From 'untouchable' to role model

ALWAR, India (CNN) -- At birth, Usha Chaumar's life story had already been written.

So-called scavengers collect the garbage, feces and urine of higher caste people.

Illiterate and married off at age 10, Chaumar was forced into the only livelihood her family has known for generations.

As a Dalit, the lowest level in India's complex caste system, she was a so-called scavenger, a person who collects the garbage, feces and urine of other higher caste people. In the eyes of many, that would make her too disgusting to touch.

"They used to call me all kind of names,'' Chaumar, now 33, said. "I used to feel very bad. but what could I do? I didn't have any work to do but this job."

Traditionally, the age-old Hindu caste system is a social hierarchy that determines what occupation a person should pursue. Broadly, the system has four major castes and thousands of sub-castes.

At the upper rung are Brahmins, the priestly class; followed by the Kshatriya or warrior caste; the Vaishya, the trading community; and the Shudras -- trades like carpenters, barbers and metalworkers. The Dalits are involved in menial professions that no one else wants. Hundreds of thousands of Indians are believed to fall in this category.

Officially, the caste system has been outlawed, but millennia of tradition have left deep dividing lines in Indian society.

In the town of Alwar in the northern state of Rajasthan, there are about 300 so-called "untouchable" women working in this profession.

For her efforts, Chaumar got paid $7 to $10 a month. But it helped to feed her three children.

India has laws against "manual scavenging," as it is called. But the work is still around, in part because of the poor sanitation system in India. In many parts of the country, especially in rural India, many toilets are dry bucket toilets (named for the way they are shaped) that are not hooked up to any pipes. The waste just drops to the ground below.

Manju Atwal says she cleans 20-25 bucket toilets a month and makes about $20 per month, which helps feed her six children.

"For the past 20 years my life hasn't been a life. The world treats us like insects," Atwal said. "I want to walk upright, get a good job and get rid of this dirty work so the world wouldn't oppose us. We want to walk with the world," Atwal said.

Now 56 former "untouchable" women from Alwar are getting their wish. They are quitting their demeaning jobs and walking with their heads held high, no longer invisible to those around them.

Dr. Bindeswar Pathak of Sulabh International is their guide.

"I saw their conditions, and I thought they were living like ... pigs," Dr. Pathak said. "So why not give them some alternative jobs ... to do something else."

Dr. Pathak happens to be from India's highest caste. His interest in helping Dalits began at an early age.

"While I was a child at 13 years old, I touched an untouchable. For that my grandmother forced me to swallow cow dung, cow urine and Ganges water to purify myself," Pathak said.

He was dismayed at the experience and for the past 40 years has made it his mission to elevate the downtrodden. So far, his organization says it's helped more than 60,000 "untouchables" and installed more than a million of its eco-friendly, humane toilets in India alone.

The United Nations Development Program estimates 2.6 billion people do not have access to a clean and safe place to go to the toilet. It is a recipe for deadly disease.

The U.N. deemed 2008 the Year of Sanitation to bring awareness to the importance of proper sanitation.

Dr. Pathak and the former "untouchables" of Alwar were invited to New York to illustrate that point and also be honored. Pathak took 36 of the women to the United Nations, the women's first trip outside India.

In New York, the spotlight shone on the women, as they strode down the runway modeling the blue saris that they now design and tailor.

The former sanitation workers used to spend their lives covering their faces so they did not upset those around them. Now they are objects of admiration.

Usha Chaumar was singled out for her amazing accomplishments: She can read and write now and is no longer doing the dirtiest of work. She was crowned "Princess of Sanitation Workers" at the United Nations. Watch Chaumar wear the crown and describe her life before »

It is a title that will take time to get used to after being treated like dirt for most of her life.

"I am overjoyed getting this honor in New York and wearing this crown," Usha said.

"There was a time when there was only filth on my head, and now it has a gold crown."

Asia, Europe markets fall on U.S. worries

HONG KONG, China (AP) -- Asian and European stock markets fell sharply Tuesday as investor confidence in the U.S. financial system eroded even further despite a government-backed plan to help beleaguered mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The U.S. is taking steps to shore up mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Every major index suffered declines, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropping more than 3.8 percent and Taiwan's benchmark losing over 4.5 percent. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index dropped nearly 2 percent to close at 12,754.56.

European stocks also fell in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 retreated 1.2 percent, Germany's DAX lost 1.7 percent and France's CAC-40 was off 0.8 percent.

While losses spread across most sectors in Asia, financials were hit particularly hard as investors worried that trouble in the U.S. financial markets would spillover to Asia.

