Delhi's air index hits 404 at 4am the morning after Diwali, as firecrackers ran past the Supreme Court's deadline

The stories

16 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Delhi's air index hits 404 at 4am the morning after Diwali, as firecrackers ran past the Supreme Court's deadline

   404

   Delhi's live air index at 4am on the morning after Diwali

   India's scale calls 401 and above severe [2]

   50.73 times

   the WHO's 24-hour PM2.5 limit, at Akshardham at 11pm on Sunday

   the reading was 760.99 micrograms [1]

   19%

   of Sunday's pollution expected to come from traffic

   crop-stubble fires were expected to add 3.5%, and firecrackers got no figure [3]

   What happened

   • Delhi's air quality index reached 404 at 4am on Monday, the morning after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. [2]
   • The figure is a live reading from the dashboard of India's Central Pollution Control Board. [2] Sunday's average for the whole day was 376. [3]
   • India's scale calls 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'. [2] The city's reading has eased since 4am. [2]
   • Burari Crossing read 441, Vivek Vihar 437 and Delhi Technological University 434. [2]
   • On 2 November India's Supreme Court allowed approved firecrackers only at set times on Diwali night, 8 November. [1] It ordered the full ban back from 9 November. [1]
   • People kept lighting firecrackers long past the court's 10pm deadline. [1]
   • The approved 'green' crackers release less pollution, but they are not free of it. [5]
   • PM2.5, a major pollutant made of tiny specks, reached 760.99 micrograms per cubic metre at Akshardham at 11pm on Sunday. [1]
   • That is about 50.73 times the World Health Organization's 24-hour limit of 15 micrograms. [1]
   • Delhi's forecasting system expected traffic to cause 19% of Sunday's pollution and crop-stubble fires 3.5%. [3] It gave no figure for firecrackers. [3]
   • Over a whole winter, India's environment ministry puts vehicles at 23% of the city's pollution. [5] Burning of plant matter, farm stubble included, is 20%. [5]
   • Saturday's 362 was Delhi's worst reading for a Diwali eve in 10 years. [6]
   • A body called the Commission for Air Quality Management imposed Stage III of Delhi's emergency plan on Friday. [7] It was still in force on Monday. [1]
   • Authorities told schools in and around Delhi to teach online, and urged people to work from home. [6]
   • India's Supreme Court said on Friday that 'very poor' and 'severe' have become "the new normal". [6]
   • Other cities woke to smog too: Bandra East in Mumbai read 264 and Lucknow 246. [2] Bangalore stayed at 127 and Thiruvananthapuram at 67. [2]

   Sunday average376 air index

   Monday 4am live404 air index

   Severe begins401 air index

   Who is involved

   • Schools teaching online
   • Offices urged to work from home
   • Central Pollution Control Board India's national pollution body; its live dashboard showed the 404
   • India's Supreme Court India's top court; it set the firecracker hours and said severe air had become normal
   • Commission for Air Quality Management the body that runs Delhi's stages of emergency measures; it imposed Stage III on Friday
   • Kapil Mishra a Delhi minister; he accused his rivals of attacking Diwali under cover of pollution

   How it unfolded

   1. 2 Nov Supreme Court allows approved firecrackers at set times [1]
   2. 8 Nov Diwali night
   3. 9 Nov full ban returns
   4. Friday Stage III imposed
   5. Monday still in force
   6. 9 Nov severe air forecast to begin
   7. Next days forecast to continue
   8. Friday Stage III emergency measures imposed [7]
   9. Saturday Index at 362, worst Diwali eve in 10 years [6]
   10. Sunday Day average 376, Diwali night [3]
   11. Monday 4am Live reading of 404 [2]

   Why it matters

   Delhi is home to 30 million people. [5] Air at this level harms healthy people and seriously hurts those already ill, the pollution board says. [4]

   How it works

   Forecasters use a measure called the ventilation index: how much the air can carry pollution away. [3]

   Delhi's warning system says an index below 6,000, with wind under 10 kilometres an hour, spreads pollution poorly. [3]

