As Top Court Dealt With Pollution, Punjab Recorded Highest Farm Fire Count

Around 1,000 farm fires were detected in Punjab alone today -- on a day the Supreme Court ripped into the Delhi government over the pollution blanket over north India that went off charts. Hiren Jethva, an aerosol remote sensing scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, told NDTV this evening that this data was collected by the NASA satellite between noon and 1.30 pm -- a time band that over the last three years has showed a decreasing trend of farm fires.

The farm fires, he reiterated today, are lately lit well after 2 pm, when the NASA satellites have passed over India -- a situation that has raised questions over whether farmers are deliberately attempting to hoodwink the satellite.

"Except today, there has been a clear shift in the burning pattern. Since 2002, most fires took place in the 1 to 2 pm window," which has not been the case over the last three years.

Till lately, he said he was happy to see the downward trend, that his predictions about the number of fires have been way higher than the data on the ground - which only left one fact unexplained - how the pollution levels could be increasing despite the lower numbers. Also, the aerosol content in the air - measured by sensors mounted on satellites - indicate far higher levels of particulate matter associated with pollution.

"Pollution load has increased over the subcontinent - unseen in the last 20 years' data. Aerosol load highest over the last two weeks. Also Look at PM 2.5 data in Delhi was 1000 microgram per metre, that is crazy high, unprecedented," he told NDTV.

Now, thanks to data collected by sensors on a South Korean geo-stationary satellite, it has become clear that the time window for lighting of farm fires may have changed. 

In a post on X that showed comparative DATA collected since 2019, he explained the change in trend.

A preliminary quantitative analysis of the GK2A-AMI sensor's 3.8-micron data indicates that fire activity tends to peak in the late afternoon over the past three years @VishnuNDTV @CBhattacharji @jksmith34 @avoiland @KMA_Skylove_eng pic.twitter.com/oP7zEw17hT

— Hiren Jethva (@hjethva05) November 15, 2024

What the Authorities Say

Prof Adarshpal Vig, the Chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, however, chose to differ on Mr Jethva's view that farm fires are the "one giant source of pollution in this season".

While he admitted that the data today showed there were 1,251 fires - the largest in the whole season - this does not take into account the seasonal change in weather that tends to trap pollution closer to the ground instead of dissipating it in the atmosphere, as happens in summer.

It also did not do away with the last two year's downward trend, he said. In 2023, there were 33,719 instances of stubble burning, which was 70 per cent down from the previous year, when 48,000-plus farm fires were reported.

Asked why the authorities were not taking into account the fires lit after 2 pm, Prof Vig said, "Nothing like this. I have been telling you the data for previous 3 years and we have been using the same mechanism for past 4 to 5 years. The data comes from the Punjab remote sensing centre located in Ludhiana University Campus and they are taking the data through ISRO and NASA".  

"I know that they take thermal images... The heat stays for hours. As Hiren was saying, it will take 375 meters area and there are more than one or two satellites and they do the filtering, since fire from cities may get into the data," he added.

"Fires are on a downtrend in that time band if you look at NASA satellite data, which ISRO also uses since 2022. Fires occurring after that can be seen in the geostationary satellite. The Korean satellite shows a clear increase in the short wave infra-red signal. That data shows there is a clear increase of fires in the late afternoons that we are not counting. But we can see in the aerosol load and the PM 2.5 in Delhi the next day," interjected Mr Jethva.

But the point was hotly debated by Prof Vig. Asked if the overall number of fires are coming down, why not the aerosol loads, he said the authorities are "not measuring the aerosol loads".

"So that is not something I can comment on. We are only looking at the BRSC data. But along with stubble burning, there are other sources of pollution, like vehicular or industrial pollution. So maybe those are not dissipating because of the season change," he added.

Mr Jethva pointed out that those sources constant. "Without stubble burning, no one can explain the rise in pollution," he said.