Japanese traders were rattled by a local business newspaper report that the country's top three banks hold a combined $44 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt. Another newspaper report unnerved Taiwan's market with news that at least two leading financial institutions have invested in the mortgage giants, and the country's central bank may also have purchased their bonds.

In China, rumors were circulating that the Chinese government had also invested in Fannie and Freddie bonds

The two government-chartered companies received a boost Sunday when the U.S. central bank and Treasury Department promised to step in with short-term funding and other aid should mortgage losses mount. Together, the companies hold or back about half the outstanding mortgages in the United States.

A sell-off of regional banks overnight on Wall Street, as well as fears that other American banks might face difficulties ahead, only added to the unease. On Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 45.35, or 0.41 percent, to 11,055.19 after spiking nearly 140 points in early trading.

"Investors are quite concerned we could be heading toward a meltdown in the equities market if there's no rebuilding in confidence, especially in the U.S.," said Alex Tang, head of research at Core Pacific-Yamaichi in Hong Kong. Watch why investors should be worried »

In Japan, banks and insurance issues got slammed.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group plunged 5.32 percent, Mizuho Financial Group was down more than 5 percent, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group plunged 6.11 percent. Earlier in the day, the Bank of Japan kept interest rates on hold, deciding to take a wait-and-see approach amid the current volatility.

"With regard to risk factors, global financial markets remain unstable and there are downside risks to the U.S. and the world economy," the central bank's policy board said in a statement.

A higher yen dragged down major exporters such as auto makers and electronics firms. A stronger Japanese currency reduces the value of exporters' profits when repatriated from abroad.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index plunged almost 840 points to 21,174.77 -- its lowest close in nearly four months.

China's biggest lender, ICBC, dove nearly 5.2 percent, and HSBC lost more than 3 percent. Heavyweight China Life Insurance slid 5.3 percent.

In mainland China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 3.4 percent to close at 2779.45.

The drop was sharpest for real estate developers, banks and insurers. Among financial companies, China Life and Ping An Insurance both tanked 6 percent. Midsize lender Pudong Development Bank Ltd. dropped 7.1 percent.

The government is due to release closely watched inflation data Thursday, which could add to pressure for an interest rate hike. Analysts expect a decline from May's 7.7 percent but expect the rate to stay above the government's 4.8 percent target for the year.

Elsewhere, South Korea's benchmark slid 3.2 percent, India's Sensex was down 4.6 percent in late trade and Australia's main index lost 2.1 percent.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 105.50 yen Tuesday midafternoon from 106.21 yen Monday. The euro stood at $1.5960 compared with $1.5892.

Former Mitsubishi execs found guilty

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A Japanese court found Mitsubishi Motors and its three former executives guilty Tuesday of falsifying a report to the government in a fatal accident suspected of being linked to a wheel defect.

The Tokyo High Court threw out a lower court decision from December 2006 that acquitted the three executives, including Takashi Usami, former chairman of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., the automaker's truck division at the time of the accident.

The focus of the trial was whether the executives tried to hide a wheel defect suspected of being linked to the February 2002 fatality. Shiho Okamoto, 29, was killed when a wheel rolled off a Mitsubishi truck and crushed her. Her two children were also injured in the accident.

A court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing court policy, said the higher court rejected the earlier decision by the Yokohama Summary Court that acquitted the three and the company.

Tuesday's ruling slapped a 200,000 yen ($1,900) fine on each defendant, the maximum penalty for the charge under Japanese law.

Mitsubishi Motors said it accepted the ruling.

"We will do our utmost to regain consumer trust," the Tokyo-based automaker said in a statement.

The three executives declined to comment on the ruling, which can be appealed.

Mitsubishi Motors and its truck unit, which has since become a separate company, were mired in a scandal that first surfaced in 2000 over a systematic hiding of defects. The automaker recalled millions of vehicles -- some models repeatedly for multiple problems.

Although the manufacturer promised the cover-ups will never happen again, it acknowledged in 2004 that it didn't come clean in 2000, and continued to recall more vehicles.

Among the defects requiring recalls were parts that connect the wheel to the truck model in the 2002 accident. They also included braking systems and other crucial parts.

Separately, a Japanese court last year found two former Mitsubishi employees guilty of professional negligence in the death of Okamoto.

The two, who had been overseeing quality control at Mitsubishi, received suspended sentences, meaning that they won't have to serve time in jail.

Ideas of consumer rights and corporate responsibility are relatively new in Japan, a conformist, harmony-loving society in which conflicts are avoided and often settled behind the scenes.