   Seen it before

   Blow across hot soup and the steam moves off. Leave it alone and the steam hangs over the bowl.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Delhi's air reached India's severe band on Monday morning, and no report we read says how much of that came from Diwali firecrackers.India's Supreme Court limited the firecrackers, people went on past its deadline, and Delhi's own forecasters had named traffic as the largest source on Sunday. [1][2][3]
   • Al Jazeera called a reading above 350 'severe'. [5] India's own scale starts 'severe' at 401. [2]
   • Delhi minister Kapil Mishra said a campaign was being run against Diwali "under the pretext of pollution". [1]
   • Who pays Delhi's children — Schools in and around the city moved lessons online. [6]
   • Who pays People in Delhi already ill — The pollution board says air at this level seriously hurts people with existing diseases. [4]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How much of Monday's smog came from firecrackers.

     The forecasting system gave traffic 19% and crop-stubble fires 3.5% for Sunday, and no figure at all for firecrackers. [3]

   • Nobody knows yet

     What Delhi's air averaged across the whole of Monday.

     The 404 is a live 4am reading, the index eased after that, and the day's average was not in the reports we read. [2]

   What comes next

   Delhi's air warning system expected 'severe' air to last from 9 November for a few days. [3]

1. 02

   Almost 200 US pipelines proposed as rules loosen

   What happened

   • The Environmental Integrity Project, a US research group, counted almost 200 gas and oil pipeline projects in federal records. [15]
   • Together they would stretch 17,000 miles across 42 states. [15] If all are finished, the network would carry about 40% more gas each day. [15]
   • Texas has about 42 of the projects and Louisiana 27. [15]
   • They could feed at least 98 gas power plants proposed for data centres, the buildings that run AI. [15]

   How it unfolded

   Exports add demand too, as the wars in Ukraine and Iran push buyers towards US gas. [15]

   Why it matters

   The US already records about 1.7 pipeline accidents, spills, fires or explosions a day. [15] Alexandra Shaykevich of the group said lines "can leak and explode". [15]

   How it works

   Engineers test a pipe by pushing it past its working pressure, so weak spots show before they fail.

   The report alleges the Trump administration now lets firms run some lines at higher pressure and test less often. [15]

   Seen it before

   A bike tyre pumped harder and never checked is the one that bursts on the road.

   The truth

   • Over 25% of the projects asked for a faster environmental review. [15] The report calls the emergency powers used for this legally doubtful. [15]
   • Who pays Americans living beside pipelines — James Hiatt, of the Louisiana group For a Better Bayou, says the people who live there carry the risk while the profits go elsewhere. [15]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many of the almost 200 US pipelines will be built.

     The count covers projects proposed or under way, and its 40% rise in gas carried assumes all of them are finished. [15]

2. 03

   Britain expected to cut its electric car target

   What happened

   • Britain's government is expected to cut its electric car sales target this week, the BBC reports. [13]
   • Today's rule says 80% of new cars sold must be electric by 2030. [13]
   • The prime minister's office insists no decision has been made. [13] Ministers have been consulting on lowering the 80%. [13]

   Who is involved

   • PM's office no decision yet
   • Ministers consulting on a cut

   How it unfolded

   Finance minister John Healey has already cut more than 3 billion pounds from Britain's energy department. [14] The money went to defence. [14]

   Why it matters

   Industry groups have long called for "urgent relief" from the rule. [13] Environmental groups say a weaker target threatens Britain's climate goals. [13]

   How it works

   Regulators call this a sales mandate: a law setting what share of a seller's goods must be one kind.

   The rule sets the share of cars that must be electric, so a lower share leaves room for petrol cars. [13]

   Seen it before

   A teacher who lowers the pass mark gets fewer pupils working for the top grade.

   The truth

   • The BBC's report rests on a government source it does not name. [13]
   • Labour MP Catherine Fookes said the rule "should stay". [14]
   • Who gains Carmakers selling in Britain — A lower required electric share leaves more room for petrol and diesel cars in 2030. [13]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How far Britain will lower its 80% electric car rule.

