by Atish Patel Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India on Wednesday unveiled a new weapon against air pollution — an “anti-smog gun” which authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. The cannon’s Indian manufacturers say the fine droplets of water it ejects at high speed can flush out deadly airborne pollutants in one of the world’s smoggiest capitals. The giant mister […]
Tag: India
Fire and collapse in Mumbai shop kills 12
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — Fire tore through a sweet shop in the Indian city of Mumbai before dawn Monday, sparking a building collapse which killed 12 sleeping workers, authorities said. Four others were injured but some saved their lives by scrambling out seconds before the collapse. Fire crews and other rescuers saved many trapped workers but 12 died of their injuries, said Tanaji Kamble, spokesperson for Mumbai’s disaster management cell. “The casualties could have been […]
Rahul Gandhi extends family grip on India’s Congress party
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s Rahul Gandhi took over Saturday as president of the main opposition Congress, becoming the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to head the party that has ruled the country for much of its independent history. Fireworks erupted over the party headquarters in New Delhi drowning out the voice of his mother Sonia Gandhi as she handed over the reins of power to her 47-year-old son. Rahul, wearing a long flowing white kurta, […]
India’s PM Modi faces test as his home state votes
AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat began voting on Saturday, in a key electoral test of his popularity after a series of controversial economic reforms. Voters, with their election cards in hand, started lining up at polling booths early in the morning in Gujarat where Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power for 22 years. “Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. […]
India, Sri Lanka cyclone death toll rises to 26
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Thousands took to relief camps in Sri Lanka and southern India on Saturday to escape rising floodwaters after a cyclone killed at least 26 people. Cyclone Ockhi has left 13 people dead in Sri Lanka and killed an equal number in India’s Kerala and Tamil Nadu states since Friday as it churns in the Arabian Sea. Eleven people, mostly fishermen, remained missing in the two countries as nearly 9,000 people […]
Indian producers delay Bollywood film after protests
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — Indian filmmakers said they have delayed indefinitely the release of a Bollywood historical epic about a legendary Hindu queen that has been the subject of weeks of violent protests. Caste-based groups have been targeting “Padmavati”, which was due to hit screens on December 1, over rumours that the movie will depict a romance between the queen and a Muslim ruler. In a statement late Sunday Viacom18 Motion Pictures said they had […]
Overnight drizzle improves Delhi’s air quality
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) — Delhi residents woke up to a bright morning and improved visibility on Saturday (November 18) after an overnight drizzle marginally improved the smog levels in the city. However, the levels of poisonous air borne particles, known as PM 2.5, remained “very unhealthy”. According to a U.S. embassy measure, the level of PM 2.5 stood at 256 at 11 am (0530GMT) – five times the upper limit of “good” quality air […]
Toxic smog continues to choke Indian capital even as some schools reopen
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) — A thick cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit enveloped India’s capital New Delhi on Monday (November 13), as government officials struggled to tackle a public health crisis that is well into its second week. A U.S. embassy measure showed levels of poisonous airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, had reached 495 on Monday morning, compared with the upper limit of “good” quality air at 50. India’s weather […]
President Duterte mulls more investment from India on cheaper medicines
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, November 13, said he is mulling more investments from India, particularly in the manufacture of cheaper medicine. President Duterte held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. “We want to discuss trade relations further and especially, the most important one is that… and I’m happy that you’re here because if we can’t find the […]
Art project transforms historic Indian fishing dock
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — Indian fishermen unload their morning catch as sari-clad women carrying buckets on their heads walk past street art that has transformed one of Mumbai’s oldest fishing docks into an exhibition space. Thirty artists from around the world have given the bustling 142-year-old Sassoon Dock, home to Mumbai’s traditional Koli fishing community, a colourful makeover as part of the St+art Urban Art Festival. “The artworks range from mixed media to graffiti to street-art styles […]
Pollution spikes in Delhi amid warnings no relief in sight
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Air pollution in New Delhi worsened again Sunday and officials warned of little relief in sight from the smog, which has even caused one airline to cancel flights to the world’s most polluted capital. The US embassy website Sunday showed levels of the smallest and most harmful airborne pollutants reached 676, about 27 times the World Health Organization’s safe maximum, after falling slightly late last week. Delhi authorities have halted […]
Delhi restricts vehicles as smog envelopes India and Pakistan
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) – New Delhi banned all construction, barred lorries from entering the city and announced stringent restrictions on private car use on Thursday, seeking to combat a massive spike in pollution across large swathes of India and Pakistan. Tens of thousands of schools in Delhi and surrounding states remained closed as a hazardous fog of toxic pollution cloaked the region for a third day, bringing growing calls for urgent government action to tackle […]





