna - the United Nations nuclear watchdog - disclosing the existence of the second plant and confessing that they have concealed the nuclear facility inside a mountain.

Western nations accuse Iran of enriching uranium in order to produce a nuclear weapon, but Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The U.N. Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. Western intelligence agencies have been monitoring the illicit site for years, and as Iran leaders have discovered that the project was under surveillance, they decided published it. Pressure has been mounting on Iran to halt its nuclear programme as world leaders at the United Nations warned of the threat posed by Tehran to a global consensus on disarmament. Britain indicated that “far tougher sanctions” must await Iran if it failed to answer international concerns at a pivotal meeting with Western powers next week.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Spiritual reality is what is necessary for us. We are soul, we are independent of matter. We are made of such transcendental existence. Nothing can threaten the soul's existence not the atomic bomb, nuclear war, lightning, thunder, or earthquakes. All the troubles of this material world are limited to this body which is a foreign carcass, a concocted representation of my true self. My true self exists on the spiritual plane, on a higher level.

Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhara Maharaja:
"Subjective Evolution of Consciousness - Chapter 3: Consciousness Evolution"

INDIAN CHIMNEY COLLAPSE, MANY WORKERS DIED

MORE THAN 100 FEARED DEAD IN INDIA

DUE TO THE COLLAPSE OF A GIANT CHIMNEY

RAIPUR, India (AFP) - At least 36 workers died and seven others were injured after a chimney under construction at a power plant in the mineral-rich central Indian state of Chhattisgarh collapsed Wednesday afternoon. Rescuers on Thursday were searching desperately for survivors in rubble left by the collapse of a giant chimney in central India, with a top union official saying more than 100 workers were feared dead.Labourers had completed 100 meters (330 feet) of the planned 275-metre chimney when the entire structure came crashing down in bad weather on Wednesday. A government officer in Korba, said 36 dead bodies were retrieved from the accident site by Thursday evening.

Officials believe about 100 workers are still missing in the rubble. Seven workers were rescued alive and are undergoing treatment at a local hospital. "It's a massive collapse, and the debris is spread over a large area," said Mr. Agrawal. He said it will take at least a another day to complete the rescue operation. "We are facing great difficulty in removing the concrete. Once the debris is removed, we will be able to rescue people or find bodies." Deadly construction site accidents are relatively common in India, where health and safety rules are routinely flouted, but a builders' labour group said this incident was bad, even by Indian standards. Police and government officials said they were having difficulties establishing exactly how many people were buried because the company has been unable to say how many contractors were working on the site.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When Yudhisthira Mahārāja was asked, "What is the most wonderful thing in the world?" he replied, "The most wonderful thing is that every day, every moment, people are dying, and yet everyone thinks that death will not come for him." Every minute and every second we experience that living entities are going to the temple of death. Men, insects, animals, birds - everyone is going. This world, therefore, is called mrtyuloka - the planet of death. Every day there are obituaries, and if we bother to go to the cemetery or crematorium grounds we can validate them. Yet everyone is thinking, "Somehow or other I'll live." Everyone is subject to the law of death, yet no one takes it seriously. This is illusion.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:

"Raja-Vidya: The King of Knowledge - Chapter: 'Knowledge Beyond Samsara' "

DUST CLOUD CHOKES EASTERN AUSTRALIA

A DUST STORM BLACKED OUT SYDNEY WHILE
AUSTRALIA IS BATTLING ONE OF ITS WORST DROUGHTS

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A huge outback dust storm swept eastern Australia and blanketed Sydney on Wednesday, disrupting transport, forcing people indoors and stripping thousands of tonnes of valuable farmland topsoil. The dust blacked out the outback town of Broken Hill on Tuesday, forcing a zinc mine to shut down, and swept 1,167 km (725 miles) east to shroud Sydney in a red glow on Wednesday. By noon on Wednesday the storm, carrying an estimated 5 million tonnes of dust, had spread to the southern part of Australia's tropical state of Queensland.

