-The Hindustan Times With the detection of fresh cases of dengue fever every day, the state capital seems to be falling in the grip of the infection. Altogether, 132 cases have been reported from different parts of Patna till date.   “Though the disease has not yet taken the shape of an epidemic, the situation may take an ugly turn if health authorities fail to initiate steps on a war footing to...

-Mirror News Tax row coffee chain pays 'poverty wages' despite making £222 million profit in three months TAX row coffee chain Starbucks is paying workers just 25p an hour at its newly-opened stores in India. The pittance falls far below the country’s official living wage and means some staff earn less in a day than the price of the ­cheapest cup of Starbucks coffee in the UK. Details of the wages emerged as the...

Since early November, Delhi and large parts of North India have been enveloped in a thick, grey smog, sparking concerns and a debate on what is leading to the rising levels of air pollution. A January 2012 paper by Ridhima Gupta from the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi is drawing linkages between the quality of air in the capital and agricultural practices during harvest season on farms in the neighbouring state...

-The Indian Express ‘Will write to Environment ministry’ A day after the Supreme Court expressed concern over the smog cover over the city saying it will “deal with the matter”, the Delhi government on Wednesday absolved itself of any blame and pointed a finger at the neighbouring states. The Environment department said it has commissioned a study under IIT-Kanpur to identify the exact role of various pollutants and suggest measures to improve air...

-The Economist MID-AFTERNOON in Delhi, and a red blob looms in the haze. The sun barely illuminates the city. A yellow-green smog hangs low. Even indoors, fuzzy halos of dust and smoke surround lamps. Those foolish enough to be out jogging, or compelled to stand at junctions directing traffic, complain of shortness of breath, migraines, clogged lungs. Newspapers are crammed with articles about asthma, wheezing children at clinics, an epidemic of...