     The BBC reports a significant cut is expected, and the prime minister's office says nothing is decided. [13]

3. 04

   Second firefighting helicopter crashes in Indonesia

   What happened

   • A helicopter fighting wildfires in Indonesia crashed into the Barito River on Borneo on Sunday while scooping up water. [16]
   • Two Australian crew survived, and an Indonesian crew member is still missing. [16]
   • On Wednesday a military helicopter fighting fires crashed off Borneo, killing 3 people. [16]
   • The fires have burned more than 1.9 million hectares, deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas says. [16]

   How it unfolded

   They have burned on Sumatra, Borneo and Papua for months. [16] A strong El Nino, which brings drought to Indonesia, helps drive them. [16]

   1. Wednesday military helicopter crashes, 3 dead
   2. Sunday second helicopter crashes

   Why it matters

   Smoke has drifted to Malaysia, East Timor and Singapore. [16]

   Papua New Guinea's weather service says 60 to 80% of the smoke from Indonesia's fires is drifting its way. [17]

   Weather officials in Papua New Guinea say the smoke harms people with breathing problems. [17] El Nino has delayed the rains that would clear it. [17]

   The truth

   • Investigators are still looking into the cause of Wednesday's crash. [16]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What brought down Indonesia's firefighting helicopters.

     The army said the cause of Wednesday's crash was under investigation, and Sunday's crash was filmed but not explained. [16]

4. 05

   Moldova opens a power line to Romania

   What happened

   • Moldova opened a new high-voltage power line linking it to Romania and the European grid on Sunday. [18]
   • President Maia Sandu spoke at the opening in Chisinau, the capital. [18] The country of 2.6 million people sits between Romania and Ukraine. [18]
   • The line opened two years after the date Moldova's authorities first promised. [18]

   How it unfolded

   Moldova used to get most of its gas from Russia, through Ukraine and the breakaway region of Transnistria. [18]

   Sandu said Moldova now buys "zero Russian gas". [18]

   Why it matters

   Moldova's parliament approved a state of emergency until 20 November to ease gas shortages. [18]

   How it works

   Grid engineers call a link between two countries' grids an interconnector.

   Moldova has leaned on one power plant in Transnistria, and Sandu says Russia threatens to cut its power. [18] A line to Romania adds a second seller. [18]

   Seen it before

   A shop with two suppliers can change when one puts up its price.

   The truth

   • Al Jazeera's report gives Sandu's charge that Russia uses energy to "blackmail" Moldova, and carries no reply from Russia. [18]
   • Who gains Moldovan electricity buyers — A line to Romania lets the country buy power where it is cheapest, in the words of the EU commissioner at the opening. [18]
   • Who pays Moldovans short of gas — Parliament approved a state of emergency to 20 November to ease gas shortages. [18]

   Good news

   • Moldova opened a new power line to Romania on Sunday, and its president said two more are on the way.

   What comes next

   Sandu says "two more power lines to Romania are on the way". [18]

5. 06

   COP31 opens with 28% against a 35% goal

   What happened

   • COP31, the UN climate summit, began on Monday in Antalya, Turkey, and runs to 20 November. [9]
   • Murat Kurum, Turkey's environment minister and COP31's president, said it is clear "the world will overshoot the 1.5-degree target". [9]
   • That is the warming limit that countries agreed in Paris in 2015. [9]
   • Climate Action Tracker, a research group, says current policies reach 28% electricity by 2035, short of COP31's 35% goal. [12]
   • Reaching 35% means moving four times faster, the group says. [12]
   • Samuel Gueret of Climate Analytics says the goal could be met by adding data centres or more fossil-fuelled power. [12]

   Why it matters

   A senior EU official warned there would be "no political will" for new climate money. [10]

   African countries want tripled adaptation finance on the agenda. [10] Adaptation means things like sea walls and drought-resistant crops. [10]

   The truth

   • Coal was Turkey's biggest source of power last year, and its energy minister defends fossil fuels for energy security. [12]
   • A group of 20 Democrats from the US Congress came to Antalya. [11] The Trump administration sent no delegation. [11]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether COP31's 35% electricity goal will have to mean clean power.

