News updates: Delhi records best December AQI since system began in 2015

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8:34 PM

Delhi records best December AQI since system began in 2015

With an average Air Quality Index of 294, Delhi has recorded its cleanest December air since the introduction of the AQI system in 2015. This improvement can be attributed to strong, consistent winds in the first half of the month and record-breaking rainfall in the second, officials said. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), December marked Delhi's cleanest first half ever, with only one 'very poor' air day recorded between December 1 and December 15. On Monday, the AQI stood at 173, in the "moderate" category, a significant improvement from Sunday's 225 (poor). This marked the eighth moderate air quality day this month, with the capital previously recording no more than three moderate days in December. The lowest AQI of this month was recorded on December 28, at 139, marking the cleanest December day on record. The average AQI during this period stood at 238, significantly lower than the usual AQI of over 300 for this time of year. In comparison, Delhi's average AQI was 348 last December, 319 in 2022, and 336 in 2021. The previous lowest December AQI was 300, recorded in 2015. Additionally, the month is set to conclude with at leats 53.5 mm of rainfall, making it the fifth-wettest December since 1901. The city also recorded its highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, with 41.2 mm on December 28 (Friday).

8:29 PM

Adani Green Energy says Amit Singh to step down as CEO Effective March 31, 2025

7:17 PM

Severe cold grips Haryana, Punjab; maximum temperatures hover below normal

Severe cold gripped Haryana and Punjab on Monday, with maximum temperatures hovering well below normal limits in the two states.

 

A thick blanket of fog reduced visibility early in the morning at many places in the two states.

 

Piercing cold prevailed in Chandigarh during the day with the city recording a maximum temperature of 11.3 degrees Celsius, it's coldest day of the winter season so far, over eight notches below normal, according to the local Met office.

 

In Haryana, severe cold prevailed during the day at most places.

 

The maximum temperature in Ambala was recorded at 12 degrees Celsius, Hisar 14.5 degrees, Karnal 13.2 degrees, Rohtak 12.7 degrees, and Gurugram recorded a high of 13 degrees Celsius.

 

In Punjab, cold wave swept Pathankot, which recorded a high of 11 degrees Celsius while Bathinda registered a maximum of 12.4 degrees.

6:58 PM

SAIL bags 'Great Place to Work' certification for 2nd time in a row

6:57 PM

Cong leader criticises Mann govt for 'mishandling' farmers' protest

Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday strongly criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government for its alleged mishandling of the ongoing farmers' agitation.

 

Bajwa, who is Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, accused the AAP government "of betraying Punjab's agrarian community and colluding with the BJP to undermine the state's proud legacy".

 

Referring to Monday's Punjab bandh, call for which had been given by two farmers' forums spearheading the ongoing protest, Bajwa said that "the farmers of Punjab have once again demonstrated their unity and resolve by making today's bandh a historic success".

 

"This movement underscores the legitimacy of their demands and the failure of both the AAP-led Punjab government and the BJP-led central government to address their concerns. Farmers are, and will always be, the backbone of our nation," he said in a statement.

6:53 PM

Arrest Hardeep Puri for having Rohingya infiltrators settled in Delhi: Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded the arrest of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, alleging he has all the data on the places he has made the Rohingya infiltrators settle down in Delhi.

 

Puri hit back accusing Kejriwal of playing with national security.

 

The politics over Rohingya immigrants living illegally in Delhi has intensified ahead of Assembly polls with the BJP accusing AAP of helping Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators settle down in the national capital and using them as vote bank in elections.

 

The Delhi Police, following directions from Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, has launched a campaign to identify and deport the illegal immigrants.

 

In a press conference, Kejriwal said, "Arrest Hardeep Puri because he has all the data on where he has made the Rohingya immigrants to settle down in Delhi... He (Puri) has told about this in a tweet (post on X).

 

"Why are they working so hard and creating drama? Hardeep Puri and Amit Shah have all the data of Rohingyas settled in Delhi," Kejriwal charged when asked about the police drive.

 

Hitting back, Puri, the Union petroleum and natural gas minister, charged in a post on X that Kejriwal's repeated "support" to the Rohingya infiltrators is like playing with the national security.

