Delhi

Living at 40C in Abuja, Delhi, Madrid and Sydney

People have been advised to avoid non-essential travel and many have been working from home.

Some schools have closed early, or chosen not to open at all, while the extreme heat is putting pressure on the health service.

But countries where temperatures are usually higher have adapted their infrastructure and lifestyle to cope with the heat.

There is no extreme temperature threshold that forces Australian schools to shut. For some students, this knowledge can really melt your icy pole [ice lolly].

Internet cut to hunger-striking farmers in Delhi

The government said the shutdown would continue until Sunday night to "maintain public safety".

Tens of thousands of protesting farmers have been camped out on Delhi's outskirts for more than a month.

Talks between unions and the government have failed to break the deadlock.

The protest made international headlines on Tuesday when a tractor rally ended in violent clashes that left one protester dead and dozens of police officers injured. Some demonstrators stormed Delhi's historic Red Fort and occupied it until police pushed them back.

Eight-month-old baby raped in India capital Delhi

The girl is reportedly in a critical condition at a local hospital where she was brought in on Sunday.

Police told the media that they had arrested the 28-year-old accused, described as a daily wage worker.

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, who visited the infant in hospital on Monday night, described her injuries as "horrific".

The incident happened on Sunday but came to light on Monday after local media reported it.

Ms Maliwal tweeted that the girl had to undergo a three-hour operation.

India gang rape: Two attacks near Delhi shock India

In the first, police say a woman of 23 was gang-raped and murdered last week in Rohtak district - it took days for her mutilated body to be found. A post mortem showed her "skull was broken".

On Saturday a 22-year-old was gang-raped in a moving car in the Delhi suburb of Gurgaon, police say.

Activists say both attacks show women continue to be unsafe in India.

Residents in Sonipat district, where the Rohtak victim's family lives, found the woman's decomposing body after they noticed stray dogs around it.

Indian farmers Delhi protest suspended

More than 100 farmers from southern Tamil Nadu state had mounted an eye-catching protest in the capital, Delhi, more than a month ago.

They brandished human skulls, held live mice in their mouths, shaved their heads, and slashed their hands.

They were demanding waivers on farm loan repayments and relief funds, among other things.

Angry Indians tweet after Diwali fireworks choke Delhi

Levels of PM10 particulates, considered hazardous to health, rose to 999 micrograms per cubic metre, way above the safe limit of 100.

Authorities had warned that Delhi was in for a polluted Diwali due to factors like humidity and wind speed.

Fire crackers are regularly set off during Diwali but worsen air quality.

Delhi's local government announced last week that it would install air purifiers near roads in an effort to cut the effects of air pollution.

Beijing and Delhi: Two cities and two ways of dealing with smogs

When Beijing's air was forecast to reach hazardous levels for three straight days earlier in December, the government issued a smog red alert. The result: Half the city's cars were off the roads within hours, schools were closed and construction sites shut down. Less than three days later, pollution levels had dropped by 30 percent.