Prof Vig pointed out that one has to take into account the effects of season change. "Why we are not counting these kind of things?" he said.

In summers, the pollution is the same, but the particulate matter gets dispersed due to the heat and the strong winds. 

But in winter, they are "not going out of the atmosphere, making it more visible to everyone and making it more effective to the health issue,' he added.  

The Supreme Court's Strictures

Earlier today, the Supreme Court had mentioned the fresh facts brought to light by Mr Jethva, calling it a "very disturbing feature" in its order.  

"ISRO is getting data from the NASA satellite which  passes over NCR region at around 10.30 am and 1.30 pm daily. Therefore instances of farm fires captured by the satellite are only for those periods. Based on information given by a senior scientist of NASA, learned amicus (senior advocate Aparajita Singh) pointed out that a Korean satellite, which is stationary satellite, has captured the farm fires at 4.20. It is pointed out that there is a difference between data collected by the stationery satellite and data collected by the polar orbiting NASA Satellite," the court said.

"We direct the Union of India and the (CAQM) commission to make immediate arrangements to take data either from the Korean stationary satellite or any other stationary satellite, so that data of farm fires throughout the day can be made available to the state to enable them to take immediate action," the court added in its order.

The judges had pulled up authorities over the delay in implementing tough restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The bench of Justice AS Oka and Justice AG Masih questioned why GRAP 3 was implemented three days after the AQI crossed the 300 mark. When the Centre's counsel replied that they were tracking whether the AQI dips, the court said, "Once it reaches, it has to be invoked... how can the applicability of stage 3 be delayed anyhow... how can you wait for three days?"

"We are making it very clear that you will not go below Stage 4 without our permission now even if AQI goes below 300, that is the order we are proposing," the judges said.

GRAP 4 kicks in when AQI crossed the 450 mark. Commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi are banned from entering the capital unless they are EVs, CNG or they conform to BS-VI norms. Decisions can also be taken on discontinuing physical classes for senior classes too and the odd-even road rationing scheme.

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Babar Surpasses Kohli To Achieve All-Time High, Set To Surpass Rohit Soon

Babar Azam on Monday surpassed Virat Kohli to rise to the second spot in the list of highest run-scorers in T20Is. Virat Kohli has 4188 runs in 117 innings while Babar Azam has 4192 runs in 119 innings. India captain Rohit Sharma leads the list with 4231 runs in 151 innings. Babar Azam achieved the feat during a match against Australia. With Rohit having retired from T20Is, Babar Azam is expected to surpass him in the list very soon.  

Marcus Stoinis slammed five huge sixes in an unbeaten 61 as Australia crushed Pakistan by seven wickets in Hobart on Monday to secure a 3-0 T20 series whitewash. Chasing a meagre 118, the hosts hit the target in the 12th over to hand Pakistan a reality check after the visitors won the preceding ODI series 2-1.

Stoinis was unstoppable once he got going, also blasting five fours in his 27-ball masterclass. "It's really nice to get another win and go 3-0 up," said Australia skipper Josh Inglis. 

"When he's going like that, it's really hard to stop," he added of Stoinis. "One of those sixes was probably the biggest I've seen."

The match at Bellerive Oval was a dead rubber after Australia won a rain-hit match in Brisbane by 29 runs and then in Sydney by 13 runs. After opting to bat, Pakistan raced to 62-1 before crumbling to 117 all out in the 19th over with Babar Azam top-scoring on 41 and Aaron Hardie taking 3-21.

Jake Fraser-McGurk began the run chase with consecutive boundaries from Shaheen Shah Afridi before the speedster dismissed Matt Short for two, caught at mid-on by Irfan Khan.

Fraser-McGurk (18) followed next over, undone by the sheer pace of Jahandad Khan in another mis-fire by the 22-year-old.

But Inglis kept the scoreboard ticking over alongside Stoinis, who let rip in the ninth over, punishing Haris Rauf for 20, including a massive six that landed on the stadium roof.