Japan's first product liability law was passed only in 1994. Damage suits are relatively rare, and companies are rarely required to pay more than a token amount. Even when convicted of criminal wrongdoing, executives of companies are generally handed lenient sentences with no prison terms.

Shares in Mitsubishi Motors dropped in morning trading to 182 yen ($1.70), down 1.1 percent from the previous day.

Belgian PM quits over deep divisions

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Belgium's prime minister said Tuesday he had offered to resign after realizing it would be impossible to resolve deep divisions over increased autonomy for French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians.

Belgium's Prime Minister Yves Leterme, as seen in May 2007, has offered his resignation.

King Albert II did not immediately accept the early morning resignation but began consultations with political leaders to resolve the crisis stemming from the failure of Leterme's Cabinet to reach agreement on constitutional reforms designed to grant more self-rule to Belgium's rival linguistic camps.

Francophone parties accuse Dutch-speakers of trying to separate themselves from French-speaking Wallonia, where the 15 percent unemployment rate is triple that of Dutch-speaking Flanders.

The crisis has triggered renewed calls in Dutch-speaking Belgium for the breakup of the country, which became independent of the Netherlands in 1830.

Prime Minister Yves Leterme offered King Albert the resignation of his government after he acknowledged he would not make a Tuesday deadline for a constitutional reform deal despite months of talks.

He said in a statement that it was "impossible to bridge" the differences between Dutch- and French-speaking parties.

"This shows that the federal model (of this country) has reached its limit," the statement added.

Vice-premier Didier Reynders called for Leterme to stay on, adding he had not lost trust or faith in the ability to reach a deal between political factions.

"We need to work in the coming hours and days to build on trust ... to work toward a solution," Reynders said. "The government must go ahead with its social and economic program. We have to go ahead with our coalition and with Leterme as premier."

It was not yet clear whether the king would let Leterme go or whether he would ask him to remain in a caretaker capacity until the political leaders can resolve a crisis, a new government can be formed or new elections are held.

Leterme's government -- a fractious alliance of Christian Democrats, Socialists, Liberals and nationalist hard-liners from both sides of Belgium's linguistic divide -- took office on March 20. He sought to defuse the tensions that have loomed over this country of 6.5 million Dutch-speakers and 4 million Francophones for more than a year.

Flemish parties want the prosperous Dutch-speaking north to be more autonomous by shifting taxes and some social security measures from the federal to the regional level. They also want more self-rule in transport, health, labor market and justice areas.

Mainstream Flemish politicians say there is room for more regional autonomy without breaking up Belgium, but polls indicate they are losing ground to more hardline parties in Flanders that openly advocate the breakup of Belgium.

Indonesia acknowledges East Timor abuses

BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia's president acknowledged his country carried out gross human rights abuses during East Timor's 1999 break for independence, but stopped short of offering a full apology Tuesday for murders, torture and other crimes.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held talks with East Timor's President Ramos Horta.

A bilateral truth commission, set up in 2005 to investigate the bloodshed, said Indonesian soldiers, police and civil authorities engaged in an "organized campaign of violence" against independence supporters.

Indonesia should apologize for the immeasurable pain and suffering caused, the commission said in a 300-page report presented Tuesday to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his East Timorese counterpart, Jose Ramos-Horta.

"We convey our deep regret over what happened," the Indonesian leader said after signing a joint-statement accepting the commission's findings and expressing "remorse." "Let us not forget those who were victimized during this dark period in our past."

East Timor voted overwhelmingly to end 24 years of often-brutal Indonesian rule in a 1999 referendum that triggered a burst of killing, looting and burning by Indonesian soldiers and their militia proxies that killed at least 1,000 people.

Only one Indonesian has ever been jailed in connection with the violence.

The commission, set up to head off demands by human rights groups for a U.N.-backed tribunal to try those responsible for the violence, does not name individuals responsible for the violence or make provisions for prosecutions.

Yudhoyono said the intention was only to uncover the truth so that the two sides could move forward in promoting friendship and reconciliation.

Thai military denies entering Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- A Cambodian official claimed Tuesday that about 40 Thai troops crossed into Cambodia's territory, as tensions mounted in a dispute over land near an ancient border temple. The Thai military denied any incursion.

A group of Cambodian Boy Scouts walk through Preah Vihear temple on Sunday.

Thai military officials said troops had simply deployed near the disputed area "to protect our sovereignty."

Hang Soth, director-general of the national authority for Preah Vihear temple, said the Thai troops entered Cambodia near Preah Vihear, center of a long-standing quarrel between the neighbors that escalated when UNESCO recently declared it a World Heritage Site.