Australia is battling one of its worst droughts and is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change, but also the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter per capita as it relies on coal-fired power stations for the bulk of its electricity. Scientists are reluctant to directly link climate change with extreme weather events such as storms and drought, saying these fluctuate according to atmospheric conditions, but green groups link the two in their calls for action. Health authorities urged people to stay indoors to avoid breathing difficulties, warning the storm was likely to continue into Thursday.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Our only refuge in this scorching fire of material existence is Supreme Lord Nandanandana Sri Krishna . We are deluded to think that we are ever safe without Him. Simply by trusting Him, as demonstrated by the cowherd boys' shutting their eyes to imminent danger, His devotees are rescued from the relentless flames of the mundane world.

Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaja:
"Golden Sayings: 1/20" - Jun 7, 2002.

BARONESS IS THE LAW-BREAKER WHO LAYS DOWN THE LAW

ATTORNEY GENERAL, BARONESS SCOTLAND,
FINED FOR HIRING ILLEGAL WORKER

LONDON - Attorney General Patricia Scotland was fined £5,000 on Tuesday for employing an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper, fuelling calls from opposition parties for her to resign. If Patricia Scotland were just an ordinary working mum, fined £5,000 for unwittingly employing an illegal immigrant, it might be possible to feel some sympathy for her. But she's not just a private individual, minding her own business. She is Baroness Scotland of Asthal, who as Attorney General is the senior law officer of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and chief legal adviser to the Government.

What's more, she helped steer through Parliament the very law that she has broken - legislation that specifically accepts no excuses for hiring illegals. Employers must not only make rigorous checks on their staff's entitlement to work in the UK, but must also keep copies of all relevant documents. The UK Border Agency said that "The law requires that employers must keep copies of documents proving the right to work in the UK and in this instance the employer failed to meet this requirement". Scotland, 54, apologised for her mistake. "I made a technical breach of the rules and I apologise for having made this inadvertent error," she said. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the appropriate action had been taken and "... no further action is necessary." he said. But opposition parties repeated calls for Scotland to go.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the modern age of democracy there are so many government representatives voting for legislation. Every day they bring out a new law. But because these laws are only mental concoctions manufactured by inexperienced conditioned souls, they cannot give relief to human society. Formerly, although the kings were autocrats, they strictly followed the principles laid down by great sages and saintly persons. There were no mistakes in ruling over the country, and everything went perfectly. The citizens were completely pious, the king levied taxes legitimately, and therefore the situation was very happy.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport in Canto 4 - Chapter 20 - Verse 15"

FORMER FRENCH PM TRIED OVER CLEARSTREAM AFFAIR

IN FRANCE DOMINIQUE DE VILLLEPIN ACCUSES PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY OF VENDETTA AT CLEARSTREAM TRIAL

PARIS (Xinhua) - Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin went to trial Monday on charge of slandering some top French politicians and commercial celebrities, including the present President Nicolas Sarkozy. "I am here because of one man's determination, Nicolas Sarkozy," said Villepin (55) at the arrival of the Paris court, suggesting the juridical system used on the so-called Clearstream affair is a political weapon. Some political analysts say that Sarkozy had used his powers to hound Mr Villepin and that the President had even promised to “hang those responsible on a butcher’s hook”.

The enmity between President Sarkozy and de Villepin, flared into public view at the start of a politically loaded trial over dirty tricks in the last presidential campaign. The case revolves around a crudely forged list of foreign bank accounts that appeared to be linked to kickbacks from arms deals. The mysterious list covering the names involved in the illegal commission from the sale of French warships to Taiwan, including Sarkozy, which turned out to be a hoax. Mr Villepin is accused of ordering a secret inquiry in January 2004 into his rival Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who, according to the allegation, was paid illegal commissions via an account at the Clearstream clearing bank of Luxembourg. The charges are “complicity in defamation and the use of forged documents”, in order to discredit Mr Sarkozy in 2004. He could face five years in prison, but is widely expected to receive a suspended term if convicted.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

If people are disturbed in this way, both ways, from the state side and from the rogue side, then how they will live peacefully? Just like we sometimes say that if the politicians and the statesmen they are so irresponsible, fighting amongst themselves to capture the power, where is the time for them to think of people's welfare? They cannot. It is not possible. ... But because they are simply busy to keep their position in the political power ... Just like recently there was fight between two political parties, and represented by two big men, Visvanatha Das and Hare Krsna Mahatattva. Both of them learned men, lawyers, but they are fighting like cats and dogs.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"Room Conversation and Discussion on SB 4.13.48 to SB 4.14.11
Jaipur, January 18, 1972"

