Indian mechanic invents ‘social distancing’ motorbike

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.

Suspected militants have killed five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir amid a spike in violence in the region. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Acute shortages of coal at power plants have triggered a severe energy crisis — which threatens to hit the nation's economic recovery.

India invested heavily in Afghanistan's development projects after the 2001 US invasion of the country. It is unclear what impact the Taliban's return to power will have on these projects.

“If McDonald’s can do it for hamburgers, why can’t we do it for eye care?”, thought the founder of Aravind Eye Hospital in 1976. Five decades later, inspired by processes implemented by the fast food giant, the Indian hospital chain performs around 500,000 surgeries a year -- many for free. -- This story is being published to coincide with World Sight Day.

The Saudi government has lifted social distancing measures, allowing full-capacity attendance at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Follow DW for the latest.

A couple in India's southern state of Kerala use a large cooking pot borrowed from a temple to get through floodwaters and reach their wedding venue. The southern state has been hit by days of heavy rain, triggering landslides and floods that have claimed at least 27 lives.

Portuguese stunt performer Kevin Chaves launched on Thursday (October 21) a record breaking attempt to perform his rola-bola motorbike act in 50-cities around the world, starting with London. The 21-year-old, who performs with Circus Berlin, balanced on skateboards stacked on a motorbike. "Well I performed the skateboard stunt which I balance on a cylinder, which is my act," he told Reuters.

With 11 million inhabitants, the Indian city of Bangalore has seen its size increase in a very short space of time. Nicknamed the Indian Silicon Valley, its rivers and lakes are now the city's unofficial sewers and are used by locals as dumping grounds for all kinds of waste. Out of the 850 lakes in Bangalore, more than 500 are extremely polluted. But one man, Anand Malligawad, has set himself an ambitious goal: to clean up Bangalore's lakes, one by one. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Camille Nedelec.

Indian government forces have killed the head of a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-administered Kashmir. Noor Mohammad Tantray, head in the Kashmir valley of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, was killed in a gun battle after being trapped in a house near the city of Srinagar on Monday evening. The 47-year-old, a mere three feet tall, took over the group in Indian Kashmir in 2016.

PM Narendra Modi has framed cryptocurrencies as a domain that needs to be closely policed, warning they present a risk to young people. DW talked to economist Eswar Prasad about how Modi could regulate the sector.