Tag: New Delhi

Government appeals to rural India in last budget before election

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) – India’s government promised hundreds of billions of dollars to develop poor rural areas and help struggling farmers in its annual budget Thursday, looking to win over voters ahead of the next general election. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would spend $220 billion on rural infrastructure, including building new roads and toilets and bringing electricity to millions of rural households. Jaitley also announced a national healthcare scheme that will enable half […]

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6.1 magnitude quake rattles northern Afghanistan: USGS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan Wednesday, the USGS said, sending people in Kabul rushing into the streets with tremors felt as far away as Islamabad and New Delhi. The quake hit at 0707 GMT near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan in the Hindu Kush mountains at a depth of 191 kilometres (119 miles), the US Geological Survey said. Frightened residents ran out of homes and shops following the […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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More than 2,000 Indians contract HIV after transfusions

  NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — More than 2,000 Indians contracted HIV over a 17-month period after receiving blood transfusions, data from the national AIDS body showed Wednesday. In response to a Right to Information request filed by Mumbai-based activist Chetan Kothari, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) said 2,234 people had been infected between October 2014 and March 2016. The reply, which was shared with AFP Wednesday, was sent to Kothari last month after he […]

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Deep 6.6-magnitude quake rocks NE Afghanistan: USGS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) —  A 6.6-magnitude quake struck northeast Afghanistan Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, with tremors also felt in Pakistan and India. The quake at a depth of 210 kilometres (130 miles) occurred at 2:58 pm (1028 GMT), 282 km northeast of the capital Kabul. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage. The quake was felt for a few seconds […]

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Strong 7.2 quake strikes in Tajikistan, felt in New Delhi

An earthquake measuring 7.2 magnitude struck Tajikistan on Monday, shaking buildings as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi and in Pakistan, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses said. A spokesman for Tajikistan’s Emergencies Committee said it had no information so far on any casualties or damage from the quake. The quake did not affect Russian military bases in Tajikistan, RIA news agency reported, citing Russia’s defence ministry. The epicentre of the quake […]

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Indian court grants stay of execution for New Delhi gang rapists

Indian’s Supreme Court has granted two young men convicted of a fatal gang-rape a stay of execution. The attack on a 23-year-old student in 2012 shocked the country, triggering street demonstrations and tougher laws. In an emergency court session held on Saturday, two Supreme Court judges ordered the hangings of two of the four convicts to be put on hold, after the men’s lawyers appealed. “The court issued instructions for holding a detailed hearing before […]

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