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Sanskrit echoes around the world

The rise of India's economy has brought an eagerness to learn the ancient 'language of the gods' – both in India and among Indian expatriates in the United States. There is even evidence of Sanskrit emerging in American popular culture as more and more people roll out yoga mats at the local gym and greet one another with "Namaste."     » Full Story

Defying silence in Honduras

Honduran journalist Dina Meza has won the 2007 Amnesty International Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat. Before she was murdered in December 2006, told the BBC News website about the pressure she and her six fellow journalists worked under, and why she refused to give up.   » Full Story

'Out of the Blue': Do Aliens Exist?

As the documentary "Out of the Blue" rightly points out, brilliant and reputable scientists believe that the conditions for intelligent life exist on thousands of planets. But then there's that other question that separates the scientists from the believers, the witnesses from the skeptics — if aliens are out there, have they come to visit? » Full Story

Women lawyers force big rights gains in Uganda

In the small, dusty waiting lounge of a law office in Uganda's capital, Kampala, a cluster of women sits patiently. There are hundreds of groups in Africa advocating women's rights. But few, if any, have been as effective in alleviating the injustices suffered by women as this small group of lawyers in Uganda. » Full Story

Plant 'insurance policy' collects billionth seed

A project aiming to collect and bank seeds from a quarter of the world's plant species by 2020 has collected its billionth seed - from an African bamboo - for conservation.      » Full Story

NY yellow taxicabs 'to go green'

New York's yellow taxis will go hybrid in five years, in an effort to cut air pollution and tackle climate change. "The benefits are going to be felt by generations of New Yorkers. Going hybrid will shrink the city's carbon footprint," Mr Bloomberg said.

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Retired teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa scaled the 8,850m (29,035ft) Himalayan peak, breaking the record set by a 70-year-old Japanese man in May 2006. » Full Story

Coconut oil powers island's cars
People on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have found their own solution to high energy prices - the humble coconut.

Increasingly, locals are turning to a cheaper and far more sustainable alternative to diesel. Coconut oil is being produced at a growing number of backyard refineries. » Full Story

A new film, "Knocking," offers a fresh look at the much-maligned Jehovah's Witnesses

"Knocking" focuses on the lives of two Jehovah's Witnesses families. Engardio and Shepard also delve into the Witnesses' impact on society via the church's reluctant involvement in religious civil rights issues. The film suggests that Jehovah's Witnesses may be a model for how fundamentalist religions can peacefully co-exist with society as a whole.
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