New Delhi topped global pollution charts Friday as Diwali firecracker celebrations worsened air quality to hazardous levels, despite a ban. Seasonal crop burning further compounded the smog, leaving the city blanketed in thick, dense pollution.
New Delhi ranked as the world's most polluted city on Friday after Diwali celebrations involving firecrackers, despite a ban, pushed air quality to hazardous levels. Thick smog enveloped the city, obscuring landmarks like the presidential palace and nearby gardens frequented by joggers and cyclists following Thursday's festivities. According to Swiss firm IQ Air, Delhi's air quality index (AQI) hit 348, classifying pollution as hazardous and placing the city at the top of a real-time global pollution ranking.
Although local authorities have banned firecrackers during Diwali and the winter months for several years, in line with Supreme Court orders, enforcing the ban remains challenging, despite penalties. Some Hindu groups argue the ban infringes on festival observance, while the Delhi government maintains it is intended to protect public health. Friday’s smog was further intensified by seasonal crop residue burning in northern India, which worsens air quality each winter as colder air traps pollutants from various sources.
Finland is closely watching Russia’s ongoing Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic and Barents Seas, Finnish Defence Forc...
European authorities have intercepted more than 2,400 shipping containers at Greece’s port of Piraeus in the European Union’s largest-ever contain...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel will not carry out further strikes in Qatar following last week’s attacks on Doha, which targ...
Leaders from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and 22-member Arab League met in Doha on Monday, concentrating on the impact of recent ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the "Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops...
A decision on the European Union’s proposed 2040 climate emissions target has been delayed, with ministers now set to discuss it at an October summit instead of next week, EU officials said.
Canada’s government is in talks with Alberta and energy firms about scrapping a federal emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, sources told Reuters, if the industry commits to reducing its carbon footprint through other measures.
A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Monday, leaving more than 800 people dead and 2,800 injured, according to a government spokesperson. Rescue teams are struggling to reach remote villages and evacuate the wounded to safety.
Türkiye is facing a severe drought that is impacting water resources, shrinking reservoirs and unprecedented shortages affecting daily life, agriculture, and industry.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Australia will suffer more frequent and extreme climate events, often happening simultaneously, which will strain industry, services and infrastructure, a government report said on Monday, ahead of the announcement of a new emissions target.
Scientists have detected DNA from an invasive barnacle species in Canada's Arctic, raising alarm over the loss of the region's natural defence against ecological threats.
A decision on the European Union’s proposed 2040 climate emissions target has been delayed, with ministers now set to discuss it at an October summit instead of next week, EU officials said.
A high-level EU summit on Friday reaffirmed Europe’s commitment to electric cars, with the Commission holding firm on CO2 targets through 2035 despite industry calls for flexibility.
A vaccine to protect Australia's koalas against chlamydia has been approved for the first time, a development that scientists believe could stop the spread of the deadly disease that has ravaged populations of the beloved endangered animal.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment