- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
- Bangladesh revolution sparks new hopes among Rohingya
Garbage fire chokes Indian capital reeling from heatwave
Indian firefighting teams poured truckloads of sand and mud to douse a huge rubbish dump blaze on Wednesday after thick and putrid smoke from the inferno choked the country's unseasonably hot capital.
Tuesday night's fire was the fourth to break out in less than a month at a landfill in New Delhi, where a running heatwave has added extra discomfort to the city's hot and dry spring climate.
At least 10 fire trucks battled through the night to put out the blaze at the Bhalswa dump in Delhi's north, which ignited a trash mound around 60 metres (200 feet) in height.
No casualties were reported, and officials were investigating the cause of the fire.
Three other fires have broken out in recent weeks further east at the city's biggest landfill, which experts have blamed on searing heat.
Pradeep Khandelwal, the former head of Delhi's waste management department, said each blaze was likely sparked by warmer temperatures speeding up the decomposition of organic waste.
"The dry and hot weather produces excess methane gas at the dumping sites that trigger such fires," Khandelwal told AFP.
Delhi is a sprawling megacity home to more than 20 million people but lacks modern waste management infrastructure to process the roughly 12,000 tonnes of solid trash it produces each day.
The city has witnessed several bouts of scorching heat since March and forecasters have predicted daytime temperatures could reach 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday.
Authorities have issued an alert and asked vulnerable people to avoid the outdoors.
Last month Delhi recorded a high of 40.1 degrees -- the hottest March temperature in the city since 1946.
Heatwaves have killed over 6,500 people in India since 2010, and scientists say climate change is making them harsher and more frequent.
M.P.Jacobs--CPN