Nepal capital chokes as wildfires rage / Photo: PRAKASH MATHEMA - AFP
-
New push to reach plastic pollution pact
-
US do talking in pool after Phelps, Lochte slam worlds performance
-
Up to a million young Catholics expected for grand Pope Leo vigil
-
New push to reach plastic polution pact
-
Second seed Fritz ends Canadian hopes at ATP Toronto Masters
-
Japan sweats through hottest July on record
-
Jefferson-Wooden, Bednarek blaze to 100m titles at US trials
-
Son Heung-min to leave Tottenham this summer after decade
-
Richardson 'domestic violence' drama overshadows US trials
-
Bid to relocate US Space Shuttle Discovery faces museum pushback
-
Academics warn Columbia University deal sets dangerous precedent
-
Sevastova topples Pegula to book date with Osaka, Swiatek advances in Montreal
-
Former Olympic champion Mu-Nikolayev fails in worlds bid
-
Sensible and steely: how Mexico's Sheinbaum has dealt with Trump
-
Young leads at weather-hit PGA Wyndham Championship
-
US sprint star Richardson out of trials following arrest
-
Rublev, Tiafoe sweat out three-set wins in Toronto
-
Ex-porn actor to be Colombian equality minister
-
Olympic swim greats Phelps, Lochte, rip US World Championships performance
-
Brazilians burn Trump effigies as tariffs spark anger
-
Global stocks fall sharply on weak US job data, Trump tariffs
-
Lyles, Richardson scratch from 100m at US trials
-
NFL Commanders win key vote in quest for new stadium
-
US Fed governor to resign early at critical time for central bank
-
US keeper Turner joins Lyon from Notts Forest, loaned to MLS
-
Epstein accomplice Maxwell moved to minimum security Texas prison
-
Sevastova shocks fourth-ranked Pegula to book date with Osaka
-
End of the chain gang? NFL adopts virtual measurement system
-
Deep lucky to escape Duckett 'elbow' as India get under England's skin
-
Search intensifies for five trapped in giant Chile copper mine
-
Trump orders firing of US official as cracks emerge in jobs market
-
Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
-
Colombian ex-president Uribe sentenced to 12 years house arrest
-
Wave of fake credentials sparks political fallout in Spain
-
Osaka ousts Ostapenko to reach WTA fourth round at Canada
-
Rovanpera emerges from home forests leading Rally of Finland
-
Exxon, Chevron turn page on legal fight as profits slip
-
Prosecutors call for PSG's Achraf Hakimi to face rape trial
-
Missing Kenya football tickets blamed on govt protest fears
-
India's Krishna and Siraj rock England in series finale
-
Norris completes 'double top' in Hungary practice
-
MLB names iconic Wrigley Field as host of 2027 All-Star Game
-
Squiban doubles up at women's Tour de France
-
International crew bound for space station
-
China's Qin takes 'miracle' second breaststroke gold at swim worlds
-
Siraj strikes as India fight back in England finale
-
Brewed awakening: German beer sales lowest on record
-
Indonesia volcano belches six-mile ash tower
-
US promises Gaza food plan after envoy visit
-
Musk's X accuses Britain of online safety 'overreach'
NYSE - LSE
| RBGPF | 0% | 74.94 | $ | |
| CMSC | 0.09% | 22.87 | $ | |
| SCU | 0% | 12.72 | $ | |
| BCC | -0.55% | 83.35 | $ | |
| NGG | 1.99% | 71.82 | $ | |
| SCS | -1.47% | 10.18 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.58% | 51.59 | $ | |
| GSK | 1.09% | 37.56 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.2% | 59.65 | $ | |
| RYCEF | 0.07% | 14.19 | $ | |
| BTI | 1.23% | 54.35 | $ | |
| CMSD | 0.34% | 23.35 | $ | |
| JRI | -0.23% | 13.1 | $ | |
| VOD | 1.37% | 10.96 | $ | |
| BP | -1.26% | 31.75 | $ | |
| AZN | 1.16% | 73.95 | $ | |
| BCE | 1.02% | 23.57 | $ |
Nepal capital chokes as wildfires rage
Nepal's capital was blanketed in acrid smog Thursday as wildfires across the country pushed air pollution levels to among the worst in the world.
Experts say that widespread wildfires, fuelled by an exceptionally dry winter and stagnant atmospheric conditions, have caused the thick and throat-burning smog to cover the Kathmandu valley.
Levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- registered above 178 micrograms per cubic metre on Thursday, according to Swiss monitoring firm IQAir.
A reading above 15 in a 24-hour period is considered unhealthy by the World Health Organization (WHO), and IQAir ranked Kathmandu the world's most polluted city.
The Himalayan nation sees a spate of wildfires annually, usually beginning in March, but their number and intensity have worsened in recent years, with climate change leading to drier winters.
"The prevailing dry conditions have significantly increased the frequency of forest fires across the country, further worsening air pollution," Khushboo Sharma, an air pollution analyst at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) told AFP.
"This year, precipitation was exceptionally low, with hardly any rainfall, leaving forests dry and more susceptible to fire," she added.
Sharma said that stagnant meteorological conditions are also causing pollution to accumulate over the valley.
On social media, people complained of stinging eyes and itchiness because of the pollution.
Low visibility caused by the smog also disrupted flights at Kathmandu airport, sparking long delays.
"The mountain flights... as well as some other flights have been disturbed because of the pollution," said Rinji Sherpa, the airport's spokesman.
The health ministry issued a notice Wednesday requesting Nepalis to "avoid unnecessary travel" and to wear a mask when outside.
The government has also urged people to avoid construction and burning rubbish.
The Air Quality Life Index, issued by the University of Chicago, estimated that in 2024 air pollution stripped 3.4 years off the life of an average Nepal resident.
O.Mousa--SF-PST