Their 55-run partnership ended when Inglis scooped Abbas Afridi to Rauf on 27, which brought Tim David to the crease.

He was bystander to Stoinis, who brought up his fifth T20 half-century with another giant six before seeing them home. "There's lots of positives, the way some of the players batted and bowled, these youngsters will come good," said Salman Agha, Pakistan's skipper for the night with Mohammad Rizwan rested.

"It's a big achievement for us to win a one-day series here after 22 years, we could have done better in the T20 series but we'll come back stronger." 

Sahibzada Farhan opened the Pakistan batting with Azam in the absence of Rizwan. But on a chilly evening, he lasted just seven balls before top-edging a short one from Spencer Johnson -- fresh from taking five wickets in Sydney -- to Xavier Bartlett.

Azam produced a series of elegant strokes as he and Haseebullah Khan put on a quickfire 44 for the second wicket. But Kahn was no match for Adam Zampa's spin, collecting an outside edge on 24 to Short.

Pakistan's woes mounted with Usman Khan (3) caught on the ropes after slogging Hardie and Agha trapped lbw by the same bowler for one. It left them reeling on 72-4 at the halfway mark and when Zampa bowled Azam and Khan (10) was needlessly run out they were in deep trouble.

Shaheen Shah Afridi blasted the only six of the innings, but didn't last as the tailenders were mopped up.

With AFP inputs 

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"Salwar Caught Fire But...": How UP Nurse Saved Over Dozen Babies

Nurse Megha James was on duty when the fire broke out at the Jhansi hospital and she threw herself headlong into the rescue efforts, playing a hero's role by saving several babies.

Even when her salwar got burned, she refused to give up and was able to evacuate 14-15 babies with others' help.

"I had gone to take a syringe to give an injection to a child. When I came back, I saw that the (oxygen) concentrator had caught fire. I called the ward boy, who came with the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But by then, the fire had spread," Megha James said.

Eleven babies died in a fire that broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi Friday night.

Faced with an enormous blaze, Megha James's mind worked with a frenetic speed, to the extent she cared little about burning herself.

"My chappal caught fire and I burned my foot. Then my salwar caught fire. I removed my salwar and discarded it. At that time, my mind was virtually not working," she told PTI Videos.

Megha James just wore another salwar and went back to the rescue operation.

"There was a lot of smoke, and once the lights went out, we could not see anything. The entire staff brought out at least 14-15 children. There were 11 beds in the ward with 23-24 babies," she said.

Had the lights not gone out they could have saved more children, Megha James said. "It all happened very suddenly. None of us had expected it." Assistant Nursing Superintendent Nalini Sood praised Megha James's valour and recounted bits from how the rescue operation was carried out.

"The hospital staff broke the glasses of the NICU ward to evacuate the babies. It was then Nurse Megha's salwar caught fire. Instead of caring for her safety, she stayed there to rescue the babies and handed them over to people outside," she said.

Nalini Sood said Megha James is currently undergoing treatment at the same medical college. She said she did not know the extent of her burns.

"The rescued babies were shifted to a ward very close to the NICU ward... When I recall the scene, I feel like crying," she said.

Dr Anshul Jain, the head of the anaesthesiology department at the medical college, explained the standard rescue operation and claimed the hospital followed the protocol to the T.

"In the triage process during an ICU evacuation, the policy is to evacuate less-affected patients first. The rationale behind this approach is that patients requiring minimal support can be relocated quickly, enabling a larger number of evacuations to be completed in a shorter time.

"In contrast, patients on ventilators or requiring high oxygen support demand more time and resources for evacuation," he said.

"This principle was successfully implemented in Jhansi, playing a significant role in saving many lives," Dr Anshul Jain said.

