Julie McCarthy

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.

Early Results In Pakistan Point To Ex-Premier

Julie McCarthy — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:55:00 +0000

Partial, unofficial election results in Pakistan show former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party as the clear victor. Defying militant threats millions of voters turned out and sent the incumbent Pakistan People's Party packing after five years of rule marked by corruption allegations and a failing economy. Host Rachel Martin gets more on the election from NPR's Julie McCarthy in Lahore.

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 12:31:00 +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.

Dozens Die In Run Up To Pakistan's Elections

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:41:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's Friday and it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

We are learning more this morning about an outbreak of targeted violence in Pakistan. The special prosecutor investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was shot dead today. He was sprayed with gunfire by two assailants on a motorbike as he left his home in Islamabad.

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.

Pakistan's Campaign Season Is In Full Swing

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:29:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

People in Pakistan will go to the polls next month to select a new parliament, and election fever is already building. The country faces chronic energy shortages, deepening economic problems and the specter of violence, as entrenched militants threaten to disrupt the vote. NPR's Julie McCarthy brings us this report from a very active campaign trail in Pakistan.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE: With nearly 50,000 Pakistanis killed in militant attacks the last dozen years, security grips the public mind.

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 09:47:00 +0000

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

U.S. To Honor India Gang-Rape Victim

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It is International Women's Day. To mark that occasion, First Lady Michelle Obama joins of Secretary of State John Kerry to recognize women around the world who have shown exceptional courage, as they put it, in advancing women's rights.

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.

India, Italy Accused Of Kickbacks In Defense Deal

Julie McCarthy — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:41:00 +0000

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with begins with a corruption case in India.

India has dispatched investigators to Italy to examine allegations of kickbacks, kickbacks involving a $700 million defense deal. The case involves the sale of a dozen helicopters to India from one of Italy's largest industrial groups.

From New Delhi, NPR's Julie McCarthy has more on a case that's rattling the Indian government.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE: With a robust self-defense system, the AW 101 helicopters are designed to protect VIP's on board.

India's One Billion Rising Campaign

Julie McCarthy — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:12:00 +0000

Valentine's Day saw women from around the globe take up the cause of ending sexual violence.

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

Julie McCarthy — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:15:00 +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,