Delhi in foreign media

Within a half-hour,the last Turbo Hot Air is gone. One man bought four,having driven over from a suburb because stores there were empty. The clamor in Mr Singh’s store is testament to a phenomenon not usually associated with New Delhi: winter. Once again,it has arrived. But if winter is both mild and short in Delhi,it is assuredly felt,and,as evidenced by the rush for heaters,it finds many people ill prepared. When temperatures in New Delhi dipped into the 40s (4 degree Celsius +) this week,a bureaucratic alarm bell sounded. Local officials ordered elementary and middle school students to remain home as a safeguard against the chill.

The washington Post
Security tight as India marks national day
Nirmala George
Paramilitary soldiers and police set up roadblocks and snipers took positions atop government buildings as hundreds of thousands of people turned out to celebrate India’s national day on Tuesday. India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26 every year,but this year security measures were notched up following intelligence reports of a possible terrorist attack by Islamic militants. Last week,the Indian government put its airports on high alert amid reports that al-Qaida-linked militants planned to hijack a plane. Security has also been tightened at all major government telecommunications and power installations,police said.

Can India find true liberation?
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
In a city of 14 million people,it shouldn’t be hard to find a gay man in Delhi. Statistically there must be around a million of them,but they don’t exactly stand out. A few websites list the “popular” cruising spots,but without the most culturally sensitive gaydar it is hard to tell who might be looking for fun and who most certainly isn’t. Ever the team player,I send a colleague and his Indian fixer to stroll around Nehru Park trying to look both furtive and appealing,but nobody seems to be biting. Three supposed cruising spots later,and everyone is a little bit grumpy. In an Indian Winter of the kind Channel 4 is exploring this month it is certainly pretty cold right now,so has this deterred the thrill-seekers,we wonder?

The Guardian
Delhi divided over beef ban on athletes’ menu at Commonwealth Games
Gethin Chamberlain
Organisers of this year’s Commonwealth Games have run into controversy over a decision to put beef on the menu for athletes. In overwhelmingly Hindu India,where the cow is considered holy and the sale of beef is illegal in most states,the move is seen as highly provocative. Local authorities in Delhi have demanded that the menu be rewritten to remove the offending meat. Dire consequences have been threatened if their demands are not met,but the organisers show no sign of giving in. The games are an international event,they say,and India will have to put up with it.