Krittika Biswas, the diplomatic-immunity-invoking 18-year-old daughter of the Indian Consulate General who was wrongly arrested and detained for longer than 24 hours for sending offensive emails to her teacher, is suing her accusers, the school, and the city for $1.5 million. As unusual and outlandish as her story is, there are also deeper questions of race, class, and diplomacy woven into the incident that have kept the story simmering across the globe. Two official complaints were lodged against the United States by India, despite the assurance of a State Department official last month claiming, "The US-Indian relationship…has never been stronger," shortly after denying that family members of consular officers have diplomatic immunity. more ›

In an interview with BlogTalkRadio, Tom Brokaw relayed some advice to college grads: "I wouldn't be looking just within our borders for opportunities. I'd be looking to see what the chances are of getting a job in the Middle East, for example. Or in India. Or in China. I've talked to a number of very senior American executives who -- so much of their work now is offshore -- say one of the things they need are people who are willing to pack up and go there and become middle managers." Wait, is this a plug for a show on Brokaw's former network? more ›

A young woman is suing a former Indian government official and her husband for treating her as their personal slave while working inside the Indian Mission to United Nations. Shanti Gurung, now 21, claims that former consular press attache Neena Malhotra and husband Jogesh Malhotra abused her while she was underage, forcing her to sleep on the floor, work 16-hour days, and give daily massages, all while denying her money, and occasionally, food. "This is a horrific story, like something from the Middle Ages," said Gurung's lawyer, Mitchell Karlan. more ›

A New Jersey family just lost their 2nd daughter to an unusual tragedy. In 2006, the Failla family lost their 24-year-old daughter Emily when she fell to her death rock climbing in Washington state, and on April 29th they lost their 25-year-old daughter, Lauren. According to the NY Post, she was attacked and killed by a crocodile while snorkeling at a tropical island resort in India. more ›

In early 2008, New York-based photographer Haik Kocharian spent six weeks traveling alone through India; the impressive fruit of his journey has been gathered into a new exhibit at the 92Y Tribeca, called "Walking the Way." Featuring photographs taken in and around the Indian sub-continent, including the ancient city of Varanasi, the coasts of Varkala, and the Tar Desert, Kocharian's intimate images seem to exhale the serene elegance and colorful grit of everyday life. In addition to his work with still photography, Kocharian is also a fiercely independent filmmaker and musician (MySpace); following the opening reception Friday night, he screened his striking black and white short film "Control Z" and performed a set of passionate rock ballads with his three-piece band. "Walking the Way" runs through September 30th at 92Y Tribeca, located at 200 Hudson Street. more ›

Foreign governments will no longer have to pay property taxes on some of their diplomatic buildings in New York after a change in policy by the U.S. State Department. The NY Post reports the policy reversal will cost the city "untold millions in future lost revenue" as well as $260 million in unpaid back taxes—including a check from the Hungarian consulate worth $32.5 million that was canceled only days after the State Department's policy change. Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy explains to the Post the decision was made because other countries don't ask the U.S. to pay taxes on its overseas property: "Those countries have come to us and said, 'Wait a minute. Why is New York taxing us when we don't tax you?'" But, besides the loss of potential income, what has some surprised about the new policy is the political U-turn it represents for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who previously championed the city's right to collect those taxes when she was a senator. Though the decision may not win her much popularity at City Hall, she'll no doubt have a few new friends at the Indian and Mongolian embassies, both of which are now off the hook after losing a federal court battle over $46 million in back property taxes last year. more ›

The Indian nanny who saved the toddler of a Brooklyn couple in Mumbai gives her first interview to the Daily News. During last week's terror attacks, Sandra Samuel says that little Moshe Holtzberg, just shy of his second birthday, was covered in blood and next to his mother's body when she found him. more ›

The young son of the Brooklyn rabbi and his wife who were killed in the terror attacks in Mumbai celebrated a tearful second birthday yesterday. A community leader described the scene as Moshe, the orphaned son of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, was watched over by his maternal grandparents, "He had been crying. He is too small, you see, and all this must be affecting him so much." Indian officials had not yet sent the couples' bodies to be buried in the Holy Land because they are performing an autopsy on them--something prohibited by Jewish law. Today India's top security official resigned amidst growing questions around the nation's vulnerability to this week's attacks. more ›

After Indian commandoes stormed a Chabad-Jewish Center in Mumbai, where some of the workers had been taken hostage, the NY Times reports, "In the end, six of the hostages were killed, including the Brooklyn couple who operated the center." more ›

Yesterday, it was reported that Brooklyn Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka (pictured, left) "are among the westerners taken hostage at the Mumbai headquarters of the New York-based outreach group Chabad Lubavitch" during Wednesday's terror attacks in Mumbai, India. Terrorist gunmen had entered the Chabad house, and reportedly took a number of people hostage. Commandoes just stormed the building, and CNN-IBN reports that "5 hostages killed at Mumbai Jewish center." (More details on the raid at the Times of India.) more ›

