India

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India Won't Hand Over Mother Teresa's Remains

Nuns from her charity call Albanian request 'absurd'

(Newser) - Mother Teresa isn’t going anywhere, say Indian authorities. Teresa’s parents were from Albania, and the country had requested her remains. Macedonia, where Teresa grew up, may also want the body ahead of the 100th anniversary of her birth next year. “Mother Teresa was an Indian citizen and...

Columbus the Crusader's Legacy Endures

Americans forget religious fervor drove the 1492 expedition

(Newser) - This Columbus Day, James Carroll invites us to reconsider the man and his motivations. Pop culture has secularized Columbus, concentrating on his mission in search of gold, spices, and trade routes. That ignores his central motivation: expanding the dominion of Christianity. An “old Crusader” ambition motivated Columbus, Carroll writes...

Obama Team Downplays Risks in Afghan Pullback
 Obama Team Downplays
 Risks in Afghan Pullback
Pentagon Insiders:
Oct 12, 2009 11:57 AM CDT

Obama Team Downplays Risks in Afghan Pullback

Al-Qaeda, Taliban much closer than public has been led to believe

(Newser) - US military and intelligence officials see dangerous misrepresentations in the Obama team’s flirting with a limited, anti-al-Qaeda strategy in Afghanistan. “The White House is downplaying the dangers of doing the only thing that they think Congress and the public will support,” an official tells McClatchy. But taking...

In Rural India, Mr Right Must Have a Toilet

Brides-to-be insist suitors offer indoor plumbing

(Newser) - India's economy may be booming, but 665 million people in the world's second-largest nation have no access to indoor plumbing—not only an inconvenience, but a health hazard that leads to diarrhea, typhoid, and malaria. But these days, newly assertive rural women are insisting that suitors have a toilet before...

Baby Survives Tumble From Train During Birth

Indian mom leaps from train to save newborn

(Newser) - An Indian baby who spent his first moments out of the womb tumbling from an express train has survived unharmed. Mother Rinku Debi Ray felt discomfort during a train journey and went to the bathroom, only to unexpectedly give birth. "The baby came out, chord, placenta and all,"...

In Afghanistan, We Fight and Die, China Wins

In fact, Beijing comes out ahead whether we stay or go

(Newser) - American and Chinese interests seem to be conveniently aligned in Afghanistan, writes Robert D. Kaplan. By securing the country, NATO forces have allowed China access to vast mineral deposits and trade routes to the Indian Ocean. In turn, Chinese companies employ Afghan workers, stabilizing the economy and hence the nation....

Pilot, Crew Slug It Out on Air India Plane

Fisticuffs erupt over sex harassment complaint by flight attendant

(Newser) - Pilots and crew members on an Air India jet came to blows mid-flight in an argument about sex harassment. Stunned passengers watched grappling staffers spill out of the cockpit into a galley. The fight erupted when a flight attendant complained about harassment by the pilots en route from Pakistan to...

Sex Advice for Indian Cricketers Sparks 'Masturgate'

National debate follows after players urged to have sex or "go solo" before games

(Newser) - A leaked training document urging India's cricket team to seek sexual release—either with their wives or by "going solo"—before big games has sparked both outrage and sniggers across India. With sex education banned in Indian schools, many commentators have welcomed the opportunity to speak more...

Resurgent Militants Could Ignite India-Pakistan War

India braces for fresh attacks that could spark war

(Newser) - The Pakistan-based terror network that organized the slaughter of 163 people in Mumbai last year is still thriving, and security officials on both sides of the border fear it's only a matter of time before operatives attack India again. Lashkar-e-Taiba enjoys broad support within Pakistan, its top leadership remains intact...

India Mega Weddings Go Global

Families spend millions bringing traditional ceremonies to exotic locations

(Newser) - India's wealthy elite have started taking their famously lavish wedding ceremonies on the road. Luxury hotels in locations like Macau, Thailand, and France compete fiercely to host the giant weddings, which often involve hundreds of guests and support staff flown in for a ceremony and celebrations that can last up...

Julia Roberts Flick Bars Indian Worshippers From Temple

Villagers none too happy with actress, who was previously considered 'Hindu-friendly'

(Newser) - She may be America’s sweetheart, but villagers in India are not feeling the love for Julia Roberts after the actress caused them to be barred from their temple—at the beginning of a religious celebration, no less, the Telegraph reports. Ironically, Roberts—and her 350-member security team, derided in...

Indians Dodge Harassment in Women-Only Trains

'Ladies Specials' set up to tackle persistent harassment of women workers

(Newser) - India's railway system has replaced women-only rail cars with entire women-only trains in an effort to battle sexual harassment, the New York Times reports. Groping and catcalling—known as "eve-teasing"—is endemic on India's commuter system, a trend analysts say shows the friction caused by the huge amount...

Guard Tosses Bribe-less Boy Off Indian Train

Teen who lacked cash loses a leg in fall, officer charged

(Newser) - A guard tossed a teenage boy off a train in India apparently because the boy lacked the cash to bribe him, CNN reports. The 13-year-old, who reportedly couldn’t pay the bribe necessary to sell his wares on the train, had to have his leg amputated after the fall. The...

Indian Politician Decries 'Racist' Skin Cream Ads

Lawmaker says whiteners send wrong message to Asians

(Newser) - An Indian lawmaker has lodged formal complaints against several advertisements for skin whitening cream, which she calls “completely racist and highly objectionable.” In one ad, for example, one man tells another that he’s unlucky “because of the color of your face” and hands him a tube...

US Embassy Guards in Kabul Living Lurid Lifestyle

(Newser) - Guards hired by the State Department to protect diplomats and staff at the US embassy in Afghanistan live and work in a Lord of the Flies environment in which they are subjected to hazing and humiliation by supervisors, a government oversight group says. In a 10-page letter to Hillary Clinton,...

Harley-Davidsons Roar Into India

(Newser) - Twenty-five Harley-Davidsons roared into the center of New Delhi yesterday, loudly proclaiming that the US brand is ready to take on India, the Washington Post reports. The motorcycle’s long-awaited arrival consummates the 2007 mangoes-for-motorcycles trade pact between the US and India, in which the US agreed to allow Indian...

South Korea Scrubs Satellite Launch

(Newser) - South Korea scrubbed a planned satellite launch minutes before liftoff today, citing an unspecified technical error, reports the BBC. Seoul has been itching to join the Asian space race and has already produced 10 satellites for other countries' rockets. But the event had threatened to strain recently improved relations with...

Microfinance Bubble Traps Poor in Debt

Predatory lenders offer easy cash with gouging interest rates

(Newser) - Microfinance, loaning tiny sums to the world's poor to help start small businesses, began as an anti-poverty strategy but quickly became highly profitable for private equity firms and foreign investors. In India, writes the Wall Street Journal, poor neighborhoods are being bombarded with high-interest loan opportunities, resulting in a bizarre...

Climate 'Urgency' Takes a Backseat to Progress: Will

(Newser) - At their recent summit, the G8 nations vowed to cut emissions 80% ... within 41 years. That seems like a pretty lethargic response to a so-called “emergency,” but as Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi said, the effort is virtually futile while “5 billion people continue to behave as they...

Mumbai Gunman Says He's Ready for Gallows

(Newser) - The lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai attacks said today that he is ready to go to the gallows and wants no mercy from the court for his role in terrorist assault, which left 166 people dead. "Whatever I have done, I have done in this world. It would...

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