 

He said the whole country knows Rohingyas could be voters of which party and took a dig at Kejriwal saying "inki to fitrat aisi hai ki aisa koi sagaa nahin, jisko Kejriwal ne thagaa nahin (Kejriwal's nature is such that there is no one close to him who he has not cheated)".

6:18 PM

At least 66 people die after truck plunges into river in southern Ethiopia

5:57 PM

LG VK Saxena expressed objection to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal calling Atishi a temporary CM

In a letter to Delhi CM Atishi, LG VK Saxena expressed objection to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal calling Atishi a temporary Chief Minister

 

"...I found this very objectionable and I was hurt by it. It was not only an insult to you, but also to your appointee, the President of India and to me as her representative… As a Lieutenant Governor, I am concerned about this level of public discourse and at the same time, I am hurt by the conversation of presenting the full-time Chief Minister of my government as a temporary Chief Minister..." reads the letter

5:08 PM

Islamabad's air quality plummets to hazardous levels

Islamabad's air quality has continued to deteriorate for the past two months, with the city's air quality index (AQI) consistently fluctuating between "red" (unhealthy) and "purple" (very unhealthy), Dawn reported.

 

According to data from the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), this alarming rise in air pollution has been largely attributed to construction projects and increasing vehicular emissions.

 

Zaigham Abbas, the Director of Pak-EPA's Labs and National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), pointed to the extensive development projects across Islamabad as the primary cause of the hazardous air quality.

 

Key construction activities, including high-rise buildings along the Blue Area belt, the Park Road extension, and works at the Serena and PTCL interchanges, have generated significant pollution, according to Dawn report.

 

Abbas explained that outdated and inefficient machinery, such as dumper trucks, excavators, and tractors, has been operating continuously to meet tight deadlines, without adequate pollution control measures in place. As a result, the AQI has soared to an average of 182 micrograms per cubic meter in recent weeks, signalling dangerous levels of airborne pollutants.

4:58 PM

Prospects of economy expected to improve in 2025: RBI Governor

Facing criticism from the government over the central bank prioritising inflation over growth, the new RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Monday said that prospects of the Indian economy are expected to improve on the back of high consumer and business confidence in 2025. "As we strive to preserve financial stability to support a higher growth path for the Indian economy, our focus remains steadfast on maintaining stability of financial institutions and, more broadly, systemic stability," Malhotra said in foreword to the Financial Stability Report.

4:49 PM

3 girls stage own kidnapping to fulfil dream of meeting BTS pop band members

Dreams of three minor girls from a village in Maharashtra came to an abrupt halt after police detained them for allegedly staging their own kidnapping in order to raise funds to travel to South Korea and meet hugely popular BTS pop band members. The girls, one 11 years' old and two aged 13, hailing from Dharashiv district, on Friday planned to go to Pune to earn money.

4:44 PM

News update: 2 held for assaulting NCC senior officer at Kerala camp, says police

4:31 PM

I-T dept not looking at Digi Yatra data to crack down on tax evaders

The Income Tax department on Monday said it is not looking at Digi Yatra data to crack down on tax evaders. The I-T department in a post on X refuted reports which stated that Digi Yatra data will be used to crack down on tax evaders. "In this connection it is clarified that as on date there is no such move by the @IncomeTaxIndia department," it said on X.

4:19 PM

Disinflationary effect of bumper kharif harvest, rabi crop prospects likely to soften grain prices: RBI report

The RBI report stated that NBFCs remain healthy with sizeable capital buffers, robust interest margins and earnings, and improving asset quality.

4:14 PM

Telangana's revenue receipts below expectations till Nov, likely to face financial discomfort

Telangana state's revenue receipts met only 46.7%  at Rs 1.03 trillion during the first eight months of the current financial year (till November), against the actual budget estimate of Rs 2.21 trillion, indicating probable financial stress in the coming months.

3:52 PM

News update: Economy exhibiting stability; GDP projected to grow at 6.6% in 2024-25, says RBI report

3:42 PM

Adani Group to exit Wilmar joint venture

Adani Enterprises, the group's flagship firm, will sell a 13 per cent stake in Adani Wilmar, with the remaining 31% going to Wilmar. Wilmar will acquire Adani's 31 per cent stake at a price not exceeding Rs 305 per share.