"Confrontation is occurring between Thai troops and our Cambodian troops, but there is no shooting yet," Hang Soth said. "Our troops have been ordered to be on alert but not to fire first."

The incident claimed at least one casualty. A land mine explosion sheared the right leg off a Thai soldier patrolling in the area, said Thai Army Deputy Spokesman Col. Sirichan Ngathong.

Stretches of the Thai-Cambodian border still seethe with land mines sown by various sides during the 1970-75 Cambodian War and the guerrilla conflict that followed the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

Maj. Gen. Kanok Netakawesana, an army field commander in the region, said in a telephone interview that his troops were on Thai soil close to the disputed area. He declined to give the number of soldiers deployed.

"We are not violating the territory of Cambodia. We have every right to deploy troops here to protect our sovereignty," Kanok said.

The movement of Thai troops followed the arrest by Cambodia of three Thai citizens for crossing the border earlier Tuesday.

The incident marked the first cross-border foray by Thai protesters since Cambodia shut off access to Preah Vihear temple to visitors from Thailand late last month.

Preah Vihear was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site a week ago despite objection from Thai groups. The two countries have a long-standing dispute over the land that surrounds the temple, and Thai activists have recently revived nationalist sentiment over the issue.

Hang Soth said a Thai Buddhist monk, a woman and a man apparently managed to evade a checkpoint on the Thai side and crossed through a jungle border into Cambodia earlier Tuesday.

He said they were immediately stopped by guards and that Cambodian authorities were ready to hand the protesters back to Thailand, "so I don't understand why Thai troops still had to enter Cambodia. They want to provoke us."

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the temple and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex in northwestern Cambodia.

Cambodia's recent move to secure the temple's world landmark status has angered political leaders in Thailand and sparked small protests by some Thais who feared it would jeopardize their country's claims to disputed land adjacent to the site.

Some Thais have been protesting the listing and demanding the eviction of Cambodians living on land near the temple. In response, Cambodia has sealed off access to the temple from Thailand since June 22.

Domestic opponents of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej have seized on the issue in attempts to bring down his government.

On Tuesday, the activist movement People's Alliance for Democracy, launched impeachment proceedings against the government by submitting 40,000 signatures of eligible voters to the upper house of Parliament.

Japan's fishermen: 'We're dying'

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Two hundred thousand boats sat idle in Japan, as fishermen across the nation took to the streets on Tuesday to protest skyrocketing fuel prices.

Fishermen rallied in Tokyo on Tuesday against skyrocketing fuel prices.

The strike -- the first ever by the country's fishermen -- hopes to convince the government that without its intervention, rising fuel costs will kill the fishermen's businesses.

Across Japan's fishing ports, fishermen simultaneously blew their whistles in a symbol of solidarity, and operations ground to a halt.

Thousands of others rallied in downtown Tokyo, marching in circles around the fisheries ministry and chanting, "We're dying," through bullhorns.

The protesting fishing unions say fuel once accounted for 10 percent of a business' operating cost. It now accounts for 30 to 50 percent. Watch the unions protest in the streets »

They want the government to provide subsidies to make up for the price hike.

The demonstration was the latest in a wave of protests around the world over fuel prices.

Masatoshi Wakabayashi, the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, told reporters Tuesday morning that he "understands the frustration of the fishermen."

He urged reforms within the fishing industry to decrease its reliance on oil, adding it would be "difficult to compensate them for the hike in the price of oil."

The deep-sea tuna fishermen's association told CNN it might suspend operations for two to three months later this year, due to fuel price hike.

Marine life has long been a staple food source in Japan.

Last week, nearly 400 taxis brought traffic to a halt in Berlin, Germany, as drivers drove through the city in a protest over high fuel prices.

Truckers in Vienna, Austria, also staged a protest last week.

And earlier this month, hundreds of British truckers drove past Parliament to voice their anger about the high cost of fuel.

India, France, Spain and South Korea have had similar protests.

Pakistan intelligence blamed for Afghan attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan lawmakers have directly accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of involvement in a string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan.

The recent attack by a suicide bomber on the Indian embassy in Kabul killed more than 40 people.

The legislators referred to Pakistan as "the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism."

The Afghan Cabinet made the scathing indictment in a resolution Monday, saying Afghanistan would boycott a series of meetings with Pakistan unless "bilateral trust" is restored.

In recent weeks a wave of attacks carried out by Islamic militants have killed scores of people in Afghanistan, including an assault on a military outpost Sunday that killed nine U.S. soldiers, as well as a suicide attack on the Indian Embassy a week ago that killed 58 people.