A newborn rescued from the fire died due to illness on Sunday, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Raha's Unseen Pic With Dad Ranbir Is Proof That She Is Daddy's Princess

Raha Kapoor is internet's favourite kid. Everytime there is a picture of her, it goes viral within seconds. Internet is currently abuzz with a never-seen-before picture posted by a fan page. In the photo, Raha is seen in her dad Ranbir Kapoor's arms, and fans cannot stop gushing about how cute she looks. Ranbir is posing with a staff member with one arm around her and carrying his daughter in the Raha. 

The Kapoors have sported a casual look in the photo. Ranbir is dressed in a white tshirt and a pair of blue pants, while Raha is wearing a pink swimsuit. In case you didn't notice, she is holding her tiny shades in her hand.

See the post here

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Raha kapoor (@raha.kapoor2022)

The comments were all directed at Raha's cuteness. "Rahuuu baby," "So cute," "Cute raha," were some of the comments on the post, along with heart and lovestruck emojis. 

While Ranbir is often seen spending time with his daughter and taking her out on playdates, he is one of the busiest actors on the work front. His current lineup of films has some of the biggest projects of his career. This includes Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana alongside Sai Pallavi and Yash, which releases on Diwali 2026 and the second part on Diwali 2027. There is also Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love And War, for which he is currently shooting in Bikaner. The movie will also feature Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. He will also work in Yash Raj Films' Dhoom 4, and there are rumours that Shraddha Kapoor will play the female lead.
 

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Indian Americans To Urge Trump For Sanctions Against Bangladesh

Indian Americans are working to reach out to the new Trump administration and the Congress next year to seek action against the Bangladeshi regime, including imposing economic sanctions, an influential community leader has said.

Encouraged by the recent statement of President-elect Donald Trump on Bangladesh, Dr Bharat Barai, an Indian American physician, exuded confidence that Trump would act against the South Asian nation over the persecution of the Hindu minority after he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

He (Trump) has made a bold statement about the persecution of Bangladeshi Hindus and the desecration of Hindu temples," Barai told PTI in an interview. "He's a bold person who might consider economic sanctions if the situation doesn't improve," he added.

In Washington to attend the annual Diwali celebrations at the US Capitol, which was attended by over two dozen US lawmakers and Indian Americans from across the country, Barai said community members are actively working to engage the new administration and Congress to take action against the Bangladeshi regime, including potential economic sanctions.

"If their garment exports, which account for 80 percent of their business, are cut off, what will the people of Bangladesh eat?" he asked, alleging that Bangladesh's caretaker government, led by Muhammad Yunus, is merely a puppet controlled by the military. "It is really the army that is in control of the country," he added.

Barai expressed hope that such pressure would lead to a realisation in Bangladesh to stop the persecution of Hindus and other minorities. "We, as Hindu Americans, will also plead with the Congress to act if Bangladesh does not straighten out," he said.

He also urged the Indian government to take up the issue with Bangladesh and consider imposing sanctions if the persecution continues. "If they keep harassing Hindus and minorities, India should also impose sanctions on them," he said.

In a statement days before the November 5 general elections, Trump condemned the attack on Hindus in violence-hit Bangladesh.

"I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos," Trump said.

"It would have never happened on my watch. Kamala and Joe have ignored Hindus across the world and in America. They have been a disaster from Israel to Ukraine to our own Southern Border, but we will Make America Strong Again and bring back Peace through Strength," then said.

"We will also protect Hindu Americans against the anti-religion agenda of the radical left. We will fight for your freedom. Under my administration," he said.

Barai said a lot of people are talking about external interference in the overthrow of a democratically elected government in Bangladesh. "Even among the Muslims now, there is a split. Some think that the Democrats engineered this coup in their countries, both Pakistan as well as Bangladesh," he said.

He pointed to figures such as George Soros and Peter Omidyar, suggesting they were part of a broader agenda to undermine Narendra Modi's leadership and promote Rahul Gandhi.

"If you remember that when President Trump visited India about three and a half years ago, riots were engineered, especially in Delhi, to coincide with his visit," he said.

