News stories by Neena Bhandari, page 6

Geoff Bahnert, 46, had been holding on to a secret until he decided it was time to speak out to ease the agony and pain of keeping it: As a child he was sexually abused, first by his female babysitter and then by an old man involved with his baseball club. All along he thought it was his fault and no one would believe him if he told his story.

‘Stolen’, an Australian documentary film that premiered at the Sydney Film Festival last month, has ignited a controversy with its claims on slavery in the refugee camps of Western Sahara. The main protagonist has denounced the film for her portrayal as a 'slave’, but the filmmakers say they stand by their version of the story 'one hundred per cent'.

In this remote Aboriginal town, 420 km south-west of Darwin, Northern Territory’s capital, third world living conditions still prevail despite the Australian government’s efforts to improve life for its oldest inhabitants.

The modern façade of its cities, cost-effectiveness and its high standards of education, make Australia an attractive destination for foreign students. But the recent spate of attacks on Indian students has exposed the many ills afflicting the Australian education system, threatening its lucrative markets.

Climate change will further marginalise Australia’s Aboriginal communities, forcing them out of their traditional lands, destroying their culture and significantly affecting their access to water resources, indigenous rights advocates warn.

A new book and accompanying exhibit provide rare insight into the lives of Asian Muslims, who have become an intrinsic part of New Zealand's diverse community since the first Muslim Chinese gold miners landed on its distant shores 130 years ago.

SIMLA INDIA, Dic 31 (IPS) - IF ITS DECEMBER IT'S GOT TO BE THE LOFTY HIMALAYAN RANGES SURROUNDING THIS HISTORIC HILL TOWN FOR MOST NORTH INDIANS IN SEARCH OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS.

SHIMLA, INDIA, Nov 24 (IPS) - ONCE THE SUMMER CAPITAL OF THE BRITISH RAJ, THIS PICTURESQUE HILL RESORT TODAY IS CRUMBLING UNDER THE PRESSURE OF INCREASING POPULATION, MUSHROOMING BUILDINGS AND GROWING POLLUTION.