3:24 PM

Candidates suspect massive corruption in Bihar PSC exam: Prashant Kishor

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday claimed to have learnt that "thousands of crores of rupees have changed hands" for posts to be filled up by the Bihar PSC exam, cancellation of which is being demanded by many candidates. The former close aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also expressed dismay over refusal of his ex-mentor to "utter a single word" on the stir which has been going on for nearly two weeks.

 

2:23 PM

Day temp goes slightly up in Rajasthan, cold wave still persists

Day temperatures went slightly up in most parts of Rajasthan, while some places on its eastern and western periphery still braved the cold. According to the Jaipur Meteorological Centre, a dense fog engulfed Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Churu, Sriganganagar, Barmer, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Sawai Madhopur, and Sikar on Monday morning, hampering traffic movement on the highways.

2:19 PM

Cold wave intensifies in Gulmarg, Pahalgam

Cold wave conditions intensified in Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Kashmir where mercury plunged several degrees below the freezing point, even as the rest of the Valley experienced extended relief from the harsh winter, officials said on Monday. Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a night temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius, down 2 degrees compared to the previous night, the meteorological department said.

1:34 PM

Air quality in parts of Mumbai falls to poor levels

Air quality in parts of Mumbai dipped to poor levels on Monday, prompting civic authorities to call for strict pollution control measures and appeal to residents to take precautionary steps. The air quality index in Byculla, a prominent residential area here, reached 170, categorising it as poor, while Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport reported an AQI of 117, placing it in the moderate range, as per data of the Central Pollution Control Board.

1:11 PM

Elderly couple, neighbour found dead in MP's Shivpuri; cops suspect murder

A 75-year-old man, his wife and another woman residing in their neighbourhood were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district on Monday morning, police said. The police suspect it to be a case of murder and have started questioning people in the area to gather information about the incident, they said.

 

12:47 PM

Rs 21.59 cr siphoned off from sports complex account; main accused alleges insider's role

A computer operator has allegedly misappropriated Rs 21.59 crore from an account of a government-run sports complex in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, officials stated on Monday. The main accused, Harshkumar Kshirsagar, a contractual computer operator at the Divisional Sports Complex office who is currently absconding, committed the offence over 11 months, an official from Jawaharnagar police station said.

12:40 PM

Contractor death: BJP reiterates demand for CBI probe, Priyank Kharge's resignation

Increasing pressure on the ruling Congress in Karnataka, the BJP has reiterated its demand for a CBI  inquiry into the contractor's suicide and resignation of Minister Priyank Kharge.

12:27 PM

Kejriwal announces Rs 18,000 per month to Hindu priests, Sikh granthis

12:15 PM

News update: AAP will launch 'Pujari Granthi Samman Yojna' after returning to power in Delhi, says Kejriwal

12:09 PM

Will give Samman Rashi to Hindu priests and Sikh granthis, says Arvind Kejriwal

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced a stipend of Rs 18,000 per month to Hindu priests, Sikh granthis.

11:56 AM

Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala thank PM for honouring Akkineni Nageswara Rao

Actor Nagarjuna expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remembering his father and Telugu cinema legend Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) during the 117th episode of Mann Ki Baat, his monthly radio programme. PM Modi honoured ANR in his birth centenary year, acknowledging his significant contribution to Telugu cinema through films that "beautifully portrayed Indian traditions and values."

11:42 AM

Diljit Dosanjh dedicates Guwahati concert to former prime minister Manmohan Singh

Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh dedicated his concert to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who died on the night of December 26. "Today's Concert is dedicated to Dr Manmohan Singh Ji. DIL-LUMINATI TOUR Year 24," he captioned the post sharing a video from Sunday's concert.

11:14 AM

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin gets approval to launch New Glenn rocket

Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, has been given a commercial space launch vehicle by The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its New Glenn rocket. The company now joins SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) in vying for contracts under a $5.6 billion Pentagon program for launching national security satellites.