2 PEOPLE DIE IN POISONING AT GERMAN THERAPY GROUP

IN BERLIN TWO PEOPLE DIED AND A THIRD IS IN
A COMA AFTER TAKING PART IN A GROUP THERAPY SESSION

BERLIN — A doctor leading a group therapy session gave participants drugs and other substances that killed two and left 10 hospitalized, Berlin police said Sunday. One person was left comatose and in critical condition. The doctor who led the session has acknowledged giving the participants various substances and drugs during the meeting. Autopsies have been carried out on the two dead people but it was not clear whether illegal drugs were given and whether the substances were injected or taken orally.

On the Internet, the doctor identifies himself as a psychotherapist for individuals and groups. He specializes in "depth psychology, bodywork and art therapy, and spiritual crises," according to the Web site. Police said the session took place in a house and medical practice in the leafy Hermsdorf neighborhood in the north of Berlin. The 50-year-old doctor, his 41-year-old wife, who runs a practice for alternative medicine in the same building, and 12 other people attended the session Saturday, which lasted several hours. The doctor supposedly gave the patients various kinds of substances and drugs that initially led to reactions like nausea and vomiting. When police and ambulance cars arrived at the practice, they found twelve people who appeared to have been severely poisoned, it said. A 59-year-old man died at the scene and a 28-year-old man died that night in the hospital, patient was still in critical condition.

The picture shows exterior view of the house
of the psychotherapist in Berlin, Germany

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the Śrīmād-Bhāgavatam (10.14.55), it is stated:

krsnam enam avehi tvam
ātmānam akhilātmanām

Śrī Krishna, who possesses sixty-four excellent attributes, is the soul of all souls. The love that all souls have for Krishna is free from mundane designations and is superlative. Those who have written about psychology and the intricacies of love without knowing love’s true nature have simply wasted their time, despite all their reasoning, as if mixing ghee into ashes. Out of pride, such persons have simply endeavoured for fame. Rather than benefit the world, they have brought it great misfortune. Brothers! Stop listening to those people’s grandiloquent talk and develop pure attachment for the soul, thus making your soul’s nature shine by experiencing that love which is free from designations.

Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Thākura:
"Prītī (Love)" - Translated from Śrī Gaudīya Patrikā, Year 11, Issue 3
Rays of the Harmonist No 13 (Karttika 2003)

THAI RED-SHIRTS RALLY TO MARK ANNIVERSARY OF COUP

THAI "RED SHIRTS" THAKSIN SUPPORTERS
RALLY TO MARK 3rd ANNIVERSARY OF COUP D' ÉTAT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of exiled former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra braved floods and torrential rain on Saturday in a rally to mark the third year since the billionaire's overthrow by the military. The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), many from Thaksin's rural strongholds, massed in stormy conditions at Bangkok's Royal Plaza close to Prem's residence, dressed in raincoats and huddled under umbrellas in water almost half a foot (15 cm) deep. Despite the presence of more than 6,000 riot police and soldiers, about 20,000 Thaksin supporters, there were no reports of clashes at the demonstration.

Thaksin supporters, known as "red shirts", rallied to demand the dissolution of parliament and the resignation of the most senior royal advisor, Prem Tinsulanonda, whom they accuse of masterminding the coup that toppled Thaksin. This demonstration which was the fifth big show of support for the former telecoms tycoon since an army crackdown on the UDD in April, showing the resilience of the pro-Thaksin movement. Despite living in exile after fleeing ahead of a two-year prison sentence for graft, the twice-elected Thaksin remains a major political stakeholder in Thailand because of his vast war chest and his influence over the rural masses. Thailand has been locked in four years of political stalemate fuelled by violent rallies, assassination attempts, dissolution of political parties and the seizure of Bangkok's main airports, which has left the country of 67 million deeply polarised.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Raja means king or the ruler. Here is also regulative principle. Why a king is accepted? Why a governor is accepted? Why a president is ...? Even in this day of democracy - we have abolished the system of monarchy - but still, they select somebody to become a monarch, a king, or to occupy the post of the king. That is called president. Why? Because unless there is one head, or on the head of the government, who can actually control ... control means whether citizens are following, executing the rules and regulation, the law of the state. Therefore a certain man, qualified man, who is ... who enjoys the confidence of the people, he is accepted as the king. This is the position. So such president, king, or the executive head, must be a saintly person. Therefore here it is said, pariksin nama rajarsih. Rajarsi means those who are on the top of the government, he must be rsi, saintly person.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
Lecture on The Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.36 -
Entitled: "Kali-yuga - Disagree with Guru" - Tokyo, January 30, 1974.

