INDIA: Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city today after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.

Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. 

In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit.