India

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Some of the 40 construction workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for a fourth day were getting sick as falling debris and technical glitches delayed the work to free them, officials in northern India said Wednesday.

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) People associated with the BJP instigated residents to burn firecrackers on Diwali, leading to an overnight increase of over 100 points in the national capital's air quality index, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleged on Monday.

At a press conference here, he said the firecrackers burnt in Delhi were sourced from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, and that certain individuals, including police personnel from these states, permitted the transportation of those firecrackers to the city.

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The Congress on Monday accused the Modi government and the BJP of crushing the dreams and aspirations of India's youth.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, while referring to a recent incident in Telangana where a young woman climbed up an electricity pole and tried to convey something to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally, said "Young India is fed up with Modi Government's rank betrayal".

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday morning after residents flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night.

The city recorded its best air quality on Diwali day in eight years on Sunday, with its 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 218 at 4 pm.

However, firecracker bursting till late Sunday night led to a spike in pollution levels amid low temperatures.

13 November 2023; MEMO: Senior leader of India’s main opposition Indian Congress Party today hit out at the international community, calling the death toll of 11,000 Palestinians from Israeli strikes on Gaza “a deplorable and disgraceful milestone.”

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers were digging through dirt and parts of a collapsed road tunnel Monday to reach 40 workers trapped by a landslide at the construction project in northern India.

All of the construction workers are safe, police officer Prashant Kumar said, adding that they have been supplied with oxygen and water. He said the rescuers had established contact with the trapped individuals.

The collapse occurred Sunday in Uttarakhand, a mountainous state dotted with Hindu temples that attracts many pilgrims and tourists.

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Part of an under-construction road tunnel in a mountainous north Indian state popular with tourists collapsed after a landslide Sunday, trapping more than 30 workers, officials said.

Rescue work is in progress and oxygen is being pumped through a pipe into the collapsed section of the tunnel to help workers breathe, said Manohar Tamta, an Uttarakhand state relief official.

“It will take some time to bring them out,” Tamta said.

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - India and the United States announced progress on key defence deals and said they would expand their growing partnership in the face of geopolitical challenges as their top diplomats and senior ministers met on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi as part of their annual "2+2 Dialogue", focused on the Indo-Pacific region.

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “far too many” Palestinians have died and suffered as Israel wages a relentless war against the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. He urged Israel to minimize harm to civilians and maximize humanitarian assistance that reaches them.

NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - New Delhi plans for the first time to make rain to try improve air quality in the city, which is the world's most polluted capital and has been gripped by smog for a week.

The city has already shut all schools, stopped construction activities, and said it will impose restrictions on vehicle use.

Depending on legal approval and weather conditions, the local environment minister said authorities would try to induce rain from around Nov. 20.