A half-day conference at Columbia University will focus on the possibilities, as well as the problems or challenges, in the strategically located kingdom of Nepal today and look at the prospects for the future. Nepalese and foreign experts and public figures from different professional fields will present their views and analyses of the political, economic and social situation in this landlocked South Asian country embedded between China and India, discuss the issues and hopefully conclude with recommendations for the way forward. Sher Bahadur Deuba will make a key presentation. He was Nepal’s prime minister from 1995 to 1997, 2001 to 2002, and again from June 2, 2004 until February 1, 2005 He was released from prison in February 2006 by an order of Nepal’s Supreme Court, after being sentenced to two years in prison in July 2005 on corruption charges, . Date: March 22, 2 pm to 6:30 pm. Place: Room 1501 at the School of International and Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street, 15th Floor, Columbia University, Manhattan. Contacts: (212) 496-2700; Jr2218@columbia.edu jasminehenz@radonoffices.com Women, Islam and HIV/AIDS The Asia Society is organizing a luncheon discussion on Women, Islam and HIV/AIDS. It will note that several Muslim states and communities are beginning to take decisive steps against HIV/AIDS and its impact on women. Marina Mahathir, Malaysian AIDS Foundation, and Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign Relations, discuss these policies, some of which run against traditional ‘Islamic values,’ with Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times. Since the beginning of the global epidemic, women have been the most vulnerable and at risk for infection. The irony is that these women, in most cases, form the backbone of support and care for those already infected. This conversation will explore these unique and challenging dimensions to the epidemic. Date: April 4, noon to 2 pm Place: the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, Manhattan. Admission: $75. Contact: (212) 517-ASIA. Medicare seminar Marathivishwa will host a seminar on Medicare. Date: March 19, 2 pm. Place: 143 State Route 35, Laurence Harbor, New Jersey. Contact: www.marathivishwa.org/MedicareSeminar.png Cooking workshop A workshop on vegetarian cooking will be conducted by Chandana Date: March 18, 1 pm. Place: Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, 243 West 24th Street, Manhattan. Admission: $30. Contacts: (212) 255-4560; www.sivananda.org/ny/philosophy_workshops.html Cancer screening Free screening for breast and cervical cancer for South Asian women is being offered in Queens. Women over 18 and without medical insurance are eligible. Place and time: every Tuesday by appointment only at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, 45th Avenue at Parsons Blvd, Flushing, Queens. (718) 670-8987; (646) 352-2725