Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured, is launching a nationwide online program to check whether people are using toilets as part of his cleanliness drive.

From next month, officials will head out with mobile phones, tablets and iPads to report on whether toilets are being used in rural India, with results uploaded onto a website in real time.

India’s shortage of toilets costs the country more than $50 billion a year, mostly through premature deaths and hygiene-related diseases, according a World Bank study. India suffers a greater cost than other Asian countries from the poor collection of human excreta, the study found. (Reuters)

Cancer best death, says editor

A former editor of The BMJ journal has claimed cancer is the best way to die. Richard Smith, who is chairman of the board of directors of medical smartphone app Patients Know Best, believes the opportunity to reflect on life before it ends is important.

In an article published in The BMJ, the 62-year-old wrote that, while most people tell him they would prefer a sudden death, he thinks that is very hard on the families of the deceased: “So death from cancer is the best ... You can say goodbye, reflect on your life, leave last messages, perhaps visit special places for a last time, listen to favourite pieces of music, read loved poems, and prepare, according to your beliefs, to meet your maker or enjoy eternal oblivion.” (PA)

Driverless? No thanks say drivers

Two of the areas in which driverless car trials are about to start contain motorists who are seemingly not keen on the idea.

Coventry and Bristol are two of the four areas chosen for the trials but only 20 per cent of drivers aged 40 or more in the West Midlands and in south west England would consider using a driverless car, a survey by insurance company Rias found. Of regions in Britain, only north east England had motorists less keen on the new concept.

The trials for driverless cars, which will be starting soon, are also being carried out in Greenwich in south London and in Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. (PA)

Tweet less is popular pledge

Pledging to “unplug” from electronic devices and social media is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, according to social media site Twitter.

Alongside traditional resolutions like losing weight and quitting smoking, unplugging is among the top five promises for 2015 among tweeters. The irony of using social media to promise to switch off was not lost on Twitter users, one of whom wrote: “Saying your resolution is to #unplug on Twitter is like saying you’re going to try to control your drinking problem while at a bar.” (PA)

Ringtone rescue from US sewer

A man who fell 20 feet into an open Chicago storm sewer was saved by his mobile phone.

Recordings of the man’s 911 calls show he remained calm even though he was trapped underground for almost two hours and broke his leg. He was walking on a grassy strip along the shoulder of a road when he fell into the uncovered sewer.

The dispatcher asked him to tell her when he hears the siren on a squad car. It took rescuers about 70 minutes to get him out once they found the hole. Officials said he might not have been rescued if not for the phone call. (PA)

Twitter school for New York’s finest

The United States’ largest police department is sending its top brass to an in-house “Twitter school” as part of an effort to soften the NYPD’s image and engage with the people they serve.

Now, every precinct and some special commands of the New York force have an account. There are 101 in total. And they are encouraged to send out helpful, pithy messages, and respond directly to the communities they serve. (PA)