Delhi

The world's largest democracy went under the world's biggest lockdown on March 25, with India's 1.3 billion people ordered to stay home in a bid to stop the coronavirus pandemic, while in the U.S., lawmakers and the White House agreed on a massive $2 trillion domestic aid package to help those impacted by the outbreak.

Indian lawmakers pushed and shoved each other in parliament on March 2 after opposition parties demanded the resignation of interior minister Amit Shah over the handling of deadly riots triggered by a citizenship law that excludes Muslims.

Indian police said on Feb. 28 they had detained hundreds of people and were keeping a heavy presence in northeast New Delhi, days after the worst bout of sectarian violence in the capital in decades.

At least 38 people were killed in Hindu-Muslim violence this week, police said, amid mounting international criticism that authorities failed to protect minority Muslims.

At least 19 people have been killed in the Indian capital during violent clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups over a new citizenship law, a senior hospital official told Reuters, although there was an eerie calm on Feb. 26 in the riot-torn areas.

For the time being, there is no information on the possible casualties, and it is not clear to whom the aircraft belonged and whether it was a commercial flight. Namely, it remained unclear whose aircraft was involved in the crash.

Hundreds of thousands of workers affiliated to trade unions led a strike in parts of India on Jan. 8, disrupting transport and banking services in a protest against privatisation and the growing impact of an economic slowdown on jobs.

It collapsed as a result of a fire.

A factory building collapsed in Delhi as a result of a fire, several people are under the rubble, according to BGNES.

The fire broke out Thursday morning. During the rescue operation, an explosion occurred in the building which led to its collapse. Some of the firefighters found themselves under the rubble.

This night in the Indian capital Delhi, the temperature was 4.2 degrees Celsius, which is about 6 degrees below average for the season. This is the lowest temperature in 22 years, DPA reported.

Local authorities in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other Indian states are preparing to open shelters and distribute firewood and blankets to homeless people.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of northern India today, France Press and Reuters reported.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 51 km southwest of Jurm, northern Afghanistan, at a depth of more than 200 km, according to the US Geological Survey.

India's capital, New Delhi, has the world's most polluted air, according to an air quality monitoring agency.

Two other Indian cities, Kolkata and Mumbai, also ranked among the top 10 cities with the dirtiest air, on the sixth and ninth position respectively, Swiss-based IQ AirVisual said on Friday.