Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Delhi smog hits 'emergency' levels as Prince Charles visits

The Indian capital's notorious air pollution hit "emergency" levels again Wednesday (14), coinciding with a visit by Britain's Prince Charles.

New Delhi has been choked on and off for weeks, as industrial and traffic pollution -- combined with smoke from crop stubble burning -- cast a toxic pall over the metropolis.


For the second time in 10 days, the amount of 2.5PM -- the deadly tiny particles that get into the bloodstream and lungs -- hit "emergency" levels, nearly 20 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organisation.

With the government facing new criticism over steps taken to counter the pollution, Prince Charles visited the Indian Meteorology Department as part of his two-day visit to India.

Charles, frequently outspoken on green issues, was briefed on the crisis by Sunita Narain, a leading environmental activist.

She did not reveal details of her royal talks, but in a commentary last week said: "Every breath we take is poison."

Narain has called for faster moves away from coal and other "dirty fuels" as energy sources, and said authorities are doing "too little too late".

- Car rationing -

India's Supreme Court joined criticism of the government on Wednesday saying authorities had made "little constructive efforts" to curb pollution.

The court has ordered a new clampdown on stubble burning -- in theory already banned -- on farms surrounding the capital.

It was acting because pollution "affects the vast majority of Indians."

Research released this year said the toxic smog across northern India cuts short the lives of around one million people each year.

The Delhi state government has taken measures including banning construction and only allowing cars on the road depending on whether the registration is an odd or even number.

The road rationing is meant to end on Friday, but Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said it could be extended.

Local authorities late Wednesday announced all schools in Delhi would be closed due to the pollution.

"Looking at the worsening situation... Delhi government has ordered all government and public schools to remain shut on Thursday and Friday," Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi said on Twitter.

India has 14 of the world's 15 most polluted cities, according to the WHO.

More For You

Imran Khan

The announcement comes as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, prepares for nationwide protests on August 5, marking two years since his arrest.

Getty Images

Pakistan announces new paramilitary force ahead of PTI protests

PAKISTAN has announced the creation of a new national paramilitary force, raising concerns among opposition parties and human rights groups about its possible use for political repression.

The new force will be called the Federal Constabulary and will be formed by restructuring an existing paramilitary unit currently operating along the northwestern border with Afghanistan, state minister for the Interior Talal Chaudhry said at a press conference in Faisalabad on Monday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Altaf Hussain

Hussain has been living in London since 1992 and holds British citizenship. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Founder of Pakistan's MQM Altaf Hussain hospitalised in London

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been hospitalised in London after falling seriously ill, according to a party official.

Hussain, 71, was admitted to a hospital on Thursday due to a severe illness, where doctors carried out various tests, Mustafa Azizabadi, Convener of MQM’s Central Coordination Committee, said on social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion, the British Future report said. (Photo: Getty Images)

Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

COMMUNITIES remain at risk of fresh unrest unless urgent action is taken to address deep-seated social tensions, a new report, published one year after last summer's riots, has cautioned.

Titled 'The State of Us' by British Future thinktank and the Belong Network, the report published on Tuesday (15) said successive governments have failed to take action and warned that a "powder keg" of unresolved grievances could easily ignite again without immediate intervention.

Keep ReadingShow less
Metropolitan police

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a 'comprehensive operation'. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Gang jailed for stealing £1 million jewellery from London’s Indian community

FOUR members of an organised crime network that stole more than £1 million worth of jewellery from Indian and South Asian families in London have been sentenced to a total of 17 years and one month in prison.

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a “comprehensive operation” that led to the imprisonment of Jerry O’Donnell, 33, Barney Maloney, Quey Adger, 23, and Patrick Ward, 43. All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to burglary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

After report of CAA warning on Boeing fuel switches, regulator issues clarification

FOUR weeks before an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, media reports cited a safety notice issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlighting potential issues with fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft.

The CAA has now clarified that the safety notice in question — Safety Notice Number SN-2015/005 — was originally issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 only to change the contact email address. This routine administrative update caused the document to appear on the CAA website as if it were newly issued.

Keep ReadingShow less