Julie McCarthy

In India, More Women Are Playing Matchmaker For Themselves

Julie McCarthy — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:55:00 +0000

In India, some of the most entertaining reading on a Sunday afternoon is found in the classified ads.

Mother Of India Gang Rape Victim Faces Suspects In Court

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:33:00 +0000

In India, the mother of the 23-year-old woman fatally gang-raped on a moving bus last December appeared in court Friday and for the first time clapped eyes on the men accused in the heinous attack on her daughter.

The four men on trial have been charged with murder and face capital punishment for the crime that convulsed the country and prompted harsher punishments for rape.

Three of the defendants sat in a back row of the small Delh

Nawaz Sharif Expected To Win Pakistan's Elections

Julie McCarthy — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On a Monday, it's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

The last time Nawaz Sharif was prime minister of Pakistan, it did not work out so well for him. Sharif won a big election, moved to consolidate his power, and named a new army chief - only to see that same general overthrow him in a coupe in 1999.

INSKEEP: Sharif ended up in exile for years.

Will Imran Khan Shake Up Pakistani Politics This Time?

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:18:00 +0000

After retiring as Pakistan's most celebrated cricket player, Imran Khan has dabbled on the margins of Pakistani politics for nearly two decades, trying to make a mark.

The sportsman turned philanthropist who led a playboy lifestyle in his younger days has attracted endless media attention, but until now neither he nor his movement has had any real impact.

As Pakistanis vote in a crucial parliamentary election on Saturday, could this time be different?

Watching Khan in the final stretch of the race is to see a man who found it impossible to stop campaigning.

Pakistani Women Still Struggling For A Voice In Politics

Julie McCarthy — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Flags of the competing political parties whip in the wind of seaside Karachi. But little else is stirring in this city of 18 million this day.

The MQM, a leading political party in the megacity, has shut Karachi down with a general strike in response to a deadly bombing at its election office.

Pakistani Prosecutor Investigating Bhutto Death Is Gunned Down

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:37:00 +0000

In Pakistan, police say two unidentified gunmen fatally shot the special prosecutor investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Friday's attack on Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali in Islamabad deepens the mystery surrounding one of the country's most politically charged cases, which remains open six years later.

Ali was traveling from his home to a court hearing in the Bhutto case when his car was sprayed with bullets.

Outrage Erupts In India Over 5-Year-Old Girl's Rape

Julie McCarthy — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:28:00 +0000

"What has changed?" That is the question echoing through Delhi on Sunday.

Purging Candidates Offers Pakistan A Bit Of Comic Relief

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:56:00 +0000

The culling of candidates in the run-up to Pakistan's May 11 election is providing the country some badly needed levity.

The "Pakistani Inquisition," as it's been dubbed, has election commission officials grilling office-seekers on their Islamic bona fides.

Many have stumbled badly, only to be disqualified.

But not Mussarat Shaheen, who performed impeccably.

In Court, Former Pakistan President Faces A Flying Shoe

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:28:00 +0000

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf suffered only a blow to his dignity when a lawyer hurled a shoe at him Friday as he entered the High Court in the southern city of Karachi.

The shoe missed its target but made its point.

On India's Trains, Seeking Safety In The Women's Compartment

Julie McCarthy — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Headlines in India's national newspapers tell the story of the state of women in the country.

Remembering Hugo Chavez

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:03:00 +0000

I first encountered Hugo Chavez in Caracas, starring in his own television show, Hello, Mr. President. I couldn't take my eyes of the program, which began at 11 a.m. and ended after 7 p.m.

It was an endurance test for even the most die-hard sycophants and terrific entertainment for a first-time viewer. While the camera would pan droopy-eyed Cabinet members seated in the front row, El Presidente showed no signs of flagging.

At the seven-hour mark, he chirped, "Bueno!" and declared, "It's early!

Violent Street Clashes In Bangladesh Leave Dozens Dead

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:19:00 +0000

A wave of violence has rocked Bangladesh after a special war crimes tribunal Thursday imposed the death penalty on an Islamist leader for his role in the country's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Demonstrators for and against the convicted leader clashed with security forces, leaving dozens of people dead, including police.

The violence demonstrates the deep sensitivities that remain over the war of independence that played out more than 40 years ago.

A domestic war crimes tribunal ruled Thursday that Delwar Hossain Sayedee must be hanged for crimes against humanity.

A leader o

In A Swirl Of Humanity, A Chance Encounter With A Saint

Julie McCarthy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:43:00 +0000

Kurt Vonnegut once said, "What makes life worth living are the saints. ... They can be longtime friends or someone I meet on a street. They find a way to behave decently in an indecent society."

And so it is with Gyanesh Kamal, a man I met at India's Kumbh Mela, one of the oldest festivals on Earth.

In The Waters Of India's Holy Rivers, Seeking A Glimpse Of Immortality

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:33:00 +0000

The Hindu gathering known as Kumbh Mela is on a scale difficult to fathom: The world's largest religious festival is millions of feet shuffling, millions of mantras chanted, countless sales of firewood to ward off the night cold.

Outside The Big City, A Harrowing Sexual Assault In Rural India

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:20:00 +0000

It began as an innocent Sunday outing to see the movie The Life of Pi. By the time the night was over, it had become a grisly gang rape that shocked the world.

Five men went on trial this week, charged with the rape and killing of a 23-year-old woman who died of the injuries she suffered when she was attacked on a bus as it moved through the streets of Delhi — an assault that ignited public outrage over the violence against women in the Indian capital.