ENVOY'S MIDEAST TRIP ENDS WITHOUT ACCORD

LACK OF PROGRESS IN MIDEAST
PEACE TALKS DEFIES OBAMA’S HOPES

JERUSALEM. - White House special envoy George J. Mitchell finished a week of diplomacy in the region without reaching an agreement with Israel over limits on Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, diminishing chances for a breakthrough meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders next week at the U.N. General Assembly session. Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu three times this week, including two sessions on Friday; visited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas twice in the West Bank city of Ramallah; and made side trips to Egypt and Jordan. But the intense round of diplomacy failed to broker even a handshake between Netanyahu and Abbas at the U.N. meeting next week, signaling a deepened stalemate over an issue that President Obama has set as one of his top priorities.

The Obama administration had hoped to announce at next week's gathering the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. But Mitchell's months of arbitration failed to coax an agreement from Israel to impose a settlement freeze or persuade Abbas to restart talks without one. Israel has said it would suspend construction for several months, but it also excluded from those limits thousands of homes already under construction, approved building permits for an additional 455 projects and exempted disputed areas of East Jerusalem altogether.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

They think life is only to eat and drink and sleep and mate. No. No. Life is not like that. Life is to know the Supreme Lord, see the Supreme Lord, hear the Supreme Lord, sing the glories of the Lord, sing the glories of the sage. Then you will be happy. Then you will be satisfied. Then you can enjoy peace. Peace cannot be enjoyed without the association of a sadhu. Without the blessings of the sadhu, without the blessings of the sage we cannot enjoy peace, we cannot enjoy happiness. Only if you will be repeating of Divine Name you could become happy. All throughout the life you will be happy. You will be happy. If we hear one, we are chanting so many times namam, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. They will be purified. They will never born again. They will enjoy the internal nectar. And we will be happy.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj:
"Lecture given in Pula, Croatia - 2.7.1999"

8 DEAD IN VENEZUELA CRASH INVOLVING CHLORINE GAS

AT LEAST EIGHT DEAD AND 326 PEOPLE HIT
BY CRASH INVOLVING CHLORINE GAS IN VENEZUELA

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities say a truck carrying chlorine gas and a cargo vehicle collided, killing eight people and provoking breathing problems in about 100. Anzoategui state Gov. Tarek William Saab told state television that the crash happened in the eastern town of Clarines on Wednesday night. A collision between a bus and a truck carrying chlorine gas caused a spill and the subsequent deaths of eight people who where near the accident and inhaled the poisonous chemicals. The accident occurred on the national highway to the east, near the town of Clarines, 250 kilometers east of Caracas. The crash prompted authorities to evacuate people from the town and halt vehicle traffic through the area in order to prevent others from being sickened.

The road remained closed for over 15 hours while Civil Protection authorities cordoned off the area to prevent the spread of the gas, which caused breathing difficulties for 326 people in nearby blocks. According to information provided by the governor of Anzoategui, Tarek William Saab. "Of these, only 50 are hospitalized, and of those 50 only 5 are in critical condition and one woman is in extremely critical condition,". Chlorine gas, also known as bertholita, gives off a smell that is a cross between pepper and pineapple. Chlorine can react with water in the lining of the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, an irritant that can be lethal.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When there are very forceful currents in the river and some animal is thrown in, it will be washed away. Similarly, we are being washed away by the currents of material nature, which come one after another like big waves in the Pacific Ocean. ... These are the currents of hunger and thirst, of birth, death, and old age, the currents of illusion. We are spirit souls, but because we have been put into the material ocean, the currents are carrying us away. However, if we engage twenty-four hours a day in hearing, chanting, and seriously serving Krishna, the current will stop.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"Teachings of Queen Kuntī -
Chapter 19: Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents"