     The EU has called for clean electrification, and analysts say the goal could be met with more fossil-fuelled power. [10][12]

6. 07

   Europe heads for a dark, windless lull

   What happened

   • Europe risks its first dunkelflaute of the year, as cool, cloudy, windless weather holds down wind and solar power. [20]
   • Dunkelflaute is German for 'dark lull': days when wind and solar power both run low. [20]
   • Bloomberg forecast German power for 29 October above 300 euros a megawatt-hour, about double October's average. [20]
   • One UK home with 12 solar panels made 2.40 kilowatt-hours on 5 November, and bought 20.60 from the grid. [20]

   How it unfolded

   Solar has saved the EU 42.9 billion euros of gas imports since the Iran war began on 28 February. [20]

   Why it matters

   The gap gets filled by expensive backup power, such as gas. [20] Cold weather also raises demand for heating. [20]

   How it works

   Engineers call power that can run whenever it is wanted firm power.

   Wind and solar cannot run on demand, so in a dark lull the grid leans on backup such as gas. [20]

   Seen it before

   A phone charged by sunlight runs flat in the very week you most want to use it.

   The truth

   • The UK home's figures are one person's own account, given without a name. [20]
7. 08

   Floods kill two in Iraqi city of Erbil

   What happened

   • Flash floods killed 2 people in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, on Saturday evening. [19]
   • A five-year-old child died in a car caught by the water, and a volunteer helping rescuers was swept away. [19]
   • Rain was forecast at about 30mm, but about 80mm fell, the governor said. [19]

   Who is involved

   • A child of five caught in a car
   • A bulldozer operator volunteering, swept away

   Why it matters

   The floods hit most of the city's neighbourhoods, and damaged homes, shops, roads and the electricity network. [19]

   How it works

   Hydrologists call this a flash flood: water that rises so fast it cannot drain away.

   The rain in Erbil came fast after 7pm, and reached about 80mm against the 30mm forecast. [19]

   Seen it before

   Pour water into a sink faster than the plughole takes it, and the sink fills up.

   The truth

   • The 80mm is the governor's early estimate, not a measured total. [19]
   • Who pays Families in Erbil — The floods damaged homes, shops and the electricity network across most neighbourhoods. [19]

1. 09

   UK's dense fog warning and a slow rain ahead

   What happened

   • The Met Office, Britain's weather service, warned of dense fog from 6pm on Sunday to 11am on Monday. [21]
   • It covered most of southern England and the whole of the Midlands. [21] Visibility could fall to 50 metres or less. [21]

   How it unfolded

   1. Sunday 6pm fog warning begins
   2. Monday 11am warning ends

   Why it matters

   The Met Office warned that buses, trains and flights could be delayed or cancelled. [21]

   How it works

   Meteorologists say fog forms when the air cools until it can hold no more water.

   Met Office forecaster Niamh Murray said light winds, clear skies and long nights make the "perfect recipe". [21]

   Seen it before

   A cold bathroom mirror mists up when hot air from the shower meets it and cools.

   Why a still cold night holds smoke over a city

   Meteorologists call it a temperature inversion: warmer air lying over cold air stops smoke rising, so it stays where people breathe.

   The twist

   Smoke rises only while the air around it is colder than it is, so a layer of warmer air above stops it climbing.

   The picture

   Saturday362 air index

   Sunday376 air index

   Monday, 4am404 air index

   Step by step

   1. 1 By day the sun warms the ground, and warm air rises and mixes smoke upwards
   2. 2 On a long clear night the ground loses heat and cools the air touching it
   3. 3 Warmer air now lies above the cold layer
   4. 4 Smoke stops rising when it meets air warmer than itself
   5. 5 Wind or strong morning sun has to break the layer before the air clears

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • Britain's fog warning

     Long clear nights let the air near the ground cool, and light winds left that cold air where it was.

   Where you've seen this

   London, December 1952

   cold still weather held coal smoke over the city for days, and thousands of people died

   Salt Lake City in winter

   cold air pools in the valley under warmer air, and smog can sit for days between storms

   Mexico City

   mountains on most sides and cold mornings keep traffic fumes low over the city

   The catch

   An inversion makes no pollution of its own: it only holds what vehicles, fires and firecrackers have already put into the air.

