INDIA

The Kolaveri di phenomenon has spread well beyond the bounds of South India's Tamil film industry and now seems set to head into Japan, after running amok in the United States.

For the first time in 40 years, Catholics the world over are reading a new translation of Mass, emphasizing the Latin roots and formal tone of the Roman missal (prayer book). See what's changed from the old services, prompting many churches to rely on cheat sheets as they adjust, and why some Catholics are up in arms about the new translation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's move, last week, to open India's protected retail sector to global supermarket giants surprised critics who had written him off as a policy ditherer. He was, however, probably motivated by expedience rather than any reformist zeal.

Over the past year, the international movement to halt the shark fin trade has made leaps and bounds, moving up the chain from campaigns targeting consumers to efforts by politicians to implement stricter legislation against the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins. From the U.S. West Coast to Europe and Asia, progress is being made to turn the dish itself into an endangered menu item.