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Society

The Families Left Behind After India’s Botched Sterilizations

NEW DELHI — Archana, who is just 15, is desperately trying to put her 3-month-old brother to sleep. He’s crying out for his mother, who died last week after going to a government-run sterilization camp. At least 15 others suffered the same fate, and scores of others are seriously ill after undergoing tubectomies at two Indian sterilization “camps.” Ongoing investigations point to contaminated drugs given to the women as a possible cause of death. But a dirty operating room and surgeries performed in a matter of minutes with unsanitized instruments have raised serious questions about India’s approach to population control […]

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Society

A Brighter View Of Cairo, One Satellite Dish At A Time

An American artist uses pastels and polka dots to transform the Egyptian capital’s tangled rooftops.

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Society

China: Traditional Dog Meat Recipes v. New Animal Rights Activism

SHANGHAI — Every summer, the little town of Yulin in southeastern China celebrates the summer solstice by tasting local dishes: lychees (a Chinese fruit) in alcohol, for example, and, perhaps the favorite main course delicacy, dog meat. Dog carcasses are visibly displayed on street stalls — for now. But last year, animal rights activists began […]

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Ideas Society

Brazilian Indigenous Trapped By Gated Communities

-OpEd- DOURADOS — Large imposing walls and fences have become a compulsory part of construction plans for the luxury gated communities mushrooming all around Brazil. But there is one particularity about the Ecoville Residence in Dourados, in the southwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul. On the other side of its three-meter electric fence sits […]

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Society

Farewells, November 2014: Barry, Sabah, P.D. James

Bidding farewell to those who died this past month.

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blog Society

In Car-Loving Germany, A New Generation Foregoes Auto Ownership

A new study from Shell shows that changing behavior among younger generations of Germans will eventually lead to fewer cars on the road – and more women behind the wheel.

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Future Society

The Competitive Spirit Driving China’s Love Affair With Plastic Surgery

More and more Chinese are going under the knife for cosmetic reasons, and many admit that they do it for a very specific quest for a spouse or job.

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Geopolitics Society

Twice Victims In Guinea, Where Ebola Survivors Are Ostracized

MACENTA — Just a few months ago, people would queue outside the shop of Jean Segbé Bavogui, 41, a tailor in Banizé, a neighborhood outside the Guinea town of Macenta. But the small workshop is now empty. Bavogui hasn’t seen any clients or received any orders for over a month. Even the well outside his […]

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Future Society

Think That Gucci Bag Is Fake? There’s An App For That

TURIN — How many times have you shopped at a market and found yourself admiring a bag or wallet, wondering whether it was really made by the famous brand displayed on its label? Thanks to the camera on your smartphone and a forthcoming app, it soon will be possible to verify, in real time, whether […]

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Smarter Cities Society

Can Charging Drivers An Entry Fee Fix Beijing Pollution?

The so-called congestion charges that have been levied in London and other major cities are being closely considered in the Chinese capital, which has serious pollution and traffic issues.

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Geopolitics Society

Palestinian Olives, A Middle East Parable Of Hard Times

TEL AVIV — Olive branches are a symbol of peace, but Palestinian olive production has become a sign of the economic troubles that come with Middle East conflict. The approximately 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of olive groves represent around 45% of Palestinian agriculture land, with most centered in the West Bank’s mountainous territories. With […]

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Future Smarter Cities Society

In Germany, Driving An Electric Car Is Still A Drag

MUNICH — For people driving through Germany in a normal car, things couldn’t be easier. With just a single debit card, they can refuel everywhere at anytime. That is not, unfortunately, the case for people who drive electric cars. To travel, let’s say, from Wolfsburg via Stuttgart and Munich to Berlin and back, that person […]

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Society

Deconstructing Gehry’s Awful New Paris Art Museum

The Louis Vuitton Foundation is a new high-profile cultural offering for the city of lights, but art’s higher calling becomes just a tool of luxury promotion for the ultra-privileged.

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Society

The Disturbing Reason Russia Has More Orphans

Russian doctors often push mothers to abandon disabled newborns to the state. The result is growing numbers of orphans, two years after Russia imposed a ban on American adoptions.

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Smarter Cities Society

From Amsterdam To Buenos Aires: A Cyclist Report

BUENOS AIRES — Cycling is catching on in this bustling city of taxis, buses and cars, especially since the bike-lending program EcoBici was launched in 2010. In fact, it’s currently one of the few systems in the world in which the stations are operated by trained personnel and the service is free. But the differences […]

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Ideas Society

In India, Where A Kiss Is Not Just A Kiss

The current series of kissing protests in India are indicative of a country and a culture in transition.

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Society

In Cairo, An Impossible Quest For Peace And Quiet

Searching for a quiet public space in Cairo sets you up against unscrupulous police and leering neighbors, oppressive moral codes and an eternal maze of streets. One woman’s failed hunt for tranquility in the Egyptian capital.

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Geopolitics Society

Kaliningrad, Mother Russia’s Rebellious Western Son

Nestled in between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, far from mainland Russia, Kaliningrad feels much more like Europe, and its residents are proud of its Western-like values.

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Society

The Filipino Prison That Uses Freedom, Not Bars

The Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa is known as the “prison without walls,” because even violent convicts here can work and live on this vast land with relative autonomy.

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Society

Snapshot: Apec Summit, Mexico Protest, American Snow

News in images…

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Society

O Luna Mia

We all share the same sky, but each of us gazes up from a unique place on earth. Now you can follow “O Luna Mia, the weekly horoscope of Simon, Italy’s most trusted astrologer, translated for the first time into English. His unique perspective comes from Rome, The Eternal City. Che fortuna! Learn all about […]

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Future Society

Insurance Deductions For Using Health-Monitoring Apps, Risks And Rewards

Generali will be Europe’s first insurer to link use of personal digital applications and ‘big data’ to insurance rates. But in Germany, fears about privacy and ‘atomization’ of insurance.