Yesterday, a series of coordinated terror attacks in India's financial capital Mumbai left over 100 dead and hundreds injured. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the attacks probably had "external linkages," which the NY Times reports is the "first official indication that the authorities were likely to blame outsiders." The attackers have taken hostages, many of them foreign tourists; some have been released. more ›

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Last week there was a shooting outside of a Starbucks on 56th Street, yesterday morning a man was robbed and killed on East 39th Street, and now the NYPD is reporting that three people were stabbed near 45th and 5th at lunchtime today. more ›

No, he's not blushing from all the attention. Mao Mi is a Red Panda and the newest addition to Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. He arrived last week from Michigan's Binder Park Zoo as part of a Wildlife Conservation Society breeding project. Red Pandas are an endangered species with fewer than 2,500 adults thought to remain in the wild in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Nepal and Burma. more ›

Sure Mongolia is a sparsely populated nation with a GDP just over 25% of what Wall St. alone pays out in bonuses, but this is New York City; and you gotta pay what you owe. So said a U.S. District Court judge Friday, when he ruled that India, Mongolia, and the Phillipines owed New York City tens of millions of dollars in back taxes. more ›

Professor, author and activist Robert Thurman is widely regarded as the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, having been a major force in the widespread introduction of Tibetan culture and religion to the west. In 1962, Thurman became the first American ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, but after a few years he shifted from strict monasticism to the more conventional lifestyle of an academic. Though currently on sabbatical to write another book, Thurman remains a beloved professor in the Religion Department of Columbia University. At the behest of the Dalai Lama, Thurman co-founded Tibet House with composer Philip Glass and others; this year’s annual Carnegie Hall benefit for the organization takes place next Wednesday, February 13th. The lineup thus far includes performances by Glass, Ray Davies, Phamie Gow, Nawang Khechog, Ashley MacIsaac, Marisa Monte, Sufjan Stevens & Tom Verlaine. more ›

Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg speaking at the State of the City address by Mary Altaffer/AP more ›

Mention the word Kuta to a surfer or a globetrotter and the first thing that comes to mind is the Balinese fishing village turned beach resort. The folks behind Kuta Satay House & Wine Bar are looking to get the same name recognition from diners with their new spot on the Lower East Side. more ›

Well, this is a curious problem for FedEx's tracking system. How do you track your valuable packages when the truck carrying them has been stolen!?! A FedEx express truck was stopped on Manhattan's west side this morning by gun-wielding carjackers, who made off with the 18-wheeler. The driver was forced into a car and found in Brooklyn at around 1:30 a.m. A FedEx spokesman said the driver, who is not a suspect, was uninjured. more ›

Remember that cruel(la) couple from Long Island that enslaved two Indonesian women who worked in their mansion? After their million dollar bail plan was announced back in June we hadn't heard much about these two. Today, however, silence was broken after Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her hubby Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani's trial has ended...and the latest is not good news for them! more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? We're definitely setting our DVR to record The Martha Stewart Show. She’s got a three great New York Italian chefs on today: Odetta Fada of San Domenico, Lidia Bastianich of Felidia and Del Posto, and pastry chef Gina DePalma of Babbo. On Tuesday she’s got cookbook editor Judith Jones, and on Wednesday, New Orleans chef Susan Spicer (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). But the prime time highlight might be a... more ›

Last week, the Daily News trumpeted the plight of Amarjit Singh. Singh was injured after a mentally disturbed man's stabbing rampage on Second Avenue in October, and hasn't worked since the incident. more ›

On the front page of the NY Times section A, there was a photograph of some workers in Haoro, India and an article titled "New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India." And in fact, the workers are barefoot, bare-chested, bare-handed, and bare-headed as they work in an iron foundry, making manhole covers for Con Ed and other cities. The Times explains that a photographer, J. Adam Huggins, who works with the newspaper brought... more ›

Today, the Daily News put Amarjit Singh on its cover and asks New Yorkers to help him. Who is Singh? He was the cook at the Texas Smokehouse BBQ in Murray Hill until October 6, when a mentally ill man, Lee Coleman, stormed into the kitchen and grabbed four knives. Singh tried to stop Coleman, but Coleman slashed him in the head before heading outside to repeatedly stab pedestrian Susan Barron. Coleman only stopped when... more ›

Former vice president Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. The Nobel committee said the shared award is "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change." more ›

Tonight marks the beginning of the Film Society at Lincoln Center's 45th annual New York Film Festival and oh what a jam-packed fest it is. A panel of film critics chose 30 of the best new international movies to show to New York's discerning audiences and they picked hometown director Wes Anderson's newest, (which also comes out in theaters this weekend) to open the festival. more ›

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A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›