Gere Incites Indian People to Riot

Hollywood actor Richard Gere incited India to riots Monday. The actor-turned activist has raised protests from many in India, after an AIDS awareness event on Sunday night. During the event in New Delhi, Gere embraced actress Shilpa Shetty and kissed her cheeks repeatedly. Organizers are explaining that he did so to demonstrate that kissing alone will not spread AIDS. But a wave of protest has broken out over the "obscene act," with conservative and Hindu groups burning images of both Gere and Shetty. They say that the act is "against Indian culture" and view it as "an attack on India's cultural ethos." They are also calling for an apology from Gere.

Shilpa Shetty has answered the groups' charges, saying that they have exaggerated the issue and that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. She added that Gere phoned her to apologize for creating a stir. Shetty also said that Gere should be praised for his dedication to the AIDS issue, citing the fact that India has the second-highest AIDS/HIV rates in the world.