India

They came from families that have faced seemingly insurmountable hardships and were admitted by top U.S. colleges. A school in India gave them their chance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told COP26 that India, the world's third-biggest carbon emitter, would go net-zero by 2070. But appetite for coal, which supplies 70% of India's power, remains high.

Vinisha Umashankar came up with the idea of solar power instead of charcoal to heat street irons. "Iron-Max" was a finalist for Prince William's Earthshot Prize, and this week, she spoke at COP26.

The priestesses are part of a feminist push to make Hinduism more inclusive. Some have begun officiating at Indian weddings stripped of patriarchal traditions: No more "donating" brides to in-laws.

New state laws make it harder for interfaith couples to marry. The idea is to halt forced marital religious conversions. But they've emboldened extremists to interrupt weddings.

There's a campaign for the government to set the legal age of marriage at 21 instead of 18. A lot of young women are in favor. But there's also concern that it could backfire.

Monday marks one year of demonstrations against government-backed laws that farmers say will hurt their livelihoods.

A case of the virus, which claimed a 12-year-old boy's life, has sparked fears of a new outbreak in India. Researchers fear that the deadly disease has the potential to cause global outbreaks as well.

The Taliban's ideology has distant links to India. Scholars say Afghanistan's new leaders might listen to clerics in the birthplace of Deobandi Islam, though the clerics deny ties with the Taliban.

The 17-year-old wanted to bring her father home to his village after he was injured in the city where he worked. She was praised as a national hero and given honors and prizes. How is she doing now?