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Ideas LGBTQ Plus Society

Why China Lags So Far Behind On LGBT Rights

Gays and lesbians rarely come out of the closet in a society that has more generally been ‘anti-sex’ since the Communists took over.

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Society

Building A Better Company, One Lunchtime Dance Party At A Time

HAMBURG — When Kathrin Fiesel talks about lunch breaks at her company, people can’t believe it: “You do what? You go dancing!?” Her employer, the e-commerce giant Otto, in Hamburg’s Bramfeld district, has for several months now been trying out alternatives to the classic visit to the canteen. One of the things they’ve come up […]

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Migrant Lives Society

Tor Sapienza, The Dumping Ground Of Rome Catches Fire

This neighborhood on the Italian capital’s outskirts has erupted in clashes between longtime residents and undocumented migrants. It is part of a long and toxic history.

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Society

She Lived For Five Years With Her Mummified Mom

In Munich, a bizarre case of a woman who refused to bury her mother is raising a series of practical and legal questions.

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Society

Pakistani Rage Against The Country’s Entitled Elite

KARACHI — In Pakistan and many other Asian countries, politicians are given preferential treatment on the roads, in airports, and in services while everyone else waits in line. So it’s not surprising that this lopsided system is breeding growing outrage. In a wealthy suburb of Karachi, where many high-profile politicians live, a small middle-aged man stands at a busy traffic intersection. Wearing a long a black gown with a sign that reads “NO VIP,” he says that while your house is yours, the public road is for everyone. With him is a group of around 50 protesters who have been […]

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Geopolitics Society

Relocating Civilians To Fight Insurgency, Does It Even Work?

Egypt is forcing civilians to move to create a buffer zone after terrorists hit again in the Sinai. From Vietnam to Algeria, such tactics have caused as much hardship as they’ve prevented.

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Society

Cash-Strapped Argentina Discovers Carpooling

BUENOS AIRES — Cash-strapped amid a deepening recession but still, in many cases, reluctant to take public transportation, Argentines are turning to car sharing or carpooling to move about. This relatively environmentally friendly practice is well-established in some U.S. and European cities, but is still embryonic in car-loving Latin America. In Argentina it is catching […]

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Society

Louvre Abu Dhabi, A French Museum Rising In The Desert

ABU DHABI — The indefatigable Jean Nouvel, 69, can be proud of his project. For that matter, he is. The star French architect shakes hands, hugs, takes in all the praise with a stoic pride. The construction site is massive in scale. In the sand, under the searing sun, 5,000 people are hard at work […]

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Society

‘Dethroned’ Men Stage Sex Strike In Staunch Patriarchy Of Kenya

Polygamy is rampant, women are woefully underrepresented in politics and without the same land rights of men. But some Kenyan males have launched a surprising protest to any threats to their privileges.

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Society

Pope Funds Showers For Homeless Under St. Peter’s Colonnade

The Vatican has revised its public restroom renovation to include showers for the homeless, as Pope Francis’ ambassador to the poor launches similar projects across Rome.

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Society

How A Congolese Priest Disarms Sworn Enemies

WALIKALE — They swapped their firearms for spades, machettes and hoes. Until very recently, the young people here used to be members of armed groups in Congo’s North Kivu that boasted names such as Kifua Fua (Stuck-out Chest) or Raia Mutomboki (Revolutionary People). But on this Saturday in early November, they are repairing a road […]

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Society

Love Accessibly

A look at the German dating service created exclusively for people with disabilities.

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Geopolitics Society

Why Netanyahu’s A Failure, Musings Of A Top Israeli Management Guru

Professor Asher Tishler has long been a highly respected researcher in both Israeli military and business domains. It’s high time for him to dish on those in the highest positions of power.

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Future Society

Closing Nuclear Plants Will Be A Massive Global Mess

BERLIN — The problem weighs nearly 300,000 tons. Tubes, generators, a concrete containment shell. And there is a gigantic volume of steel and scrap material alone at the former atomic power station in Obrigheim in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The most dangerous work on the highly radioactive materials is done by robot. Nine years after […]

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Economy Society

Because No One Wants To Imagine A World Without Chocolate

Too small and not productive enough, cocoa plantations can no longer meet global demand. Industrialists are intervening to help the farmers and save an indulgence beloved the world over.

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Ideas Society

Hong Kong: Is It Just A Question Of Confidence?

HONG KONG — A journalist from mainland China asked me recently whether the current unrest in Hong Kong is perhaps because residents there “are losing their confidence.” The question took me by surprise. I’ve heard people in Hong Kong complain and criticize a lot, particularly with regards to Chinese mainlanders, but I never thought these […]

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Future Society

Why Egypt’s Brightest Scientific Minds Move Abroad

CAIRO — In February 2014, the Egyptian military announced that it had found a cure for AIDS and hepatitis. This supposed miracle of medical technology was developed by the Armed Forces’ Engineering Authority, which claims to use electromagnetic waves to eradicate the viruses in infected blood. Known as the Complete Cure, or CC for short, […]

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Society

Fatal Hazing, South Korean Military’s Abuse Problem

SEOUL — Six South Korean soldiers have been accused of killing one of their fellow conscripts. Yoon Seung-joo, 20, died earlier this year after being force-fed and beaten. Abuse within South Korea’s military ranks has long been a problem. A recent survey of soldiers revealed about 4,000 allegations of violence that went unreported. It’s a time that almost all South Korean men dread. The moment when they begin their mandatory service in their country’s armed forces. Kim Tae-Haw joined the ranks of Korea’s riot police when he began his conscription ten years ago. “I didn’t want to go to the […]

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