GUNMEN KILL 10 AT MEXICO DRUG TREATMENT CENTER

SECOND ATTACK THIS MONTH AT MEXICO REHAB CLINIC
IN THE CITY OF CIUDAD JUAREZ GUNMEN KILL 10 PEOPLE

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) - Gunmen burst into a drug treatment center in the northern Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and shot to death 10 people, the second such mass killing this month. Police say nine men and one woman were killed and two people were seriously wounded in the attack just before midnight at the Anexo de Vida center, located in a poor neighborhood with dirt streets, some of which were impassable due to recent rains. Most of the victims are believed to have been recovering addicts staying at the facility. Authorities said the center had not been registered and may have been operating clandestinely. Ten other similar centers in Ciudad Juarez have been closed for operating illegally.

On Sept. 2, gunmen lined patients against a wall at another rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez and then riddled them with bullets, killing 18. Investigators said the attack was part of a turf battle between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels in the city, which has seen the worst of Mexico's drug gang violence. Gangs use some drug treatment centers to hide their members from rivals, Chihuahua state Attorney General Patricia Rodriguez said. The Juarez cartel, named after its historic base in the border state of Chihuahua, is locked in a bloody battle with the Sinaloa cartel, another long-established gang, for lucrative drug routes into the United States.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Absolute redeemer of the Kali Yuga. People in this age of wrangle, discord, self insufficiency and jealousy are liable to fall a victim to the five fold trap of Kali, such, as, 1. Gambling; 2. Indulging in all sorts of intoxicants; 3. Consorting with women; 4. Animal killing; and 5. Wasting money in vain pursuits. Sri Chaitanya as the Acharya or the world teacher saves and redeems the worldly people from the terrible grip of Kali. Hence he is named as Kali Yuga pavanavatari & Yuga Dharma Pravartaka.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj:
"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu - Gauranga and Murari Gupta - Return to Puri"

JAPAN’S NEW PRIME MINISTER TAKES OFFICE

JAPAN'S PARLIAMENT ELECTED OPPOSITION LEADER
YUKIO HATOYAMA AS NEW PRIME MINISTER

TOKYO (Reuters) - Yukio Hatoyama, who led his Democratic Party to a landmark victory in elections last month, took office as prime minister on Wednesday, ending a half-century of virtually uninterrupted one-party rule in Japan. Mr. Hatoyama, 62, can be a confounding political figure: a management professor with a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University; a critic of globalization; an admirer of John F. Kennedy; a social and political blueblood who overturned Japan’s postwar political order with a resounding electoral defeat of the Liberal Democratic Party, he once wrote that humanity needs “cosmic consciousness,” which earned him his nickname, the Space Alien. Mr. Hatoyama has promised to reverse Japan’s long economic decline by boosting social benefits and aligning policies more closely with public needs, rather than those of big business.

Hatoyama vowed to cut government waste, rein in bureaucracy and revitalise the economy by freezing planned tax increases and focusing policies on consumers rather than big business. He also pledged to improve Tokyo's often bumpy relations with its Asian neighbours and forge a foreign policy more independent from Washington. However, some analysts are doubtful of just how much the Democrats, an inexperienced party founded just 11 years ago, will be able to change in a country that has long been run by its powerful technocrats. Controlling the bureaucracy was the party’s signature campaign promise, one that found widespread support among voters tired of decades of insider-driven politics and spending.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

2,000 years ago or little more, there was Canakya Pandita. Canakya Pandita, he was a brahmana, but great politician. His politics are studied even now in M.A. class. And because he was a great politician, diplomat, under his name in our India, in New Delhi, the capital, there is a neighborhood which is called Canakya Puri, and all the foreign embassies are there. Your American embassy is also there. So he was a great politician. But still, he was living in a cottage. He was not accepting any salary because he was brahmana. Brahmana cannot accept any salary. Just like you have accepted me as your acarya, but you do not pay me any salary. This is forbidden. The teacher will not accept salary. Then he comes down to the sudra platform. The sudra accepts salary. "I serve you, you pay me." And the brahmana will distribute knowledge freely, and the ksatriya will give protection to the brahmana. This is the system of Vedic system.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
Lecture on The Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.24 -
Entitled: "Steel-framed Hearts" - Los Angeles, June 22, 1972