But sexual assault is also prevalent in rural India, where unelected, all-male village councils influence attitudes toward women,

India's Supreme Court To Hear Venue Appeal In Notorious Rape And Murder Case

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:05:00 +0000

India's Supreme Court will hear a petition Wednesday on behalf of one of the defendants in the New Delhi rape and murder case that has provoked mass protests in that nation. One of the accused, Mukesh Singh, has asked to remove the case from the capital on the grounds that the atmosphere is too charged to ensure a fair trial.

Attorney M.L.

In 2nd Term, Obama To Pivot To Asia

Julie McCarthy — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:41:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The president of the United States, as his title suggests, is the leader of this country, but in many ways is also the leader of the world. And so we're looking at how other countries see the next four years on this Inauguration Day.

India, Pakistan Trade Accusations Over Border Killings

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:28:00 +0000

India reacted angrily today at what it called the "inhumane treatment" of one of two soldiers killed Tuesday in a skirmish along the de facto border with Pakistan.

Pakistan challenged the Indian army's allegations and said it is prepared to hold an investigation through the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) into recent ceasefire violations along what is known as the Line of Control (LOC).

The killing of Indian troops Tuesday followed the fatal shooting of a Pakistani soldier Sunday. Pakistan alleges Indian forces crossed the border then.

Amid Pandemonium, Court In Indian Rape Case Is Closed To Public

Julie McCarthy — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:08:00 +0000

The five men accused in the rape case that has reverberated around the world were brought before a New Delhi magistrate for the first time today — but only after she sealed the proceedings.

A chaotic scene broke out just prior to the hearing, with lawyers hurling insults at other attorneys who were offering to represent the accused. "How can you defend such animals?" they angrily shouted.

In India, Five Charged With Rape And Murder In Crime That Shocked Nation

Julie McCarthy — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:02:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaIX_CHGjl8

Sex Men Charged In India's Fatal Gang-Rape

Julie McCarthy — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:46:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In India, protestors are vowing to keep up their fight until there is justice for the young victim of a gang rape. The young woman died this weekend after injuries she suffered in the vicious attack. The incident has renewed demands for action against sexual violence. Delhi police say the accused will be formally charged with murder.

Anger Swells As Indians Mourn For Rape Victim

Julie McCarthy — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:10:00 +0000

By Saturday evening, more than 1,000 candles glowed at a somber scene in a central Delhi park as India mourned the death of the young woman whose gang rape two weeks ago shocked the country.

What began 13 days ago with a handful of well-wishers holding a hospital vigil for the rape victim swelled into thousands as a young generation of Indians demanded an end to the culture of violence that produced more than 24,000 cases of rape last year alone.

The case of the young student, gang-raped on a bus as it passed through police checkpoints, was especially harrowing.

In India, All Religions Join In 'The Big Day'

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 12:41:00 +0000

India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, marks the birth of Jesus with a national holiday.

Indians call Christmas bara din, or the Big Day.

Chef Bhakshish Dean, a Punjabi Christian, traces the roots of Christianity in India through food.

Standing in the New Delhi kitchen of one of several restaurants he overseas, pots bubbling with scrumptious holiday specials, Dean says Syrian Christians were the first to arrive in India, in the first century. The ancient sect devoted to St.

Rape Case In India Provokes Widespread Outrage

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:30:00 +0000

The gang rape of a young woman on a bus in Delhi has touched off outrage and soul-searching in the increasingly unsafe Indian capital.

Spontaneous protests have erupted, while anguished members of Parliament decried the attack.

The 23-year-old victim, meanwhile, is at the Safdurjung Hospital in Delhi, her life hanging in the balance. Doctors say she sustained internal injuries to her intestines and that she seemed to have been beaten with a blunt object.

Indian Musicians Remember Their Teacher, Ravi Shankar

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:10:00 +0000

The world mourned the death this week of Indian maestro Ravi Shankar, whose name became synonymous with the sitar. Tributes eulogized Shankar as the great connector of the East and West who'd hobnobbed with The Beatles and collaborated with violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. Less has been said about the roots of the music he spent a lifetime perfecting and innovating.

Indians mourned the man they affectionately call Pandit-ji, or Teacher.

Wal-Mart's Lobbying In U.S. To Be Probed By Indian Government

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:24:00 +0000

India's government has approved an inquiry into Wal-Mart's lobbying activities in the U.S. as a heated debate over the retail giant's plans for stores in India moves into a new phase, NPR's Julie McCarthy tells us from New Delhi.

The company has been at the heart of noisy disruptions in the Indian parliament. Last week, the government cleared the way for the chain to open stores in India. But opponents have tried to stir suspicions by conflating Wal-Mart's lobbying in the U.S.

India's Legislature Paves Way For Big-Box, Multinationals Like Wal-Mart

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:41:00 +0000

(Reporting from New Delhi, NPR's Julie McCarthy sends along an update on a story that aired on Morning Edition Wednesday.

Free-Speech Debate In India Heats Up

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:07:00 +0000
It looks like the case in India against two young female Facebook users has been dropped.

Facebook Arrests Ignite Free Speech Debate In India

Julie McCarthy — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000
Shaheen Dhada is an unlikely looking protagonist in the battle under way in India to protect free speech from government restrictions in the new media age.
Slight and soft-spoken, Dhada perches on the edge of her bed in a purple-walled room that has been her own for the past 20 years. Outside, police officers are posted for her protection in the town of Palghar, 2 1/2 hours outside Mumbai.
The 21-year-old management science grad's Facebook post last week triggered her arrest and the wrath of local residents.

India Executes Mumbai Attack Gunman

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:44:00 +0000
Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the three-day attack on Mumbai in November 2008 that killed more than 160 people, has been hanged in India.
NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from New Delhi that the execution took place in secret inside a high-security jail in the Indian city of Pune, just days before the anniversary of the Mumbai siege:
"Kasab was executed at 7:30 this morning local time in what was by Indian standards speedy justice.