The Mumbai killings fueled renewed tensions between South Asia's long-time rivals, who have fought three wars since independence and conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998.
The disability living allowance (DLA) is being replaced with Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which require up-front medical tests and regular health re-assessments for claimants.
There have been growing calls for independence from nationalists in Catalonia in Spain and Scotland in the United Kingdom, as the eurozone crisis tests loyalties across the European Union.