India contains 13 of the world’s 20 smoggiest cities, and its capital’s air is, on average, more hazardous than any other city’s in the world. Indian officials are disputing the specifics, but it’s clear that India, like China, has a massive pollution problem to contend with.

C-sections are both more expensive and riskier than natural births, yet doctors perform them far more often than necessary. The fee-for-service model is to blame.

Six links for your Thursday.

Syrian rebels have been defeated in the city of Homs, a stronghold they’ve held on to for three years. As they depart the city under a brokered government ceasefire, some are wondering whether this marks the beginning of the end for the revolution.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has booted the prime minister from office, deciding an important battle in favor of Thailand’s opposition. But the war is far from over.

If you really want to save the planet, you’d get rid of your resource-devouring pets. At least, that’s what the latest bit of green advice suggests.

The China-Vietnam skirmish in South China Sea illustrates how easy these territorial disputes can escalate to conflict. It also shows how aggressive China can be in achieving its territorial ambitions.

The AFL-CIO is blocking a tax hike pushed by the state teachers’ union. Two big Democratic constituencies are turning on each other.

Gunmen opened fire on a crowded marketplace in a small Nigerian village, in an attack that left over 300 people dead. Boko Haram is likely to be behind the massacre.

The EU imported nearly 3.5 times more coal in 2013 than it did in 2003. For a group of countries with such ambitious green policies, that’s not a good sign.