The two incidents, along with an assassination attempt against Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a military ceremony on April 27, are "indicative of the attempts by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to once again occupy Afghanistan and to perish the true right of the people of Afghanistan for national sovereignty," the resolution said.

Afghanistan regularly accuses Pakistan's intelligence service -- which once had strong ties with the Taliban -- of orchestrating attacks inside its borders.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied involvement, including in the incidents that the resolution cited. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said there is no indication that "foreign agents" were responsible for the embassy attack.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have a tumultuous history that dates back several years. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, religious schools in Pakistan helped train fighters who battled the Soviets.

After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996 and imposed fundamentalist rule, Pakistan was one of the few countries that recognized the regime diplomatically.

It dropped its support after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in Washington and New York. But Afghanistan claims that Pakistan continues to informally support the militants, who operate from havens in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions near the porous 1,500-mile border the two countries share.

Adding fresh ammunition to the suspicions, the Rand Corp. -- a U.S. think tank -- released a report last month that said some members of Pakistan's intelligence service and its paramilitary corps were helping insurgents in Afghanistan.

The study, funded by the U.S. Defense Department, alleged that members of the two agencies often tipped off militants to the location and movement of coalition forces trying to rout them. It also said personnel within the agencies trained fighters at camps in Pakistan, financed them and helped them cross the border into Afghanistan.

The Pakistani military denied and denounced the report, calling it a "smear campaign" designed to "create doubts and suspicion in the minds of (the) target audience."

Relations between the two countries are strained to such a point that Karzai has threatened to send troops across the border to take on the militants.

"The people of Afghanistan and the international community have come to the reality that Pakistan intelligence institutions and its army have become the largest center for breeding and exporting terrorism and extremism to the world and particularly to Afghanistan," Monday's resolution said.

Israel approves Hezbollah prisoner swap

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's Cabinet gave final approval Tuesday morning for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah which has been set for Wednesday, the government said.

A makeshift memorial shows captured soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, left, and Eldad Regev.

Although the Israeli government described this as a prisoner swap, many Israelis expect it to be an exchange of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah for five live prisoners held by Israel and the corpses of dozens of "infiltrators and terrorists" now in Israeli custody.

Under the exchange with the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah prisoners, including convicted murderer Sami Kuntar, would be traded for two kidnapped Israeli soldiers abducted in 2006 and presumed dead.

The abduction of those soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev sparked the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah two years ago.

Part of the agreement is a report from Hezbollah on the status of long-missing Israeli airman Ron Arad. That report was released recently, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described it Monday as "absolutely unsatisfactory."

Although Israel's Cabinet approved the outline of the prisoner swap two weeks ago, it waited until it could review the Ron Arad report before granting final approval.

Arad was the navigator of an Israeli warplane that crashed in Lebanon in October 1986. His family's last contact with him came in 1987, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised the Arad family in 2004 that Kuntar would not be released unless Hezbollah provided information on Arad.

Kuntar has spent the last three decades in an Israeli jail for the deaths of four people in a terror attack in which an Israeli police officer, a father and his four-year-old daughter died. A two-year-old daughter suffocated as her mother tried to stop her from crying as they hid from Kuntar.

Along with Kuntar, four Lebanese fighters will be released and the bodies of what Israel says is "dozens of infiltrators and terrorists, including eight members of Hezbollah, will be delivered to Lebanon."

Information on four missing Iranian diplomats will be delivered by Israel to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. And Israel says Palestinian prisoners will be released after the deal is implemented.

"The number and identities of the prisoners will be determined at the sole discretion of the state of Israel," Israel said.

Malaysian police seek arrest of opposition leader

(CNN) -- Police in Malaysia have issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in connection with a new sodomy case, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he has proof sodomy charges against him were fabricated.

Anwar has until 2 p.m. Wednesday to appear at a police station.

"We are troubled by the threatening tone of the letter by the police," lawyer Sankara Nair told reporters outside Anwar's residence Tuesday.

A 23-year-old male aide has accused Anwar, 60, of sodomizing him at a luxury apartment in June.

Anwar has said the allegations are meant to usurp his political gains.

A loose coalition of opposition parties -- with Anwar at the helm -- won 82 of 222 parliamentary seats in elections in March. It was the second time in the country's history that the ruling party failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution.

Sodomy, even if consensual, is punishable by 20 years in prison in the largely Muslim country.

Anwar was the heir apparent to former premier Mahathir Mohamad until 1998, when he was sacked and charged for corruption and sodomy.

The sodomy conviction was overturned at the time, but the corruption verdict was never lifted, barring him from running for political posts until this year.