India's top court orders eviction of more than 1 million forest dwellers
India's Supreme Court has ordered the eviction of more than 1 million indigenous people and others who live in forests after the federal government failed to defend a law aimed at protecting their rights. The top court's order, dated Feb. 13 and delivered in written ...
London woman guilty of mutilating daughter in landmark female genital mutilation trial
A London mother has been found guilty of subjecting her 3-year-old daughter to female genital mutilation in Britain's first conviction for the practice, more than 30 years after it was outlawed. The Ugandan mother of two, who cannot be named for legal reasons, could face ...
In the name of the gods: Indian girls forced into sex work despite ban on ancient ritual
Young girls in south India continue to be "dedicated" to village temples and then forced into prostitution despite laws banning the ancient ritual, researchers say. The devadasi system, which involves putting a beaded necklace around girls and often leads to a life of sex work ...
Saudi woman's bid to flee family rallies opposition to male guardianship
An 18-year-old Saudi woman's flight from what she said was an abusive family has rallied opposition to the kingdom's male guardianship system, still a major constraint on women despite the conservative Muslim country's efforts to open up. Some freedoms have been granted under Crown Prince ...
Is Saudi Arabia on the road to ending the scourge of child marriage?
Saudi Arabia is trying to ban child marriage through new regulations, but loopholes are leaving young girls in the deeply conservative kingdom unprotected, campaigners said Thursday. The Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, approved regulations on Wednesday to prohibit marriage for girls ...
Two women defied a centuries-old ban on entering a Hindu temple in India's southern state of Kerala in the early hours of Wednesday, the state's chief minister said, raising fears of a backlash from conservative Hindu groups. The women, reported by Reuters partner ANI to ...
Traditional handmade mochi brings New Year's cheer
"Try our mochi," calls out Nao Sakai at a Tokyo market as she sells rice and rice cakes made at her family's shop in Yamagata Prefecture. Mochi, or glutinous rice cake, is a popular treat eaten especially during the New Year's holidays and holds a ...
Raking it in: Kumade craftsmen carry on Edo Period tradition making ornamental talismans
On a chilly night in late November, Seizo Hashimoto, 65, was stood beside his stall at Otori Shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo, selling ornamental bamboo rakes that are believed to "catch and rake in" wealth and good luck in the coming year. His family's income depends ...
Dutch court rejects bid to ban 'Black Pete' pre-Christmas character
A court in the Netherlands has rejected a request by activists to ban the holiday character Black Pete from state television but encouraged debate over a tradition that has prompted protests on both sides. Citing technical grounds, district Judge Antoon Schotman said a summary filing ...
In a community hall, a group of men sit cross-legged on mats, poring over documents and maps marked with forests, farmland, a river and the village of Gajah Bertalut on Indonesia's Sumatra island. They are gathered to work on their claim to legal rights and ...
Scientists look to Chinese soup ingredients to treat dementia
The ingredients in this experimental brain treatment may be better known to enhance cooking, not cognition. Chinese scientists have borrowed three ingredients from its traditional medicine practice — a 3,000-year-old approach that aims to regulate the flow of energy in the body — and used ...
Japan's traditional festivals struggling with financial difficulties
Traditional festivals are having a more difficult time securing financing for their events these days. In the city of Tokushima, famed for its traditional Awa Odori folk dance festival, attendance hit a record low this year, partly due to confusion over financing. And similar stories ...
