UDHAGAMANDALAM, India — Scattered groves of native trees, flowers and the occasional prehistoric burial ground are squeezed between hundreds of thousands of tea shrubs in southern India’s Nilgiris region — a gateway to a time before colonization and the commercial growing of tea that reshaped the country’s mountain landscapes. These sacred groves once blanketed the … Read more
NEW DELHI — The decadeslong ban of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses in his native India is now in doubt — not because of a change of heart more than two years after the author’s near-fatal stabbing, but because of what amounts to some missing paperwork. Earlier this week, a court in New Delhi closed … Read more
 "Why India has most oral cancer cases in South Asia – Firstpost")
India has previously been dubbed the ‘cancer capital of the world.’ A recent study points out just how significant this health crisis has become. The research published in the leading medical journal The Lancet Oncology revealed that India accounted for a staggering 83,400 of the global 120,200 oral cancer cases reported in 2022. The study … Read more
NEW DELHI — A thick layer of toxic smog cloaked India’s capital on Friday as smoke from firecrackers used to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, pushed air pollution to hazardous levels. New Delhi’s air quality index plunged into the “severe” category, according to SAFAR, India’s main environmental monitoring agency. In many areas, levels … Read more
NEW DELHI — As India gears up for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, people are divided over whether they should celebrate by setting off firecrackers, which worsen the country’s chronic air pollution. Diwali, which will be celebrated Thursday, is marked by socializing and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Many Indians light earthen oil … Read more
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Saturday that two children in its southern Sindh province had been paralyzed by poliovirus, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 39 for the year since March, when officials confirmed the first case. The South Asian nation of around 240 million people reported six cases of paralytic poliovirus infections in … Read more
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Nepali teenager, the youngest person ever to scale all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks, says he wants to use his skills to benefit the Himalayan nation’s Sherpa community and turn out world-class athletes. Sherpas, an ethnic group living mainly in the vicinity of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, are … Read more
KARACHI, Pakistan — Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds. The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets look like they’ve been … Read more
China’s Transsion, a leading smartphone vendor in Africa, said on Saturday that its finance head has been detained as part of an investigation, according to a corporate filing. The Shenzhen-based budget handset maker said it received notice on Friday of a lien and a case filing issued by the district supervisory committee of Dandong, a … Read more
Coca-Cola and rival PepsiCo spent hundreds of millions of dollars over decades building demand for their soft drinks in Muslim-majority countries including Egypt to Pakistan. Now, both face a challenge from local sodas in those countries due to consumer boycotts targeting the brands as symbols of America, and by extension Israel, at a time of war in … Read more
