Case filed in 2022 by patient unable to afford medicine leads to cap on drug prices for millions who face ruin if diagnosed

The Indian government has moved to reduce the price of cancer drugs after a retired bank clerk took her case to the supreme court.

From next month, 137 cancer drugs in India will be cheaper as the government tries to tackle the tragedy of poorer patients either forgoing treatment, selling land or falling into debt to meet the high cost of some medicines, which are making large profits for hospitals and pharmacists.

We’d like to hear from people living close to the Strait of Hormuz about how everyday life and the local environment have been affected by the conflict

• Maritime and port workers: how is the Middle East conflict affecting you

Iranian attacks on container ships in the Strait of Hormuz have increased in recent weeks. Iran reported that seven tankers were struck on Wednesday night and over the last fortnight at least 15 container ships, passing through the waterway, were hit.

Most of the recent attacks have occurred close to the coast with Oman, a route that Iran sees as unauthorised. In the seven days to Friday 16 October, 12 vessels were attacked, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO). There are concerns that spillage from any damaged oil tankers may be affecting the environment.

We want to hear from those working or living at sea, including maritime workers, sailors, port staff and family about how the situation is affecting their work

• Do you live near the Strait of Hormuz? How is the US-Iran conflict affecting your life?

The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping across the region, including in the strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.

Iran state TV has reported that seven oil tankers were damaged in the Straight of Hormuz on Wednesday night. There has been an increase in the number of attacks on ships in recent days; some vessels have been hit by drones, others by mines.

Kim Aris says ‘hearing her voice again means more than words can express’ amid loosening of detention restrictions

The son of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has been allowed to speak to the detained former democratic leader for the first time in more than five years.

“Today, I was finally able to speak with my mother, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than five years. Hearing her voice again means more than words can express,” Kim Aris said in a post on Facebook on Thursday.

Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka spent a week in jail after defying restrictions on protests in Delhi amid government crackdown

An Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement who were jailed last week amid a mounting state crackdown on youth-led protests.

The two leaders of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) movement, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had spent a week in Delhi’s Tihar jail after being arrested by Delhi police last week.