Sometimes it takes a leap of imagination to get the authorities to repair damaged streets. And it's not a joke – pothole-related accidents claim thousands of lives in India.

India has split the state into two territories and shut off phone, Internet and cable TV service in the disputed region since early August.

Indian-administered Kashmir is now in its fourth day of a communications blackout, following the government's decision to revoke its special status. Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties.

Cleaning sewers by hand is a profession in India that has been banned but still persists. Mechanical devices, including robots, are emerging as a possible solution.

It's the highest number since 2000, when the country first started to keep records of the disease.

Nearly a year after the movement exploded across the country, some activists worry that the fight against sexual harassment has stalled.

The northeastern state of Assam left some 4 million people, mostly Muslims, off its citizenship register last year. At the same time, India is seeking to offer citizenship to non-Muslim foreigners.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and holds an outsize influence on national policy. Its goal: to redefine India according to the Hindu faith.

Ayurvedic products and treatments based on ancient Indian healing practices are part of a multibillion-dollar industry. A yoga guru with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built a retail empire.

Polls have opened in 18 Indian states and two union territories. It is the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over more than five weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people.

The pilot was captured this week after his MiG-21 fighter jet was shot down over the Pakistani-administered part of disputed Kashmir.

When Mohammed bin Salman met earlier this week with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders appeared to avoid touchy subjects such as Saudi support for Pakistan.

It's India's Kumbh Mela festival, which is expected to draw a record 15 million pilgrims this year, all looking to take a dip in the sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

They're part of a global supply chain of trinkets that starts out in Chinese factories. A vendor in India can earn a living by selling five a night.

Tens of thousands of farmers are marching on New Delhi, where they say Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been indifferent to their plight — including poor crop prices and mounting debt.

For decades, India's Sikhs have longed to reach one of their holiest sites, a soaring white temple, built on a river bank. A new corridor will allow them visa-free access to the temple.

In New Delhi, the air has a dusty, burnt taste, says NPR's Furkan Latif Khan. And sometimes the air is so bad she wears a face mask.

A year after sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein catapulted #MeToo into a national movement in the U.S., women in India are using Facebook and Twitter to tell their stories.

The world's biggest biometric system, with iris scans of 1.2 billion people, was designed to help the poor. But it has sparked concerns about privacy and in some cases has exacerbated starvation.

The law drove generations of LGBTQ Indians into the shadows — and got in the way of basic access to health care.