Indian scientists slam ancient Hindu ‘stem cell’ claim

Five centuries after Goans began making feni -- a pungent, fermented liquor not for the faint-hearted -- a new crop of distillers is hoping to take the spirit global. But first, they have to convince other Indians to drink it.

India's badminton superstar PV Sindhu says it's important to stay focused at the Tokyo Olympics in the face of strict Covid-19 protocols.

Residents and students attend a vigil at the gates of the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi to pay homage to Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photographer Danish Siddiqui. The Reuters news agency photographer was killed covering fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban near a border crossing with Pakistan. The Reuters news agency photographer was killed Friday covering fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban near a border crossing with Pakistan. "Danish was a people's journalist... He used to narrate the sorrow and pain of our times through his camera," said one resident. His photos of protests in the neighbourhood against a controversial citizenship law last year were well-known among the residents here.

At least 34 people were killed in Mumbai, India's financial capital, after heavy monsoon rains triggered a landslide and the collapse of a wall.

Every year millions and millions of sardines trek along the cold currents off the South Africa coast during the southern hemisphere winter months, peaking in July. Countless dolphins and sharks hunt along the shoals - a spectacular sight that awes tourists lucky enough to find them.

A red panda cub has been born in an Indian zoo as part of a conservation breeding program to increase the population of the endangered animal. With habitats under threat in the Eastern Himalayas and China, red pandas are considered endangered and are highly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Their copper fur, appearance and small size also make them targets for the exotic pet trade.

The aftermath of a mob attack on Indian businesses and vehicles in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital were evident on Friday (August 13). Congo's police said the mob on Thursday (August 12) looted Indian shops and warehouses, set a car on fire and stoned three other vehicles in Kinshasa's Limete neighbourhood in response to a false rumour that a second Congolese national had died in India.

Public protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir were once an almost weekly occurrence but two years after New Delhi imposed direct rule on the region, locals say arbitrary arrests and intimidation by security forces wielding batons and snatching phones have left many too scared to voice dissent.

A human rights campaigner in India has told FRANCE 24 how she and her team have lost contact with some of their associates and fellow activists in Afghanistan since the Taliban swept to power. Vandita Morarka is the founder and chief executive of One Future Collective and has long worked with colleagues in Afghanistan. She says to lose contact with some of them is "very sad" and that it's "terrifying" to see the situation unfold for the country. She also spoke to us about her work to empower women and young people in her home country of India.

Tens of thousands of farmers continue to take to the streets in protest against new farm laws and vow to campaign against Prime Minister Modi's party in key state elections.

Much animosity has built up since India scrapped Kashmir's special status two years ago. DW spoke with several Kashmiris, many of whom have harsh feelings about the Indian government.

One year ago, India's parliament passed a series of laws aimed at reforming the country's agricultural system. The move was supposed to allow farmers, especially those cultivating wheat and rice, to sell their products to private companies without going through local markets. But what was meant to be a revolution for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned into the longest and biggest peasant protest since the country's independence nearly 75 years ago.