Delhi residents woke to a thick, grey smog on Thursday as air pollution in the Indian capital surged to emergency levels. The state-run Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index, which shows the concentration of poisonous particulate matter known as PM 2.5, stood at 440, up from 430 on Wednesday and about 12 times the US government-recommended level of 35…. Read more »
India has pledged to spend $100bn (£79bn) more on healthcare over the next seven years in a move partly aimed at reducing maternal mortality rates. The country will more than double its health spending from just over the current 1% of GDP to 2.5% by 2025, prime minister Narendra Modi announced. “This will mean an actual increase of 345% over… Read more »
An Indian activist who made a failed attempt to become the first woman to enter a prominent Hindu temple this month has been arrested for “exposing her thigh” in a Facebook photo. Rehana Fathima, 32, has been suspended from her job and was remanded in custody over the picture, which showed her dressed as a pilgrim to the Sabarimala shrine… Read more »
New method of freeze-drying IPV maintains its potency in hot conditions A polio vaccine that can be stored as a dried powder at room temperature could offer a new way to help eradicate the disease, according to researchers. While existing vaccines have led to polio being eliminated in many countries around the world, including the UK, the highly contagious virus… Read more »
At least 10 killed in assault carried out hours after Afghan president outlined peace plans Gunmen have attacked a British security contractors’ compound in Kabul, killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 hours after the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, outlined plans for peace in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, which began when a car bomb exploded outside… Read more »
The latest casualties come from a surge in air operations aimed at driving the Taliban into talks At least 30 Afghan civilians have been killed in US air strikes in the Afghan province of Helmand, officials and residents of the area said on Wednesday, the latest casualties from a surge in air operations aimed at driving the Taliban into talks…. Read more »
Sabika Sheikh, 17, died in May attack – and family hope to make gun owners and those who ignore warning signs accountable Sabika Sheikh’s excitement is palpable in the two-minute video, her brown eyes wide and her hands fluttering as she speaks. “Hi guys, I’m Sabika,” she says. Cheery and energetic, the young girl had made the video to describe the… Read more »
John Allen Chau’s diary suggests he knew the risks of going to North Sentinel Island John Allen Chau, right, in Cape Town. He told his parents not to be angry at God if he died on North Sentinel Island. Photograph: Sarah Prince/AP An American man who was killed by an isolated tribe on a remote Indian island wrote to his… Read more »
The renaissance of Pakistani fashion is a sign of women’s growing independence, and has fuelled the religious right’s ire In the luxurious surroundings of a top hotel, a parade of glamorous, impossibly slim women walk with gazelle-like grace down the catwalk. Bare midriffs and legs are proudly displayed in intricately embroidered golden fabrics, and there isn’t a veil in sight…. Read more »
Official says vehicle fell into a canal in Karnataka state after driver lost control Associated Press in Bengaluru Police sent divers to the scene of the accident. Photograph: NDTV At least 25 people were killed when a speeding bus fell into a canal in southern India, an official has said. Many of the victims were reportedly schoolchildren. Dr G Parameshwara, the… Read more »