STRING OF 23 EMPLOYEE SUICIDES AT FRANCE TELECOM

FRENCH GOVERNMENT CALLS IN CEO OF FRANCE TELECOM
AFTER 23RD EMPLOYEE SUICIDE IN 18 MONTHS

PARIS (AP) - France Telecom SA was mobilizing all 20,000 of its managers Monday in an effort to respond to a string of 23 employee suicides that unions blame partly on layoffs and restructuring at the telecommunications giant. The latest suicide, and the one to spark top-level concern, was that of a 32-year-old woman who threw herself out a fourth-floor window of her office building in northwest Paris on Friday. The suicides come as French workers across several sectors are suffering fallout from the global financial crisis, and seeing widespread layoffs and other cutbacks. Unions say some of the suicides are linked to working conditions: Due to its restructuring measures, France Telecom has eliminated around 22,000 jobs out of 100,000 in France, between 2006 and 2008. Management has asked employees to watch out for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies among colleagues.

France Telecom has nonetheless announced a raft of measures in response to the suicides, including suspending around 500 employee transfers that are a part of an ongoing reorganization. The French government, which still owns around 13 per cent of France Telecom, has been aware of the problem of workplace suicides for some time. Last year, after a series of suicides at carmaker Renault, the then-labour minister pledged to create a special government suicide monitoring agency.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

... our life in this world is valuable. Why? With this life we can acquire a higher aspiration. We can have the chance of acquiring the goal from this plane. This human life is so valuable that with it we can take the path of the highest divine conception. This human body is highly valued and rarely achieved. ... If we can use this human life in a valuable way, we can acquire the key by which to become free from the whole chain of life in this troublesome world. We can get rid of the bondage of all sorts of physical and mental troubles. The key is here, in this human form of life.

Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja:
"The Golden Volcano of Divine Love - Chapter 14: A Drop of Divine Love"

18 WOMEN DIE IN PAKISTAN FOOD STAMPEDE

18 WOMEN DIE IN STAMPEDE FOR FREE FLOUR
AND OTHER SUPPLIES HANDED OUT AS CHARITY

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) – At least 18 women and girls died when a crowd waiting for handouts of flour swelled and panicked in an impoverished city in southern Pakistan, officials said. The stampede in Karachi came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a traditional time for charitable acts including giving away food. At times, however, the giveaways have turned rowdy and dangerous. The stampede occurred in a small building with narrow passages. As more women entered to get the flour, some panicked and guards used strong-arm tactics to clear the building, officials and witnesses said.

Most of the victims had been suffocated, in the ensuing rush, as they crowded into a building to collect flour and other supplies being handed out as charity. Panicked relatives streamed into the hospital, while others brought limp bodies in the backs of trucks or in their arms. Some women who were waiting to get free flour, wailed while laying on stretchers. "Poverty is on the rise, there is a desperation among people," a local government official said, "Naturally, when people are frustrated, whenever they get such an opportunity, they try to grab the maximum."

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The fact is that in this material world there is no scarcity of anything except Krishna consciousness. Material necessities are supplied by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. We sometimes feel scarcity because of our mismanagement, but the real problem is that people are out of touch with Krishna consciousness.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita - Ādi-līlā - Purport in Chapter 3 - Verse 97"

The best award to common people is to awaken in them self-realization by the mercy of the Holy Names of the Lord. Under the transcendental influence of such a practice, the root cause of all material distress of the suffering masses is eradicated with the least effort. ... In fact there is no dearth of universal love and brotherhood in the matter of love Lord Sri Krsna, inasmuch as a single fraction of a coin is truly in existence within the huge amount of money adding to crores or billions. Universal brotherhood, patriotism etc. are all present in full existence within love for Sri Krsna.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura:
"Upakhyane Upadesa: Is There Any Pleasure and Sacrifice in Devotion?"