   And the whole of it

   The air over Delhi holds a bus's exhaust, smoke from a field in another state and a family's firecrackers together, and nobody breathing it can tell which is which. The person who lit the sparkler breathes it too, and so does the judge who set the deadline.

   What comes next

   Murray said slow rain could bring 50 to 70mm to parts of south-west England, where severe drought is still declared. [21]

1. 10

   Antarctic ozone hole seventh largest on record

   What happened

   • NASA says this year's Antarctic ozone hole was the 7th largest in 48 years of monitoring. [22]
   • The ozone hole is not a real hole: no place is empty of ozone. [22]
   • Scientists use the word for the area where ozone falls below 220 Dobson units, the scale used to measure it. [22]
   • NASA measured its average size from 7 September to 13 October. [22] The hole was not as deep as other large ones on record. [22]
   • The record runs from 1979 to 2026, with no data for 1995. [22]
   • The largest hole came in 2006. [22] The deepest came in 1994, at 73 Dobson units on 30 September. [22]
   • This year's hole reached its largest area on 18 September. [22]

   How it unfolded

   1. 1979 the record starts
   2. 2026 this year's hole, ranked 7th

   Why it matters

   The ozone layer blocks ultraviolet light, which damages DNA and causes sunburn and skin cancer. [22]

   How it works

   An unusually strong polar vortex, the ring of winds around Antarctica, made conditions ideal for losing ozone. [22]

   Chemists explain the loss by chlorine: it comes from old chemicals called CFCs, and it destroys ozone over and over. [22]

   Seen it before

   A single drop of bleach keeps on working long after it hits the shirt.

   The truth

   • Scientists estimate about 80% of the chlorine in the upper air comes from human sources. [22]

   Good news

   • A 1987 treaty phased out CFCs. [22] Scientists estimate the Antarctic ozone layer will return to 1980 levels in the 2070s. [22]
2. 11

   Ineos ships ever more US fracked ethane

   What happened

   • Ineos, a British chemicals firm owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, now ships far more US fracked ethane to Europe. [23]
   • Ethane is a gas that comes up during fracking and is used to make most of the world's plastics. [23]
   • The Center for International Environmental Law says Ineos shipped 429 kilotonnes in 2016 and 3,130 kilotonnes in 2025. [23]
   • It also says Ineos accounts for at least two-thirds of all US ethane exports. [23]

   Why it matters

   Project One in Antwerp, Belgium, would be Europe's largest plastic factory if built. [23] Britain has backed it with a 700 million euro guarantee on its loan. [23]

   How it works

   Economists call it the pollution haven effect: dirty work moves to where the rules are looser.

   Fracking is banned across much of Europe, yet European plants can still buy US fracked gas. [23]

   Seen it before

   A family bans a smelly hobby indoors, and it moves to the neighbour's garage.

   The truth

   • Ineos told the Guardian it does not own or operate any wells in Pennsylvania. [23]
   • Who gains Ineos — A 700 million euro UK guarantee helps the company borrow for Project One. [23]
3. 12

   US order on foreign grid parts raises shortage fears

   What happened

   • US grid experts are warning about a Trump order that lets the government block foreign-made grid equipment. [26]
   • Executive Order 14421, issued on 26 August, gives Energy Secretary Chris Wright that power over gear judged an "undue risk". [26]
   • Wood Mackenzie, an energy research firm, estimates shortages of 15% for transformers and 8% for substations this year. [26]
   • Grid imports were worth more than $30 billion in 2025, and China supplied $3.5 billion of that. [26]

   Who is involved

   • Chris Wright US energy secretary, may block equipment

   Why it matters

   Wood Mackenzie says limits on Chinese units will make the shortage worse. [26] Stakeholders say the costs could land on people who pay power bills. [26]

   How it works

   Economists call this a supply shock: buyers want the same amount, and sellers can provide less.

   Transformers are already short by 15%, so taking away one country's supply leaves utilities with fewer places to buy. [26]

   Seen it before

   When one bakery shuts on a busy street, the queue at the others gets longer.

