India

India destroys houses of several Muslim figures after religious riots

The property owners in Uttar Pradesh were told to vacate their homes beforehand.

Muslims have been protesting after anti-Islamic comments made by two leading members of the governing BJP.

Police have arrested more than 300 people in connection with the unrest.

The remarks were made by BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma during a TV debate in May. The BBC is not repeating Ms Sharma's remarks as they are offensive in nature.

Climate change swells odds of record heatwaves in India, Pakistan

The region should now expect a heatwave that exceeds the record temperatures seen in 2010 once every three years.

Without climate change, such extreme temperatures would occur only once every 312 years, the Met Office says.

Forecasters say temperatures in north-west India could reach new highs in the coming days.

Dozens die as blaze guts office building in India capital Delhi

More than 70 people were in the building when the fire started and police broke windows and used ropes to rescue people.

Some 20 fire engines were used to put out the blaze near Mundka metro station in the west of India's capital.

A short circuit is thought to have started the fire.

Indian media report that two arrests have been made.

Offering his condolences over the loss of lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised 200,000 rupees (£2,118; $2,580) to next-of-kin in compensation for each death.

Couple in India sue son for not giving them a grandchild

Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad, 61 and 57, say they used up their savings raising their son, paying for his pilot's training as well as a lavish wedding.

They are demanding compensation worth nearly $650,000 (£525,000) if no grandchild is born within a year.

Their son and his wife do not appear to have commented.

The highly unusual lawsuit was filed on grounds of "mental harassment".

Mr Prasad said he had spent all his savings on his son, sending him to the US in 2006 for pilot training at a cost of $65,000.

Why India's real Covid toll may never be known

India's government has rejected the figure, saying the methodology is flawed. Will we ever know how many Indians died in the pandemic?

In November 2020, researchers at the World Mortality Dataset - a global repository that provides updated data on deaths from all causes - asked authorities in India to provide information.

Heatwave in India leaves millions struggling to cope

"Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told state chief ministers on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-4C over most parts of north-western and central India this week, with "no large change thereafter".

The Orissa labourer who became a YouTube star

When Isak Munda uploaded his first YouTube video in March 2020, he was desperate. A nationwide lockdown imposed to curb Covid had brought India - and the construction industry that employed him - to a halt. It left workers like him, who earned a daily wage, struggling for a living.

Until inspiration struck.

His children were watching a cartoon on YouTube when Mr Munda overheard an advertisement on how people could earn money from the platform by uploading videos.

13 dead after falling into well in Kushinagar

Police said the victims - all women and children - were sitting on a metal slab covering the well when it collapsed under their weight.

Two more people have been injured in the accident, which took place in Kushinagar district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths "heart-wrenching".

The tragedy took place on Wednesday evening during the traditional "haldi" ceremony, in which relatives apply turmeric paste to the faces of the bride and groom as a marker of prosperity.

India bids farewell to beloved singer

Mangeshkar, whose voice was the soundtrack to hundreds of Bollywood films, died aged 92 on Sunday.

PM Narendra Modi and stars of the entertainment industry attended the funeral, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects.

Her extraordinary career spanned more than half a century and she recorded thousands of songs in 36 languages.

Two days of national mourning will follow the funeral and the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country.

Plea to send lonely African elephant home from India

. Now, a plea in the city's high court seeks to send him back home.

The petition - filed by 16-year-old Nikita Dhawan, founder of the non-profit Youth For Animals - alleges that Shankar has been living in isolation for years. It demands that he be removed from the zoo and rehabilitated in a wildlife sanctuary that houses other African elephants.

It also accuses zoo authorities of mistreating the animal - the BBC contacted officials but they declined to comment.