News updates: India calls for cross-border collaboration with Pak, B'desh to tackle pollution

Describing pollution as a "transboundary" issue, India has urged nations, especially Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive and collaborative measures to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders. This appeal comes as northern India has been witnessing a rise in pollution with New Delhi's air quality hitting a severe' level for the first time this season, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 418, on Wednesday. Ministers and heads of delegations from six of the eight countries that share the Earth's tallest cryosphere zone met at a meeting hosted by Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on day two of the global climate conference COP29 in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said in a statement on Wednesday.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged that infiltration has assumed an alarming proportion in Jharkhand and hit out at the ruling JMM-led coalition for "patronising" infiltrators. He also termed the ruling dispensation's 'Abua Awas' housing scheme in place of PM Awas Yojana as a 'farzi (fake)' scheme for 'cut money and commission.'


Taking a firm stance on 'bulldozer justice,' the Supreme Court ruled that if houses of people are demolished merely because they are accused or convicts, it will be totally unconstitutional. The top court said the Executive cannot replace the judiciary and the "legal process should not prejudge the guilt of an accused."

A thick blanket of smog covered Delhi and its neighboring areas including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad on Wednesday morning. Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) above 400, placing it in the 'Severe' range, while Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad registered 'Poor' air quality. The AQI in Faridabad stood at 188, falling in the 'Moderate' category. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.
A goods train derailed in Peddapalli district of Telangana, leading to cancellation of 20 passenger trains, officials of South Central Railway (SCR) said on Wednesday. Eleven wagons of the goods train carrying iron ore derailed between Raghavapuram and Ramagundam on Tuesday late night, they said. Due to derailment of the goods train, as many as 20 passenger trains were cancelled, four were partially cancelled and 10 were diverted, a release from the SCR zone said. Two trains were also rescheduled and three were regulated, it added. The officials said efforts are underway to restore the track and resume train movement.
India's fossil fuel emissions are projected to rise by 4.6 per cent in 2024, while China could see a marginal rise of 0.2 per cent, according to new research by a group of international scientists.The report, unveiled during the UN climate conference or COP29 in Azerbaijan's Baku on Wednesday, stated that global carbon emissions from fossil fuels could reach 37.4 billion tonnes, an increase of 0.8 per cent from 2023 levels.
A thick blanket of smog covered Delhi and its neighboring areas including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad on Wednesday morning. Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) above 400, placing it in the 'Severe' range, while Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad registered 'Poor' air quality. The AQI in Faridabad stood at 188, falling in the 'Moderate' category.