Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan wounded in 'assassination' attempt

Residents of Indian capital New Delhi were effectively breathing smoke on Thursday as the AQI - Air Quality Index breached the "severe" and "hazardous" categories, raising calls to close schools. Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan was injured after a firing incident was reported during his long march rally towards capital Islamabad on Thursday.Floods that wrecked havoc across Pakistan in August and September, on the back of several years of high temperatures, have left chilli farmers struggling to cope. Taliban officials have said that the cultivation of poppy has dropped to "zero level" since narcotics were banned in April. Hundreds of demonstrators in Sri Lanka marched in Colombo city on Wednesday protesting against higher taxes, inflation and alleged state-led repression as the country struggles to emerge from its worst financial crisis. Lawyers' associations in India's Gujarat state have announced that they will not represent the nine accused arrested over the bridge collapse in Morbi that killed at least 135 people on Sunday. In a bid to promote saffron tourism in India’s Jammu & Kashmir, a festival was organized for the benefit of growers and buyers, during which a live demonstration of traditional harvesting style was also showcased. Kashmiri saffron is famous across the world due to its superior quality.