   The truth

   • Stakeholders told Utility Dive the risk is real, and that blocking gear by country misses the point. [26]
4. 13

   Egypt reports a new gas find, size still unproven

   What happened

   • Egypt's petroleum ministry said on Friday that a new Mediterranean well holds about 200 billion cubic feet of gas. [27]
   • The well, Nasim-1X, is in the Taiba area, run by Italy's Eni with Australia's Woodside. [27]
   • Egypt plans a 22-kilometre pipeline to join the well to pipes already in the sea. [27]

   Who is involved

   • Eni Italian energy firm, runs the area
   • Woodside Australian partner

   Why it matters

   Egypt hopes the gas will lift its own output and cut its imports. [27]

   How it works

   Geologists call this a discovery, not a reserve, until they know how much can be brought up at a profit.

   Studies are still testing how much of Nasim-1X can be produced and whether it pays. [27]

   Seen it before

   Finding a coin down a drain is not the same as being able to get it out.

   The truth

   • Egypt's ministry has given no date for when production starts. [27]
   • Who gains Eni and Woodside — They hold the Taiba area together, so a find that proves commercial would be theirs to produce. [27]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Egypt's Nasim-1X well will ever pay.

     Studies are still testing how much gas can be produced, and Egypt's ministry has given no start date. [27]

5. 14

   US solar imports fall and shift to Africa

   What happened

   • The US imported about 12.7 gigawatts of solar panels in the first half of 2026, down 37.7% on last year. [28]
   • Imports from Southeast Asia fell from 1.4 gigawatts in January to 0.6 in July. [28]
   • African countries reached 1.3 gigawatts in July, making Africa the largest source that month. [28]

   How it unfolded

   Makers moved after the US put duties on Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos. [28]

   1. 6 Aug measures announced
   2. 4 Dec minimum import price starts

   Why it matters

   A new US inquiry into imports from Ethiopia is expected to narrow that route too. [28]

   How it works

   Trade economists call this trade diversion: a tax on one seller moves buying to another.

   As US duties reached Southeast Asia, panel makers moved to Ethiopia, Nigeria and Egypt. [28]

   Seen it before

   Close one door to a busy shop and the queue moves to the next door along.

   What comes next

   The US announced on 6 August a minimum import price on solar's raw material. [28] It starts on 4 December, for every country. [28]

6. 15

   Study finds a possible path from war to smog

   What happened

   • Researchers in npj Clean Air, a Nature journal, asked whether the Middle East war is worsening Asian air. [8]
   • About 45% of India's crude oil imports and 54% of China's come from the Middle East. [8]
   • Coal supplies 57.5% of India's energy and 54.79% of China's. [8]
   • Satellites saw sulphur dioxide, a gas from burning coal, rise by up to 0.8 Dobson units during the war. [8]

   Why it matters

   Sulphate, formed from sulphur dioxide, makes up about 48% of the fine particles over India and 42% over China. [8]

   The truth

   • The authors say the rise cannot be pinned on the war or on coal. [8] Changes in coal burning were not measured. [8]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the Iran war raised air pollution over India and China.

     The researchers say the sulphur dioxide rise cannot be pinned on the war or on coal, because coal burning changes were not measured. [8]

7. 16

   Dormice in England and Wales may be recovering

   What happened

   • Hazel dormice in England and Wales rose by almost 10% between 2020 and 2025, a new count suggests. [24]
   • The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme has tracked sites in England and Wales since 1998. [24] Dormouse numbers have fallen by almost 60% since 2000. [24]
   • At Killerton, a National Trust estate in Devon, rangers check 100 nest boxes and find dormice spreading across it. [25]

   Why it matters

   Rangers link that to planting more hedges and more trees. [25]

   How it works

   Biologists call a dormouse's short deep sleep torpor: it saves energy when food is scarce. [24]

   Researchers think warmer summers mean less torpor, which leaves dormice more time to feed and breed. [24]

   Seen it before

   A pupil who sleeps through less of the weekend has more time to eat and play.

   The truth

   • Researchers stress there is considerable uncertainty around the 10% estimate. [24]

   Good news

   • The report's co-author Ian White called the upturn "welcome good news". [24]