Three Indian cities in top four most polluted, says report

A Canadian Sikh activist has raised the issue of India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists abroad.

“We won’t be silenced,” Moninder Singh, the chairman of the Sikh Federation of Canada, told AFP news agency.

Speaking at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva, Singh urged the UN to step up scrutiny of India’s transnational repression.

Singh said he had received multiple warnings from Canadian police about credible threats to his life, including an “imminent” risk involving his wife and children.

His comments highlight the earlier tensions between Canada and India following the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, which Ottawa linked to India. New Delhi denied the allegation.

Nijjar was a proponent of the so-called Khalistan movement, which calls for a Sikh homeland by carving out an ethno-religious state in India’s Punjab region.

Indian stock markets opened higher on Tuesday after a sharp fall the previous day.

The BSE Sensex rose as much as 2.08%, while the Nifty 50 gained 1.71%.

The rebound followed a global rally after US President Donald Trump postponed planned strikes on Iran’s power grid, easing fears of a deeper energy shock after he claimed productive conversations with Iran. Iranian officials have denied they held talks with the US. 

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday warned against the unregulated use of GLP-1–based weight-loss drugs, as low-cost generics enter the market following the expiry of semaglutide patents.

“With the recent introduction of multiple generic variants of GLP-1…concerns have emerged regarding their on-demand availability through retail pharmacies, online platforms, wholesalers, and wellness clinics,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

“These drugs, when used without proper medical supervision, may lead to serious adverse effects and related health risks.”

The Drugs Controller of India has intensified inspections across the supply chain, including online pharmacies, wholesalers and clinics, and issued notices over irregular sales and promotion. India is the world’s largest supplier of generic medicines.

Authorities also reiterated a ban on misleading promotions and off-label use.

Loni in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh was the world’s most polluted city in 2025, according to a report by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir.

Loni averaged PM2.5 levels of 112.5 micrograms per cubic meter, the report said, referring to hazardous fine particles in the air.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that safe levels of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

Three Indian cities were among the four most polluted — Byrnihat in the northeast and capital, New Delhi.

Last year, Byrnihat was named the world’s most polluted city in IQAir’s 2024 report.

Additionally, the world’s 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China.

Pakistan was ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, with PM2.5 levels up to 13 times higher than the WHO guideline. India ranked sixth.

Only thirteen countries and territories met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline, the report said.

Good morning! This is Shakeel from DW’s New Delhi studio, bringing you the latest news updates from India on this bright, sunny morning.

For the second year running, an Indian city has been named the world’s most polluted by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. 

You know those GLP-1–based weight loss drugs everyone’s been talking about? Indian regulators are now investigating unauthorized sales and misuse of the medicine. 

Oh, and remember how the markets fell sharply yesterday? Well, today they have rebounded.

So, for all this and more, stay tuned as we bring you the day’s biggest stories from India.