He also expressed frustration with the influence of the "ultra-leftist woke lobby", saying he hoped they would either come to their senses or be sidelined or "put in their proper place".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Who Is Imsha Rehman, Pakistani TikTok Star Caught In Video Leak Scandal

Pakistan-based TikTok influencer Imsha Rehman has deactivated her social media accounts after her private videos were circulated online without her consent. The videos, allegedly showing Ms Rehman in a compromising position, have since gone viral, triggering a social media storm in the conservative country. Rehman has been facing criticism and intense scrutiny from all quarters which prompted her to wipe out her social media footprint, at least temporarily. Rehman has become the latest Pakistani influencer to have had her private videos leaked online.

Who is Imsha Rehman?

Born on October 7, 2002, in Lahore, Ms Rehman is one of the biggest social media influencers in Pakistan -- commanding a legion of followers on Instagram and TikTok. She started her social media journey by sharing fishing and lifestyle content before transitioning to down-to-earth and relatable content on the short video platform, TikTok.

As of the last update, Rehman had over 111,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok - the Chinese app owned by ByteDance.

Imsha Rehman responds to controversy

As the controversy surrounding her explicit videos snowballed, Ms Rahman posted a brief statement before going offline. "The backlash has been overwhelming", she wrote. As per Pakistani media reports, the videos were released after hackers managed to gain access to her accounts.

A screenshot shared by The Express Tribune showed Ms Rehman's TikTok page where she had changed the bio to, "Jab tak video viral hai maine ne ID off kar di hai (Till the time video is viral, I have deactivated my account)."

Previous instance

This is not the first instance when a Pakistani social media influencer has had their online privacy breached. Minahil Malik, a popular social media personality and TikTok star had also quit social media after an intimate video of her with her boyfriend leaked online. She claimed the video was "fake" and lodged a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

However, Malik faced intense trolling since social media users accused her of intentionally leaking the video. Pakistani actress Mishi Khan released a video in which she criticised influencers for "stooping to the lowest level" for fame. She did not directly name Malik, but the references were said to be directed towards her.

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Neena Gupta On Failing Audition For Dimple Kapadia's Role In Tenet

Neena Gupta has always been open about her personal and professional challenges. Recently, she shared how she often faces rejection during auditions. The veteran actress also recalled auditioning for the role of Priya Singh in Christopher Nolan's Tenet. The role was eventually played by Dimple Kapadia. Neena Gupta mentioned that she travelled all the way to Los Angeles to meet Christopher Nolan for the part, but despite her efforts, she did not land the role. In contrast, Dimple Kapadia, who did not even have to meet the director, secured the role in the 2020 film.

During her appearance on Kareena Kapoor's talk show What Women Want, Neena Gupta shared, “Bahut baar mai audition me fail ho jati hu. Audition ni lete to mai pass rehti hu. [I fail in auditions many times. If they do not take my audition, then it is fine.] I auditioned for Tenet (for) director Christopher Nolan. I went to LA for one day to meet him, came back. First, I did the audition here and sent it to him. They selected 5 ladies. Then, ultimately Dimple (Kapadia) did the role. She did not even go there.”

Neena Gupta hilariously added, “Mai Dimple ko milungi to bolungi ki tu gai bhi nahi. [When I will meet Dimple, I will tell her that you did not even go.]” The veteran actress concluded, “It is a director's image of the character. You can not say anything about it.”

In October, Dimple Kapadia recalled an incident from her time on the set of Tenet. She shared how, during a fitting session, director Christopher Nolan complimented her earrings and asked her to leave them behind after filming. “I went for a fitting and I promptly took out my earrings and wore them. Christopher Nolan turned around and said, ‘Oh, they're lovely. You can leave them behind after your shoot,' and I did," the actress told Vogue India.

In Tenet, Dimple Kapadia's character was an Indian arms trafficker. The movie also featured John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki in pivotal roles.  

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